Chapter 7 Test Form 2b: Fill & Download for Free

Let me give you a rather comprehensive account of the Mannlicher-Carcano rifle that Lee Harvey Oswald used to assassinate President Kennedy.The 6.5mm x52 Mannlicher-Carcano M 91/38 short rifle with the serial number C2766 (Klein’s control number VC-836, catalog number C20-T750) was produced in 1940 in the Terni Arsenal. It was ordered by Oswald on March 12, 1963 from a February advertisement in American Rifleman for a “6.5 Italian Carbine” (the third one from the top, on the left side).By the way, the model advertised was a Carcano Model TS carbine. The reason why Oswald ordered this rifle was because it was the cheapest in the ad. However, Klein’s Sporting Goods in Chicago shipped the Model 91/38 because their wholesale supplier Crescent Firearms was unable to ship the Model TS. So Oswald ended up with a slightly different model, although it fired the same 6.5mm x 52 ammunition as the TS. It was shipped on March 20 to one “A. Hidell, P.O. Box 2915, Dallas, Texas”.The rifle itself cost $12.88. Oswald ordered the rifle with a Japanese made side-mounted 4x18 scope (imported by Ordnance Optics Inc., Hollywood, California, and installed by Klein) which brought up the total to $19.95 (plus the $1.50 shipping charge). The accompanying sling was not originally part of the rifle, but rather belonged to a pistol shoulder holster. This was paid for by Oswald with a $21.45 money order that was purchased on March 12. Expert document examiners from the Treasury Department and the FBI determined that the hand printing on the mail-order coupon (with the “A. Hiddell” name) and the handwriting on the envelope addressed to Klein’s store in Chicago was that of Oswald.Here is the actual order blank for the rifle issued by Klein’s.There has been a lot of bad press especially among the conspiracy theorists that the rifle wasn’t worth a damn (Martin Shackelford’s answer is typical). I hope this answer would address this issue based on tests conducted on the actual rifle or other rifles of the same model.The Warren Commission is rife with the initial opinions of witnesses (i.e., FBI, ATF, etc.), indicating that they thought the Carcano was not capable of being the assassination weapon, basically repeating hearsay. These witnesses found through their own testing (and by later independent recreations) that the Carcano was capable of being the assassination weapon.Let me quote from the Warren Commission Report Chapter 4 page 193ff:A series of tests were performed to determine whether the weapon and ammunition used in the assassination were capable of firing the shots which were fired by the assassin on November 22, 1963. The ammunition used by the assassin was manufactured by Western Cartridge Co. of East Alton, III. In tests with the Mannlicher-Carcano C2766 rifle, over 100 rounds of this ammunition were fired by the FBI and the Infantry Weapons Evaluation Branch of the U.S. Army. There were no misfires.In an effort to test the rifle under conditions which simulated those which prevailed during the assassination, the Infantry Weapons Evaluation Branch of the Ballistics Research Laboratory had expert riflemen fire the assassination weapon from a tower at three silhouette targets at distances of 175, 240, and 265 feet. The target at 265 feet was placed to the right of the 240-foot target which was in turn placed to the right of the closest silhouette. Using the assassination rifle mounted with the telescopic sight, three marksmen, rated as master by the National Rifle Association, each fired two series of three shots. In the first series the firers required time spans of 4.6, 6.75, and 8.25 seconds respectively. On the second series they required 5.15, 6.45, and 7 seconds. None of the marksmen had any practice with the assassination weapon except for exercising the bolt for 2 or 3 minutes on a dry run. They had not even pulled the trigger because of concern about breaking the firing pin.The marksmen took as much time as they wanted for the first target and all hit the target. For the first four attempts, the firers missed the second shot. by several inches. The angle from the first to the second shot was greater than from the second to the third shot and required a movement in the basic firing position of the marksmen. This angle was used in the test because the majority of the eyewitnesses to the assassination stated that there was a shorter interval between shots two and three than between shots one and two. As has been shown in chapter III, if the three shots were fired within a period of from 4.8 to 5.6 seconds, the shots would have been evenly spaced and the assassin would not have incurred so sharp an angular movement.Five of the six shots hit the third target where the angle of movement of the weapon was small. On the basis of these results, Simmons testified that in his opinion the probability of hitting the targets at the relatively short range at which they were hit was very high. [Italics mine.]Considering the various probabilities which may have prevailed during the actual assassination, the highest level of firing performance which would have been required of the assassin and the C2766 rifle would have been to fire three times and hit the target twice within a span of 4.8 to 5.6 seconds. In fact, one of the firers in the rapid fire test in firing his two series of three shots, hit the target twice within a span of 4.6 and 5.15 seconds. The others would have been able to reduce their times if they had been given the opportunity to become familiar with the movement of the bolt and the trigger pull. Simmons testified that familiarity with the bolt could be achieved in dry practice and, as has been indicated above, Oswald engaged in such practice. If the assassin missed either the first or third shot, he had a total of between 4.8 and 5.6 seconds between the two shots which hit and a total minimum time period of from 7.1 to 7.9 seconds for all three shots. All three of the firers in these tests were able to fire the rounds within the time period which would have been available to the assassin under those conditions.Three FBI firearms experts tested the rifle in order to determine the speed with which it could be fired. The purpose of this experiment was not to test the rifle under conditions which prevailed at the time of the assassination but to determine the maximum speed at which it could be fired. The three FBI experts each fired three shots from the weapon at 15 yards in 6, 7, and 9 seconds, and one of these agents, Robert A. Frazier, fired two series of three shots at 25 yards in 4.6 and 4.8 seconds. At 15 yards each man's shots landed within the size of a dime. The shots fired by Frazier at the range of 25 yards landed within an area of 2 inches and 5 inches respectively. Frazier later fired four groups of three shots at a distance of 100 yards in 5.9, 6.2, 5.6, and 6.5 seconds. Each series of three shots landed within areas ranging in diameter from 3 to 5 inches. Although all of the shots were a few inches high and to the right of the target., this was because of a defect in the scope which was recognized by the FBI agents and which they could have compensated for if they were aiming to hit a bull's-eye. They were instead firing to determine how rapidly the weapon could be fired and the area within which three shots could be placed. Frazier testified that while he could not tell when the defect occurred, but that a person familiar with the weapon could compensate for it. Moreover, the defect was one which would have assisted the assassin aiming at a target which was moving away. Frazier said, "The fact that the crosshairs are set high would actually compensate for any lead which had to be taken. So that if you aimed with this weapon as it actually was received at the laboratory, it would not be necessary to take any lead whatsoever in order to hit the intended object. The scope would accomplish the lead for you." Frazier added that the scope would cause a slight miss to the right. It should be noted, however, that the President's car was curving slightly to the right when the third shot was fired.Based on these tests the experts agreed that the assassination rifle was an accurate weapon. Simmons described it as "quite accurate," in fact, as accurate as current military rifles. Frazier testified that the rifle was accurate, that it had less recoil than the average military rifle and that one would not have to be an expert marksman to have accomplished the assassination with the weapon which was used. [Italics mine.]In its conclusion (ibid., p. 195):The various tests showed that the Mannlicher-Carcano was an accurate rifle and that the use of a four-power scope was a substantial aid to rapid, accurate firing. Oswald's Marine training in marksmanship, his other rifle experience and his established familiarity with this particular weapon show that he possessed ample capability to commit the assassination. Based on the known facts of the assassination, the Marine marksmanship experts, Major Anderson and Sergeant Zahm, concurred in the opinion that Oswald had the capability to fire three shots, with two hits, within 4.8 and 5.6 seconds. Concerning the shots which struck the President in the back of the neck, Sergeant Zahm testified: “With the equipment he [Oswald] had and with his ability I consider it a very easy shot.” Having fired this slot the assassin was then required to hit the target one more time within a space of from 4.8 to 5.6 seconds. On the basis of Oswald's training and the accuracy of the weapon as established by the tests, the Commission concluded that Oswald was capable of accomplishing this second hit even if there was an intervening shot which missed. The probability of hitting the President a second time would have been markedly increased if, in fact, he had missed either the first or third shots thereby leaving a time span of 4.8 to 5.6' seconds between the two shots which struck their mark. The Commission agrees with the testimony of Marine marksmanship expert Zahm that it was easy shot" to hit some part of the President's body, and that the range where the rifleman would be expected to hit would include the President's head. [Italics mine.]As if that was not enough, the HSCA conducted their own tests on the rifle and came up with similar results, if not better than that of the Warren Commission. See ADDENDUM C: MEMORANDUM FROM G. ROBERT BLAKEY TO THE SELECT COMMITTEE ON ASSASSINATIONS ON THE MANNLICHER-CARCANO.And here is the link to the findings of the HSCA on the matter: Findings and Conclusions of the Firearms Panel Concerning the Kennedy Assassination.The advertisement from Klein’s touted the rifle as “fast loading and fast firing”. IMO, that is truth in advertising.Of course, no amount of evidence will convince a conspiracy theorist whose head still lies buried in the sand.Thanks for the A2A.EDIT (07/05/2019): 17K views! I am thankful to those who took the time to read and upvote on this answer.Let me add one more thing:Luke and Mike Haag, father and son team who are both forensic scientists specializing in ballistics were interviewed by Ira Flatow in November 2013 for the show Science Friday. They gave their findings on their experiments that were shown in the PBS Nova show Cold Case JFK. You can listen to the interview and read the transcript at the same time.Using Modern Ballistics to Crack 'Cold Case JFK'The actual Nova episode is available to watch here:Cold Case JFK : Free Download, Borrow, and Streaming : Internet ArchiveBottom line: The Carcano is an accurate weapon and is capable of inflicting the wounds on JFK and Governor Connally.EDIT 07/10/2019: Here is a full-color scan of the original $21.45 money order sent by Oswald to pay for the rifle and scope. Much clearer than the image above.Courtesy of Getty Images.And here is CE 773, which has the mail order coupon for Klein’s as well the envelope it was enclosed in.Now someone made a comment below that Oswald could not have posted this:The Warren Commission never pointed out that the envelope, time stamped 10:30 am, was not mailed from the downtown post office where the money order was purchased. It was stamped and mailed in "zone 12," which was several miles west of the downtown post office and across the Trinity River. In order for this letter to have reached Chicago the following day, it would have to have been picked up by a mail carrier sometime after 10:30 am, delivered to the Industrial Station post office in zone 7, and then sorted and bagged into an airmail pouch. And the airmail pouch would have to have been delivered by another mail carrier to Love field and then placed aboard an aircraft prior to it's 12 o'clock noon departure.David von Pein received an email from an informant that cleared this mystery way back in July 6, 2012:I’ve been told by a group of postmark collectors and historians (in the USA) that the number ‘12’ which appears on the franking/cancellation mark does not indicate where the item was posted. It merely indicates that the letter was franked through the number 12 machine at the processing plant, which was, in 1963, within the terminal annex building where Oswald actually bought the money order!Compare the postmark above with other postmarks in Dallas dated 1967 and 1968. Note that they have “3B” and “1B” with them. Surely they cannot be zones right?And here is an envelope mailed by Oswald on November 1, 1963 (Arnold Johnson Exhibit no. 7). note the “2B” designation.David von Pein’s correspondent further wrote:I have also been advised that the time-stamp shown on the franking, 10:30, does not mean that it was posted at that time. It simply means that the letter was in the mailbox when the scheduled 10:30 collection was made.The only thing that can be said for sure is that the letter was posted at some time before the timestamp shows. It could have been one minute, one hour, two hours, three hours, etc.If that is not enough, von Pein also corresponded with a supervisor from the USPS named Jimmy Orr, and this was Mr. Orr’s response:At first glance, David . . . the postmark seems to be of a Model G flyer, of which we still use one in Greenville [South Carolina] to this day. An electric machine, it probably dates to the 1930's, but is still useful to cancel heavy, non-automation pieces.There would have been absolutely NO local zone classification for cancellations in 1963, as there are absolutely none to date on this equipment. The number 12, most assuredly, would have indicated a machine number at the processing plant in Dallas. Nothing more, nothing less. I have been with USPS for 29 years now. Nothing on a postmark other than city, state, and zip code has EVER indicated an origination.[The] MPO [Main Post Office] in Dallas would have typically had a large workroom area with multiple flyer machines in 1963. It is also quite probable that they had as many as twelve mechanized Mark II cancellation machines. The dies would be nearly identical and would merely indicate the machine number. I believe, firmly, that no conclusion can be drawn about the origin of the letter within the Dallas community by observing the postmark.Also David, the time of 10:30 [which is also stamped on Commission Exhibit 773] would indicate the 'clearance' time for delivery. Anything before 10:30 would constitute next day service. That which was received later would not. There would have been ABSOLUTELY no changing of the dies to reflect what time the letter was received . . . with the letter volume of 1963 as compared to today's internet generation . . . the notion is ludicrous . . . cancellations in Dallas at the time were probably upwards of 300,000 letters per day.I actually got in touch with Mr. Orr (he’s a moderator of a JFK group in Facebook of which I am a member) and he confirmed what he wrote, adding:10:30 would have been cancellation time, with dispatch of value before midnight the same day. “Airmail” loaded on a plane arrives in Chicago a few hours or so later. Sortation at Chicago GMF by 6 am for delivery, would have put it at Klein’s that morning. Volume was not such an issue in those years, the delivery standards came into play as volume rapidly increased. “Overnight” today is usually less than 100 to 200 miles for a simple 1st class letter.So there is nothing sinister about the postmark. It only shows the lengths some people would take to try to deny that Oswald did not order the rifle when there is overwhelming evidence that he bought it.

Hey!So yesterday only, I was searching for questions asked in BITSAT on 16th, so, I know about that curiosity to know the type of questions asked in the exam. Here I am to give you a list of questions that were asked in mine.PHYSICS:-A simple question on emf induced where length of airplane wing(l), velocity(V), magnetic field(B) and angle b/w ‘B’ and ‘l ’ was given. Formula used : E = (V X B). LCharge on positive plate(q) and capacitance(c) were given and we had to find the potential difference(Δv). Formula used : Δv=q/cWhen an electron moves negative plate to positive plate in a capacitor, gain in KE was asked. Electric field intensity(E) and separation b/w plates(d) were given. Formula used: eΔv=ΔKE and Δv=E*lFormula for potential at the centre of thin spherical shell was asked. Ans: Q/(4*π*ε*R).One question on rotational mechanics. Mainly we had to find torque and eventually angular acceleration(α) and use the formula (ωf=ωi + αΔt) to find time taken. ωf and ωi were given.You and a car are moving at 6 m/s. You suddenly jump inside the car. What will be the final velocity of the car? Ans: 6m/s (momentum conservation).A person moves a block on a horizontal surface. Work done by gravity?Ans: 0A bucket of water of mass ‘m’ is rotated in vertical circular motion with constant speed. Water doesn’t fall on the topmost point. Velocity? Formula used: mg= mv^2/r.Dimensional formula for epsilon? Ans: M^-1 L^-3 T^4 A^2.No. of significant figures in 8.0025.For a particular frequency, photons have same: momentum and energy.For ohmic devices, dependency of ρ(rho) on eletric field? Ans: E= ρ*j , so ρ∝E.For a wave, phase difference b/w two particles at a distance of λ/2 from each other. Ans: ΔΦ=2π/λ * Δx where Δx is given as λ/2 .A hole is made in a material and temperature raised by 1°C, new radius? Given temp coefficient for volumetric expansion as γ. Ans: 2*π*r’= 2*π*r(1 + γ/3(ΔT)).Car+Man going up an incline at angle θ with constant velocity ‘v’, what is power delivered ? Ans: P=F*v, F=mg*sinθ.A charge(given) is dropped from spaceship on moon surface. Another charge(given) is stuck on spaceship. After it hits falls on the moon surface, electrostatic force b/w the two was given. We had to find the altitude at which the spaceship was from moon surface. Formula used: F=k*q1*q2/r^2 and find r.There was a question on damped oscillations.( I don’t remember this one :P)Total energy of a simple harmonic oscillator is ? Ans: Constant.Equation for force was given as a function of x. So we had to find change in KE for x=1 to x=4. Formula used: ∫f(x)dx = ΔKE.Car is moving on road and enters into a sandy region. First the left front wheel enters into the region, what will happen? Ans: Car will turn left.Two balls hit a rod(at rest) at a distance of 0.025 m from the the centre with two different velocities(given). We had to find translational and rotational velocity of rod after collision(mass of rod given). Concept used: Conservation of linear and angular momentum.Energy of an eletron in nth shell of hydrogen is proportional to ? Ans: 1/n^2.Total ‘X’(given) energy was provided. Only 50% of it was utilized and enthalpy of evaporation of H2O was given(let Y). What mass of H2O can be converted into vapour? Ans: X/2 = n*Y, and mass=18*n.A loop carrying current I is kept in x-y plane and magnetic field is along z-axis. Force and Torque is? Ans: Both 0.Surprisingly, both on 16th and 17th may, there were no questions on semiconductors or communication systems. (Thank God! Phew!)CHEMISTRY:-For fcc/ccp, radius was given and we had to find edge length. Formula used: √2 a = 4*r.Which colloid is not possible? Ans: Gas in gas.Two solutions have same osmotic pressure. Concentration for one was given and we had to find the same for the other one. Formula used: π=C*R*T.Standard Gibbs free energy was given and we had to give the expression for K(as you can’t calculate antilog without antilog table). Formula used: ΔG°=-R*T*ln(k).There was a question on ozonolysis. (I don’t remember it exactly)1 or 2 questions on s-block.Cis and Trans but-2-ene on bromination give ? Ans: Racemic and Meso compounds respectively.There was one question on P-block. Options contained bond angles for different compounds. We had to find incorrect option. Ans: Bond angle for Ph3 is 109.7°.(It is 90° btw).What are arrhenius parameters? Ans: I am a bit confused in this one. (a) A and Ea; (b) A and e^-Ea/RT; (c) A and K.Given mass of NH3, we had to find mass of h2 utilized. Ans: Use the rxn N2 + 3H2 -> 2NH3.A solution had two components (A and B) both equimolar. Pa° and Pb° were given. We had to find mole fraction of B in vapour phase. Ans: Xa=Xb=1/2(in liquid phase); Yb/(1-Yb)=(Pb°/Pa°)*Xb/1-Xb.Strength of glucose solution given. Calculate molarity.Ka of an acid was given. Now two separate solutions(of same volume) were prepared with different [H3O+] (concentrations were given). After mixing two solutions what will be [H3O+]? Ans: I am not sure but I solved using M=M1*V1 + M2*V2/V1+V2.H2(g) + I2(g) ⇌ 2HI(g). Write cell representation.(Didn’t attempt as I was doubtful)How is fullerene manufactured?There was one question on DDT(didn’t attempt).See the figure below. What are these? Ans: Confirmational diastereomers.I would like to add here that there were some inorganic questions that just went over my head. So, I would recommend to go through NCERT corners and crevices for inorganic.MATHEMATICS:-There are 20 cards out of which 10 are labelled as ‘I’ and rest as ‘T’. Three are drawn without replacement. What is probability of forming ‘IIT’? Ans: 10/20 * 9/19 * 10/18.There was a 3° function. Maximum value of that function was asked. Ans: Find critical points by f’(x)=0 and then check which value of x gives least value for f’’(x).n(n+1)(n+2) where n∈N, is always divisible by (a)3 (b)12 (c)4 ? Ans: 3There was 1 question from solution of Δs chapter.2–3 questions on differential equation. I remember one of them:- dy/dx=sin^2(x-y). Find solution. Ans: Let x-y=t and proceed.∫sin^4(x) cos^2(x), limits 0->π/2. Ans: π/32.Lpp question: Find max value of Z=5/2(x)+y; Constraints: x,y>=0, 5x+2y<=10, 3x+5y<=15. Ans: 5(x-5)/(x+2)>0. X=? Ans: (-∞,-2)U(5,∞). Use wavey-curvey method.We had to find image of a given point about a given line.Two straight line equations were given. We had to find acute angle b/w them. Ans: Find slope for both and use formula tanθ=m1-m2/1+m1m2.tan^-1(w)+tan^-1(x)+tan^-1(y)+tan^-1(z)= ? (w,x,y and z were given) Ans: Use formula tan^-1(x)+tan^-1(y)=tan^-1(x+y/1-xy)There was an easy question on trigonometry, and one on continuity and differentiability.Foot of perpendicular from origin on a plane is (a,b,c). Find equation of plane. Ans: Now eqn of plane is (r-x).n=0. So here x=n=ai +bj+ ck. Hence eqn is ax+ by+ cz=a^2+ b^2+ c^2.1 +( -1/2 + i( √3/2 ) )^31 -( -1/2 + i( √3/2 ) )= ? Ans: ( -1/2 + i(√3/2))=ω. So w^31=w. So 1+ω-ω=1.∫( x^{e-1} + e^{x-1} )/( x^e + e^x ) dx= ? Ans: Take x^e + e^x = t(let) and solve.You are at origin and you can move only 1 unit in 1 step in +ve or -ve direction of x or y or z axis. Find probability after 3 steps, you are at a point where all coordinates are same. Ans: To take 1 step you have 6 ways. So total no. of outcomes are 6*6*6. Further, favourable outcomes are (1,1,1) or (-1,-1,-1). Now, for (1,1,1) there are 3! ways. So the ans will be 3!*2/6^3 = 1/18.Probability of A speaking truth and B speaking truth were given. Probability that they disagree on a matter.Two cards were drawn from deck with replacement. Probability distribution table for X=no. of aces was made. P(x=2) =? Ans: 4/52 * 4/52.There are 20 points out of which 10 are collinear. Find no. of lines that can be made by joining points. Ans: C(20,2) - C(10,2) +1.F(x) is an odd function. What is the correct statement?(a) for (-b,b), f'(c)=f(b)/b for some c∈(-b,b);(b) for (-b,b), f'(c)=f(2b)/b for some c∈(-b,b);(c) for (-b,b), f'(c)=f(b)/2b for some c∈(-b,b);(d) for (-b,b), f'(c)≠f(b)/b;Ans: Use lagrange’s theorem.ENGLISH AND LOGICAL REASONING:-I don’t remember the questions but they were very similar to the ones in the Arihant BITSAT book. There were 2–3 synonym questions btw.So at last, I would say do your best and don’t prejudge your bitsat score according to other tests.I managed to get a decent score of 301 but you can do better! You can do this!I hope this helps!(This took a lot of time so an upvote will be appreciated :) )Cheers!Edit:Thanks to Anindya Mahajan & Gadangi Nitish for pointing out the mistake in my answer to Maths Question 16.

Update Sept.2014:This question and my answer have provided me with a great deal of inspiration towards writing a book that looks more specifically at most of the things I've listed. People have been asking for pictures, you will find pictures. It will be free to read online. I've started publishing this in small sections and will provide updated links below each of my points for those interested in further explanations, and pictures...You can find the entire project for free here: White Belt Fitness1 - Breathing is more important than you think.It might be the most important consideration actually, and most people tend to breath poorly. Learn the difference between shallow breathing and deep/full breathing. Breathe more with your diaphragm and trunk as opposed to your chest, and neck, which can translate into poor shoulder and hip function a lot more quickly than you might imagine.Breathing well, shows that you can own a position. If you can breath properly during a movement (say a bodyweight squat or push-up) you're good to add sufficient load and advance to the valsalva maneuver (breath holding technique for lifting heavy stuff). Many people can't breath in positions seemingly as simple as a glute bridge, a front plank or a push-up but this is a good still to prep for.During exercise at higher intensities (but not the highest where the Valsalva maneuver is most useful) typically you want to breathe in on the way down and breathe out forcefully on the way up (cut your exhalation a little bit short, to increase abdominal pressure - which allows you to lift more). There are a few exceptions though, for rowing exercises it may be better to breath in (at medium intensities) during exertion (breathing in throws your ribcage into extension which is what we want during a row).The valsalva maneuver is a little trickier to learn and is generally not needed by beginners, but can improve heavy lifts quite well as your progress to an intermediate/advanced lifter.For more on breathing, check out this chapter of White Belt Fitness. 2 - People with healthy asymptomatic low backs are able to do a minimum 2 minute front plank and from the elbows and Sorensen Test in the perfect position, and 90 seconds side plank tests. There is an indicate that the balance relative to all of these positions may even be the most important. Say you can do 2 minutes in front and sorensen position but only 30 and 40 seconds a side for the side plank, that should raise some red flags.They should also be able to initiate a basic glute bridge from the floor and shift their weight back and forth slowly to each leg, without a change in the height of both Anterior Superior Iliac Spines (ASIS - the upper notches on either side of the front of the pelvis), with no hamstring cramping and no back pain in the process.*All while maintaining good breathing patterns and neutral spinal position.Everybody should be capable of demonstrating these positions, no matter what level you're at.For training the Front Plank, check this chapter out.For the Side Plank check out this chapter.The end of this chapter on Bridging has another good core diagnostic tool.3 - What neutral spine is and how to maintain it for pretty much every kind of exercise. This is a safety thing. Failure to maintain neutral spine while you lift, may not hurt you immediately, but you're killing Peter to pay Paul right now. Most people who lift poorly, do so to move more weight today, at the expense of certain joints tomorrow. It's a lot of bad repetitions that generally add up to injury later in life. Could be next week, next year or five years from now, but repetitive improper lifting will eventually add up.Hint: Neutral Spine is different depending on load (compression, shear, torsion, etc...) vector (the angle a load is acting on the spine) and the amount of load. So in a deadlift, it may look a lot more like a 'flat' spine, towards the bottom of a squat it may flatten out a little (though the bottom shouldn't tuck under...). Likewise, a lower level birddog exercise should be far easier to maintain good spinal curvature by comparison to a heavily loaded deadlift.4 - What the 'tripod' of the foot is and how it affects pronation vs supination of the ankle (and why most people pronate out of balance leading to knee, hip and back pain...). Most people understand pronation (rolling in), incorrectly. Pronation has to happen, it's not being able to control it adequately that is the problem, and the majority of people cannot control it adequately.The tripod of the foot is important so that you can utilize ground reaction forces appropriately through your lower body during lower body lifts like the squat, lunge, and deadlift.5 - What an open chain movement is, versus a closed chain movement.It's simple really, but will help you figure out how best to train certain movements. A closed chain movement means you are moving your bodyweight (plus any additional load) around a fixed axis. An open chain movement means that chain is broken and you are moving the weight around your body (your body is acting as the fixed axis).Some good examples of the difference between a closed chain movement and an open chain one:A push-up is closed chain, while any kind of bench press is open chain.A pull-up or chin-up is closed chain, while a pulldown is open chain.A squat, lunge, or deadlift are closed chain, while a leg extension machine, leg curl machine or a leg press are open chain.This is important information because doing an open chain movement often requires a difference technique from a closed chain one. For instance bench press is best completed by packing the shoulder in and minimizing the movement of the shoulder girdle (moving it in an open chain, destabilizes it, decreasing the amount of weight you can use). By comparison a push-up is best completed in the opposite manner by moving the shoulder girdle forward and back, training the smaller stabilizing muscles.6 - What the 'packed' shoulder position is, and how to maintain it where appropriate in certain movements. The shoulder wants to get packed down and towards the spine, sitting against the ribcage, to maximize it's stability (you can have too much of this, but that's not the norm). People have a lot of problem finding this position with desk posture, particularly overhead which is why I'm selective about who I let press overhead. This is a good safety technique, but it also maximizes performance.This is important to take stress off the smaller stabilizing muscles of the shoulder joint and maximize the training effect. For instance carrying a weight overhead, doing a Get-Up or a Farmers Carry are all easier with a packed shoulder position. In a deadlift we want a packed shoulder position to better transfer force. In a bench press variation we typically want a packed shoulder position to stabilize the shoulder.7 - What the 'packed' neck position is, and how it is involved with maintaining neutral spine position. You should look like a wrestler (head back, chin tucked into almost double chin position) for the majority of the lifts you perform, particularly the big ones like deadlifts, squats, push-ups, etc...This is another safety/performance technique. The packed neck position optimizes spinal stability and creates additional core stability (intra-abdominal pressure) which makes movement easier, especially under load. It also takes a lot of stress off the neck from going into extension too frequently, which is often the case, feeding into bad posture.8 - That weight training or strength training, though AWESOME, is still only a relatively small component of what should compromise a good training program (depending on your objectives), so don't forget important things like nutrition, movement quality, recovery, power development, mindset development, tissue quality, range of motion, flexibility/mobility work, balanced workloads, energy system work where applicable, etc...etc...9 - That the basic rep ranges are often all you need. There are a lot of complicated rep and set training protocols, most people don't need to know, but can be useful later in your training, once you've got the basics down.You should do some training at less than 8 reps (the strength rep range - even less than 6 from time to time). You should also do some lifting in a 6-12 rep range (probably the majority of your training will fall here), which is a transitionary range for both strength, hypertrophy and endurance. The last rep range people should utilize from time to time is to lift above 12 reps, which I think is often best served with closed chain, often bodyweight exercises like push-ups, chin-ups, squats, lunges, etc...10 - There are not really 'bad' and 'good' exercises, it's more like a spectrum of 'better' to 'worse.' i.e. chop and lift --> dynamic plank/stability progressions --> static plank progressions --> controlled hip flexion --> reverse crunch variations --> crunch variations (yep I said it the crunch isn't a bad exercise, but on a scale of better to worse for trunk exercises it's probably closer to the worse, although the weighted side bend is up there, so are russian twists).The biggest mistake people can make is assuming that one size fits all. Exercises need to be catered to the context, or situation, surrounding the individual. What is wrong, is applying an exercise (say a crunch...) that isn't appropriate to the individual. In the case of a crunch, it's not a good exercise for the majority of people, which is why on the spectrum of choices, it's at the worse end. Even when it can or maybe should be applied to an individual it needs to be applied correctly (which is NOT how most people will execute them) and in the appropriate 'dosage.' Certain exercises have a high cost-to-benefit ratio, I try to teach people exercises that have the most bang for buck.There are generally no 'dangerous' exercises, just dangerous applications. i.e. load a deadlift in flexion with enough weight, it's dangerous, bend down and touch your toes with flexion, probably not a problem. Olympic lifts done at appropriate volume with healthy capable people is probably fine, probably not as good for a person who doesn't have the shoulder flexibility or trunk stability to execute a deadlift properly in the first place...13 - Don't mess with the neck.This is a realm for your physiotherapist or your chiropractors (or other qualified manual therapist). If you have chronic pain in your neck get the right help. The way you can train the neck is a little more the realm of a trainer too. We want to train it for stability, not bending every which way.12 - Basic AnatomyYou don't need to know that the hamstrings are three muscles with the technical names semimembranosus, semitendinosus, and biceps femoris from medial (towards the midline of the body) aspect to the lateral aspect (away from the midline of the body) or that the origin of all of them is the ischial tuberosity (save for the short head of the biceps which originates on the linea aspera and they insert 2 of them on the tibia and 1 on the fibula. All you need to know is that the hamstrings start under your glutes and finish below your knee. Your quads are 4 muscles and are the front of your thighs. Stuff like that...12 - Basic Joint by Joint TheoryThe ankle should be mobile (get the knee about 4" in front of the toes), the knee quite stable, the hip mobile, the low back stable, the mid back mobile, the scapula (shoulder blade) stable, the glenohumeral joint (the ball and socket itself) mobile, the elbow stable, the wrist mobile.The neck we don't mess with right?Exercise professionals can get a little more detailed but basically having poor ROM at a mobile joint, forces a stable joint to move too much and lose it's stability which often leads to pain and/or dysfunction. Poor stability somewhere can mean a lose of mobility elsewhere as a joint that should be more flexible tries to stabilize a joint that lacks it. Knee pain? Look at the hip and ankles. Low back pain? Look at the mid-back and the hips. It's not a perfect model for training but it's a good starting point for moving well. Own the movement.The reason I teach this to people is so that they can stretch and train more appropriately. You probably want to some stretching with your ankles, hips, upper back, shoulder joint and wrists. While we want to train the stability of the foot, knee, low back, shoulder girdle, and elbow.More specifically you should have roughly the same amount of T-Spine Rotation on each side (preferably about 45 degrees) and enough spinal extension to squat deeply.A stability example would be that you should be able to stand very tall on one leg, with no change in spinal position and get your knee above 90 degrees of flexion under control.Stability allows you to control movement. Flexibility allows you to sufficiently move around a joint. Mobility is how your body expresses the combination of both. In order to squat your ankles must be flexible, while your knees must be stable while your hips flexible, your low back stable while your upper back is flexible. Balance needs to exist for good movement to occur.13 - How to structure basic good routinesFor most beginners/novices, they get fooled into thinking they should train like bodybuilders, or advanced athletes, when in fact the easiest way for novices to train is just full-body training every other day.Ideal training scenarios for beginners are 2-3 times a week, with a day off in between, or you do your energy system training (conditioning or cardio is a better explanation for some people) on the days in between. You should always take one day off a week and be mindful of how you feel.Things like chronic fatigue, problems sleeping, loss of appetite, insatiable appetite, repetitive sickness/illness, heart palpitations/arrhythmia, poor workout quality, agitation, can all be signs of over-training or over-reaching. If you experience stuff like this for more than a few days at a time, you might consider backing off a little on the training but for the most part beginners have a very difficult time ever over-training. For most beginners this isn't a concern, just something to be aware of.If you have more time, then the easiest way to structure workouts is to use upper and lower body split routines, which still seems to be most optimal at 4 days of training per week. Higher volumes of training mean that you should be more aware of how you feel about your training.When you order exercises in workouts, it should almost always be from the most technical/complicated/speed-oriented/strength-oriented to the least technical/complicated/speed or strength oriented stuff. Meaning do your heavy lifting first, then your medium lifting, then your endurance lifting and your conditioning (if you are going to put it on the same day) at the end.In a 4-day cycle you may want to organize energy system work at the end of training sessions though you can still do it on off-days.14 - The basic phases of a lift.Concentric Component or Lifting Phase, is the part in any lift where you are actively moving the weight. So on a bench press this is pushing the weight up, on a pull-up it is pulling your weight up.Eccentric Component or Lowering Phase, is the part in any lift where you are accepting the load. You're stronger here, than in the concentric phase, meaning you can put more weight down than you can pick up. In bench press this is lowering the bar to your chest, in a pull-up this is lowering your body back to the starting position.Eccentric lifts will make you more sore than concentric ones. Meaning things like a squat (heavy eccentric component) will generally make you more sore than concentric ones like the deadlift (very little eccentric component as you lift from the bottom up).Isometric Component or the Static Phase, is the part in the lift where movement stops. It leads to a quasi-isometric phase that beginners don't really need to know, but anytime you change from a concentric to an eccentric movement, you are momentarily isometric. Isometric exercises include things like planks, side planks, active hangs and other static holds. These kinds of lifts are great for training parts of the body that require stability (see above).15- Tempo, Repetitions, Rest, Sets, Load, Intensity, Volumes and Basic Training NotationTempo is the speed in which you lift. For most beginners a 2020 lifting tempo is adequate. The first number represents the eccentric component of the lift, the second number the pause (if any) at that point. The third number is the concentric component of the lift, and the last digit is the pause at the top of the concentric component.So a lifting tempo of 2020 means, 2 seconds to lower the weight, and 2 seconds to lift it back up, with little to no pause at the top or bottom. There are a lot of different tempo advantages in training that get more complicated but as long as you know the notation you can utilize tempo as a great variable in your training.Sometimes you'll see a 3 digit variation, which just means there is no concentric aspect to that particularly coaches program (this component is probably the least used in manipulated tempo, which is why some coaches do that).Repetitions are how many times you lift things (as indicated above), this is a variable that helps you manipulate what system gets trained (strength, power, endurance, or hypertrophy are the major ones).Sets are how many times you repeat the recommended repetitions. If you see 5x5 for example, you do 5 sets of 5 repetitions.Load is the amount of weight you use. In more complicated programs some coaches base your load off of percentage of max load (or 1 rep max), but that's beyond what a beginner needs to know.Repetitions x Sets x Load = VolumeIf you do 5 sets of 5 with 100 lbs then the volume is 2500. Usually we add up the volume of all the workouts, when things get complicated, in order to monitor the training more tightly and watch out for symptoms of over-training (but like I said this is rare among beginners if they are following a sound training program).Intensity refers to the percentage of the lift, relative to your one repetition max (1RM). Often we use an estimate for beginners as testing a 1 rep max at this point is not always useful. The more advanced you get with the training, the more this number is useful.You can be much more vague with this as a beginner and just use a scale of 1-10. Most lifting for endurance will be done at an intensity of 40-70%, or a 4-7 out of 10. Most lifting for hypertrophy will be done at an intensity of 70-89% or a 7-9 out of 10. Most lifting for strength will be done at an intensity above 90% or a 9-10 out of 10. Anything less than a 4 out of 10 is good for recovery purposes only and low-threshold activation work.Rest is important, both the rest between workouts and the rest between sets. If you're lifting really heavy (for power or strength for instance <6 reps) then you might rest between sets about 2-5 minutes. If you're lifting in a 6-12 rep range with a medium intensity then you might want to rest 60-90 seconds. If you lift higher reps, for endurance, >12 reps, then you might want to lower the rest to 30 seconds or less.All of these things can be manipulated into more complex workouts, shortening rest periods for instance makes workouts harder, but so does increase intensity and/or volume.Basic training notation refers to the use of numbers and letters to distinguish training order in a training program.A1) Exercise A and A2) Exercise B for instance, means that A1 and A2 are a part of the same grouping or pairing in this case. You would do A1, rest the prescribed amount, and then do A2, rest the prescribed amount and then go back and do A1 again, assuming that you are doing more than one set of this pairing (which often you will be, most training programs utilize at least 2 sets per grouping to get a training adaptation).Then you may see B1, B2, B3, which means the next grouping in the routine, only this time it's 3 exercises done in a circuit-like fashion.This can also be notated the other way, 1A) 1B) and 2A) 2B) 2C). They mean the same thing.This can go on as far as the program indicates but I rarely see them go beyond F (6) pairings in good programs. More often than not, really good programs won't have more than about 12 exercises in them, unless they are using hybrid combination exercises (often called complexes) for conditioning purposes. In conditioning or endurance workouts, you typically see a lot more volume (exercises), but lower intensity. In strength workouts you typically see lower volume (fewer exercises) and higher intensity.Using training notation like this, shortens the amount of time one spends training. It is a lot more efficient than single sets (commonly found in bodybuilding and more applicable to bodybuilding than for the beginner/novice) and so you can get a lot more work done in a shorter amount of time. This translates into more improvement, more quickly, at which time you may opt for other training schemes.Example:A) Deadlift 5x5 (2 minutes rest)B1) Chin-Up 4x6 (30 seconds rest)B2) Lunge 4x6 a leg (30 seconds rest)*Total rest becomes about 90 seconds, after you factor in the time it takes to do the non-opposing exercise.C1) Dumbbell (DB) Bench Press 3x8 (no rest)C2) Single Leg Hip Hinge (AKA: Romanian Deadlift) 3x8 a leg (no rest)C3) Suitcase Carry 3x40 meters (rest 15 seconds)*Again total rest ends up being almost 2 minutes, if you factor in non-competing exercises, which for more advanced trainees might be too much but for beginners generally works quite well. Longer rest periods work better for beginners.15 - How to do the following movements safely and optimally.Compound movements are most effective as training movements for beginners, but in some cases isolation exercise can be used to clean up how you move more completely. A compound movement is a movement than links several joints together, where as an isolation movement occurs at only one joint. A squat is a compound movement, and an arm curl is an isolation movement.How to hinge their hips properly. Push the hips backs, while maintaining a neutral spine and little knee bend (the knees bend only because the hips shoot back behind the knees). One of the most important movements to train, having a good hip hinge lets you do all the lower body basics better (squat, lunge, deadlift, etc...). This particularly relates to the deadlift, which is a great exercise when done correctly. Training the deadlift is important because everybody in their lifetime will pick stuff off the floor, so you want to train that pattern to some extent, even if it's not heavy.The Squat, at least a basic bodyweight squat. More specifically the overhead squat (no load) which is the best demonstration of total body mobility I know of (and something I use as a test with everybody). Developing the adequate movement here does wonders for almost every other movement.How to Lunge properly. Front shin should be vertical, hips/knee/ankle all in a nice line, torso upright, back knee just hovers above the ground. Your weight should be predominantly on the front leg. Once you understand this, then learn how to do it in multiple planes of movement (discussed below) so learn the side lunge, and the 45 degree lunge.How to do a push-up properly. Arms shouldn't flare out wide and to the side, elbows should be tucked about 45 degrees relative to the torso, the thumbs around the nipples. The shoulders should slide all the way forward on your ribcage at the top, chest should just hover above the floor, and your spine never changes position.How to do a proper chin-up/pull-up (most people drastically shorten the movement, limiting their shoulder retractor development and increasing the likelihood of shoulder problems down the road).How to do a good row. The shoulder blade should slide across the ribcage (but not up towards the ear - we want to minimize bulging the top of the upper arm forward out of its socket which creates wear and tear on the front of the shoulder complex) towards the spine at the top, and you should lower the weight all the way out into full extension of the arm (straight arm at the bottom - let your shoulder blade initiate the pull and move with the arm, remember this is a back and arm exercise).What elevation and depression of the shoulder is. Elevation means to raise the shoulder up (shrugs) and more importantly depression (which is harder for most people to do because we over train the upper traps in modern society) which is the lowering of the shoulder girdle into the ribcage.What protraction and retraction of the shoulder is. Protraction is sliding the shoulder blade forward towards your chest (what you should be doing at the top of a good push-up) and retraction is sliding the shoulder blade towards your spine (what you should be doing in a good row). These movements are tricky for some people initially, especially if they have bad habits.Hip Flexion/Extension - Extension is the opposite of flexion, an is synoymous with the hip hinge I mention above. Flexion can be trained less frequently - but you should be able to stand tall and get your hip above 90 degrees too, while maintaining a neutral spine. Knee tucks, deadbugs, and other useful exercises are a way to train this, sprinting would be an example of using this skill at high speeds. Sitting is hip flexion.How to resist rotation properly (chop and lifts or pallof presses, when combined with the single leg RDL is probably the best 3 exercise training session for more people than any other). Once you've learned how to stabilize it, then learn how to move through rotation efficiently with things like landmine rotations, or push-pull cable rotations. Most people initiate rotation at the lumbar spine, which typically leads to back pain eventually...Rotation should be initiated by the hips and the spine should follow through as one segment, where rotation is delivered through the Thoracic Spine. If you rotate hips first or shoulders first, problems arrise, just ask any golfer, baseball player, volleyball player or tennis player...How to touch your toes pain free.Skipping/Jumping/Bounding are great exercise everybody should learn too. Very basic ways to express explosive power, but are also among the best ways to train the ankles/calves.Most people never struggle with arm or wrist extensions or curls, or calf raises so generally I don't train them a lot. Generally beginners would need to spend a lot of time there. Better isolation exercise involve glute bridges, hip external rotation, shoulder external rotation and other small movements that people generally have a hard time demonstrating due to modern living.16 - That strength is joint angle, exercise and vector specific.I've worked with football players who are putting up 300+ lbs bench press, who have trouble executing a proper push-up with their own body weight, very similar movement, completely different neural execution. Likewise, I've had athletes with 400+ squats to depth, put them on one leg and everything falls apart. You can optimize training by practicing specific movements for short periods of time, and then moving on to slightly different movements (yet similar) for short periods of time and you will train the entire pattern more efficiently than if you just train one pattern all the time.When I say joint angle, it means that if you only do partial ranges of motion you will only get stronger through that range of motion. i.e. if you only squat halfway down, you will only get strong through that range of motion. This justifies using as full a range of motion as you can get through safely (not losing a packed shoulder, packed neck, or neutral spine for instance).Vector specific means the position of the load relative to the force you're applying. Even though the hips move very similarly in a glute bridge and a deadlift, you get stronger through the vertical plane on a deadlift and through the horizontal plane in the glute bridge due to where the weight is being distributed (directly above the hips in the bridge and from the floor in a deadlift).Changing the vectors is another training variable we can use to easily change movements just slightly, as I mentioned above. A pushup with your feet on the ground is slightly different from one with your feet on a bench, but they both train similar muscle groups and putting your feet on the bench is slightly more difficult.Changing the position of the load is another way of manipulating the exercise. Putting the weight on your shoulders like a squat, is easier than putting the weight over head (which requires more core and shoulder stability, but reduces the total weight you can use). Putting the weight in your hands, like a dumbbell lunge, is easier because the load is closer to your center of gravity.17 - You need some variety but not too much variety to get an optimal training adaptation. Don't change your program every day or every week, but changing your program every 3-6 weeks is generally sound advice. Stop flip-flopping between exercise programs is the moral here too, train a program until you stop seeing gains, then switch it up.18 - How to train in multiple planes of movement.Most people only strength/weight train in the saggital plane, leaving the lateral and transverse planes largely weak and untouched. We train squats or deadlifts, but ignore that our body actually moves in much more 3-D methods and we can/should train it as such at least part of the time, and provided it is done safely. Learn the lateral lunge, the side-shuffle, the chop and the lift pattern to get into the side-to-side plane and the rotational plane.19 - Dosage matters.100 crunches or 100 push-ups a day, every day, is in excess. Take that to 100 crunches a week and you'll probably be better off (though I still wouldn't use this exercise because it's weak in terms of cost-to-benefit ratio, low benefit, high cost on the spinal disks over time).Note: Movements where joints are given more appropriate range, are less taxing on the body and so you can do more of them. For instance, doing push-ups or pull-ups off of rings or a free-suspension device is easier on the shoulder joint in the long run, where as working from a fixed hand position (straight bar or the floor) all the time, creates more wear and tear on the joint. The same thing can be said for the hip, but unstable surfaces won't work the same way, instead don't just rely on the big two legged movements. Use single leg movements to create the desired variety and give your hips/ankles free range to move the way they should instead.The higher the intensity of the lifting (see above for definition of intensity), the less dosage (or volume) you want. The lower the intensity of the lifting, the more dosage you may want. However, you can over do it. Generally I try to keep my training sessions to about an hour for this reason, it's harder to do too much dosage in an hour of good training.If you're working above 90% of your 1 Rep Max, doing more than about 10-15 reps in that range, in a single training session, is probably too much dosage. More than about 25 reps for an exercise you want to improve strength in, is probably excessive. Doing more than about 300 total reps in a training session at about 60-89% of 1 Rep Max is probably in excess. Even for endurance I tend not to exceed 500 repetitions in any training session.By contrast, not doing enough to provide a challenging stimulus, 10 reps with a weight you can lift 50 times is equally bad for progress. Many people are just as guilty of this, as others are guilty of lifting too much for their body. If you're the kind of person who goes to the gym and does 15 lbs curls and tricep extensions for 15 reps every single time, that load is probably not challenging enough to elicit the changes you're trying to make.Doing more, isn't always better either. People tend to attack problems with 'doing more' of something. It's been my experience that the solution to a problem is rarely 'do more' it's 'do it better,' or 'do it smarter.' Go for Quality over Quantity 99% of the time. More often than not, doing more makes things worse. You have to let recovery occur, so be mindful of dosage.20 - Continuous ImprovementIn order to force adaptation you must train in a way that always takes you just beyond what you are currently capable of. That means you want to always try to lift a little bit more or a little bit better, but within reason. Don't lift more at the expense of technique, but you must challenge yourself to get the best training effect. Even if you can just get 1 more rep, or .5 lbs more on a lift, this approach works best.21 - That vision drives movement.A lot of people get this wrong though, they try to cock the head back when they squat or deadlift (taking you out of neutral spine position and the packed neck position) rather than simply keeping the head neutral and driving the eyes up towards the forehead. Try turning your head to the right and your eyes to the left, and you'll probably shake, look right as you turn your head to the right and you'll notice that you probably get more range of motion or that it at least 'feels' a lot easier.22 - That your tongue can drive movement too.Try lifting your arms overhead and straight back as hard as you can. Now do that but drive your tongue into the roof of your mouth, you should notice that it either 'feels' easier or you do in fact get more range of motion. Try the same thing as you touch your toes and you should also see that you move further or easier.23 - That applying pressure through the toes ties into the anterior/quad dominant movement pattern and that weight lifting should be predominantly done on the heels (sport is different, sport is traditionally done with the majority of ones weight on the balls of the feet) to strengthen the opposing muscle groups more commonly found in life and sport.Try laying on your back, and point your toes as hard as you can, then try to lift your hips off the ground. Notice what muscles engage. You'll probably feel your quads, hip flexors, core, (lower back, calves and hamstrings to a lower extent but probably not your glutes). Now try pulling your toes as hard to your shins (upward) as you can, and then lift your hips off the ground again. Notice what muscles engage this time, it will definitely be different (and if it isn't then you most likely have some kind of motor skill dysfunction that you might want to get looked at). Most likely you'll feel your glutes more than anything else this time, your hamstrings, calves and lower back a little but very little in the front of your body.In an ideal world you want to push through the entire foot (the tripod - the heel, and the balls of the feet inside and outside), but most of the lifting you'll do in the gym, you'll do with a slight preference towards the heel. It's the only sport where shifting your weight towards the heel (slightly, you don't want to feel like you're lifting from peg legs) serves an advantage by engaging the larger muscles of the hip. A lot of people get this slightly confused as they hear they should push through the heel, but it's actually more the front of the heel, the balls of the feet shouldn't leave the ground or anything.Knowing this manipulation can be useful for other training variety too.24 - Recovery matters.Sometimes you won't feel awesome going in for a scheduled lift, it's ok to back off. You have to learn how to train a little off feel, hit it hard when you really feel great and lay off when you don't feel so great.Get enough sleep, eat enough quality food, use a foam roller/massage with some frequency, stretch, sauna, jacuzzi, etc... The amount of recovery tools you'll need depends on how much you train and how hard, but you can do basic things without a lot of time. Namely foam rolling/self-massage, stretching, meditating and getting enough sleep.25 - What Vertical or Neutral Tibia is (main bone in the lower leg). Ideally we want stacked lower legs for squats, deadlifts, etc... The closer your shins are to vertical when you lift (performance aside for powerlifters/olympic lifters...) the more likely your knees are to thank you later in life. Of course this isn't perfect, it's just a good objective, especially if you struggle with knee pain. The squat is a notable exception for most people, providing there is no pain.This is most relevant to lunges and lunge variations. I briefly mentioned it above.26 - Don't kill Peter to Pay Paul today. I have a mantra I use with all my clients 'Do No Harm.' If I know there is a high probability this won't be good for you down the road, even if you feel fine doing it for the first 10 years, we don't do it. You'd be surprised how long some people can get away with bad training habits before something breaks, kind of like that beater car that just doesn't seem to die.However, things eventually break no matter how good your training is, and I don't want that to be the result of something I made someone do repeatedly in our sessions, even if they don't put two and two together from seven years ago. Often common sense works, but sometimes you need an external pair of eyes too.I'll continue to add more of these as I think of them...