In this episode, we break down what drives fall risk, and why the common advice to “just work on your balance” falls short. We explore how falls are measured, what balance tests really tell us (and what they don’t), and why improving a test score doesn’t automatically mean you’re less likely to fall in real life.

We dig into the evidence on exercise and fall prevention, and explain why simpler, consistent exercise programs often outperform more complex approaches. We also look at surprising findings, like a randomized trial where a yoga group fell more than the control group, and what that reveals about confidence vs actual capacity.

From there, we focus on what matters most: power, reaction time, and the ability to recover from instability. Most falls aren’t failures of static balance; they’re failures to respond quickly when something goes wrong.

Finally, we cover what almost no one talks about: what happens after you fall. We discuss “long lies,” why getting up off the floor is a critical independence skill, and how a small amount of targeted practice can make a meaningful difference.

FREE Barbell Mini Course when you get on our mailing list

FOLLOW Movement Logic on IG

WATCH Movement Logic on YouTube

LEARN MORE on the Movement Logic website

Foldable Home Barbell Rack by Verse, coupon code MovementLogic10%OFF at checkout

RESOURCES

• CDC data on falls in older adults
• 2024 Korean study on fear of falling
• 2024 JAMA / USPSTF systematic review
• 2025 SAGE RCT, Iyengar yoga and falls
• 2020 Sherrington et al. Cochrane Review
• 2017 Sherrington et al. Cochrane Review
• 2022 Simpkins et al. power vs strength
• 2025 Zhu et al. power and fall prediction
• 2021 Okubo et al. stepping impairments and fall risk
• 2022 Devasahayam et al. reactive balance training
• Sheffield Long Lies Study
• Floor Rise Training Trial

In this episode, we break down the new 2026 American College of Sports Medicine position stand on resistance training—and why it’s not what the internet gurus were hoping for.

Instead of doubling down on rigid rules, this update does the opposite: it expands the evidence base, loosens the prescriptions, and makes one thing very clear—there is no single “best” way to train. Most resistance training works. What matters more is consistency, effort, and aligning your training with your actual goals.

We unpack what the ACSM looked at (including 137 systematic reviews and over 30,000 participants), what’s changed since 2009, and what the evidence actually says about strength, hypertrophy, power, endurance, and physical function. We also break down why “optimization” is often overhyped, why going from nothing to something is still the biggest win, and how power training may play a bigger role in real-life function than you think.

If you’ve ever felt overwhelmed by conflicting fitness advice—or like you’re doing it “wrong”—this episode will simplify what actually matters and what you can safely ignore.

FREE Barbell Mini Course when you sign up for our mailing list

FOLLOW Movement Logic on IG

WATCH Movement Logic on YouTube

LEARN MORE on the Movement Logic website

Foldable Home Barbell Rack by Verse, coupon code MovementLogic10%OFFat checkout

Resources:

ACSM 2026 Position Stand

ACSM 2009 Position Stand

POST about “strength span” from Stronger by Science

(Nuzzo, 2024) PMID: 38781472

In this episode, Sarah looks at two broad pain patterns, people who tend to push through pain and people who tend to avoid it, and explains how each one can shape your relationship with exercise. Before getting into those categories, she lays out a key foundation of modern pain science: pain is not a simple one-to-one signal of tissue damage. Instead, pain is a subjective experience shaped by the brain’s interpretation of threat, context, past experiences, beliefs, and emotions. She also explains why the common zero-to-10 pain scale is often misunderstood, what it is useful for, and why phrases like “I have a high pain tolerance” or “my pain is a 10 out of 10” may not communicate what people think they do.

From there, the episode walks through the fear avoidance model, pain catastrophizing, and the avoidance-endurance model to explain why some people stop moving the moment something feels wrong while others ignore pain until it becomes a much bigger problem. Sarah breaks down the strengths and liabilities of both patterns, including how pain avoiders can become deconditioned by steering clear of normal exercise discomfort and how pain endurers can blow past clear warning signs and delay recovery. She also talks through how these patterns show up in real life, how to tell which direction you tend to lean, and how better pain literacy, gradual progression, and thoughtful exercise programming can help you recalibrate your response to pain without swinging all the way to the opposite extreme.

FOLLOW @themovementlogic on Instagram

FOLLOW @themovementlogic on YouTube

Sign up here for the Movement Logic Free Barbell Mini Course

RESOURCES

Fear Avoidance Model revisited

Pain Catastrophizing Model

Avoidance-Endurance Model

Pain Catastrophizing Scale

Avoidance-Endurance Questionnaire