244 Dr. Caitlin Casella: Progressive Exercise for Osteoarthritis
Release Date: 03/08/2024
257: Rest intervals and super sets
Mindful Strength
Welcome to our third solo episode of 2025. Today Kathryn is talking about rest intervals, and why we need them between heavy compound exercises. She also talks about super sets and which exercises you can link together with less rest. We hope these episodes help you understand strength training in more detail and help you become more successful with your training. Episode addition: in this episode Kathryn talks about CNS activation being a main reason why we need rest intervals, but there's more. The energy systems that fuel lifting also need time to recover, and recovery is aided by the...
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256: Why writing down your lifts and training is a game changer
Mindful Strength
Welcome to our second solo episode of 2025! If you have not already listened to episode 255 we suggest you start there. In todays segment Kathryn is talking about the value of writing down your lifts and keeping track of your numbers over the long term. When you write down your lifts you collect valuable data about yourself, your patterns, and you gain a lot of context. If training isn't going well or feeling great, you have a log to look back through which will help you make strategic changes. Tracking your lifts over time also shows gaps in the training, shows where you might...
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255: Which exercises should always be in your program, for your goals
Mindful Strength
Welcome to Kathryn's first solo episode of 2025! In this segment Kathryn talks about the big mistake a lot of people make when it comes to strength training, which is rotating the exercises too frequently. Building strength means repeating the same exercises over long periods of time. There is a lot patience involved with strength training. Kathryn talks about certain exercises she plans to train forever, and how to make those decisions based on your goals. She also talks about how most people underestimate how much they are capable of lifting, what to do when you can lift your goal weight,...
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254 Laurel Beversdorf: Combining lifting with cardiovascular training, and why we recommend you do both!
Mindful Strength
In this episode Kathryn and Laurel talk about how they both got into running and what they have learned about cardiovascular exercise. We want to emphasize that you do not need to begin running, there are many ways to build up your cardio including the bike, rower, elliptical machine. In this episode you will learn why strength training and cardio are the perfect match and why it's essential to have both in your weekly routine. They talk about how adding cardio has changed their lifting routine, their relationship to carbohydrates, and the practical elements of doing varied training...
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253 Deb Benfield: Enjoying food and nourishing yourself in midlife and beyond
Mindful Strength
Today we welcome dietician and body image coach Deb Benfield for a conversation about finding strength and joy in midlife. Deb talks about the main times in many women's lives that their bodies change quickly, puberty, pregnancy, and menopause. She speaks about how these are moments when we are at higher risk for developing disordered eating behaviours as a means to control our naturally changing bodies. Kathryn and Deb also touch on internalized agism, the longevity movement, the importance of strength and nutrition for muscle and bone strength, and our culture's strong emphasis on macro and...
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252 Chantal Lalonde: How much exercise do adults need? Unpacking physical activity guidelines
Mindful Strength
Today we welcome Chantal Lalonde for a conversation about exercise in general. So many people fall into the trap of hyper specialized exercise, correcting movement patterns or setting lofty unattainable goals. In this episode we unpack the physical activity guidelines and how to focus on more consistency and less on doing things perfectly all the time. Learn about the balance of cardiovascular exercise and strength training that are recommended for all adults. Chantal and Kathryn also talk about fitness trackers, mindset around training, and what it's like to be very average, but highly...
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251 Raphael Bender: Exercise Science Fact Check
Mindful Strength
In this episode we welcome exercise physiologist Raphael Bender for a conversation about a few popular topics where we often see mixed messages and sometimes even misinformation. If you are a person who loves to learn about how muscles fire, how strength is built, and what current research is saying about certain topics, this is for you! Kathryn and Raphael talk about how muscles fire and whether or not we need activations in our warm-ups. They also discus the idea of feeling a muscle working and how many people who can't feel muscles working get told they are doing things wrong. They talk...
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250 Christine Yu: Menstrual cycle tracking and training, what we know and where we need more research
Mindful Strength
Today we welcome award winning journalist and life long athlete Christine Yu to talk about the menstrual cycle tracking craze that we have seen in recent years. Christine will walk you through the different phases of the menstrual cycle, some of the physiological changes that happen week to week and why these fluctuations can effect our exercise. She also dives into some myths about cycle tracking and why it's not as simple as giving general guidelines like, high intensity around ovulation and stretching during luteal. At the heart of this episode is the importance of cycle tracking as a way...
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249 Em Palmerton: Nutrition for Strength & Why You Need Carbohydrates
Mindful Strength
Today we welcome dietician, coach and strength athlete, Em Palmerton for a conversation about nutrition and why carbs are so important for strength. We hear so much about protein intake, but what about carbs? Em talks about fitness trends, how carbs have been demonized in many circles, and why healthy exercise is about more than just being lean. Kathryn and Em talk about why carbs are specifically important for strength training, how to navigate blood sugar information, and why macro tracking can be useful in certain advanced situations, but isn't always helpful. *** To learn more about...
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248 Greg Lehman: Does technique matter? What about spinal flexion? And other hot topics.
Mindful Strength
This week we welcome physiotherapist, educator and researcher, Greg Lehman. Kathryn and Greg tackle a few topics that require a lot of nuance, like, is technique important for preventing injury and spinal flexion across different demographics including people with osteoporosis. Greg shares insights on what we know from the research, and topics where we don't have enough evidence (yet) to make black and white claims. They talk about the importance of strength training, loading gradually over time and actual risk factors in class settings. Greg also answers a couple of listener questions...
info_outlineIn this episode Dr. Caitlin Casella and Kathryn talk about what osteoarthritis is, and how you can use progressive exercise to help manage pain, inflammation, and feel more robust in daily life. Most of what we have been taught about osteoarthritis relates to "wear and tear" but as you will learn in this interview, there's so much more to the story.
Main points you will learn about...
- Pain science as it relates to structural changes in joints
- Knee joints specifically
- Beginning exercise even when pain is present
- How gentle aerobic exercise can be a great place to begin, before heading into strength training
- More on systemic inflammation and it's role in osteoarthritis
- The low impact craze and why it's essential to gradually progress impact training
You can follow Caitlin on Instagram here.
Learn more about her work by clicking here.
Caitlin Casella is a physical therapist in New York City. After a 14 year career teaching yoga and mentoring yoga teachers, Caitlin transitioned into other systems of holistic movement, somatics, strength and conditioning. Through this evolution, she experienced firsthand how beneficial strength training and cardio conditioning can be—not only on a physical level—but mentally, for emotional stability, pain management, and a confidence boost that extends beyond physical endeavors.
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