Fitness Philosopher

Training Isn't A One Time Thing.

Winning is not a one-time thing, it's an all-time thing.  You don't win once in awhile, you don't do things right once in awhile.  You do them right all the time.  Winning is a habit.  Unfortunately, so is losing. . . But I firmly believe that any man's finest hour, the greatest fulfillment of all that he holds dear, is that moment when he has worked his heart out in a good cause and lies exhausted on the field of battle - victorious.  -- Vince Lombardi

I fondly remember encounters from the distant past when a prospective client would arrive at an initial consultation, requesting that I show and tell him everything he needs to know to improve his physique.

That's right.  Everything.  In an hour.  Never mind the fact that we pros spend hours a day learning the science, and years practicing and teaching the art of training. . . always testing and honing the skills of our craft.  Sure, the essentials of successful training are simple and can be nicely placed in a compact list.  But there are so many intangibles required for progress that an hour ain't gonna do the trick.  There's no quick fix, no magic pill when you're seeking fitness.

Then there were the clients that got beyond that initial assessment and began to train with the declaration, "I plan to train and eat well for the next 3 months until I get into shape.  Then (when I'm done) I'll take some time off."  Training for fitness is not a part-time endeavor.

Yeah, there will be breaks in your training.  There will be highs and lows.  You'll have periods where you're emphasizing muscle growth and strength; others where you might emphasize endurance.  You might find yourself training for fat loss or competition.  Or you might be at a stage where you're emphasizing  recovery, rehabilitation, maintenance or complete rest.

Athletes utilize different stages of training depending on the time of the season, and they repeat this season to season.  As everyday individuals working toward a lifetime of general fitness, we do the same thing.

But our season lasts a lifetime. 

In order to cultivate long-term fitness success, you need to begin the journey with that realization in mind.  If you begin this process with a "one and done" frame of mind, if you think you can train for 3 months, stop for 9 and then randomly repeat the cycle 'whenever you feel like it,' you're in for a rude awakening.

Prolonged fitness and health is about dedication to a lifestyle.  It's about a journey that begins, not only when you realize deep down that you need to change, but when you realize why you need to change and what what new habits you need to develop to make to make change a reality.  It's about a commitment to consistency for the long haul.

Making the decision to commit is difficult, especially when it involves a long term challenge.  But if you've looked that challenge squarely in the eyes and honestly assessed your willingness to go after it, it's a challenge worth accepting because of the profound, positive effects it can have on all aspects of your life.

The quality of a person's life is in direct proportion to their commitment to excellence, regardless of their chosen field of endeavor.  -- Vince Lombardi

Learn to Stand Before You. . . Go Flying

Unless your name is Ashrita Furman and you're trying to break another record (see pic), you might want to find more fruitful (and stable) training methods.

So, I'm training at the gym this afternoon -- doing a little trunk stability work followed by a lower body regimen of reverse lunges, split squats and deadlifts --  when a man walks into my vicinity carrying a BOSU and a mini barbell loaded to 30 lbs.

This should be interesting.

He then precariously perches himself on the unstable, blue surface and begins a set of single arm overhead presses -- a challenging movement when seated on a solid bench or standing on stable ground, let alone standing on a soft, pliable surface.   He was neither stable nor graceful and I expected him to topple over, barbell flying, and take out 5 people standing around him.

What the hell is this guy thinking?

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BOSUs, physioballs, wobble boards, dyna discs, foam rollers. . . these tools have taken the fitness industry by storm over the last 10 years, with more inventions coming out all the time.  Gym floors are cluttered with them.  Group classes base entire training sessions on their use.  Trainers and clients use these implements exhaustively, playing with them because they're the next best thing to "kick your ass" or "make your training much more fun."

I used to think along those same lines during my earlier years.  I remember coming back from a seminar where I'd seen many great exercises using physio and medicine balls, BOSUs, and the like.  And I couldn't wait to get back to the city so I could use them on my clients.

Just wait until they try these exercises -- they'll be talking about them for days.

And then it hit me.  What am I using these exercises for?  And if the reason(s) for using them is good enough, are my clients ready to use them?  Will they get any benefit from them, other than the thrill of trying a challenging exercise?

Go back to the basics of what exercise is all about:  Stability.  Mobility.  Flexibility.  Strength.  Power. Vitality.  Energy reserve.  Fat loss.  Performance enhancement.

Sure, we want our time in the gym to be fun -- it's one of the variables that keeps us coming back to do the hard work.  But first and foremost, training is about progress.  Making progress, that is.  How much progress can you make when you struggle to lift more than 25% of your maximum because you're too busy pirouetting on a BOSU?

These "toys" that litter gym floors have a purpose, and most of that purpose is centered on rehabilitation, on assistance (think physioball squatting or stretching) or, on occasion, providing a difficult stability exercise for those individuals advanced enough to handle it.

As a recent study suggests, for 99.9% of the population --including elite athletes -- "stability training" on stable ground, using standard training equipment and old school exercises, is the safest and best way to achieve tangible results and make progress toward your goals.

Stick to the basics for optimal training results.  And if you're craving a bit of danger after that, grab a friend for some alternative physioball fun -- ball jousting.  (I'm KIDDING!)

Do You Have IT?

What is IT?

IT is that something inside that helps you to stand tall in the face of adversity.

IT prods you to your scheduled training session despite the fact that your day's itinerary has become chaotic and all you'd rather do is cancel and "go to the gym tomorrow."

IT is what it takes to act on a decision to change when remaining "status quo" is more comfortable.

IT encourages you to deadlift that freakishly heavy barbell while fatigue's requesting that you take a seat.

IT illustrates itself when you refuse a helping hand because you know you can and want to do it yourself.

IT is what provokes you to try again because your first (or last) attempt just didn't satisfy you enough.

IT is that something required to successfully pass through "That Moment"  -- to be courageous when you're tempted to be cowardly; to not "get stuck in the moment between you and remarkable."  (Does Seth Godin know that his marketing wisdom can be extrapolated into the world of strength and conditioning?)

IT brings you back for more training tomorrow because you can't wait to build on your accomplishments today.

What is IT?

Call IT what you like:  purpose, inspiration, drive, motivation, hunger, determination, fortitude, stubbornness, impulse, enthusiasm, spunk, dauntlessness, grit, tenacity, willpower or indomitability.

And IT, along with smart planning and sound nutrition, makes the difference between average (below average) and truly remarkable progress in your fitness endeavors.

 

Which Is More Important -- Knowledge or Self Motivation?

When I began this blog site, I envisioned it as a credible resource for technical aspects of health and fitness -- workout protocols, exercise technique, rest and recovery, physiology, nutrition, etc. -- with a smidgen of psychology and self-empowerment thrown in.  I envisioned this becoming a sort of "online fitness professional," with teaching so thorough that you'd be able to train yourself effectively. . . with or without a trainer in your physical presence.

Instead, it's evolved into the inverse -- a whole lot of psych and self-empowerment with a smidgen of the technical stuff -- and that's surprised me.

It's made me wonder if I have as much technical knowledge as I thought.  I mean, if I did, wouldn't the "obvious topics" be the first to come to my mind and be written about?  I wondered what was wrong with me, and if I was qualified enough to share my philosophies with you.

And then it hit me.

Maybe I haven't focused on the physical aspects of exercise because, deep down inside, I feel none of that information matters.  As a matter of fact, it's worthless.  Knowing the finer points of every aspect of training is not the holy grail that's going to lead you to improved health and fitness.  Look at all the individuals in our world who proclaim, "I know EXACTLY what I have to do to get in shape. . ." and yet continue to live unhealthy, unfit lives. 

Think about this:  There's endless literature out there that discusses the merit of different exercise regimens -- one set vs multi-set training.  "Functional" training.  Strongman training.  Super-slow lifting.  Power lifting.  There are countless web sites with geniuses spilling their knowledge about sets, reps, tempo and progression. Or about anatomy and biomechanics.  Then there's discussion about nutrition:  Atkins, Zone, Weight Watchers, nutrient timing, supplementation . . . blah, blah, blah.

These topics can be regurgitated over and over again, analyzed a million ways and understood to the N-th degree.  And none of that knowledge does any good if it's not applied.  None of this technical information is worth a dime when we don't even comply with a can't miss program that's been put together for us.

You might be asking yourself, "Is this guy really crazy (stupid?) enough to say that the technical aspects of training are insignificant?  Is he actually saying that learning the "how to" of how to train effectively is a waste of time?"

Of course I'm not.  I'm not implying that doing research, learning the details or conveying the technical aspects of fitness isn't important at all.  Of course it's important.  Very important.

• It's important for me and the other trainers to know so that we can train ourselves to get results (that whole "practice what you preach" thing).

• It's important for me and the other trainers to know so that we can effectively guide you to reach your goals. 

• It's important for you as a client to know so that you can understand what to do (and how to do it), especially if you're training on your own.

But what's MORE important is the psychology that serves as the undercurrent for successful training (and life, for that matter).  What's important is the stuff that, when you hear or read it, is so obvious and smack-you-in-the-face common sense that it's not given the attention it deserves or requires.  What's important is that you're conscious of the fact that if you don't apply the technical knowledge you've attained, you're going to come up short.  If you don't have the DESIRE to apply it, that knowledge is essentially "worthless." 

Gather knowledge.  Internalize it.  Talk about it.  More important, get up and do something with it.