Change How You Think About Working Out
If I asked you to imagine yourself working out, what are you doing? Are
you lifting weights? Are you on a cardio machine? What image do you
have of working out? I want to challenge your image for a moment. I
ask that you set aside that image that you have and consider a new
one.
Let’s start with what most people think about when working out. You
most likely thought of a super-strong heavily-muscled Mr. Olympia with
bulging muscles. I don’t like that image of working out. It’s destructive
rather than constructive. By “destructive,” I don’t mean that there is no
value in that type of workout, I mean that you must destroy your body in
order to build it back up. When you’re lifting weights, you do not reap
the benefits of the workout during the actual workout. Your benefits
come from the rest you give the muscles after. Your body will rebuild
itself bigger and stronger to accommodate the next workout. And
slowly you start getting bigger. Again, I’m not saying this is wrong, but
it is a narrow view of what working out is.
Compare that to a constructive, or restorative, workout. What most
people call “stretching” is what I’m referring to. First of all, the term
stretching is so boring and misunderstood, so let’s throw it out. I’m
talking about natural motion, full range of motion for your entire body,
using your own body weight. These are the workouts that your body
benefits from instantly. You don’t have to wait until tomorrow to see
results. If you did a good restorative workout you will feel better
instantly. I know what most of you are thinking: “I don’t want to be a
super-skinny person, I want to be ripped.” I know, there is a certain
narcissistic aspect of fitness, where many people want to just look
better, and I can understand that. We’re talking about building
strength from the inside out. So we can still put a ton of muscle on the
frame (skeleton), but we have to make sure the frame can support it. If
you decide to lift weights in addition to doing the functional work, the
muscles will look better. You will be taller, more defined, and you won’t
look like you’ve been in the gym all day. It will almost look as if you are
naturally buff. Because you are!!! Your muscles won’t hinder you
when you play sports, they will help you.
I call this bulky muscle “peacock muscle.” Adding peacock muscle to a
sloppy body is like adding a shiny marble exterior to a skyscraper that’s
made out of plastic. The marble looks great, you can see your own
reflection and all. But what’s it sitting on? Plastic! It’s pretty likely that
the building will fall to the ground because of a weak foundation.
Functional strength is about strengthening not only the foundation in
the ground, but also reinforcing the steel beams that run throughout
the building. Once those are stable and strong, you can add whatever
exterior you want. Stucco, granite, marble, glass? Whatever you
want. In fact, it’s the exterior that’s the easy part.
The typical gym does not give athletes—or non-athletes for that
matter—the functional movements that they need to stay healthy and
excel in their sport. There is no foundation, and the result is that we
are getting weaker and weaker when compared to our ancestors.
Brute strength does not come from the weight room, it comes from
chasing your prey and being chased by predators. The closer we get
to that the better.
Fresh air and sunshine are other often overlooked aspects of great
health. How do you feel when you walk into a crowded gym with no
windows? Aren’t many gym lights the same type of fluorescent lights
that you’ve been in all day at work? It’s something else to think about.
Try to exercise outside as much as possible. Get muddy. Have fun
being child-like.
By changing how you think of working out, your definition won’t be so
limited as to include only destructive workouts. By thinking less about
isolating muscles and more about functional movements, we can fill a
lot of holes in the foundation of our bodies. Remember, the stronger
and bigger the foundation, the higher you can build safely. You can’t
build a skyscraper with a plastic foundation.
(back to top)
If I asked you to imagine yourself working out, what are you doing? Are
you lifting weights? Are you on a cardio machine? What image do you
have of working out? I want to challenge your image for a moment. I
ask that you set aside that image that you have and consider a new
one.
Let’s start with what most people think about when working out. You
most likely thought of a super-strong heavily-muscled Mr. Olympia with
bulging muscles. I don’t like that image of working out. It’s destructive
rather than constructive. By “destructive,” I don’t mean that there is no
value in that type of workout, I mean that you must destroy your body in
order to build it back up. When you’re lifting weights, you do not reap
the benefits of the workout during the actual workout. Your benefits
come from the rest you give the muscles after. Your body will rebuild
itself bigger and stronger to accommodate the next workout. And
slowly you start getting bigger. Again, I’m not saying this is wrong, but
it is a narrow view of what working out is.
Compare that to a constructive, or restorative, workout. What most
people call “stretching” is what I’m referring to. First of all, the term
stretching is so boring and misunderstood, so let’s throw it out. I’m
talking about natural motion, full range of motion for your entire body,
using your own body weight. These are the workouts that your body
benefits from instantly. You don’t have to wait until tomorrow to see
results. If you did a good restorative workout you will feel better
instantly. I know what most of you are thinking: “I don’t want to be a
super-skinny person, I want to be ripped.” I know, there is a certain
narcissistic aspect of fitness, where many people want to just look
better, and I can understand that. We’re talking about building
strength from the inside out. So we can still put a ton of muscle on the
frame (skeleton), but we have to make sure the frame can support it. If
you decide to lift weights in addition to doing the functional work, the
muscles will look better. You will be taller, more defined, and you won’t
look like you’ve been in the gym all day. It will almost look as if you are
naturally buff. Because you are!!! Your muscles won’t hinder you
when you play sports, they will help you.
I call this bulky muscle “peacock muscle.” Adding peacock muscle to a
sloppy body is like adding a shiny marble exterior to a skyscraper that’s
made out of plastic. The marble looks great, you can see your own
reflection and all. But what’s it sitting on? Plastic! It’s pretty likely that
the building will fall to the ground because of a weak foundation.
Functional strength is about strengthening not only the foundation in
the ground, but also reinforcing the steel beams that run throughout
the building. Once those are stable and strong, you can add whatever
exterior you want. Stucco, granite, marble, glass? Whatever you
want. In fact, it’s the exterior that’s the easy part.
The typical gym does not give athletes—or non-athletes for that
matter—the functional movements that they need to stay healthy and
excel in their sport. There is no foundation, and the result is that we
are getting weaker and weaker when compared to our ancestors.
Brute strength does not come from the weight room, it comes from
chasing your prey and being chased by predators. The closer we get
to that the better.
Fresh air and sunshine are other often overlooked aspects of great
health. How do you feel when you walk into a crowded gym with no
windows? Aren’t many gym lights the same type of fluorescent lights
that you’ve been in all day at work? It’s something else to think about.
Try to exercise outside as much as possible. Get muddy. Have fun
being child-like.
By changing how you think of working out, your definition won’t be so
limited as to include only destructive workouts. By thinking less about
isolating muscles and more about functional movements, we can fill a
lot of holes in the foundation of our bodies. Remember, the stronger
and bigger the foundation, the higher you can build safely. You can’t
build a skyscraper with a plastic foundation.
(back to top)
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