Preparation Over Perfection
How perfect do we need to be?
We aren't prepared if we are perfect.
How we do things is important.
How we move in the gym is important.
But if we search for perfection we will find ourselves underprepared.
Life is not perfect.
Outside of a vacuum, or a simulation, there is no perfect movement.
If the goal is to prepare yourself for the many tasks that life will throw at you, you will need variety. You will need imperfect conditions.
Many people get halted in their journey for improvement while searching for the perfect conditions.
The perfect amount of sleep.
The perfect nutrition.
The perfect technique.
But then the process never gets started because those perfect conditions are not found.
Search for improvement, not perfection.
You Don’t Need To Snatch
Are specific exercises that important?
This isn’t about the Snatch. It could be about the Clean and Jerk. Or Muscle Ups. Or any specific exercise.
You don’t NEED to do any specific movement.
Especially if it doesn’t align with your goals.
Doesn’t matter how “functional” people claim it to be.
There is no proof that a snatch will make you any more fit and healthy than a kettlebell swing.
There is no proof that a back squat will make you any more fit and healthy than a lunge.
Sure there are theories. That “Insert” movement also does XYZ and “insert” movement does not.
There can always be those debates.
But there are SO many ways to develop your health and fitness. You don’t even need to touch a weight or go to a gym.
The key is that you find the thing for you and your goals. The thing that you are going to commit to.
Maybe it’s barbells. Maybe it’s rock climbing. Maybe it’s running. Maybe it’s dancing.
All that matters is that you do it, that you enjoy it, and that you are seeing the results that you want.
Sure if you want to come compete in the sport of Olympic Lifting, you should probably snatch. It would be really hard to compete without that skill. But if you don’t want to compete, there it is just another movement.
And yes, you don’t even need to do burpees.
Beliefs and Success
What is a crucial component of success?
What is the most important component variable in your success in training?
Your beliefs.
If you believe it will work, if you feel confident with the plan, this will lead to the highest likelihood of success.
The details of the plan and process are important, but they are not the most important. Your beliefs are what matters.
If you are going through a rehab process and believe strongly about the use of a specific thing or exercise, this will greatly influence your success.
If you are choosing an exercise program and believe strongly about a certain form of exercise, this will greatly influence your commitment to the process and the results that come from that.
If you do not believe in what you are doing for training or for rehab, changes need to be made.
Maybe something is unclear about the purpose of certain things. A good coach could help clarify that to help you believe in the process.
Maybe there are movements in your training program that don’t align with your goals. A good coach could optimize the movements in your training program to make them specific to you.
Maybe you aren’t seeing the results of the rehab program you are on. A good coach could help clarify expectations and timelines to increase your understanding of the purpose, while also trying new things that may work better.
You don’t need to settle for something you don’t believe in.
Moving Poorly
When is it ok to move poorly?
PSA: If you have been going to the gym and are currently experiencing pain with certain movement patterns this post is likely not for you. But I may still be able to help you. Just in a different way.
For anyone who is inexperienced in exercising or maybe even have never exercised before:
I would rather you move poorly than not move at all.
This isn’t to say that you should put 300lbs on a barbell and have at it.
This is about the fear of movement.
The fitness industry can be so polarizing saying that certain movements will cause you pain.
Or that you need to move a certain way. And it can lead to people being afraid of starting what could be an extremely fulfilling process.
But here’s our reality: so many people are not moving. And so many of the claims that people read and hear are not true.
Move. It’s good for you. With proper progression and activities you enjoy, you will feel better.
Maybe your knees move in different ways when you squat.
Maybe your back rounds a bit when you deadlift.
Maybe your arms don’t lock out when you press.
When you are new to movement, I am ok with all of those things.
This isn’t to say that we aren’t going to try to improve how we move.
But not a single person is perfect. It would be absurd for a coach to expect movement to be perfect.
Not sure where to start? Let’s chat.
“I’m So Weak”
Are you weak?
This is one of my least favourite gym sayings. It can also be heard in the rehab world.
It’s unlikely to be helpful to you and unlikely to be helpful for others.
First: There is no defined quantity of what is strong and what is weak. Sure, each of those words has its own definition. But at what point is one weak? At what point is one strong?
Are you strong when you can deadlift 100lbs? 200lbs? 300lbs? 600lbs?
And if you can’t lift any of those weights are you weak?
Let’s replace “I’m so weak” with something along the lines of “I’m going to make it a priority to get stronger”.
Let’s say you can deadlift 300lbs and you say that you are so weak. The person next to you who just joined the gym can deadlift 50lbs. I doubt they will feel great about themselves when they hear that.
But I believe we can all unite around the idea of wanting to get better at something.
So let’s all make sure we aren’t referring to our starting point as weak.
Goals Based Coaching
How should you be coached?
Changing how someone moves has to be about their goals.
Prescribing a movement to a client has to be about their goals.
There is so much absolutism in the fitness industry.
“You need to squat below parallel”
“Your posture needs to be this way”
“You should never round your back”
“You need the olympic lifts to develop your functional fitness”
For so many reasons these statements don’t make sense.
I believe the fitness industry needs more goal based coaching and less absolutism.
If a client is going to be told to do (or not to do something) there needs to be a reason or logic behind it. And that can’t be because it worked for some random person.
What you do for training needs to be related to your goals. Unfortunately many coaches never get to the stage of learning what those goals are.
Olympic lifts help you feel stronger and more confident? Let’s do them.
Olympic lifts make you angry and leave you wanting to skip the gym. That’s a no for me dawg.
Squatting below parallel gives you back pain? And it’s a priority for you to address it? Oh we are addressing it.
Squatting below parallel gives you back pain? But you couldn’t care less about your squat and there are other squatting variations that feel better for you. Ya let’s do those.
Without knowing what your goals are, we could be going in circles.
Knowing what your goals are, we can find the right path to achieve them.
Fail Fast
Is failure bad?
When you find failure, you can find areas to improve.
When you improve those areas, you find results.
More failures = more results.
Failure is so often viewed as a negative thing. It can sometimes even lead to people giving up.
Failure isn’t enjoyable. It’s uncomfortable.
When we can embrace that discomfort we will be more likely to experience success.
Don’t Exercise to Avoid Feeling Guilty. Exercise to Feel Good.
Why should you exercise?
So many people are working out because they feel guilty if they don’t. This is extremely common. People train because they have negative feelings if they don’t, not because they have positive feelings when they do.
I often ask people why they train so much or at such high intensity and they are quick to say... because I will lose my fitness if I don’t...
People are so afraid of losing gains, gaining weight, or becoming less “fit”, that they feel guilty if they don’t train at a certain intensity and frequency.
If you are reading this, and it resonates with you, comment below.
If you are reading this and you know someone who feels this way, send this to them
If you are reading this, and you are also experiencing pain, let me know in the comments.
Age ≠ Pain
Is physical pain because of age?
Pain is not inevitable.
When we believe that our pain is due to our age, we relinquish the control we could have with how our bodies feel.
If the statement was true, that pain was inevitable, at what age could we expect it?
At 30? 45? 60?
That information to answer that question does not exist.
Is there an aging process that could contribute to pain? Absolutely.
But we aren’t helpless against it.
There are things we can control. We can control how we eat, sleep, move and think.
The idea that pain is inevitable can be easily spread and believed by those who aren’t sure what to do about it.
Know someone who believes their pain is due to age? Share this with them.
Normal Does Not Exist
Are you normal?
For something to be abnormal, we also need to know what normal is.
I use range of motion assessments with my clients. We measure and assess so we can improve.
But no one is normal or abnormal.
It can be easy to slide into the idea that if you are not like someone else, that something needs to be improved. That if you don’t meet someone else's idea of “normal” that you need to change.
But we are all different and unique.
Maybe a client has 3.5 inches of dorsiflexion on their left ankle and 1.5 inches on their right.
So what would the desired range of motion be for that client?
It depends on their goals. Maybe they need 3.5 inches on both legs. Maybe they need 5.5.
But we don’t base the process on others' perception of “normal”.
We base the process on the clients goals.
Because normal is a made up thing, and it's full of bias.
Why Do You Workout?
What is your reason for working out?
Let's hear it...
Your answer today could be very different tomorrow and that's ok!
Priorities change and we want our training to match those priorities.
I started working out to be a better basketball player.
Then it was to get through military training.
Then it was to get bigger.
Then it was to be a better rower.
Then it was to get better at CrossFit.
Now it's to make sure my body feels good and that I can do whatever I want outside of the gym pain free (primarily golfing).
What's your why?
@activelifeprofessional
Not Enough Hours In The Day?
How many hours in a day are for you?
Let’s make some progress. Even if it’s not the big step you wanted to take.
You’ve had a stressful day.
There are many tasks remaining on your to do list.
One of those tasks is working out.
Normally your workouts take 60 minutes.
But today that 60 minutes isn’t in the cards.
So what do you do?
Do you skip it? Or do you try to force it into your schedule?
If you would need to sacrifice food or sleep to fit that workout in, then that workout is not needed. Prioritize sleep and food, those aspects are crucial for how you feel the next day. You are moving the needle forward in your recovery.
How about adjusting the plan?
Maybe you can get 10, 20, or 30 minutes of movement. That’s still moving the needle forward.
That could be doing the warmup that was programmed. Or doing part of the assigned session.
One small step forward is better than none.
A good coach will help you prioritize what is important in your training with the time you have.
What Worked For Them May Not Work For You
You don’t need to do what everyone else does. Especially when it’s stupid.
“My friend tried this thing where they rubbed French’s ketchup on their low back while wearing hockey gloves in the shower. It solved their back pain!”
First: Heinz ketchup. Always. End of story.
Second: Yes this is an extreme example. And if this example is true for anyone, that's really cool. And weird. And unlikely to be an actual solution. More realistic examples include foam rolling, ice, rest, KT tape, medication, etc.
Just because it worked for them, doesn’t mean you need to try that thing.
Sure they may have very similar symptoms or problems. But they are not you.
You deserve solutions that are specific to you.
You deserve educated direction and guidance to solve your problems.
No quick “fixes” or gimmicks.
There is Only One You
Take care of yourself.
There will always be more work.
There will always be something on your to do list.
There will always be things that didn’t get done.
There is only one you.
Make sure you take time for yourself.
The Gym Should Improve Your Life
What should the gym do for you?
What you do in the gym is not about pullups, squats, deadlifts, thrusters or running.
It’s about what you can do outside of training.
It’s the ability to feel more confident.
It’s the ability to do your favourite activity in retirement.
It’s the ability to run around with your grandkids.
It’s the ability to get up when you fall.
It’s the ability to feel more energized.
It’s the ability to see improvement.
You invest time, energy and money into training. When done well it can be an investment with very high returns.
Workouts Should Improve Your Pain
Train to improve your pain, not cause it.
Your workouts should leave you feeling better.
Yes they should be challenging. Yes they should require effort.
But they should not make you experience more pain.
They should improve it.
If your workouts are leaving you in additional pain, something needs to change.
If your knees start to hurt while running, your back starts to hurt squatting, or your shoulders start to hurt with pushups, then something needs to change.
This isn’t to say that pain is bad. Pain will happen. You can train with pain. But thresholds are important.
If your pain starts at 4/10, we want to keep it there, or even better improve it.
Worse is not better.
If your workouts are leaving you in more pain here are some steps you can take.
1. Find a coach who can assess how you move and evaluate what your training is like. Maybe you have some areas of your body that could use some additional attention in your training. Or maybe you have some things that you have been doing too much of and you need a break.
2. Prioritize your recovery. This includes sleep and nutrition.
3. Listen to your body. Maybe you start a workout using a 20 pound weight, but your pain worsens. Try a lighter weight, see if that feels better.
Workouts Should Not Make you Puke
Puking is not a badge of honour.
When you are training, you should not need to puke.
I’m not talking about that puking feeling you get when you ate 10-day old leftovers for lunch.
I’m talking about that puking feeling you get after going too hard in a workout.
You are TRAINING. You don’t need to puke.
There are a variety of responses your body could have in response to too much intensity. These include but are not limited to: pain, anxiety, disordered breathing, nausea, dizziness, and vomiting.
All of these responses can be adjusted. By appropriate volume and intensity, nutrition, and recover
If you are competing I would understand it slightly more. Only slightly. There is something you are trying to win.
How do you win training? I would say you win training by recovering and improving.
How can you recover and improve if you are puking during training?
From a recovery standpoint, it just doesn’t make sense. It rids your body of the fuel it would use to recover. If you can’t recover your progress will be so much less.
So how can you improve this?
1. Pre-workout nutrition can play a role. You can play around with meal timing and quantities.
2. Manage your pacing. If you start feeling unwell in a workout, listen to that signal your body is giving you and back off the intensity.
3. Evaluate your workouts. Are they all high-intensity sprints? If so this is likely not sustainable. Give your body a break and try some lower intensity workouts.
Are You Getting Too Much Intensity?
Do you need to train harder?
Intensity is not only about how hard you exercise.
Fitness has no claim over intensity.
Intensity can be anywhere.
It can be in your work, your relationships, your responsibilities.
Intensity can be important to see some progress. But it’s even more important to make sure we aren’t getting too much and that we are managing the intensity that we have.
So do you need a ton of intensity in every workout you do? Do you need to fall on the flow after every workout? No.
Let’s say you have a very stressful job. You feel needed to be available at all times. You have stressful things going on in your life.
You already have a good amount of intensity! So it’s unlikely that you need a lot of intensity in your training.
Yes you can use training to improve your ability to respond to the stresses you face in life. But training is also a stressor. It’s important that we don’t push too hard and take huge steps back.
Monitor your training intensity based on how you are feeling that day. Adjust weights, reps, volume when needed.
You may see others go crazy in a workout. That’s ok. You don’t need to be like that. Do what’s best for you, your health, and your goals.
Are You Out of Shape?
Are you out of shape? What is “in shape”?
“I’m so out of shape”
This is a phrase I have heard so many times in the gym.
Whether it’s a person's first exposure to a training program or if they’ve been training their entire life.
So here’s the question: What is in shape?
In shape for what task?
In shape based on what standards.
Let’s use the Olympics as an example. There are multiple events and sports. Take Olympic Weightlifting, marathon running, and gymnastics as examples.
Athletes who participate in those sports all have different body shapes.
So are any of them out of shape? Absolutely not. They are in the ideal shape to perform their sport.
What if your body shape is someone else’s goal? And they hear you say that you are out of shape. How would that affect their mindset toward that goal? Unlikely that it’s helpful.
Want to change the shape that you are in? Go for it! Find the best version of yourself.
But you are and will always be in shape.
Spending Time
How effectively are you spending your time in training?
It’s called spending time for a reason.
Time is finite. We only have a certain amount.
Like money, we only have so much.
Unlike money, we can not make more.
Your time can be an investment that pays you in results.
So how do you spend your time in the gym?
Are you spending 20 minutes foam rolling, but not seeing any results?
Are you spending an hour of your day in a fitness class but not seeing any progress with your pain or limitations with specific movements.
How do we spend our time better in the gym?
First, think about what is important to you. Think about what you would like to prioritize in the gym. Do you want to feel less pain? Feel less stressed? Accomplish a specific movement?
Second, identify the low-hanging fruit. Find what things get you the most out of the time that you are spending.
Is that 20 minutes of foam rolling the most cost-efficient use of your time if you only have 1 hour to train. Very unlikely that it is.
Not sure what your low-hanging fruit is? That’s ok! That’s the role of a coach. To learn about you and assess your needs and goals so we can find a starting point.