Paradigm Shift

I’m going to say this one more time…well, one more time at least. After that, I have no idea how better to get this idea across. Ladies and gentlemen, as simple and overdone as it may seem, FORM FOLLOWS FUNCTION.

I’m going to back up for a minute. I was in the gym today working on my deadlift. Immediately following a lift that ended up setting a new best, my workout buddy commented on a break in my form. I felt it. I knew it was there and it was good to have the spotter to confirm what I felt. I’d gone very heavy and took a risk because of it. It was at that point that the member in the next rack, we’ll call him Waldo, took a break from checking out his own ass in the mirror to chime in. Waldo says, “Yeah, you know, you better watch your back. It just isn’t worth it, for your aesthetic goals, to go that heavy. When you’re going for aesthetics, you know, there are just better ways…” For dramatic effect and so not to fly off the handle, I’m going to go ahead and insert another ellipse here. Ready? Here it is… Ok. Being one of those, “I’m going to finish this set of arm curls, pull up my shirt and admire my own abs in the mirror because I’m too sexy for this gym,” kind of guys, I couldn’t really get too mad at him.

Our buddy Waldo here represents exactly why we’re losing the fitness battle in America. Every single one of us, no matter what we say, do, or preach has something about themselves that they want to make look better. No doubt. We’ve all got aesthetic goals, but that should not dictate how we train. In order to create long term success, we have to create and train the movement patterns, functional strength & metabolic function that leads to sustained fitness progress.

Wanna lose 5lbs to look good for the party on Friday? Have a leaf of lettuce for lunch, skip dinner and go for a 5 mile run instead. Voila. Now watch Waldo gain it back the next day. Wanna sustain that loss? Pick up something heavy, train your body to move more efficiently, thus creating the functional muscle mass that will help to elevate and sustain a higher metabolic rate, FUNCTION better and maintain the FORM we all want so very badly. In life, just like that preceding sentence there, form follows function.

So to that end, here’s today’s challenge. Take the heaviest books you can, phone books, dictionaries, whatever, and fill up a small piece of carry on luggage. Squat down as close to the ground as you can, bear hug it to your chest and lift it up onto the kitchen counter. Back to the floor. Time yourself. How long does it take to do that 30 times? Keep track of that number. We’ll come back to it later.