Tag: fitness

  “To accomplish great things, we must not only act, but also dream; 

        not only plan, but also believe.” – Anatole Franc

“Whosoever Asserts Himself Has Will Power

Whosoever Is Self-Sufficient Is Rich.”

1. TIMELINE
2. WORKOUT
3. GOALS

THE SYSTEM

A system is a set of components to draw from and adapt as a way of accomplishing measurable goals through proven means to reach an expected outcome.

To “assert” yourself is to go to the field or the gym alone, and perform your workout, without worrying how much anyone sees you sweat or hears you scream. You build “will power” by going against it when you don’t feel like training, and train anyway. By “asserting” yourself time and time again, facing the same challenges in the discipline you’ve chosen, your “will” soon takes that insurmountable weight, that monotonous run, that impossible pose, and conquers it through perseverance.  As you get stronger, so too does your will and as your will gets stronger, so too do you.

To grow “rich” in self-sufficiency is to face the many trials of training and continuously prove to your mind that “you can, you can, you can,” erasing all doubts with results. To be “self-sufficient” is to know how to make up a workout with little or no equipment, but still make the exercise challenging. By exhibiting “will power” and becoming “self-sufficient” you develop a system, a workout repertoire, a health regimen, and the ways and means for you to improve your game and your life.

A system gives you guidelines to follow, to check and balance your training on a daily, weekly, monthly and yearly basis. But it is not set in stone. Adaptation must be allowed to compensate for changes that occur along the way.

You use a system for eating, for training, for rest. You need to follow some type of guidelines for a certain period of time, then keep what works and discard what doesn’t. The system is simply your way of gathering results to make your training, body, life and sport measurably better. The system always works toward improvement, despite having to break things down to get to there.

Following a system means facing the day with the knowledge that you will do something to work on your fitness on that day, and that what you set yourself up to accomplish will be done. Day 2 builds on day 1. You find you did too much or not enough, and then find the balance of what can be done on the next workout. When you go back the next week, increase the duration or the intensity. Duration will increase stamina and endurance, while intensity will increase size, shape and speed. Both duration and intensity are necessary to get the most out of your workouts, but must be done with balance.

THE TIMELINE SYSTEM

 Draw a timeline. Write, “YOU ARE HERE”, on the far left end of it.  On the right side of the timeline write, “GOAL”. Write it in big, standout lettering. Make it noticeable. One word, “GOAL”. At half the distance between the two ends write, “CHECKPOINT”.

Record your current statistics at the left end under “YOU ARE HERE;” what is your current weight, strength, weakness, limitation and whatever else you feel will nail down exactly where you stand on this date, your initial starting date. If you’re 40 pounds overweight, admit it; inflexible, state it; or if you are already exercising once or twice a week, record the good with the bad. Make it an absolutely critical assessment.

At the checkpoint, record, right now, how much you feel you can honestly move toward your goal in that allotted time. Unrealistic goals don’t happen. Make it a practical, reasonable, tangent idea or vision you can hold on to and reach. If that checkpoint goal is possible, than the end goal becomes even more possible.

The “End Goal” is the one you can exaggerate because what often happens is you surpass it prior to the actual date.  If you work with conviction and perseverance toward that end goal, 10 out of 11 times, you reach it. All you need to add is your willingness through “self-sufficient willpower.” Assert your will to be better and you will be better.

THE WORKOUT SYSTEM 

 Do 2 sets of 11 repetitions of multiple joint warm ups such as Dips for chest, Lunges for legs and Pull Ups for back. Then, pick a major exercise from each body part section.  Choose a multiple-joint movement, such as the Bench Press for chest; the Squat for legs or Barbell Rows for back.

4 sets of 11 repetitions to build, with a compound, multiple joint movement

Perform 4 x 11 reps of this first compound movement, as heavy as possible with strict form. Form shapes the muscle, not the weight. Do the first exercise with a weight heavy enough to challenge yourself for 11 repetitions.  If you make 11 reps, add weight the second set, subtract weight if you don’t. If you make it to 11 reps again on the second set, add a little more weight for the third and fourth sets, again, only if perfect form and control are held throughout the repetitions.  Each week, the starting set weight can be increased as well as each subsequent set. This means progress.

When you get sloppy, stop, drop weight, or rest for 20 seconds and then complete the set. Always get all the repetitions regardless of how much weight you must drop to get there. This is a way of telling your muscles you are not giving in or quitting. Persevere and the next time you’ll take less stops to get to 11. You should push to finish but don’t let the movement get sloppy or ruin good, strict form. Soon, there will be no stops and you’ll be adding weight. You’ll know then the System is working.

4 sets for the same bodypart from another angle

Now choose a second exercise that incorporates the same body part, but from a different angle; Incline or Decline Bench Press for chest; Leg Press or Lunges for legs; Seated Pulley Rows or Pull Downs for back. This is your second movement from a different angle for 4 x 11 repetitions. Use the same guidelines to add weight each set.

3 sets of a specific movement to shape and refine with added concentration

The third movement will be more specific to the particular bodypart you’re working.  Specific movements target the one muscle group and usually involve single-joint exercises, isolating the muscle so that only that muscle is doing the work. Dumbbell Flies or Cable Crossovers for chest, with arms in a slightly bent but locked in position so the pectorals are engaged in the movement exclusively; Leg Curls or Extensions for legs, where the quadriceps and hamstrings do the majority of the work; and Single Arm Dumbbell Rows, as an example, though working any part of the back usually requires other joint involvement due to the large range of motion necessary for proper back training.

THE GOAL SYSTEM

When beginning a strength training program, the first goals usually involve disciplining your body to go to the gym a certain number of days in a row and doing certain required movements a certain number of times. Once you become familiar with the workout regimens, you start adding weight or repetition goals, performance goals, timed goals, nutrition goals and aesthetic goals.

The experience of feeling the changes your body is going through accelerate the type and number of possibilities, hence goals, you set for yourself. Momentum creates outcomes often over and above the original plans and motivation comes easier when visible results are confirmed and felt through feedback by yourself and others who notice the transformations taking place. The mind feeds on positive reinforcement, enabling the body to transcend any limiting ideals that may stand in the way. You can pat or smack a dog. He’ll stretch to receive one thing while cowering from the other.

We are the same animals when noticing if anyone notices, or shirking away when wishing to be avoided or invisible. Please yourself first, then notice the pleasant effect it has on others.

The rewards found in goal achievement should first and foremost be for the self-development and preservation of you and your body toward your goal or sport. The recognition of others is secondary and should never be the means for what we set out to achieve, doing things to spite or disprove an opinion not of our own. Passion and energy drive the athlete, while anger and envy are the brakes that literally break the athlete’s drive. Fire is beneficial only when it is controlled, directed and properly utilized. With goals, the metaphoric fire burns clean and steadily, consuming only what it needs rather than everything in its path, which ultimately leads to distinction instead of destruction.

 GET THE WHOLE BOOK Simple Structured Training HERE

 “Whatever you are, be a good one.”

“Whosoever Conquers Others Has Force.

Whosoever Conquers Himself Is Strong.” 

1. SUITABILITY
2. TEAM
3. SOLO

ACQUIRING FORCE AND STRENGTH

“Whosoever conquers others” in sport, is the definition of competition. To rise victorious in games of skill, precision, timing and split-second decisions are what make up a great part of our world culture. It is war without death, achieving in the spirit of sportsmanship by holding your foe in gratitude and mutual admiration when the battle is done. Sports performance hinges on the training done off the field and the ability of the athlete to bring that training to the game. It means possessing the energy, endurance and strength required for extended durations of concentrated effort, determination and focus. This is the acquisition and ownership of “force.”

To conquer with force is to out-distance, out-think, out-train, and out-play your opponents with a tenacity that wears them down while winding you up. “Whosoever conquers others has force” means that it is something you come to the table with, you don’t find it on the field or on the way to the game. You arrive with the force necessary to get the job done. “Whosoever…HAS.” That force may come in adrenaline, belief, vindictiveness or pure brute strength, but the force that wins the contest is an intrinsic component established with practice and preparedness as physical as any piece of equipment, as obvious as a helmet, as recognizable as the number on your back. To have force is to consistently demonstrate the mind/body/spirit resources the event requires.

“Conquers himself,” means knowing the strengths, weaknesses and idiosyncrasies that make you unique. To conquer yourself is to take that leap into the ultimate plane where you know and are capable of your job and perform it with a flow to make it appear effortless. Conquering yourself is taking any weaknesses and squeezing them out of your body and mind so only strength survives. As an athlete in any sport, even for everyday fitness, you must conquer the mental demons that plague acceptance on so many levels. Past performance does not equal future performance. If you recognize a failure from the past and then work optimistically to build both mental and physical strength to avoid that happening again, you’ve squeezed out a weakness and gained positive programming to realize what’s possible in future endeavors.

To conquer oneself is to be strong in every aspect of discipline, from the mental to the physical to the spiritual, and smart enough to recognize and admit when one is on the way to breaking down. This preserves strength. Strength holds one end of the body to the other, the mind to the feet, the heart to the hands. In all sports you must have a strong determination, a strong physicality, and an inner strength that comes as confidence in knowing your preparations were thorough and complete. “Whosoever conquers himself” has already won over the greatest opponent.

MENTAL/ PHYSICAL/ SPIRITUAL

Believing, visualizing, adopting a positive attitude and creating a beneficial scenario to foster an ideal environment are the mental aspects.  If it turns out your belief doesn’t bear fruit, you must reevaluate your route, your approach and your capabilities. By thinking of how long you have before a specific target date, and by breaking the training into achievable increments, keeps your training in perspective and allows more force or more rest as needed.

Concentration and focus must be strengthened like any other characteristic and not just by repeatedly performing the necessary actions. The concentration necessary in an optimal golf swing can be learned in the guided, centering practices of Pilates sessions in addition to repeated drives. Training outside of your sport is imperative to bringing the optimum benefits from varied disciplines to the whole gamut that is your game.

The physical lies in proper rest, nutrition, recuperation and execution of movements in practice. By compensating with adjustments for energy levels and the reality of variables not written into the regiment, the tone is set for the injury-free training found in focused attention.  Every aspect you incorporate into your physical make-up in training – strength, flexibility, balance – is called upon on the playing field at the most unexpected moments.  A well-trained body doesn’t get simple injuries while walking out to the field or warming up.  Injuries come from poor preparation, inattention, physical weakness, or freak accidents when more force is exerted on appendages and joints than they are capable of withstanding. To the opposite effect, if the physical is over-trained, it can also lead to accidents, mistakes or injuries through overzealousness and loss of control, hindering not only the athlete but also jeopardizing the whole team.

The spiritual contains all the other aspects within it. The spiritual is the underlying awareness as all this preparedness unfolds for you. You know when you’re treating your body good. You also know if you’re abusing it. So you should learn how to use it in a positive fashion so it continues to grow, adapt and react naturally. Spirit may show up as intuition, as gut-reaction, and as a sixth-sense that will be listened to only if the awareness of it is trained along with the physical aspects.

Knowing yourself, your limits, your capabilities and knowing when to push the boundaries are evident in spirit.  Sometimes spirit itself takes over and raises the whole level of performance to something magical that will forever be a barometer for future measurement. It’s as important to train the spirit to avoid its breakdown, as it is any other part of preparation.

Spirit encompasses attitude, beliefs and physical preparations. Spirit lifts you when you’re down and sustains you when you must go on. Spirit is exhibited when the miraculous play happens out of thin air. It is the thread that weaves each aspect to the other in an impenetrable, invisible bond.

SPORTS ARE EVERYWHERE

Get out of the “safe zones” of training.  Try new exercises, sports, activities.  They need not be “extreme sports.”  Croquet requires skill, strategy, patience and a level of competence, it’s competitive but also relaxing and fun. Feel the weight of your body shift, your balance, your timing, in something as mundane as bowling, as frivolous as badminton, as passive as bicycling. Train away from your strengths.  Train your weaknesses.  Strive for as few weaknesses as possible, rather than growing one “great” strength.

Within a weightlifting exercise, explode in a hard contraction after a slow, steady, full extension of movement. Strength is the basis for power and endurance. Use as many muscles in training as are used in the event, including mental. Most of all, examine the sports you participate in or would like to compete, with critical attention to how the body moves, what the motions are, how much strength is required and the space your position occupies. Then visualize yourself in that position and watch how quickly your body adapts in reaction to the plans set by imagination. Competition, no matter how many players are on the field, comes down to one person who ultimately wants to win, you.

There is beauty in the physical plane.  Through our physical nature we transcend earth and achieve the spiritual.  All athletes in all sports experience it at some time in their lives.  The best achieve it most often.  Breaking tackles or cracking home runs, slam dunking, spiking, pinning, acing, slamming, scoring, outracing, hanging ten – everyone has had this feeling, this transcendence.  An undisturbed, focused concentration, devoted to the higher development of the physical body, should be no more or less intense than attempting to elevate the spiritual. When this attention is directed toward a particular sport, the results are often higher than original expectations.

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          “We only learn our limits by going beyond them. “

“Whosoever Knows Others Is Clever

Whosoever Knows Himself Is Wise.”

1. ATTENTION
2. EVALUATION
3. REACTION

FEEDBACK

To know an opponent is often an exercise in futility. You can watch past performances, read statistics, watch them train in the gym or on the field, but you will never know all they have to offer. There will be that unknown piece of their makeup that can’t be visibly seen or measured by observation. You can’t gauge their passion, drive, desire or preparations. As hard as you may try to learn about an opponent, there will be a limit and a certain degree of mystery.

The same holds true for that person knowing you. There is a depth to each one of us that can only be called upon from our own minds. There are resources within us that we cannot explain how they’re summoned. Oftentimes we surprise ourselves with our performances.

To know a teammate in terms of trusting what they’ll deliver in speed, talent or assistance is good to speculate upon, but to really know their capabilities is immeasurable. To “know others is clever” and as much as can be found in the efforts to study them is a valuable asset to any competitive training program. But time better spent is in learning about ourselves through testing, feedback, evaluation and  retesting.

The key in studying feedback is the “wisdom” found in “knowing oneself”. “Whosoever knows himself is wise” means you’ve paid enough attention to the aspects and variations in your own training to know your capabilities under various circumstances. Knowing yourself through continuous trial and effort brings a sense of confidence to the field that regular practice alone cannot. By knowing the depth and intensity of your own training brings courage in attitude and assuredness to performance.

Simply charting your progress against the goals you’ve set is feedback. Recording what you plan to do and then writing what you’ve accomplished is the reality check that makes you above average. By seeing in black and white, where you started, where you’re at, and where you’re headed has a compounding effect that leads to positive approaches for future endeavors. When you see that you could only do 2 push-ups or pull-ups when you began, and now record sets of 11, 22, or more is a stimulus to reach higher yet.

WHAT IS FEEDBACK?

The feedback of a workout regimen involves many aspects to consider. One must know why each move benefits the body, how much to do, when to back off, how to cycle the training, what foods to eat and an ongoing list of checks and balances to evaluate how well the approach is working. By using, utilizing and applying this feedback on an ongoing basis, the athlete learns about himself and the wisdom becomes his own.

By observing these same aspects of role models to emulate performance, makes the athlete clever in recognizing what can be borrowed and what should be left alone.  We learn not only by doing, but also by observing. If someone is where you want to be, you model them until you know what it takes to be in that position, then, you pass them. When you are humble enough to respect your own weaknesses, you begin to know how to work with them to delete them.

Feedback is essential because it helps to gauge our progress within a given exercise. Does your back hurt? Are you feeling the movement more in the shoulders than the pectorals? Are you having more pains since beginning workouts? What are you doing wrong? Weight lifting programs are supposed to make you stronger, feel better, shape faster, and perform longer at higher intensities. If these things aren’t happening, then you must ask, “why?” That is feedback.

Feedback is a measurement. It could be as vague as how you feel, or as specific as a millisecond of time. It is a way to gauge progress or lack of it. Feedback is another way of paying attention to how your body is performing. It can be witnessed by outside observers, but it is best evaluated by your own personal measurement. Feedback builds with Specifics and holds you accountable for your own progress.

THIS IS ONLY A TEST

The following tests and charts are standard ways to test strength and flexibility with common measurements that anyone can have access to. It is important to try as many of these as possible, just to get a baseline measurement for where you stand. A common cycle is to do the test at the beginning of a new regimen, then again after a 6-week cycle to gauge improvements. Tests can be done more often, but should at least minimally be performed every month, or each time a training style is changed or new exercises incorporated.

We will often weigh ourselves every day and sometimes more when on a new diet, but never take into account if the other aspects of our health are helping in a measurable way. Knowing how to test speed, strength and flexibility are essential to our fitness ability. Do not avoid knowing these crucial factors and working to improve them.

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“One weakness can cripple you, whereas one strength won’t save you.” Tom Typinski

“Whosoever Has Little Shall Receive:

Whosoever Has Much, From Him Shall Be Taken Away”

1. INTENTION
2. VARIATION
3. REPLICATION

  BE SPECIFIC

“Whosoever has little” describes the new athlete, recreational exerciser, fitness enthusiast, or weekend athlete, who receives by seeking information and shortcuts to their goals. The more you can narrow down exactly what you want, the sooner and more directly you can move toward it. You move toward it with Specifics.

To bring out an exact detail of a physique, you learn and apply the exercises that target that area, specifically, with priority attention and energy. To focus on an exact aspect of triathlon training, in one event over the other, you would focus on biking, swimming or running faster or more efficiently. And to get to those requirements, you would apply Specifics.

In the “whosoever has much…” aspect, does it mean those strengths you’d worked so hard to build will be “taken away?” Not at all. It means to have much strength and specific training, from him shall it be shared across the individual’s spectrum of training. The mind and body will borrow what’s necessary when called upon and if it is there in reserve, it can be “taken away.”

The person with the greatest resources to draw from is the one to go to when gaining knowledge toward what you may be presently lacking. “From him it shall be taken away…” and by giving, he too will gain; he will see the effects his training has on another person’s body and the knowledge and resources of both will be increased by this giving away. You cannot have success without failure first. You must have trial to have error. And Specific knowledge is most valuable when put to the test across its widest spectrum.

“Specifics” detail the necessary changes and inclusions, from determining exercise order to food intake, from the cycles of training to crosstraining preferences. Knowing the specifics of your sport will help determine the best training to design to give you the best results in the shortest amount of time.

INTENTION/ VARIATION/ REPLICATION

Your Intentions must be true to what your body is capable of achieving. Your actions must also mirror your intentions.You cannot lose 50 pounds by eating junk foods.Variation is the key to getting the most from your body without creating imbalances or overtraining. By opening your spectrum of training, you open the body to new realms of possibilities. With variation comes invention and resourcefulness.

Replication allows the body to act and react without thinking, and therefore without doubt. A well-rehearsed repertoire of physical movements is no less spectacular than a classically trained virtuoso. Replication of specific movements create neuropathways of familiar territory for muscles, nerves and adrenaline to be primed and ready over a given course of actions.

The three sides of the trine must be balanced. Your intention must be present with each variation of an exercise and with each replication of movement. Again, it is wrong to favor one type of training over another. You can enjoy one more, but not to the point of neglecting the other forms.

If your Intention is to excel, and you practice with Variations of movements in optimal Replicated patterns of rehearsal, your results will equal your Specific intentions.

S.P.E.C.I.F.I.C.S.

S EASON  – These three month segments can be adjusted to any particular sport, so your body will be prepared for the regularity and discipline this system offers.

P ACE – The rate at which you train should be specific to your sport. Long gone are the days of football players running two-mile runs instead of sprints.

E NDGOAL– By beginning with the end in mind, you clarify all the aspects of what it will take to ultimately reach your appointed destination.

C OMMITMENT – This must be evident every day, through every type of training. You must be ready to execute your plan to claim your results.

I NTENSITY – You cannot go through the motions of a workout and expect to achieve any noticeable gains. All efforts must be focused and driven by intensity.

F IELD – Where do you play, how far do you run, what do you carry and what do you push? Hard ground, soft turf, track or concrete? Train accordingly.

I MAGINATION – Even before you can do it, what would you like to do? What do you see yourself doing? What, ultimately, would you like to accomplish? Imagine.

C IRCUITS – Training more than one bodypart, or one from multiple angles at one time pushes the mental and physical aspects to extremes that can’t be reached by singular exercises alone.

S PORT – The second most important aspect of how and what type of training you’ll undertake. Narrow your necessities and emulate as many aspects as possible.

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“Things which matter most must never be at the mercy of things which matter least.” – Goethe

“What Is Empty Shall Become Full.

What Is Old Shall Become New.”

1. SYNCHRONIZATION
2. ALIGNMENT
3. EXPLOSIVENESS

FULL SPEED

”Empty” is the aspect of your training that, once filled, will take your body to new levels of performance. “Empty” is ignorance or complacency in what’s working and settling for mediocre performance, rather than seeking better methods to get more from your body with less effort. The emptiness is emptying your mind of expectations and letting the natural flow of speed occur.

“What is empty shall become full” means, whatever is lacking in your ability to generate optimal speed is simply missing right now in one form or another of your training. One works on the weaknesses to build strength, and to make the strengths, stronger.

Slowly, “what is empty” begins to fill to the best of your training. “Full” is a confident state of knowing you’re ready to play the game, you’ve gone above and beyond normal preparations. “Full” is knowledge and application to the eyelids.

The “old” ability to run naturally is renewed by understanding that speed comes from alignment, momentum, acceleration, endurance and strength while enveloped in a relaxed state. “What is old shall become new” means, injuries, ignored abilities, techniques, and training each become new as soon as the correct attention in optimum amounts is given to them.

Emptiness is the absence of strength in the back of the legs that’s necessary to transfer the coiled energy of the compressed hamstring into the stride of the thigh by equally pushing with the back and pulling through the front of the legs. “Full” is training the back of the legs where speed originates, more than the front, where momentum is carried. Make the “old” methods of strength training your “new” route to speed.

THE NEED FOR SPEED

Speed should be practiced more than any other aspect.  It is the leveler for all athletes in all sports. The faster you are, the better your chances of athletic success. Train for speed just like you do for strength, in increments of controlled challenges, finding the exercises that work best and practicing them with objective evaluations on form, flow and force.

Sprint training goes hand in hand with weight training for speed. The exercises done in the weight room complement the running drills. Stronger legs with more muscle release more power. Muscle endurance coupled with core training allows stronger lifts. Stronger lifts translate to greater ground force capability which means more speed.

Speed has many aspects to it. The ability to change directions and keep speed has to do with body angle, acceleration, footspeed, balance, and the churning of the arms and legs in efficient movements. Speed comes in short, explosive bursts, and it comes in long stretches of sustained endurance, as well as various speeds between. Like strength, you want to be faster and stronger, for longer periods of time, in a consistent and dependable fashion. Stride length, ground force and footspeed are the mechanical keys to improving speed. Train for speed in repetitive bursts of movements in a variety of directions with many durations.

 Find where your speed is and work on it. Some are sprinters and some are middle distance runners. Whatever distance you need to move faster in, can be improved upon. Something suits you. If walking is your “modus operandi” you can quicken your step, lengthen your stride, engage your hands, and cut your time with conscious practice. And reap greater rewards for it.  Whatever form of movement you choose to improve – any distance, speed or plane – there are literally hundreds of leg exercises to suit and enhance form, pace, explosiveness and directional stability.

CARDIOVASCULAR CAPACITY

“What is empty shall become full,” concerns the initial limiting component for speed, cardiovascular endurance. Cardiovascular endurance must be improved for maximum speed. The main component to make the fastest cars faster is oxygen. An athlete must utilize oxygen by pulling in and using as much air as possible, while expelling it in an efficient manner. Picture the swimmer, whose one wrong breath means a mouth full of water rather than a breath of air. Breathing efficiency is as vital as mechanical efficiency in running. With constant practice and attention to “feeling” the effects, both become natural, fluid and flowing.

Cardiovascular endurance is one of the easiest components to train. Consistent practice allows the lungs to grow in their capacity to contain and use oxygen. The best way to increase cardiovascular ability is to simply practice it daily and work at it until you’re proficient. And then continue to work at it. The more proficient you are in using oxygen without using it up, the longer you can perform your activity with less depletion of resources.

SPEED SUMMARY

If you are already fast, comfortable in your style and mechanically efficient, than work on your speed by finding exercises and practicing them with objective evaluations on form, flow and force. Form means control while still exerting stresses over the muscle groups adequate to cause breakdown and in turn, regeneration. Powerful, ballistic training incorporates a high level of stimulation to the nervous, strength, stability and speed systems; and increases control, confidence, core and velocity. Muscular power is determined by how long it takes for strength to be converted into speed. The ability to convert strength to speed in a very short time allows for athletic movements beyond what raw strength will allow, and the ability to generate a large amount of force quickly.

Flexibility is required both for injury prevention and to enhance the effect of the stretch-shortening cycle.

Pace applies to any distance, short or long. It is the control of leg frequency and limb synchronization while accelerating or slowing down. Pace is quickening or slowing in accordance with the demand of the task, while conserving energy when possible in order to apply extra force when necessary. By properly pacing your body, you will get more from it for longer periods of time. Pace means knowing when to take longer strides or shorter steps to reach the desired destination. Pace is spreading energy over longer runs and turning it up when explosive acceleration is necessary.

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“Be faithful to that which exists within yourself.” – Andre Gide

Therefore, What Exists Serves For Possession.

What Does Not Exist Serves For Effectiveness.

1. LOAD
2. DURATION
3. INTENSITY

STRENGTH STAYS WITH YOU AS LONG AS YOU STAY WITH IT

“What exists serves for possession.” Strength, like knowledge, cannot be taken away. It may change in effectiveness when not practiced on a continual basis, but as long as regular attention is paid to it, strength stays, expands, sustains.

A strong woman, a strong man, a strong child, or a strong senior has something immediately evident that the normal person lacks.  There is a pride to the carriage, an alertness to the demeanor, a gleam in the eyes, an assuredness no one else can claim or deny. This inner strength is almost like an invisible suit of armor, which is felt in the solidity of the body, the tying together of the upper torso to the core and the core to the legs. A strong body is animalistic in gait, upright and poised with a grace from feeling each muscle work together in stride; more a confidence than an arrogance, more a knowingness that your makeup is not “average,” and that your body possesses more than what’s seen by the physical eye.  You hold a secret that’s tested daily, and only you know the immensity of that training in terms of pounds and sweat. Strength is capability.

In terms of efficiency, you build strength in order to make your work easier. To be stronger in the lower back and abs for a runner only makes the rest of the body work less when each part is doing its share of work. “What exists” is always present to draw from, it is in your possession and stays in your possession. But you must work to keep it.

Efficiency of movement comes from having adequate strength. Lateral movements are quicker, reflexes are more reactive, vertical leaps are effortless, covering horizontal distances are easy strides because everything from the shoulders, chest and arms, to the abs, quads and calves are efficiently propelling the body forward in practiced momentum. You tire less while covering more ground when the whole muscular system is strong, while endurance and stamina stay peaked because energy is evenly utilized.

The “effectiveness” in “what does not exist” is the level of having too much strength, uneven strength, and egocentric-strength attained by too much lopsided training which takes the body overboard by being stronger than it needs to be in visible areas and weaker where primary strength is necessary. This actually inhibits motion, movement, agility, flexibility and strength itself. This is how strength can be a weakness.

At this point it is wise to do more stretching or cardio, or try a different priority in exercise order, a completely revamped repertoire or even a different discipline altogether, rather than repeatedly weight training in the day to day exercises which initially caused these imbalances. When form is compromised to complete a lift or repetition for the sake of saying “x” amount of weight was lifted, true strength is not shown nor grown. In fact, neuropathways are now confused from this convoluted attempt at getting the weight to the point of where your mind was stronger than your body in attaining a “successful” lift. This is what happens when weaknesses are not addressed and allowed to stay weaknesses.

The point of “what does not exist” is that in strength training, it is futile to do or attempt more than the body is ready to handle. Sloppy lifts and inconsistent form take away from the body and its core strength. Working up to heavier and heavier loads is what’s intended, but if that 330 lb lift is not coming in any particular movement, or the 6 minute mile run stays out of reach, it’s to the athlete’s “effectiveness” to not go there and to realize that that’s the limit his body needs to reconcile at that plateau.

If it doesn’t “exist,” if it’s not in your genetic or physical makeup, it’s not necessary to go there and sometimes dangerous to continue trying. In Basic terms, one must use proper form and techniques to get the highest result out of strength training, but also the intelligence to know when to back off because the body is not ready or doesn’t necessarily need it. This in turn makes your mind stronger in decision-making and reinforces the strength of your will.

However, do not use new challenges as excuses to not attempt the movements that are necessary to take your training to the next level. You can ease into anything. You can try things out. You can ask for instruction or research the proper forms of movements. Do not shy away from that which may bring you the most benefit. Leave your comfort zone often to broaden its scope. It all adds to your strength.

S.T.R.E.N.G.T.H.

S UPPLENESS – the adaptability and compensation of muscle groups in        accommodation.

T ECHNIQUE – the form you use to perform the lift, not the amount of weight you use.

R ANGE – to work the muscle from one insertion to the next, completely and equally.

E NDURANCE– being stronger, longer; utilizing oxygen and brain power to continue.

N EGATIVES – are used in “feeling” as yet unattainable lifts, to enable “muscle memory.”

G OALS – are checkpoints on the path to success, done in stages of 3 periodic increments.

T ENACITY – is to stick to the plan without doubt or distraction until it’s dominated.

H EALING – complete rest to allow the regeneration of new muscle cells and strength.

Strength is created by adding resistance, progressively, over a full range of motion. Simply adding repetitions to movements, rather than weight, will increase the strength of the muscle. With strength comes stamina, then endurance. Endurance means staying stronger, longer. When athletes stay strong, they play their best game, for more of the game. A golfer who stays stronger plays the last 6 holes often better than the first 12. Strength is cumulative, when one area is strong and it ties to another and yet another equally strong bodypart, the result is compounded from the sum of its parts. By having a strong heart, the whole body benefits. By having a strong core, the whole body benefits. By having strong belief, faith, trust, and attitude, the whole body benefits. There is literally no end to the amount of training you can offer your mind and body. And every endeavor has a beneficial effect. Strength is a many-splendored thing.

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