How The Body Thinks Part 2: Exercise The New Addiction

Let’s take a trip down memory lane..

It all started way back with the first Mr. Olympia Eugene Sandow. He was considered the world’s most perfectly build man of his time. He was lean, symmetrical, muscular and strong. Eugene was truly the total package. He not only had the “show” muscles but he had the “go” as well. His feats of strength was his original claim to fame but is audiences soon became more enamored with his bulging muscles than what he could lift. From this point on the era of Bodybuilding began.

The concept of bodybuilding has evolved quite a bit since Sandow’s day. During the early days of physical culture, there was a pride and focus on not only looking good on the outside but living a healthy lifestyle and feeling good on the inside.

Within the last 5 to 10 years, there has been a shift from physical culture to the era of extreme fitness. High-tech gyms and super-charged supplements have created the great divide between form, health and function.

Extreme exercise has literally become the new addiction.  At least in the 70-80’s you had somewhat of a clear boundary between physical culture and the party crowd.

Now people are replacing their hard drugs with hard exercise.They are replacing the high of narcotics  with the train till you puke mindset. Think about it. If you’ve ever exercised until you threw up, didn’t it feel the same as a hangover?

At it’s core they are one and the same.  People are trading narcotics for stimulants and extreme exercise in the name of health. It is a step up the evolutionary ladder but I feel that we can and must keep moving up.

Just because an exercise is possible does not mean it is to be done. Not all exercise is for everyone and until we understand this, we are going to have millions of people brainwashed into thinking that they have to kill themselves to get in shape. This is not a good thing if we are trying to inspire millions of overweight and out of shape people to exercise.

These extreme workouts is not training. They are events. It is the equivalent to  running the full 26 miles at every session if you are training for a marathon.

Elite Strength Coaches,(I’m talking about the Real Elite Coaches) know that the extreme fitness programs are just fads.

The definition of a training program is being able to duplicate an executed session.

If you cannot duplicate the session without injury or burnout, then it was not a training session, it was a maximal event.

If I did a maximal event 3 times a week, I’d need a Red Bull or Red line or Nitro something to get by as well. Here’s a novel concept..

Train to tolerance and then rest.  Gradually and systematically  progress your way to higher levels of intensity. This way your results “stick” and you build long lasting results.

Give it a shot..

Much Chi##

Physical Excellence From The Ground Up

Among the Fitness gadgets and fad diets, inactivity, obesity and chronic illness are still on the rise.  The exercise equipment and diet companies have made billions by taking advantage of knowing that most people will try anything once. If the latest infomercial “do-dad” doesn’t work then it’s just one more piece of junk to add to the collection.
The reality is that there are no quick fixes to achieving optimal health and vitality. It violates the laws of nature. Can a seed skip steps in evolving into a beautiful redwood tree? Neither is the case in creating a healthy, strong and resilient body.

The Seeds of Physical Excellence…

1. Posture is the foundation for total health and fitness.  A body that is properly aligned will look, feel and function better.
2. Flexibility exercise is needed to maintain proper length and tone to your muscles and connective tissues and also to prevent injury.  You cannot exercise if you are injured.
3. Proper body mechanics. The quality of human movement plays a very important role in the maintenance of optimal health and fitness. Ideal body mechanics during exercise and daily living maintains the health of the joints, muscles and connective tissues.
4. Strength is dependent on flexibility. A muscle that is short and tight will not have optimal strength and the likelihood of injury increases. Strength also allows one to perform more physical work if the need be.
5. Conditioning: Not to be confused with cardio, physical conditioning is the ability to perform one’s desire task effectively and repeatedly. Conditioning is the ability to apply strength and power a given amount of time.
6. Nutrition is what ties all of the fitness components together. A proper diet according to one’s Metabolic Type is paramount to all of your fitness efforts.
7. Ideal weight and body composition. Weight loss is a concern for many people however body composition is often overlooked when determining one’s ideal weight. Pay special attention to monitoring body composition so that it can be determined if weight loss is from fat or muscle.
8. Stress Management prevents physical and mental burnout. The body will not function optimally in a state of chronic stress and or fatigue.

Health & Fitness is a journey not a destination. If you use these seeds as your guide, your journey towards physical excellence will be one of positive self-discovery and personal evolution. ##