Monday, August 4, 2008

I Walk the Line


There is no ONE best way to achieve results. Get that in your head. Every method, program, system, etc. has it's drawbacks. The truth, is usually somewhere in the middle, not on the EXTREME right or EXTREME left side of the road. Sure, some are better than others, but even the "perfect" workout program you stumbled upon DEFINETLY has it's pro's and con's. In the training world, it seems everyone has to pick one side of the road. Whether it's plyometrics, HIT, powerlifting, bodyweight training, kettlebells, exercise bands, explosive lifting, olympic lifts, machines, strongman equipment, etc., there is NO ONE WAY. All of these things can be useful at times, but none of them are perfect and depending on your goal, should probably not be use exclusively. There's a saying that goes, "It's not WHAT you do, it's HOW you do it." Read that again. Guess what? People have have increased their vertical leap, athleticism, and speed with all of those things. Would some of them have been better off taking a more balanced approach, considering over-use injuries, training their weaknesses, blah, blah, blah? Maybe, but I guarantee they had two things going for them:
1) Hard work. Anyone who's achieved a respectable goal will tell you that they busted their butt everyday.
2) Consistency. They stuck with it. They kept improving no matter what. No excuses. Stop worrying if your doing the right thing, get off the couch and actually DO. Stop thinking, planning, resting, and whattever else and TAKE ACTION. As Nike says, "just do it". If you actaully have common sense, this isn't a bad motto.

You can have the best program in the world, written bt the top trainer in the world, SPECIFICALLY for your needs....and if you don't WORK at it CONSISTENTLY, you'll get crap results. Take that same person and have them just do push-ups and bodyweight squats, but have them do it like THEIR LIFE DEPENDED on it and they will become a stud. There's nothing magical about kettlebells, box jumps, squattin' heavy, olympic lifts, weighted vests, etc. They are just TOOLS. Really, all you need is your body and desire....and you can get AMAZING results with anything fitness related. Ok, to recap:
1) Effort - Work your butt off. Recover. Repeat.
2) Consistency - Work your butt off. Recover. Repeat. Your body can't adapt to whatever it is you're trying to achieve if you train once every three weeks.

Pretty simple, eh? Stop wondering, worrying, complaining, thinking, and just DO.

And don't think this just applies to fitness, either.

"IT'S NOT WHAT YOU DO, IT'S HOW YOU DO IT."

- Max