Interdependence: Pilates and weights

One way that interdependence plays out in workouts is in the synergy between weight training and Pilates.

As everyone knows, I offer both personal training and Pilates.  When asked which one someone should do, I usually say that both are good, and not because I want more business.  Both are good, and they’re better together.

 

Here’s why.  Weight training increases our strength.  It’s where we build lean body mass, encourage our metabolism, and acquire what we think of as “tone.”  Those are all good things.  However, if we want the most benefit from the work we do with weights, we need to hone our form.

 

This is where Pilates is so beneficial.  In Pilates, we train our proprioception (five dollar word for “knowing where our bodies are in space”).  We work on our alignment.  We challenge our stabilizing muscles.  We open up both our range of motion and our control of that range.  When we apply our Pilates skills in our weight training context, we get better results.

 

Conversely, when we bring our strength to Pilates, we open up more of the repertoire.  We can tackle some of the challenging exercises without worrying that our basic strength isn’t up to them.

 

All that said, some of us do better starting with one or the other.  If you want guidance, you know where to find me.

Monday Workout: Extra

End of the month means extra challenge!  We’ve got a little of everything in this workout:  balance, cardio challenge, lateral movement, stability work, and, of course, weights.  Four rounds.

 

1 min cardio
Bulgarian split squat	30
flies	20
Arnold press	10
squat raise/tick tock	30
bench press	20
windscreen wipers	10

 

Thursday List: 4

Independence vs. Interdependence

 

1.     “I want to win.” vs. “We can win together.”

2.     “I can do it myself.” vs. “No human is an island.”

3.     “I want to be strong.” vs. “I use my strength to help.”

4.     “I want to be fit.” vs. “My fitness allows me to take care of people I love.”

Interdepence

Interdependence has a lot of relevance in a workout context.  As I’ll be talking about over the rest of the month, the different kinds of workouts we do are interdependent, as are the things we do outside of our workouts.

Today, though, I want to focus on how our workouts make us better community members.  When we get strong and fit, when we take care of our own health, we increase our ability to give back to the people around us.

 

We are soaking in a culture that wants us to believe in competition as a supreme virtue.  That same culture feeds us the idea that we can be “self-made.”  Let’s reality-check that a little.

 

Competition, maybe, has its place.  When it is used for good, it can spur us on to achieve more than we might otherwise.  However, I think we all get farther when we rely on cooperation.  When we work together to make sure we all succeed, not only do we all have success, we have a nicer environment in which to enjoy that success.

 

And we do need other people.  We are social animals.  When we were children, we needed parents or other caregivers to feed and tend us.  As adults, we thrive best when we are surrounded by family and friends who love us and whom we love in return.

 

In a workout context, what this means is that when we individually get stronger, we all get stronger.  When we encourage each other, we all do better.  And, sometimes, we are willing to do things for other people that we’re not willing to do for ourselves.  When my kids were small, I needed to be strong and healthy to be there for them.  As our parents age, we need to be strong and healthy to help them out, too.  We have to pay forward the gifts we have been given.

 

I know this is really abstract and high-level, but we need to know why we are lifting those heavy weights and sweating it out on the treadmill.  It’s to make the world better.

Independence, Part 9

Up to this point in the month, we’ve been talking about independence as a list of things we get to do or not do.  But that’s only part of the story.

When we are independent, we take on a good chunk of responsibility.

 

There is a security inherent in being dependent.  We know what to do.  We know what the consequences are when we don’t do what we’re supposed to do.  We understand the rules.

 

When we are independent, we have to make our own order.  We have to figure out how to live healthy and happy lives without infringing on other folks’ ability to live their healthy and happy lives.

 

We have to find the balance between taking care of ourselves and taking care of our duties to our family and friends and larger society.  Sometimes a workout gets top priority.  Sometimes we miss one because we have a sick kid or a work deadline.  We need to stay tuned in to all the shifting priorities.

 

Because, truth is, we are both independent and interdependent at the same time.  We don’t get healthy and happy alone.

 

I’ll be exploring that over the next while.

Monday Workout: Good Move

I love a good balance move.  Those single leg deadlifts challenge us.  And, if we choose to do the YTA on one foot, we get extra bonus balance points.  Three rounds.

 

kb swings	30
kb twist	20
kb 8s	10
1 arm clean and press	30
1 leg deadlift	20
YTA	10
(lunge) punches	30
overhead press	20
plank to pike	10

 

Independence, Part 8

Things we are free from and for, a list of affirmations:

 

1.     We are free to be healthy.

2.     We are free to be happy.

3.     We are free to choose our own goals.

4.     We are free to set our own ideals.

5.     We are free from the expectations of others.

6.     We are free to work out in the way that works best for us.

7.     We are free to be strong, fit, and fabulous, however we define those terms.