Harder to measure...

There is a rule, I think, that fitness people have to believe in goals.  This may just be commodification in action, in that goals provide ways to measure what we are accomplishing, allowing those of us who work in fitness to help clients justify the cost of our services.  I do believe in goals, but not always in the kind of measurable goals that my industry promotes.

I am not knocking measurements.  I am not criticizing anyone for choosing to set a goal about losing five pounds (or seventeen, or fifty two) or running a mile or a marathon.  If a client has that kind of goal, I certainly have the tools to help get there.

It’s just that I believe in the goals that are harder to measure.  Does the workout we are doing make us feel better?  Does it help us really enjoy that travel adventure to the fullest?  Are we building the flexibility we need to squat down and check out ladybugs with our kids or grandkids?  Do we have the breath to climb up that hill to get the view that takes our breath away?

We are so much more than a number on a scale or a dumbbell or a stopwatch.  Let’s work out to make our ineffable selves more awesome.

Monday Workout: Ladder, No Snakes

This week we’re working with the speed ladder.  This, in addition to the round lunges, the single leg squats, and the BOSU work, will help us with our coordination and balance.  Life happens in many directions and on unstable surfaces, so we practice in our workouts!  Three rounds.

ladder in in out out	1 min
deadlifts	20
round lunges	10
ladder side ins	1 min
1 leg squats	20
pushups	10
carioca/grapevine	1 min
(BOSU) curls	20
Russian twist	10

Friday Reading Report: Swordfighting

Sometimes I start reading a book for one purpose and it turns out to be useful for something else as well.  Guy Windsor’s book Swordfighting, for writers, game designers, and martial artists is that kind of book.  I started reading in order to write a non-cringeworthy fight scene.  I have a lot more tools to accomplish that now.

However, from my perspective as a personal trainer, I found a great book about how to learn physical processes.  Windsor’s methods boil down to what I learned as “praxis” back when I worked as a facilitator for a service-learning program.  He combines analytical work, including scholarship and intellectual inquiry into how techniques are playing out, with rigorous physical training.  The results enrich both the theory and the practice as the knowledge informs the movement and the movement provides feedback on the quality of the knowledge.  Essentially, he provides a blueprint for one way of doing mindful movement.  That may sound a little Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance, but it’s a good thing.  (And I liked that book, back when I read it a hundred or so years ago…)

This may not be the book for everyone.  I happen to have a degree in English with an emphasis on the medieval period, so I don’t need to be sold on the coolness of swords or manuscripts and I find the research part as fascinating as the practical aspects.  It is not a stand-alone reference for the new-to-the-subject—a lot of the Italian names for the various techniques are unexplained and untranslated.  However, Windsor is an engaging writer with strong and sometimes eccentric opinions, some of which align with my own eccentric opinions.

I like his general philosophy for working hard and smart.