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  • Selfless fitness

    Fitness revolves around one’s ego. Training for looks being the prime example. But training for strength and longevity isn’t that far behind. 

    Sure, the latter two have a bigger impact on the well-being of others compared to the obsessively blind chase for six-pack abs. Both in terms of how much your capabilities positively contribute to those around you, and because you’re less likely to be a burden to the medical system.

    But. Most of that is still a side effect of an otherwise selfish pursuit.

    To add more selflessness to our fitness, we can look for opportunities to get our daily dose of physical activity while improving the lives of others.

    Chopping wood or shovelling snow for the elderly neighbour. Mowing the lawn for that single mum with three kids. Helping a diarrhea-ridden friend move the grand piano because apparently it really needs to be done today. 

    We already do some of that because, well, it’s a nice thing to do. And it has nothing to do with our fitness. But by fine-tuning our antenna for these opportunities, we’re likely to find more of them.

    And if you’ve exhausted all the traditional, selfish sources of motivation to improve your fitness, coming at it with the selfless point-of-view is worth a try.

    – J

  • Irreplaceable

    You know this already. It’s impossible to get all the benefits of strength training from other activities. 

    No sport I can think off delivers what we can get from resistance training. The upsides for bone and joint health. The boost on lean muscle mass, power and strength. All the things that make us more resilient for life.

    And we definitely don’t get these benefits from any typical day-to-day activity. I mean, carrying bags of groceries is great. But unless you’re hauling cat litter or tins of baked beans with an alarming frequency, it just won’t cut it.

    The closest I can think of is a job that involves a lot of manual labour. Old-school farmer maybe. Doing things with hay, and… stuff. And even then, any job is likely to have a one-dimensional aspect to it. Which then requires purposeful strength training to balance it all out.

    But you know this already. This is just a tiny reminder to keep going.

    – J

    ps. Yes, it’s Monday. I am trialling daily (Monday to Friday) blogging for a month. To see if a daily deadline can spark some new valuable ideas for both of us. Some days are the length of today’s post, some are longer, and some might be just a paragraph. 

    If the thought of getting an email from me five days a week gives you all kinds of anxiety, feel free to unsubscribe below. In fact, some might say it’s the only reasonable thing to do.

    But I do hope you’ll stick around.

  • The shift 

    From I have to do this, to I get to do this. Whatever this is. 

    For most of us, it’s unlikely to be a permanent shift. It comes and goes. Sometimes this feels like the last thing you want to be doing. And other times, you feel privileged to do this. 

    It can last for years. Or it might only be around for a day.

    The point is to not force the “I get to do this” feeling. But to trust that the feeling will eventually return. 

    In the meantime, keep at it as if it’s already here.

    —

    I’ve got two spaces available for new coaching clients

    Since you’re already subscribed to my newsletter, you get the dibs before I blurb it on social media next week.

    If you’re ready to rediscover your strength and energy, despite your injuries, this might be the nudge you need to get started.

    Just hit reply to find out if and how my online coaching program might be a good fit for you.

    – J

  • Controlling thoughts

    We know it’s true with food. Nutritionally poor diet not only has a negative physical effect on us. But a heavy diet of onion rings and Cap’n Crunch also acts as acid for our thinking. Information is no different.

    We become what we consume.

    When we live off cheap and clickbaity content, it’ll end up eroding our thoughts. The more we consume this cheap and addictive information, the more we believe it. The more vigorously we nod our way forward.

    If most of the content you read and watch are the promises of quick fixes and express gateways to results, it’s a big ask to appreciate an offer that asks for a delayed gratification. Why put in the work when you don’t have to? I

    It’s no surprise that the wolf of instant gratification runs rampant in our society.

    This leaves people jumping from diet to diet and never sticking to a training program. It’s the same reason people fork out cash to go on grapefruit juice detoxes and green coffee bean fat loss programs.

    Most of us find these offers ridiculous. Deep down, we know they can’t be true. Yet we keep falling, falling, falling for them. Because of the instant gratification fast food information diet, we keep searching for an impossible answer.

    O’Brien was onto something when he said, “Who controls the past controls the future. Who controls the present controls the past.” I’d add, who controls your present controls your future.

    One addictive click at a time.

    – J

  • Not by accident

    Weight doesn’t creep up by accident. We put on weight when we don’t pay attention to what we’re eating.

    The reason we lose our strength and fitness isn’t a mystery. It’s because we don’t pay attention to it.

    We don’t get injured because we’re surrounded by some cosmic circumstances. We get injured when we don’t pay attention.

    This stuff doesn’t just happen. It happens when we don’t pay attention.

    Sometimes it’s because we’re tired, preoccupied, concerned. For whatever reason. But often it’s because we choose to not pay attention, or we just can’t help that our attention wanders.

    Now, of course, there are exceptions. Someone runs the red light and rams into your car. You get a diagnosis that shatters your world. There’s a hole covered by leaves that’s impossible to notice. The neighbor drops off reheated prawn curry.

    But the things that we can control often go meatloaf because we’re not paying attention.

    What needs more of your attention right now?

    It might have nothing to do with your health. And that’s ok. Because whatever it is, it’s now getting the attention it deserves.

    So that eventually you can pay more of your attention to your health.

    – J

    ps. I’d love to know. What needs more of your attention right now? Feel free to reply.

  • Invitation

    We struggle with the changes we’re hoping to make when we obsess about burning the obstacles standing between our current and future self. When we put an excessive focus on eliminating what we see as the negatives.

    Often the things we try to reduce, remove, or stop altogether are the things that make us who we are. They’re an ingrained part of our being.

    We know that cutting them down now might eventually lead to those things being silenced altogether. And that fights the person who we are.

    Our current self is the only version we have. He’s our friend. And the person we’re hoping to become? He’s too far away to feel close to. He’s a stranger.

    And it makes us scared.

    But maybe there’s a way to feel closer to that stranger.

    Instead of turning something down, we could focus on turning something else up. Instead of feeling like we’re saying goodbye to our current self, we’d stay with him and ask the stranger to come over. To help us feel like we’re not being forced to choose between the two versions of us.

    Because it’s easier to trust a friend and than it is a stranger.

    Which makes me think, what are you already doing well right now? And how could you do just a bit more of it?

    – J

  • Weaponise the jazz mindset

    How a jazz player approaches his craft stands in stark contrast to that of a classically trained musician. Whereas classic music is about perfectly playing the right notes, jazz is about improvisation. A talented jazz musician can, and probably has to, adjust his playing on the fly each night.

    To react to the other musicians he’s playing with or to change the vibe of the audience. Adding notes to a solo or pulling back while another player takes the spotlight.

    In classic concerts, you get to enjoy the talented playing just the same. But when you buy a ticket to a classical concert, you know you’ll be getting the exact thing it says on the tin.

    With a jazz gig, though, there’s always a certain element of improvisation to it. You never know exactly what you’re going the get tonight.

    Approach strength training like a jazz musician.

    Injuries often happen when we’re stuck on doing what we’ve always done. I used to love training with barbells and (relatively) super heavy weights. And I kept getting myself injured. After a while, longer than I’d like to admit, I realised I had tied a part of my self and who I was to the way I trained.

    I had to two options. a) keep going back to the heavy weights and keep feeling like shit, or b) let go of the part of me that’s tied to the barbell training. And find a different way to get to my goals.

    Now, all that sounds much more elegant in writing than what it was when I was going through it years ago. But I guess that’s the benefit of hindsight. Besides, writing this blog is about as elegant as I ever get. So please don’t take that away from me.

    When you weaponise the jazz mindset for your own fitness, you let go of being married to a one way of training.

    You become more adaptable. You move the focus away from the method. And towards the results. Instead of having a one method to get to your goals, you can use whatever training style or exercise selection feels good for your body.

    With the jazz mindset, you can change your training because of an injury or let go of an exercise because your body no longer feels good doing it.

    You can adjust your training sessions based on your time or equipment availability. Instead of doing nothing because you can’t train the way you’ve always trained.

    Jazz mindset means dropping the dogma. If the latest science no longer supports the way you’re doing things, you’ll be open to moving on to something else. Instead of trying to grind a gear that ain’t moving.

    Essentially, you become an agnostic of fitness.

    – J

  • Finite focus

    24 hours a day. Eight of which you (ideally) spend sleeping. That leaves you 16 hours mostly vertically orientated. And vertical orientation is when you get stuff done. Then, unless you’re retired or in the fourhourworkweekforlife tribe, you spend at least eight hours of that 16 doing work.

    That’s eight hours left. Throw in the housework and whatnot. Commuting if you must. Then add up the time you spend interacting with other people. Whether it’s Friday afternoon social tea, helping kids with the homework, or just attending to things, people and causes that deserve your attention.

    If you have a partner, they’ll likely appreciate some deeper connection time, too. A dog? Yep, that too. Cats? Meh. Not our cats, anyway.

    How much time does that leave you? Few hours. Three, maybe. And that three is only realistic if your time management is somewhere closer to Benjamin Franklin and not the early 90s Axl Rose.

    But for the sake of agreeing on something, let’s say you have two focused hours to yourself each day. On average.

    And if, like me, you’ve got young kids, most of those hours may well fall into early mornings or late evenings. That’s the time to read and learn. To create something in a way that’s meaningful to you. All this eats out of your two hours.

    To make progress in anything requires focus. And you pay for that focus with time. And we haven’t even touched on your health and fitness. Which brings us to…

    Based on the time you have available to train, how reasonable are your expectations for the results?

    Are your training result expectations inline with the time you have available to do the work? Unless you’re willing to put everything except the kettlebells on the back burner, it’d be nothing short of delusional to expect quick results.

    You don’t exist in a vacuum. With all the other commitments, stresses, and dogs you have in your life, there’s only so much attention you can give to your training. Even when you’re prioritising it.

    You’re a human adult.

    You have a life, and it’s unlikely that your life revolves around strength training. Give yourself some slack. You’re more likely to stay motivated if you shift your expectations from tomorrow to eventually.

    Carve out whatever time you can for training. Yes, something else might have to give. Within reason. Then, keep showing up. And know that when you do the right things often enough, results will follow.

    It just might take a little longer than you’d like to admit.

    – J

  • Take another look

    What is your motivation for training? Wait. Before you answer, let us entertain a thought.

    Often, our initial answer is more for the person asking than it is for ourselves. With the exception of psychopaths and people who don’t like pineapple on their pizza, we’re wired to connect with the person asking the question.

    And one of the quickest ways to connect is by loading up our mouth revolver with a pleasing bullet before firing it in the appropriate direction. Maybe our answer is what we think the other person wants to hear. Or maybe we simply want to give a pleasing answer to avoid further interrogation.

    Then, to complicate things further, our surroundings distort our thoughts on what we consider right and wrong answers. The culture, the circle we hangout with, even our upbringing, all affect our reasoning.

    Taking all that aboard, your off-the-shelf answer for training motivation might be “to age with vigor”, “to set an active example for my kids”, “to do more challenging hikes with my friends”, “to open up a jar of artichokes without first having to pop the air out of the jar and then get a towel to remove the moisture from my hands because goddamit is it too much to ask to enjoy artichokes without performing circus tricks”.

    All socially acceptable answers. But if the answer you gave (to yourself or the person asking) isn’t your genuine motivation, you’ll have an uphill battle with motivation ahead of you.

    So, how does one know they’ve unearthed their real motivation for training?

    Your genuine motivation will feel visceral.

    Even if it’s not socially acceptable. It might bring tears to your eyes. You might feel uncomfortable about sharing the truth in public. For now, though, you’re only writing these answers for yourself.

    Dare to go deep. I mean it. Aim for how-did-I-get-here-and-which-way-is-up deep.

    What you might find is that as much as you want to age gracefully, inspire your kids, hike more, or eat stress-free artichokes, your true motivation might be more superficial.

    To look hot naked so your partner would want you. Or maybe you’re single and want to impress your potential soulmate. Maybe, after all your pondering, you just really want to eat artichokes. While standing naked in front of a full body mirror. You get the idea.

    I am not saying that you need to look fit, strong, and lean for any of those.

    We come in all shapes and sizes. What I am saying is that if it’s the superficial goal that gives you the drive to show up for training, then it’s ok to embrace that superficial goal.

    For myself, longevity, keeping up with our kids and being physically capable of opening random jars at will is insanely important. But I’d be lying through my teeth saying that I don’t care about how I look. I want to take off my shirt and feel good about what I see. And the way I like to look is fit, strong and relatively lean. As for my calves though, I’ve given up.

    Anyhow, my training motivation is about balancing longevity with more superficial goals. That’s why I train.

    Even if our goals sound superficial, reaching them has a positive carry over to the rest of our lives.

    Provided we’re not complete jackasses about it. If our motivation for high and mighty, socially acceptable goals doesn’t carry us to our goals, we really have no other option than to embrace the superficial side.

    It’s your life. And as long as your motivation isn’t illegal, don’t let anyone tell you what your reason for training should be.

    – J

    ps. The idea for this post was shamelessly lifted from Bryan Krahn‘s free Physique Mastery course. It’s outstanding. You should probably sign up.

  • How to fit it all in

    Fellow subscriber Robert Y. sent in a question earlier this week (shared with permission and shortened here by me).

    “How to incorporate everything I need in my training? Mobility, endurance strength. I’m retired so I have the time, but I don’t want to train 9 hours/day. As a former strength athlete I’m trying to rehabilitate my abused body focusing on cardio and some mobility stuff. Putting it all together, and working in some strength training in a workable program would be ideal.“

    “I do a lot of research on the subject and have studied fitness and strength training for years, but I’ve yet to find a workable solution.”

    And here’s my reply.

    It’s tough to chase more than a one goal at a time.

    1. What’s the level of mobility you need to feel you’ve rehabilitated your “abused” body?
    2. What’s the level of cardio? 
    3. What’s the level of strength you want to achieve? 

    Can you set specific goals for all of them? So that you know when you get there.

    Out of those three goals, what’s the most urgent? Depending on the urgency, devote 60%-80% of your available training time to reach that goal. 

    Split the remaining training time between the other two goals. That should be enough to maintain them, even progress them slightly. Once you reach the first goal, rotate to the next goal on the list. 

    With mobility, once you get it to a level you’re happy with, you should be able to maintain most of it with a well rounded strength program. As long as your mobility goals are not on Cirque du Soleil level.

    —

    Hope that helps!

    – J