-George "The Russian Lion" Hackenschmidt
I chose this quote from turn of the century strongman and physical culturist, George Hackenschmidt as the start of this blog because I think the fitness industry is heading in the wrong direction. Personally I think we need to jump back a hundred years or so and learn from the founding fathers of the physical culture movement, like Hackenschmidt.
Physical culture was a way of life, it encompassed the development of the total human being, not just one area.
The world of fitness has become very fractured. Now we have differentiations between physique specialists, strongmen, weightlifters, elite general physical preparation (GPP), etc.
We need to understand that it is important to develop the entire being and not just one area. I guess the argument can be made that sport competitors need only the level of development to perform optimally at their sport, and I guess I can agree with that. However, training for competition and training for health are two different things.
First, are you really a competitor? Or do you use competition as a means to test your abilities? Nothing wrong with the latter, but if you will never make a living as a competitive athlete, is ANY sport worth sacrificing your health?
That is for you to decide, we are blessed with the freedom to choose whatever it is we wish to pursue.
I was at that crossroad myself a few years ago. I was addicted to powerlifting, I loved the sport. I wasn't outstanding and had managed a mediocre class 3 total for my weightclass. I loved the competition though, there was nothing quite like walking out to the platform and attempting a weight you've never lifted before. However, in the pursuit of a higher total I started letting my health go. I put on a lot of unnecessary bodyweight (a politically correct way of saying I got fat), I got very out of shape, sure my squat, bench and deadlift were going up, but my cardiovascular fitness, mobility and flexibility were going down the shitter fast. I used powerlifting as an excuse to neglect flexibility, cardiovascular exercise, and eating well-I also had to justify this to my clients. I own a personal training business, and on a daily basis I tell people they need to stretch, eat well, do their cardio and not just lift weights. I felt like it was a bit of a contradiction.
Now - I am not saying that competition is bad, it isn't. What I am suggesting is that you do not sacrifice your health for a trophy.
I think we can learn something from the founding fathers of the iron-game in that regard. Look at the pictures of the turn of the century strongmen-Hackenschmidt, Sandow, Saxon, Liederman, Jowett-and you'll see men with outstanding muscular development, impressive levels of strength and overall good health. Read their works and you'll see they were all educated and obviously very literate.
I guess the more I see of the wrong-turn I believe the fitness industry has taken, the more I find myself reading the old manuscripts of the turn of the century physical culturists. Honestly, not a lot has changed in the past hundred years either-the exercises in favor then are still the exercises that work well today-barbells, dumbbells, free-weights, bodyweight exercise, running, stretching, etc.
How can we get back to the roots of what physical development should be about? Easy, lift weights and get stronger, but not to the point you rupture something or negatively effect your flexibility; maintain a healthy, pain-free range of motion through stretching and joint mobility exercise; eat well-eat a variety of food in it's natural, unprocessed state and drink a lot of water, the closer food is to nature, in my opinion the better; strengthen your cardiovascular system through walking, running, sprinting, cycling or any other form of exercise that challenges you aerobically; and most importantly RELAX. Spend some time in meditation, practice Tai Chi and Qigong, get back to breathing-learn to breath deep into your belly and not short into your chest. Spend some time in nature. Practice real yoga. Do something that will allow you to destress and calm yourself. Stay loose and flexible. Dead bodies are stiff and rigid. Focus on what you need more of and bring balance to your physical development.
Fitness shouldn't hurt. Health is NOT something we should go through on the way to fitness. Make fitness energy producing, not energy draining. Pursue other hobbies and passions, read, learn new things, travel-don't become a slave to the gym. Get outside, experience nature and be healthy, strong and fit. Be happy and enjoy your life. Understand the difference between training for sport and training for health and if you are a competitive athlete be ready to make the transition when your career is over.
Stay strong AND healthy!
-Scott
