When I look at the physical fitness industry today it is
painfully obvious that the industry is more concerned with
maximizing specific skills than building better humans.
Basically, the fitness industry has been divided into two
fields... muscle growth and aerobic ability.
But make no mistake about it, physical training is about
becoming an improved human, better suited to meet the challenges
of sport, work and life with excellence under the greatest
amount of circumstances.
Physical training is not about maximizing muscle growth so you
look good in your t-shirt or the ability to sustain long,
monotonous aerobic activity.
To become a better human, you must use your physical training
for physical fitness optimization... not physical skill
maximization.
Physical fitness optimization is the acceptable and deliberate
compromise of competence and ability to perform in ALL the areas
of cardiorespiratory endurance, strength, flexibility, power,
speed, coordination, agility, balance, accuracy and toughness to
produce optimum performance results under the greatest amount of
circumstances
Yes... physical fitness optimization is the understanding that
true physical fitness is a compromise.
Your fitness level is comprised of your ability to perform using
all the physical abilities mentioned in a seamless and
coordinated fashion to complete any task at any given point in
time.
Physical fitness is not, and should not, be measured by the
physical skill maximization of just one of these skills.
True physical fitness has to do with your physical ability to
perform the widest variety of tasks under the greatest diversity
of circumstances... not maximizing one physical ability to
perform one task under controlled circumstances.
Strangely, the trend seems to be to use physical training to
maximize one physical ability at the expense of all others...
actually making the person less fit.
If you spend all your training time improving only one facet of
fitness... your weaknesses will greatly outnumber your strength.
You will have become so specialized that you are unfit for most
circumstances encountered in sport, work and life... and I am
sure that was not your goal when starting a physical fitness
training program.
Let's get one thing straight...
I am not against muscle growth and aerobic capacity... I am
against the fitness industry's unbalanced focus on muscle growth
and aerobic capacity at the expense of true physical fitness.
Isolated muscle exercises performed on limited motion machines
combined with extended aerobic sessions is not the path to
strength, conditioning and fitness excellence... no matter what
the fitness industry's marketing machine says.
Commit yourself to strength, conditioning and fitness
optimization if your goal is to develop performance improvements
in all the 10 physical skills and produce a body that performs
as good as it looks.
If your current physical fitness workout program is designed
more for physical skill maximization... change it!
Because there is one thing that I know for sure...
If you have functional strength, superior conditioning and
fitness excellence there will be times in sport, work and life
that you need them... and if you don't, there will be times when
you wish you did.
About the author:
Coach Lomax is a strength, conditioning and fitness coach
dedicated to building better humans for sport, work and life.
Learn more at
Optimum
Physical Training or take his FREE Tabata Calisthenics
Workout Mini Course.
