18 Things I’ve Learned as a Fitness Geek
This post is written by Ryan Wagner of Motus Fitness. His site is dedicated to thoughtful discussion on emerging fitness trends and old school strength training. He’s currently working to build a community of fitness innovators and doers through the organization Fit Mornings.
Today we have the great pleasure to learn from him about being a true fitness geek and I have a pretty good feeling you’re going to be inspired by the end of this post to try something new and thrive in your body’s amazing ability to move.
[line]
When Madelyn approached me to guest post on her blog my first thought was “Yikes! It needs to be good.” I kicked around different topics, but what started to bubble to the surface was a collection of tips and lessons learned that I have picked up from a handful of experiences.
You see, I have played all over the fitness spectrum. Endurance races, weightlifting, yoga, manual tissue therapy, gymnastics, etc. I’d spend a few years at a time on one discipline and then (Look! Something shiny!) I’d get distracted and viola, I was on to the next adventure.
And that’s just fine because isn’t that what fitness is supposed to be? The ability to do the things you want to do in life?
So, here are some gems of wisdom that you’re going to want to store away in a safe place. I truly hope that you can learn from my experiences and be inspired to step outside of your own fitness box, as I have.
Let’s get to it, shall we?
12 years in the making, this list is the culmination of a mountain of protein powder, a couple bike wrecks, one kayak flipped on a rock and a really bad sunburn.
On weightlifting
Tip #18: Leverage and tension should be your two best friends.
For instance, once you understand how to use your body and get those hips to act like a hinge, you’ll find weightlifting to be much more enjoyable. And when you learn how to turn on your body’s tension like a light switch, you’ll find that exercises like the Turkish Get-up become a whole lot easier.
You don’t need to go so far as to name one of your biceps leverage and the other tension, but understanding this concept will make you a successful lifter.
Tip #17: Overtraining (and overreaching, for that matter) is real.
Tip #16: Odds are, you need to lift heavier.
What do most of us need to do more often to achieve our fitness goals?
Work harder.
If you are trying to gain strength, I’ve found that for me personally, I need to lift heavier than I thought.
You see, we all have a tendency to hold a little bit back. Don’t believe me? Try raising your hand as high as you can right now. Just humor me.
Now raise it a little higher.
See what I mean?
On adventure races
Tip #15: You’ll complete an endurance event in a much better mood if you understand your body’s nutritional needs.
Gels, goos, blocks, little baggies of homemade concoctions – I’ve had it all. Some taste better than others, whereas some are just downright messy (yes, I’m referring to you water-logged electrolyte capsules).
Everyone is different and what works for me isn’t guaranteed to work for you. Regardless, test your race day snacks and then test them again. It makes the difference between being jubilant at the finish line and relieved.
Tip #14: If you’ve never paddled a tandem kayak through Class III rapids, a race isn’t a good time to learn.
On primal fitness
Tip #13: Running barefoot can be the most inspiring and life affirming hack to fitness. However, see tip #11.
Running in the green grass will instantly put you in a good mood. It’s something we did as kids and then when we ‘grew up’ we somehow thought that we shouldn’t do it anymore.
Big mistake.
Tip #12: You need to learn how to crawl (again).
It sounds simple and we all did it as kids, but honestly, it’s a movement pattern that goes away if you don’t use it. Here’s what’s great: It connects your lower body with your upper body in a way that few other exercises can match.
Mind body connection.
Tip #11: Running barefoot is great…If you’re a good candidate.
In my case, I wasn’t. Running barefoot won’t cure a tight spiral or lateral facial line I learned. Ensure that your body is well aligned before running without your kicks because those little biomechanical quirks have a tendency to amplify.
On triathlons
Tip #10: When you swim in open water as a newbie – you’ll zig zag.
I kept looking for a line on the bottom of the lake to follow like in the pool. Never found it.
Tip #9: Racing with a team (or at least a partner) is much more fun.
You know what humans are really good at doing? Connecting. It’s why in a crowd of hundreds, people can always somehow manage to clap in unison. And for me, racing in an adventure race with my brother was far more satisfying than racing against him in a 70.3 (especially, when he outraced me by an hour 🙂 ).
Tip #8: Wear lots of sunscreen and reapply when racing. Trust me.
On manual therapy
Tip #7: Do not neglect soft tissue work
At this point in my career I am convinced that we humans need to stretch and stretch often – just like cats. And while you’re at it, you should probably find yourself a professional soft tissue therapist to help soften those muscles. Massage, rolfing, acupuncture, egoscue – I’ve tried it all.
And it’s this soft tissue work that I was missing during all those triathlon training cycles. If my calves were painfully sore…I’d still run. What I didn’t know then that I’m well aware of now is that you can’t exercise your way through dysfunction – in my case a tight right leg that eventually failed on me with a stress fracture in my foot.
Listen to your body. It’s the least expensive brand of health insurance.
On Olympic lifting
Tip #6: If you can, work in some Olympic style lifting.
If you have the posture and alignment for it, O-lifting can be a great thing. The crossover to athletic sports is unrivaled and you’ll build healthy bones and more usable muscle than you ever thought possible. Plus, all the weights look big! Even the 10s!
Tip #5: O-lifting is super frustrating.
The clean and jerk and the snatch are very technical lifts. Some coaches play by the 80% rule and just want to get you in the ballpark. Others are more attentive to detail. Regardless, you’ll soon learn that you don’t know anything about weightlifting.
Tip #4: It’s all in the hips.
Tango dancers and O-lifters may not be so different after all. Because both understand that in order to get things done, they need to use those hips.
On gymnastics
Tip #3: Gymnasts are the strong kids.
You can bench until the cows come home and overhead press until you’re dizzy, but at the end of the day, a gymnast will still be able to perform a slow and controlled muscle up while you’re left counting your callouses.
Why is this? Because gymnasts put all the pieces together. They don’t just press and pull in near singular planes, they blend strength with movement. But don’t think that this means you need to become an expert on the uneven bars (see tip #2, below).
Tip #2: Don’t underestimate calisthenics.
Think bodyweight exercises are easy? Show me a planche pushup.
Can you do a handstand? How about rocking into one with straight arms?
I’ve finally realized that bodyweight exercise is key to becoming a ‘strong guy.’ It just seems to connect the dots between pressing and pulling that a barbell can’t.
*****
The Big One
Now as you read through my above list you may have caught on to one underlying theme. If you were to distill all of my experiences down to one singular knowledge bomb that would fit nicely on your Nalgene bottle, it would be this:
Tip # 1: Fitness is movement.
It’s not a fad, it’s not a gimmick. And it doesn’t need to imply competition.
Maybe you like crushing iron in the gym or hanging from Olympic style rings. Or perhaps you’d rather earn that 19 minute 5k.
You see, it doesn’t really matter what fitness program you follow or what technical T-shirt you earned at the finish line – you just have to move.
I believe that each of us should form our own personal brand of fitness that is just a method of moving our bodies in a way that makes us feel free. Losing fat, building muscle and looking good naked are side effects of a healthy lifestyle.
When you move your body you can take risks and try new things. Try new sports. Build new skills. And when you step outside your comfort zone you grow as a person. When you grow you can be happy.
And if you can’t be happy then what else is there?
See ya out there,
Ryan
By Ryan Wagner
Ryan is the founder of Motus Fitness. A site dedicated to thoughtful discussion on emerging fitness trends and old school strength training. He’s currently working to build a community of fitness innovators and doers through the organization Fit Mornings.