What is fit?
Sir Charles Darwin used the idea of fit in “The Origin of Species by Means of Natural Selection” and both Spencer and Wallace used the word ‘fittest’ in reference to the evolution of species to their given environmental conditions: an animal will survive and reproduce if it ‘fits’ these conditions and will not survive long or reproduce successfully if it does not fit. So training as though there are still tigers to run from and wildebeest to spear is pointless in a modern environment where the killer is stress and beef is available in the supermarket. Why not further the function, performance and aesthetics of your body, not just the dimension of your biceps? Modern fitness studios have at least 50 different machines to make you fit, but make you fit what? Will they make you more able to cope with the mental and physical demands of everyday life? Meanwhile most fitness equipment and training concepts are derived from professional bodybuilding but few people share both these goals and genetics.
‘New exercises, please!’
Fitness training is a learning process: a cycle of assessment, performance, improvement and achievement undertaken in order to perform a task with ever increasing efficacy. So why are most gym members following the same programme for years, with no constructive correction of technique and very rare assessment? An exercise is only good when both well chosen and well performed. Repeated crunches in an ab roller do not help fight the back problems present in a high number of people. We move in the gym in the same way as in the office so exercises performed with no objective assessment and correction will reinforce any faulty movement patterns already present. Quality training should provide specific improvements in muscular control that can be applied to everyday tasks and sporting goals
Well adapted...
Focus14 personal training is a solution to these problems. Correct exercise choice, technique and progression with regular assessment definitely provides results and motivation. Getting ‘fit’ involves more than just turning up at the ‘21st century singles club’ and playing with the machines. If you want to improve your tennis, lose the spare tyre around your waist, sit without backache or just be the best hunter in your tribe, don’t waste your time in the fitness centre…. optimise it!