Is your training pushing the right buttons?

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Pushing buttonsI have written in recent articles about the wrong reasons to train such as obtaining superhero muscles, because you have eaten too much, to fit into certain beachwear etc. All pretty superficial reasons and sadly all too familiar in our culture.

So what about the right reasons to train? Which buttons should you be pressing? Below are the key areas that if neglected, will have a detrimental effect on your short and long term health?

Good training or lifestyle should address:

  1. Endurance. Your overall systems ability to endure. Not just cardio vascularly and muscularly but energetically and will power. This doesn’t mean running marathons or even running daily or weekly. But if you need to do it, you should be able to, without physically or mentally giving in. Conscious and competent breathing is a huge help here.
  2. Strength. I wrote a recent article on this. You should have basic 1:1 strength. A pull up, push up, deep squat (bum on heels, feet flat), sit up and leg raise should be smoothly doable. If you can’t you are either too heavy, too weak or both. 🙁
  3. Resistance to injury. If your training leaves you regularly damaged you need to take a closer look. This will take its toll. Outside of competitive sport your training needs to be sustainable for life. Good training should build your resilience.
  4. Relaxation. You should feel better, refreshed and rejuvenated after training. Not depleted, anxious or stressed. There is no need to push it to the max every time.
  5. Movement variety. Your training should have lots of variety in its movement: forwards, backwards, pushing, pulling, twisting, turning, compressing, extending, jumping, landing, throwing, catching. All natural movements. I will enlarge on this in a coming blog.
  6. Adaptability, body intelligence. It should make you more ready for the real and potential rigours of life. Your body move naturally, smoothly and intuitively. It should flow smoothly over and around obstacles. If you can bench press your body weight but pull a muscle during a sharp unexpected movement, there is something wrong.
  7. Cardio function. The heart rate should get used to going up and down. Not constantly low, but not constantly up high either. In a session try to have regular periods of raising it and then regular periods of consciously recovering it. Your heart rate variability is important.
  8. Mobility. You should look to maintain and even improve your levels of mobility and fluidity as you age. Don’t settle for decline. This is largely a matter of relaxation.
  9. Balance. Critical to almost every endeavour, in every sense.
  10. Stimulation and fun. Why do it otherwise? Your whole body should smile during exercise, from the heart to the mouth and thank you for it. Training is not punishment for your body or spirit it is an enabler.

I am sure there are others, you may agree or disagree, let me know your thoughts.

So what types of training incorporate all these I hear you ask? Tough one.
Here are some good ones that hit most of the points:

  • Dance – most types.
  • Systema
  • Many other Martial Arts
  • Contact sports e.g. Rugby
  • Many adventure pursuits e.g. climbing, hiking and scrambling, bushcraft,
  • and the number one:

Play. with children or grandchildren. Outdoors preferably. Run, hide and seek, tag, off ground tag, play fighting, ‘rassling’ anything goes!

There are of course others, thats just off the top of my head.

With respect and best wishes,

Matt.

P.S There are still a couple of spaces left on the Breathing Masterclass on 21-22 Jan. Click here for more information or to book.

Posted in aikido.