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The Goal

I saw this video linked to the other day via a friend on facebook.

It is Dan John - fantastic guy by the way....I'm reading through his book Never Let Go at the moment - and he kicks off the little extract with a statement:

The Goal is to keep The Goal as The Goal.

That resonates well with me on a number of levels. Why am I training in the first place ? What am I doing this for? To be honest, I am not training to be an elite athlete. I will never play football for Everton, never make the Olympics in anything.

My goal(s) - I think - needs to be defined a bit better
  • I want to avoid injury: the old Do No Harm line keeps coming back to me. I am getting tired of hurting myself when training. Sometimes even the the standard DOMS is getting tiresome when I want to performa well at work. So whatever I do I want to feel better not worse as a result
  • Prehab - I'm trying to keep my back right. I think there are some psychological roots to most pain, but there are also physical elements. I know that there are movement patterns in me that need work and things like the bridge and the TGU are helping to get the muscles firing in the right sequence.
  • Health - this is related to the other two. I think 90% of your health comes from diet. A crap diet can't be salvaged by a perfect exercise routine. However there are still health benefits from exercise. McGuff/Little explain in their book.
  • Improved performance. This is the one that leads us astray I think. Improved performance at what? We tend to take approaches from elite level athletics and apply it to amateur fitness enthusiasts. What do you really need in order to perform better at whatever you do? Everyday life - the normal lifting, carrying, sprinting for the bus? Hobbies? recreational sport - martial arts, five a side, hillwalking? I think ultimately it is probably a lot simpler than we try to make it.
It was easier when I was 17 and wanted to be a competetive bodybuilder! I realised eventually that without drugs I was going nowhere, but the goal then was clear - put on muscle. Now things are less defined. It is easy to get distracted. We are overloaded with information becasue of the internet so we do not stay committed to a simple goal. Our attention, our focus shifts. So we never hit any goal. What is the goal anyway? Health seems too broad.

So where does it take me? A simple resistance training routine, some prehab moves and some fun....I don't know.


I want to be healthy and to be able to perform well at things that I enjoy so that they are more fun. That means hillwalking and Krav Maga.
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Comments

Chad said…
I like it, Chris. This is a nice reminder to think about the goals. When I have a client say they can't make a session or two because they are helping someone move house, I tell them great! That's why you workout, so that you have the strength and mobility to help others!
April 5, 2010 at 7:09 AM
williebr said…
For "durability" (Grey Cook, Lee Burton & Brett Jone's label for resistance to injury) I don't think you can do better than using their Functional Movement Screen (FMS) system. Google that term and you can find someone in your area who is FMS certified and they can help you fix all of the underlying reasons why you hurt yourself training.

I'd do it for you for free if you happen to be in the DC-metro area.

Also, Alwyn Cosgrove's Program Design Bible is a must read.
April 5, 2010 at 10:21 AM
Chris said…
Thanks.....but I am in Scotland!

I have Gray and Brett's Get Up DVD and am really impressed.
April 5, 2010 at 10:27 AM
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