Today it is my intention to write some thoughts about basic ideas that in my opinion need to be present in any athlete's pursuit of higher performance (and with areas other than athletics as well). Though what follows may be basic, I do understand that a lot of people may have not had access to these simple concepts (even despite being around athletics much of their lives) as a result of coaches-though possessing good intentions-who lack the proper knowledge themselves. So let's get down to it.
In no way do I find what follows to be an absolute truth that cannot be debated but here's what I have learned a long the way in my over 20 years of being athletically active from little league all the way up to being an Olympic hopeful.
Well, here's the basis of it all. Athletes need to train movements, not body parts. So getting ripped, doing bicep curls, calf raises...etc is more of a pursuit of someone whose end goal of working out if for aesthetics (ie body builders, fitness models). If your intention in working out is in the realm of higher athletic performance then your focus should be to strengthen patterns that pertain to being athletic. Now of course, there are definitely athletes that may look like body builders but looks aren't the ultimate sign of a highly developed athlete, more a by product. Athletes need to train movements and cultivate patterns within the anatomy. For instance, when someone jumps, that person isn't just using 1-2 muscle groups to perform the movement. In reality, dozens of muscle groups are being activated in a culmination of expression that stems from the nervous system. On top of that there are thousands of neurological functions that happen at the same time. So as you may conclude, focusing too much on what particular muscle group in a workout may help may the muscle look nice, but it will throw off the important holistic chain of events when it comes to a compound (athletic) movement.
One of the most common dangers in creating unfavorable ratios is injury. If one muscle group begins to dominate a function more than it should then you run a high risk of injuring the muscle from over stimulation. If a pushing movement depends of many groups of muscles and through over training of the tricep the movement becomes tricep dominant then you are going to develop a very un natural pattern. And with anything un natural, the result is always failure.
Now, I am not completely opposed to isolation training. Sometimes we have injuries that result in imbalances in another direction, underdevelopment. So sometimes we have to isolate a muscle group to bring it to par with the demands of our other muslce groups in our neurological chains of movements. My approach to this would be to isolate the muscle and then as soon as possible, integrate training back into the functional, pattern-promoting movements. For example, if you are training your calves you may want to follow your calf raises with some squats to help remind your body of the natural chain fo movement.
I titled this post "Athletic Evolution" because I believe that our pursuit should be just that. Of course, macro evolution is something that can only be observed over thousands of years but I think we should be highly involved with our very own micro evolution and how we can transform ourselves with cultivation of the environment around us within our lifetime. After wall we tend to manifest where our intentions truly are. So with anyone who is trying to be a great athlete, you have to put before you (even if currently unattainable) what you will demand of your body down the line. And when your visions are clear, the body when trained in a functional/natural pattern/truth-seeking seeking manner will begin to inevitably follow your visions in the powerful force of evolution. But first, you should try to answer to the order of nature.
Saturday, June 16, 2012
Sunday, June 10, 2012
The Answer
...as stated by Mac Wilkins, arguably the greatest American discus thrower of all time.
When asked why, after a long career of success and nothing else to prove, would he still pursue the 1988 Olympics at period well past his prime and possibly jeopardizing his legacy.
"Why?... Because I can...because it's beautiful".
And that my friends shall be marked as one of the most amazing answers I have ever heard in my life.
Isn't that thought just about the only qualifying thought that we need in order to spend our precious time on this earth doing the things that we love to do regardless of any other factors? Success, fame, honor...etc. What rubbish they are compared the the inspiration of beauty. And when we seek beauty, we might as well assume that we are putting forth the most amazing version of ourselves, which I hope is our highest purpose in life.
The statement was short. It needed no more clarity. It was perfect in it's three bursts of love.
When asked why, after a long career of success and nothing else to prove, would he still pursue the 1988 Olympics at period well past his prime and possibly jeopardizing his legacy.
"Why?... Because I can...because it's beautiful".
And that my friends shall be marked as one of the most amazing answers I have ever heard in my life.
Isn't that thought just about the only qualifying thought that we need in order to spend our precious time on this earth doing the things that we love to do regardless of any other factors? Success, fame, honor...etc. What rubbish they are compared the the inspiration of beauty. And when we seek beauty, we might as well assume that we are putting forth the most amazing version of ourselves, which I hope is our highest purpose in life.
The statement was short. It needed no more clarity. It was perfect in it's three bursts of love.
Friday, April 27, 2012
Faith
Could it be that we now live in an age when the concept of faith is losing it's strength and mystique?
Faith...believing in something/someone without necessarily having the luxury of solid proof. Could the absence of faith in our lives be beneficial to us so that we only react to things with solid evidence? We live in a very scientifically structured train of thought don't we? Everything has to be subject to a series of questions and the result must (and I mean must) but the most absolute logically sound result ever known in the existence of the earth. Although I'm not fully opposed to this train of thought, I do feel that faith is something that we need to go back to and have it with us. Perhaps we need to have a strong hold of both faith and reason in order to get the most out of the universe in which we are blessed to be a part of. Faith can bring out the absolute best version of yourself.
Perhaps, and this is only just a thought, the generation in which I am a part of has become a generation filled with fear and a horrible phobia of not being ahead on the world. This tender time of life when we are to start building upon our futures really can put us in very deprived place. Faith becomes merely another object tossed into the back seat. The same faith that directly deals with who we truly are, the same faith that gives us strength we may have doubts...poof, goes away. The concept of faith starts have a foolish connotation in our newly developed realm consisting of a universal method of "bad ass". Why faith? Faith doesn't guarantee us anything does it? Unfortunately, we need everything now...instantly, and our existence is starting to base itself around instant gratification. Shouldn't we exist as who we want to be? Understanding who we are and having faith in our lives?
Even if faith may lead to uncertainty, faith has to be present. The lack of faith is killing us. Forgetting that faith is important is killing us. Looking upon those with faith with disdain is killing us. It's killing us because when we forget about faith, we stop a very important human function. And to stop our nature is to die. TO quit existing in the way were meant to be. We weren't meant to be perfect and we can't be perfect. To be open to uncertainty requires a lot of strength that most people don't have and undoubtedly I have been weak as well.
I will not be bashful when I say faith is what we need. We need to believe! We have to be ourselves.
Faith...believing in something/someone without necessarily having the luxury of solid proof. Could the absence of faith in our lives be beneficial to us so that we only react to things with solid evidence? We live in a very scientifically structured train of thought don't we? Everything has to be subject to a series of questions and the result must (and I mean must) but the most absolute logically sound result ever known in the existence of the earth. Although I'm not fully opposed to this train of thought, I do feel that faith is something that we need to go back to and have it with us. Perhaps we need to have a strong hold of both faith and reason in order to get the most out of the universe in which we are blessed to be a part of. Faith can bring out the absolute best version of yourself.
Perhaps, and this is only just a thought, the generation in which I am a part of has become a generation filled with fear and a horrible phobia of not being ahead on the world. This tender time of life when we are to start building upon our futures really can put us in very deprived place. Faith becomes merely another object tossed into the back seat. The same faith that directly deals with who we truly are, the same faith that gives us strength we may have doubts...poof, goes away. The concept of faith starts have a foolish connotation in our newly developed realm consisting of a universal method of "bad ass". Why faith? Faith doesn't guarantee us anything does it? Unfortunately, we need everything now...instantly, and our existence is starting to base itself around instant gratification. Shouldn't we exist as who we want to be? Understanding who we are and having faith in our lives?
Even if faith may lead to uncertainty, faith has to be present. The lack of faith is killing us. Forgetting that faith is important is killing us. Looking upon those with faith with disdain is killing us. It's killing us because when we forget about faith, we stop a very important human function. And to stop our nature is to die. TO quit existing in the way were meant to be. We weren't meant to be perfect and we can't be perfect. To be open to uncertainty requires a lot of strength that most people don't have and undoubtedly I have been weak as well.
I will not be bashful when I say faith is what we need. We need to believe! We have to be ourselves.
Tuesday, April 03, 2012
THE END OF THE WORLD!
Okay, maybe not.
But the possibility of our lives ever coming to abrupt stop had me thinking on the way home from my workout.
Life can end with the suggestions of the Mayan calendar. The world can end after, the world can end tomorrow, the world can end now. Someone can come into my room and shoot me dead....right now.
So, will we be happy with ourselves when that ever so elusive moment comes? Suppose we had five minutes of after life to assess our time on earth...can we say that we were happy when we died?
Or did we need just another 10 years or so. Enough time to kiss enough ass, massage more egos, or climb up a totem pole. Did we need that time?
Is our happiness dependent on who we are, what we love...or does it depend on how awesome we'll be when this or that happens. Will you have loved yourself no matter the circumstance or status? Will you know that you spent everyday listening to your heart and becoming the best version of yourself...you.
I suppose I won't really know for sure how I'll be in those fantasized 5 minutes after I die.
But, these truths I am very convinced of.
I wake up under a roof everyday.
I have plenty to eat every day.
I have a car...its crazy.
I wake up everyday with a full agenda in both athletics, and music...the loves of my life.
And despite having many places I want to go, and many things I want to do with my passions, I know that my happiness depends on knowing that I can look in the mirror everyday and know that I have devoted myself to the things I love most. I don't know how happiness can go past that.
But the possibility of our lives ever coming to abrupt stop had me thinking on the way home from my workout.
Life can end with the suggestions of the Mayan calendar. The world can end after, the world can end tomorrow, the world can end now. Someone can come into my room and shoot me dead....right now.
So, will we be happy with ourselves when that ever so elusive moment comes? Suppose we had five minutes of after life to assess our time on earth...can we say that we were happy when we died?
Or did we need just another 10 years or so. Enough time to kiss enough ass, massage more egos, or climb up a totem pole. Did we need that time?
Is our happiness dependent on who we are, what we love...or does it depend on how awesome we'll be when this or that happens. Will you have loved yourself no matter the circumstance or status? Will you know that you spent everyday listening to your heart and becoming the best version of yourself...you.
I suppose I won't really know for sure how I'll be in those fantasized 5 minutes after I die.
But, these truths I am very convinced of.
I wake up under a roof everyday.
I have plenty to eat every day.
I have a car...its crazy.
I wake up everyday with a full agenda in both athletics, and music...the loves of my life.
And despite having many places I want to go, and many things I want to do with my passions, I know that my happiness depends on knowing that I can look in the mirror everyday and know that I have devoted myself to the things I love most. I don't know how happiness can go past that.
Saturday, February 11, 2012
I've come to realize that the idea of practice is one of the very few ideas that belong in the category of "life-assuring" acts. The others I'm sure I'll stumble across but practice...why practice is so important is becoming a little more clear to me now. Don't quite have it all yet, maybe never will, but i've taken a good bite.
As I was doing some training this morning out at a beautiful nearby stadium, I found myself in a familiar but rare moment you may get when your focus seems to be unwavering and the world seems to be still and at your disposal. No, I don't mean the achievement of some elusive mastery.
Quite the opposite; I was able to clearly see where I was, where I wasn't, and what I needed to do. So, like a kid in the park, my body soreness left me, my fatigue went away, and my anxiety silenced it self as I joyfully pursued a higher level.
I've realized that in my own experience, practice is best utilized when I am in a certain frame of mind.
-What do I hope to become?
-How will I do it?
-Why am I doing this?
-What do I hope to gain?
Now, I've found myself in immense trouble when the answers to my last two questions were along the lines of
-to earn respect/entitlement/bragging rights/fame/"success"/blah blah blah
When I look back on instances where my motives were the above, I remember much anxiety, failure, stress, discouragement, fear. And worst of all, a sense that I lost myself. Even with all of my work, I didn't seem to get any better and it also seemed that slowly, my love for what I did began to decay. All of my worth became engulfed into the hands of other people. Sure, people have a right to their opinion and how they express it and when seen with a proper perspective it can be very constructive. But where I found myself to be lost was when I made the mistake of making their opinions out to be the culmination of what I was worth. So back to practicing I went, out of more fear, anxiety, self-doubt, and sadly, low self respect.
"Why should I even practice when what I do would inevitably disappoint someone?" was a question that seemed to loom into my psyche.
Well, much peace has come to be when I decided on who exactly it was that I didn't want to disappoint.
God, Me, My Family.
And this is when practicing came very clear to me. Why practice? When you first started out being an athlete/musician why was it easier to practice hard then? And joy was the only result no matter the outcome.
Practice should be the start of your journey , the middle of your journey, and the end of your journey. You should spend your whole life practicing and practicing is your occupation. It would be a shame to set limits on yourself and even worse, to put your personal worth and pursuit in the hands of someone else!!! Your happiness, your joy, your non-stop love for what you do...all to be crashed down buy the hands of someone else?!! Retarded.
Now, people are always deserving of the freedom of speech. Opinions will be varied and you will be criticized! It's all a part of the process but please, please, please don't lose yourself in it. You are the axis, YOU are the most important factor of your pursuits, so everything else should evolve around YOU.
So, practice, practice, practice. Pursue with all of your heart to get better at something....because it's essential to living. Celebrating life, living life. Don't reduce it to the minuscule expectations of a random person.
As I was doing some training this morning out at a beautiful nearby stadium, I found myself in a familiar but rare moment you may get when your focus seems to be unwavering and the world seems to be still and at your disposal. No, I don't mean the achievement of some elusive mastery.
Quite the opposite; I was able to clearly see where I was, where I wasn't, and what I needed to do. So, like a kid in the park, my body soreness left me, my fatigue went away, and my anxiety silenced it self as I joyfully pursued a higher level.
I've realized that in my own experience, practice is best utilized when I am in a certain frame of mind.
-What do I hope to become?
-How will I do it?
-Why am I doing this?
-What do I hope to gain?
Now, I've found myself in immense trouble when the answers to my last two questions were along the lines of
-to earn respect/entitlement/bragging rights/fame/"success"/blah blah blah
When I look back on instances where my motives were the above, I remember much anxiety, failure, stress, discouragement, fear. And worst of all, a sense that I lost myself. Even with all of my work, I didn't seem to get any better and it also seemed that slowly, my love for what I did began to decay. All of my worth became engulfed into the hands of other people. Sure, people have a right to their opinion and how they express it and when seen with a proper perspective it can be very constructive. But where I found myself to be lost was when I made the mistake of making their opinions out to be the culmination of what I was worth. So back to practicing I went, out of more fear, anxiety, self-doubt, and sadly, low self respect.
"Why should I even practice when what I do would inevitably disappoint someone?" was a question that seemed to loom into my psyche.
Well, much peace has come to be when I decided on who exactly it was that I didn't want to disappoint.
God, Me, My Family.
And this is when practicing came very clear to me. Why practice? When you first started out being an athlete/musician why was it easier to practice hard then? And joy was the only result no matter the outcome.
Practice should be the start of your journey , the middle of your journey, and the end of your journey. You should spend your whole life practicing and practicing is your occupation. It would be a shame to set limits on yourself and even worse, to put your personal worth and pursuit in the hands of someone else!!! Your happiness, your joy, your non-stop love for what you do...all to be crashed down buy the hands of someone else?!! Retarded.
Now, people are always deserving of the freedom of speech. Opinions will be varied and you will be criticized! It's all a part of the process but please, please, please don't lose yourself in it. You are the axis, YOU are the most important factor of your pursuits, so everything else should evolve around YOU.
So, practice, practice, practice. Pursue with all of your heart to get better at something....because it's essential to living. Celebrating life, living life. Don't reduce it to the minuscule expectations of a random person.
Wednesday, January 18, 2012
I'll take it
I'm only 27 so I have a life ahead of me full of ideas and change....
but
At least today, I can be very convinced of a few things after I come home from a very productive training sessions.
Strength, success, and achievement are inevitable through diligence, consistency of work, repetition, wisdom, and most important of all, love.
There is no way that you can ever count on anything to happen for you. The world owes you nothing, the universe owes you even less than anything. All you can do is contribute and hope that what you did meant something ...and then you leave the world the way it is in it's own being. You don't have to rule the world, own the world, try to change the world...the truth is, the world really could do without you if you look on the grand scale.
So, I'm not saying that we should cease to exist but just the opposite. No matter what situation we are in, we are definitely blessed to be alive and be capable of living through love. And when we are able to live through love, freedom is the result.
In my opinion, our success will not depend on what others value in us, or how they measure us. But it will depend on how we measure ourselves to ourselves. What I mean is are we making sure that we are realizing the amazing blessing of life? If we have two legs, do we have a passion to make the most of it? If we only have one, can we still have the passion to make the most of one leg?!
I don't see how life could go beyond that...living out our existence (no matter the circumstance) to the absolute fullest. If life is a celebration of your blessings I don't see how failure enters the equation.
Sure we may come short on certain things but the perspective must remain...what's MOST important and are we understanding that regularly. For me, realizing these things has made me work harder than I ever have. It reminds me of the time when I first started throwing and I would literally throw twice a day for three hour periods only to grow stronger as the day went by...and that felt super human.
ok, ill stop
but
At least today, I can be very convinced of a few things after I come home from a very productive training sessions.
Strength, success, and achievement are inevitable through diligence, consistency of work, repetition, wisdom, and most important of all, love.
There is no way that you can ever count on anything to happen for you. The world owes you nothing, the universe owes you even less than anything. All you can do is contribute and hope that what you did meant something ...and then you leave the world the way it is in it's own being. You don't have to rule the world, own the world, try to change the world...the truth is, the world really could do without you if you look on the grand scale.
So, I'm not saying that we should cease to exist but just the opposite. No matter what situation we are in, we are definitely blessed to be alive and be capable of living through love. And when we are able to live through love, freedom is the result.
In my opinion, our success will not depend on what others value in us, or how they measure us. But it will depend on how we measure ourselves to ourselves. What I mean is are we making sure that we are realizing the amazing blessing of life? If we have two legs, do we have a passion to make the most of it? If we only have one, can we still have the passion to make the most of one leg?!
I don't see how life could go beyond that...living out our existence (no matter the circumstance) to the absolute fullest. If life is a celebration of your blessings I don't see how failure enters the equation.
Sure we may come short on certain things but the perspective must remain...what's MOST important and are we understanding that regularly. For me, realizing these things has made me work harder than I ever have. It reminds me of the time when I first started throwing and I would literally throw twice a day for three hour periods only to grow stronger as the day went by...and that felt super human.
ok, ill stop
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