Athletic Evolution

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.

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.