The Thousand-Ft View
I spent part of my day pulling information from Army doctrine regarding physical training and discerning which exercises are appropriate for individuals recovering from injuries to perform categorizing by region of injury. This has already been done. Many times. And Andrea, thanks for doing all of the work already. I'm really just playing "double-check" and changing the title.
But it gets me thinking about a few things from the thousand foot view. Doctrine is something that makes my stomach turn just a bit. Ultimately my fear of doctrine has to do with over-simplification and compartmentalization in a world that is not one size fits all and does not work in compartments. Physical therapists in the military usually deal with the physical training of soldiers in some manner. PTs in civilian and military practice must be up to date on the "latest trends" in the health and fitness industry in order to better guide their patients towards good decisions. Unfortunately, the "industry" of health and fitness has been compartmentalizing what is NOT compartmental (izable?) for decades. There are some organizations and sole individuals out there who are definitely swimming against the current and I applaud them for challenging the conventional ways of thinking…but many consumers never get that message.
What is the message?
That your body does not work in isolation. That your body, just like the world, is a system. I'm very glad to see the gym getting utilized when I head there after a long day at work. It's good to see that at least part of our soldier population would rather be improving their health (assuming it's not for vanity's sake) instead of munching on nachos watching TV (which they may do later anyway). That said, I see a lot of "machine" work. And I can't help but think about the commercialization of health and fitness. Do we really need all of these machines? What are we being sold? You can probably guess what my opinion is…
Rarely. Rarely do we truly need to isolate a muscle or a very distinct movement from the movement of the rest of the body. Rarely do we need to compartmentalize and indoctrinate our movement into something that appears on the surface as results. Big biceps? What does that do for you in the real world? How does that improve your ability to adapt and survive? Bench press 300# or more? How does that help you when you have to push a heavy load WITHOUT back support as you would in real-life situations?
I don't mean to rag. I do mean to prove a point to the consumer. Beware of being sold something. Dreams of 6-pack abs and biceps or toned thighs or muscular calves are not the best goals to chase after (I'll caveat the metabolic improvement is a good one). These are the visual aids used to sell fitness equipment and programs for the most part. Please don't be fooled into thinking that is all you need for good health, function, movement, and injury-prevention (injury management to be even more accurate…if you live your life you'll get some injuries in the process). You don't have to be a professional in the industry to explore the entire spectrum of movement, performance, and health. Try something new, learn about yoga, Pilates, olympic lifting, tai chi, swimming, balancing, etc. The list is endless and the end-goal is not abdominal muscle definition that would make the guys in 300 look like couch-potatoes. The goal is true health and the ability to adapt throughout your life-span to maintain the highest quality of life possible. Don't buy a box and put yourself in it- learn how to climb the box, jump on and off the box, squat and handstand on the box, balance and twirl on the box, lift the box, throw the box, push and pull it…leverage it!
But it gets me thinking about a few things from the thousand foot view. Doctrine is something that makes my stomach turn just a bit. Ultimately my fear of doctrine has to do with over-simplification and compartmentalization in a world that is not one size fits all and does not work in compartments. Physical therapists in the military usually deal with the physical training of soldiers in some manner. PTs in civilian and military practice must be up to date on the "latest trends" in the health and fitness industry in order to better guide their patients towards good decisions. Unfortunately, the "industry" of health and fitness has been compartmentalizing what is NOT compartmental (izable?) for decades. There are some organizations and sole individuals out there who are definitely swimming against the current and I applaud them for challenging the conventional ways of thinking…but many consumers never get that message.
What is the message?
That your body does not work in isolation. That your body, just like the world, is a system. I'm very glad to see the gym getting utilized when I head there after a long day at work. It's good to see that at least part of our soldier population would rather be improving their health (assuming it's not for vanity's sake) instead of munching on nachos watching TV (which they may do later anyway). That said, I see a lot of "machine" work. And I can't help but think about the commercialization of health and fitness. Do we really need all of these machines? What are we being sold? You can probably guess what my opinion is…
Rarely. Rarely do we truly need to isolate a muscle or a very distinct movement from the movement of the rest of the body. Rarely do we need to compartmentalize and indoctrinate our movement into something that appears on the surface as results. Big biceps? What does that do for you in the real world? How does that improve your ability to adapt and survive? Bench press 300# or more? How does that help you when you have to push a heavy load WITHOUT back support as you would in real-life situations?
I don't mean to rag. I do mean to prove a point to the consumer. Beware of being sold something. Dreams of 6-pack abs and biceps or toned thighs or muscular calves are not the best goals to chase after (I'll caveat the metabolic improvement is a good one). These are the visual aids used to sell fitness equipment and programs for the most part. Please don't be fooled into thinking that is all you need for good health, function, movement, and injury-prevention (injury management to be even more accurate…if you live your life you'll get some injuries in the process). You don't have to be a professional in the industry to explore the entire spectrum of movement, performance, and health. Try something new, learn about yoga, Pilates, olympic lifting, tai chi, swimming, balancing, etc. The list is endless and the end-goal is not abdominal muscle definition that would make the guys in 300 look like couch-potatoes. The goal is true health and the ability to adapt throughout your life-span to maintain the highest quality of life possible. Don't buy a box and put yourself in it- learn how to climb the box, jump on and off the box, squat and handstand on the box, balance and twirl on the box, lift the box, throw the box, push and pull it…leverage it!
When strength, balance, coordination, control, power, and focus combine…
big biceps don't get you this!
Comments
Post a Comment