But, why?

The simplest questions can elicit the most profound revelations. A good one to start with when approaching training is simply asking, “why?”

In the context of training – and life – convention, doctrine, and dogma can be useful tools when applied appropriately. They can provide a sound, cohesive foundation from which to progress and develop. They can provide frameworks for individual and collective conduct. They can also be binding chains, weighty impediments to your development. The most cumbersome of these chains, oftentimes, is our own ego. I know it from experience.

Simply put, most people are convinced, beyond a doubt, that whatever activity they happen to be involved in is the best - or at least they pretend to be convinced. The runners will tell you that you don’t need to lift weights. The huffing-and-puffing, one-foot-in-the-grave powerlifter will tell you to avoid cardio like the plague. The jiu-jitsu guy – excuse me – the jiu-jitsu practitioner will tell you that you don’t need to train in another martial art or learn to shoot well. And so on. Most people want to be the tough guy on the playground, the biggest fish in the tiniest pond. This very mindset is often detrimental to real, meaningful growth.

I encourage you to start asking yourself or another “why?” when presented with definitive statements about training.

Now, I know what you must be thinking. “But Brandon, doing ancestral shaman movements with my 12kg mace is the best for strength development – the guy on the podcast said so.”

Comic relief aside, there is an absolute onslaught of talking heads on Instagram, YouTube, and other media platforms who are trying to sell you some sort of “magic pill” for physical development.  In reality, most are selling a half-baked lifestyle brand or a disingenuous persona. The million dollar question is: “does this guy really know what he’s talking about, or is he just a spray-tanned walking pharmacy with a couple good party tricks?” The answer is usually the latter. The common denominator in the sea of snake oil salesmen, charlatans, and circus performers, is that most have some sort of dogma that you must adhere to. Never do this. Always do that. Here are 13 mistakes to NEVER make. You NEED to do this exercise. And so on.

The reality is that you don’t need to do anything in particular. Sit down, contemplate, meditate, identify what you want. Ask yourself why you want it. Then, if it’s a worthy goal (which is only your right to decide), set out to pursue it with conviction. Arm yourself with the appropriate knowledge and intent to achieve the outcome that you have determined for yourself. The kaleidoscopic array of “whys” that drive each and every one of us are not uniform. Your “why” for pursuing physical training, or self-development, might be vastly different from the man in the black mirror. And your “why” is the only one that should matter to you. The marathon runner isn’t going to train just like the yogi or the strongman – and that’s ok.

So, when confronted with someone trying to sell you a brand, or a method, or an end-all-be-all training protocol – ask the question.

Why?

Why do I continue to adhere to conventions, doctrine, and dogma that no longer serve me?

Why am I letting the unspoken motives and interests of strangers govern my personal agency?