Habeas Corpus
It seems that health and fitness are becoming increasingly nebulous topics, at least in the public space. Our culture is so focused on “normalizing” all sorts of absurdity, that few people can deliver a concise explanation of what it truly means to be healthy and fit. “Fitness,” something that historically has been self-evident and largely objective, has morphed into a maelstrom of buzzwords, labyrinthine clinical studies, salesmanship, and bold-faced lies.
I’ll start by delivering a concise definition of “fitness,” through my eyes. Fitness is the ability to perform a task, in this case a physical one, to or beyond a given standard; nothing more, nothing less.
In this regard, “fitness” can look a lot different for a weightlifter, or a climber, or a soldier. No form of fitness is any more “functional” than another, when observed outside the confines of a specific application or sport. In essence, physical fitness deals with relative truths. To be physically fit is to perform well within the specific parameters or conditions that you may encounter.
This being said, I think that deep down, we all know what “fit” looks like. Someone who is generally fit can go fast and far, lift heavy things, and move athletically; there’s a good chance that they might look the part, as well. Obviously, fit individuals can specialize in different domains; I don’t expect Lance Armstrong to be built like a linebacker.
Despite the fact that fitness shouldn’t be that hard to recognize, why is this increasingly the case in the public light? What happened to being big and strong, or moving fast and far? To put it bluntly, ignorance, idiocy, and hubris happened. We are in the age of the “expert” and the “influencer.” What was common knowledge is now arcane.
Want to get big and strong? Pick some heavy compound lifts. Do them a few times a week. Gradually increase the weights and volume. Eat a lot of food and sleep more. See what happens.
Want to build endurance? Lace up some running shoes. Hit the road. Gradually build mileage while running at a conversational pace. Run fast, on occasion. Increase mileage incrementally across weeks and months. Start carrying a heavy pack over longer distances. Do push ups, pull ups, and air squats throughout your hikes; build volume and increase fatigue. Monitor progress.
Well, that wasn’t very hard to write. The above “advice” would better serve the general public than the majority of garbage being pushed within the “fitness industry;” I’ll say it because it’s true.
People don’t want to hear that, though. Most people don’t want to confront the inalienable fact that, at some point, hard work and discomfort are unavoidable; that’s just how it is – I don’t make the rules. Nature is indifferent to qualifiers and rationalizations; you can either pay the ticket to ride or stay stuck on the platform.
But alas, here we are. In the eye of the hurricane, looking out at an alphabet soup of “ABCD, Ancestral Warrior Movement Coach, Functional XYZ Practitioner, Anti-Rotational Equilateral Science-Based Coaching.”
I’ll transform your body in six weeks! You’ll look like He-Man and become a warrior! Click the link in my bio to join the warband!
Nobody cares that the “system” is called “Primal Barbarian Training;” Bubba, who grew up baling hay and pouring concrete, can still clothesline you at the local dive. Bubba’s been doing some primal training, too – he just didn’t know it.
There’s a massive tendency these days to get hung up on words, or credentials, or slick marketing, or the “latest and greatest.” This problem extends far beyond the reaches of the “fitness industry” and is increasingly evident in day-to-day life. Today, to be an “innovator,” you don’t have to innovate – you can just stick it in your bio. Everybody’s the Grand Poobah.
Normalize getting gut-checked by reality and ruthlessly seeking the truth. How about that?
It’s alright to be scared, or uncertain, or uncomfortable; that often sets the groundwork for meaningful change. Just don’t stop there – keep going.
Everybody has a story to tell or a product to sell. Many figures in the training industry are Method actors, rather than students of the craft. I’m going to give you an evidence-based answer to this sorting problem – not necessarily data or metrics, although there is a valuable place for that.
Let’s look at the person. Are you buying what they’re selling? What are they, behind all the initialisms and posturing? Are they truly capable – or do they require endless qualifiers, marketing, and verbal judo to convince you?
Trust your gut; insecurity speaks. The most valuable piece of evidence is the person uttering the words or selling the product.
Show me the body; show me the originator of the work. Show me their words and deeds. Often, that is evidence enough.
