Lingua Franca
Physical training, regardless of the mode, is colored by the words that we attach to it. Some words carry positive connotations, others negative, both of which are perceived according to personal sympathies and antipathies. Some words motivate and inspire, while others diminish and repulse. The way that these words affect perception varies from person to person, sometimes dramatically.
The fitness industry is inundated with a torrent of buzzwords; I need not list them, lest I date myself. By the time I publish this article, or you read it, the trending list will have changed. There’s a constant churning of words that are in vogue to describe fitness or physical activity. Different communities, subcultures, or types of people favor certain words. Some prefer words that connote mystique or intrigue; others favor words that connote valor or grit. The use of words and descriptors allows for the contextualization of training – allow me to elaborate.
From a practical standpoint, physical training must have some established boundaries. Descriptions are needed - verbal, visual, or otherwise - for it to make any sense at all. There needs to be a baseline understanding of what certain movements look like, how to effectively employ them, and what attributes are being developed.
In essence, for training sessions to be effective, there should be an established what, where, and why. Descriptions set the conditions for training; physical training deals in relative truths, so descriptions are necessary to establish rules and parameters. This foundation, once established, is the groundwork needed for intelligent, progressive training to occur.
Issues around words and descriptions often appear when they’re used to mask the true nature of what is occurring. Buzzwords, misleading language, or inaccessible scientific jargon is becoming commonplace within the world of “fitness,” for this reason. They can be used as alchemical agents, transforming what was previously mundane into something worthy of desire or admiration. In this regard, words have tremendous creative power; they shape our perception of the world around us. Ignorance of this fact is often convenient, but it is not conducive to clear assessment and genuine achievement.
On this note, when analyzing your training and physical readiness, cut to the core of it – cut beyond words. Does a given training program provide the materials that you need for relative achievement? Perhaps it’s half-baked, but the presentation is appealing. Are you truly strong and resilient? Perhaps you’re strong within very specific, very context-dependent parameters and your strength, in fact, is not universal. Create objective standards, within the rules and conditions that you set for yourself – then, ruthlessly seek to exceed them.
If I derive my sense of self from a given activity, or a description of a given activity, failure means death; a death of who I “was.” So, words can be used to resist this death – but death comes, whether invited or not. Eventually the Truth is exposed – the Truth that lives beyond words.
“I’m not weak, you just don’t understand my highly nebulous, arcane definition of strength.”
“This program works, you just need to squeeze yourself inside this box that I’ve built.”
“I didn’t fail, I redefined the criteria for success after the fact.”
Words can create or destroy; they can attract and repulse. They can champion truth or reinforce lies. They’re a double-edged sword.
Awareness, and discipline to look beyond the words, leads us to the source. In genuine, soul-baring physical effort, what truly occurs? Words can’t describe it; words fall away and awareness remains. Most don’t have the courage or the will to go there, so they hide behind words; they build sandcastles.
Words are signposts – where are they leading you?
