Philosophies: Maximizing Your Foundation
As a species, humans are pretty short-sighted. Sure, thinking in the short-term is easy. We can make plans and commit to something for 2-weeks, but we are garbage at putting our long-term potential into perspective.
Have you noticed that, in the fitness industry particularly, we always try to rush to our goals? We constantly search for programs that promise the fastest results. Maybe that explains the media’s saturation of “14-day beach body diet” or “highest-calorie burning exercises” headlines.
I think we should reconsider how we approach our lives. Why would you settle for the short-term? You wouldn’t consider your life short. So why would you live with that perspective? If you want something to last, which I’d imagine is what’s important to you, then we need to alter your perspective towards the long run.
Maximizing Your Foundation is your initiation to the long run.
Your foundation establishes the lifestyle that will support your pursuit to each goal you set or new interest you discover. Your foundation is a set of habits, behaviors, and adaptations that you can rely on when you’re grinding towards your Prime Athlete.
You might be questioning my idea of “The Foundation”, and what exactly you should be maximizing. So, let’s put it into perspective of exercise and nutrition.
Exercise
First, we’ll consider why you might incorporate endurance training even if most of your goals are strength training-focused. Or vice versa, why should strength training be incorporated into casual runner’s program?
To make this point, I like to use 3 examples: (1) The effect of adaptations on daily routines, (2) the approach to training children and adolescents, and (3) the use of General Physical Preparation in training athletes
1) Think about this. You’re a monster. Gymgoers people-watch you because they’re impressed with your lifts. Sure, that’s probably an awesome feeling. The admiration for your hard-work can be a great motivator. But what if there’s a cost?
I’ve mentioned before how physiological adaptations can run counter to each other, for instance endurance and power training will always negatively affect each other. That means, to get to be that monster, what are you giving up?
And that’s something you should consider. What those gymgoers won’t see is you catching your breath as you climb 1-2 flights of stairs, or that nagging pinch between your shoulder blades. If we are too focused on one adaptation – strength – then we lose the daily benefits of others – aerobic capacity and mobility.
Your Foundation in athleticism helps you keep that normalcy in daily life. Most of everything you experience occurs outside of the gym, so why train in a way that imposes harmful or distracting limitations? Prioritize your foundation so you can enjoy 95% of your life; then use that foundation to build up the special features of your Prime Athlete to deliver your performance in the other 5%.
2) We were all kids, remember? Maybe you played several sports, or maybe just one. Recently, we’ve discovered that early sport specialization has an effect on children’s risk of injury, adherence to sport, and success in future athletics.
They’ve found that because early specialization forces their bodies to adapt to just one sport, these children/adolescents are actually (1) at a greater risk for injury, and (2) show evidence of higher rates of quitting.
On the other hand, multi-sport children and/or programs that focus on promoting “play” actually produce more resilient athletes. This population also tends to be more successful in their athletic careers.
What does this tell me? For one, it’s the importance of variability, and how variety stimulates a spectrum of adaptations that produces more resilient athletes. We should maximize all the pieces of athleticism (to some extent) so we don’t experience the downfalls that accompany specialization (particularly when we are just starting off).
3) Finally, there’s a term strength and conditioning coaches use to describe the early phase of an athlete’s program, General Physical Preparation. And there’s a reason why we use the terminology General.
You see, many qualities of athleticism actually require an underlying foundation to build upon. For instance, you can’t run an 800m race if you’re only fast. You need to have some endurance to remain fast throughout the race. On the other hand, you could try power cleaning some significant weight if you’re as strong as an ox, or you could simply train for power and decide not look so bovine.
You see, training each quality of athleticism – muscle mass, strength, power, endurance, etc. – maximizes your foundation, and allows you to later use those assets to specialize towards your priorities.
So, to maximize your foundation, consider all the factors involved and where you currently stand. Be honest with yourself, what could you work on? Don’t rush into a program just because it’s “the fastest path to a 300lb bench”; instead, let’s create your foundation. A foundation where, if you decide to, you can prioritize 300lb as a goal, while at the same time easily transition to improve your 5k run.
Use the Reverse Cone (Insert link) analogy. Your foundation should essentially travel up the center of the cone. Then, depending where your Prime Athlete exists within, your training can branch off towards the priorities and goals you’ve set for yourself.
Nutrition
We talked about exercise, and that might’ve made a little sense to you. But, how can nutrition have a foundation? Where does that exist in your plan or lifestyle?
I mentioned earlier that we tend to fall into the traps of programs who offer fast, yet, short-lived results – Think of the fad diets that don’t work, the shortcuts promised by expensive supplements, and all the trending eating habits (like intermittent fasting or keto) that are honestly pretty intrusive to most of our lifestyles. You might’ve even tried some of them before.
Notice that last sentence though. You tried it. It didn’t last! And most of the time it’s not that surprising most people can’t commit to them. Instead, why not take a new approach. It’s definitely not as exciting or sexy (although it is to me), but maybe if we want lasting results, we need a lasting lifestyle.
That’s why I want to be the proponent of food. I want to be Real Food’s greatest PR rep. Because once you realize how beneficial enjoying your relationship with food is, there’s really no turning back. Essentially, I want you to be a foodie for your food.
Real food is our foundation in nutrition. And it’s not just about what we eat. That’s not enough. Instead, we need our foundation to focus on the how’s, why’s, and when’s. Our nutrition foundation describes your lifestyle around meals and your relationship with food. Your life has your own unique struggles, habits, and daily routines, which means you should have a personalized approach to food. An approach that provides the large breakfast you crave, a light dinner you know you can tolerate, and the taste of sweetness you appreciate at the end the day.
When you can establish that foundation, you can commit to a sustainable lifestyle. One that consistently delivers foods that (1) support your athletic pursuits and (2) satisfy your individual food choices and preferences. And that’s important. If you aren’t loving the food you eat then it’s not your lifestyle, it’s your alter-ego’s. Someone you’re struggling to be, but don’t need to be.
I want you to rely on sound nutrition coming from real food before we even consider discussing supplements. Because that’s where our foundation exists. That’s why I emphasize the importance of cooking skills. When you can develop habits and learn skills that serves up meals you actually want to eat, you start to wonder why you relied on those chalky protein shakes beforehand. You realize “I don’t have to eat Chicken, Broccoli, and Rice” (unless that’s your thing). Instead, you can learn how to make a pizza that fits into your plan; how to build a burrito that fuels your next run; and even how to stack a burger for your post-workout recovery.
Conclusion – Because this is getting long
I’m hoping you’re starting to realize why I believe maximizing your foundation is so imperative. To me, it’s about setting that stage for long-term success. It’s about developing a body and lifestyle that can deliver a victory day-after-day.
To know your foundation, however, you need to be honest. Realize your limitations. Don’t start thinking about a lifestyle you can tolerate. Instead, you need to visualize your current routines and consider the lifestyle you’d enjoy. Together, it’s my hope to build upon your lifestyle. We’ll develop the habits and skills you love and appreciate. Because that’s when you begin maximizing your foundation.