Just recently I caught an interview with musician Thomas Dolby of “She Blinded Me With Science” and Dolby Digital Sound fame during which he threw out a thought that made me reflect on training. But a lot of random things make me geek out about training so that may not be saying much. But I digress.
When the host asked Dolby about his being a pioneer of synthesizers (his first one cost $100,000, and he was one of only three musicians to be using one at the time), and the role of technology in his music Dolby replied that he can play any of his songs on a piano and it would still be recognizable as a good song.
In other words great songwriters use technology as just a tool for expressing ideas, and the song is not dependent upon technology. The same applies to training.
Have you ever seen someone get great results by only doing TRX workouts? Only spin class, only running, only barbells? Please keep in mind that what I mean by “results” is the total package – good movement quality, good joint and connective tissue health, strength, power, endurance, flexibility.
Yeah, I thought not. Over the years I’ve seen too many examples of trainers and fitness enthusiasts alike who believe one tool, or one class is the answer but end up disappointed at best, injured at worst.
Like or not the fitness industry is too often based on gimmicks and trends that promise something like if you didn’t get in rockstar shape in last year’s step class then you surely will with our xxx class. That is the sure mark of sales-driven business model, not a results-driven model.
And frankly it is one of the major reasons I couldn’t stand to work out of such gyms anymore and started Elemental Fitness Lab.
How then should we think about our health and go about training in ways most beneficial?
Thomas Meyers, author of Anatomy Trains, has introduced many of us to the concept of considering the role of the fascial system in training, and recently authored a great article discussing the latest and relevant research.
Move Like This Guy
Talkin big picture when it comes to movement quality and improving our levels of health and fitness Meyers says:
The evidence suggests that the fascial system is better trained by a wide variety of vectors—in angle, tempo and load (Huijing 2007). Isolating muscles along one track (e.g., with an exercise machine) may be useful for those muscles but is less than useful for all the surrounding tissues. Loading the tissue one way all the time means it will be weaker when life—which is rarely repetitive—throws that part of the body a curve ball.
In other words exercises that engage more than one joint or limb, and that is done in 3-D (i.e. a squat holding a dumbbell rather than squatting in a smith machine) are superior. Old hat, I know.
But also that multi-planar movements (lateral and transverse lunges in addition to regular forward lunges), pushups with staggered hand position etc…
Varying loads and tempo (often ignored) – as in doing blocks of training with low reps/high load for strength, blocks of higher rep/lower loads not only works for developing specific qualities such as strength or endurance, but also improve the elasticity and health of our neurofascial system.
Meyer’s also specifies what not to do:
Repetitive Movement. Machines (or minds) that require clients to work in the same line again and again do not build fascial resilience very well.
Spin class anyone? 😉
It’s no wonder the majority of people I see that base their fitness activity primarily on cycling or running have terrible tissue quality, are relatively weak, and are prone to joint problems. According to Meyer’s it’s not a muscle or cardio issue, it’s an elasticity problem.
To be sure I’m still wrapping my head around some of these concepts, and just scratching the surface in regards of applying such principles to training. But I’m enjoying the ride and think we are on the right track in integrating a variety of appropriate training tools and recovery aids (foam rollers, The Stick, lacrosse balls) into the training of each and every member.
ShareMAY
About the Author:
Owner of Elemental Fitness Lab in Portland, OR. Our approach to training is to integrate research (I'm an NSCA CSCS, certified Functional Movement Screen, and Precision Nutrition) with practical experience. I've studied martial arts in Japan and the U.S. for many years, and have put in my time in the gym, in the water, on the snow, on the rock wall, and on the bike.