EFL Blog

Of all your friends that exercise, frequent a gym, or play sports, who has made the most progress?  Have you ever thought about how and why that person got results?  We may want to chalk it up to genetics but you should ask them how much time they spent practicing or training on a weekly basis.

An extreme example perhaps but how much training did Bruce Lee put in to develop his kicks to this level? It’s pretty obvious he spent countless hours not only practicing but thinking about and refining his skill training.

Do you know anyone that joined a martial art school or ski club that made huge improvements?   A few years ago one of my friends I trained martial arts with back in Wisconsin had stopped training when he moved to a different state and let himself go. He was a big, strong guy to begin with but when he stopped moving he lost motivation and gained upwards of 50lbs.  Then he happened to meet a good martial arts teacher and started training a couple of days a week.

Now, to be sure this training wasn’t concerned with metabolic intervals, cardio or what have you. Instead they, as any good martial art school should, spent a LOT of time practicing form. In other words they didn’t do “workouts” but rather did skill training. Fast forward a year and my friend had been training up to five days a week and had started using kettlebells and other tools to supplement his martial arts training. In the process he lost nearly 100lbs, and when he sent me a picture I didn’t recognize him.

Of course, it wasn’t just the hours spent training, but rather his commitment to improvement meant he ate cleaner and otherwise cleaned up his lifestyle to better support his training. In other words he changed his mindset and adopted a healthier lifestyle which brought results. He didn’t just show up to train and leave it at that, but was mindful of all other factors that would affect his training.

This week I’ve been reading and watching some material on Indian club swinging by Dr. Ed Thomas, and one of his main training principles is to take your time and really master the fundamental movement skills at a slow speed, and not be concerned with using heavier clubs or moving faster. That will all come with time, but only with dedicating time to skill training will one make real progress.

Dr. Thomas calls this “rational training”, and breaks it down into 3 parts:

-Progression

-Variety

-Precision

According to Dr. Thomas precision is the aspect we have most lost because of the “go hard, go fast” mindset.  Instead the idea should be as Gray Cook says: Move better first, then more more often. We shouldn’t think that doing more lifting or cardio will help your tight low back, sore knees etc… fix the quality issue first, then you’ll be able to move easier.

Progression doesn’t refer to using heavier weights and doing different exercises, but rather to progressing in terms of mastering a skill set. How precise are your kettlebell swings? How good is your pushup form? These things matter much more than quantity when it comes to fitness and longevity.

Variety refers to progressing to a more difficult variation of a movement only after it has been mastered. If you can’t squat to below parallel with no weight then don’t bother picking up a barbell and squatting until you work on improving your mobility.

Yes, it is often hard to think this way when your goal is to drop 20lbs and you only have time to go to the gym twice per week. But what if you found something that is engaging and more enjoyable than watching reality shows or whatever else may take up your time after work?  Being mindful and engaged during your training, hobby, or sport will help you progress more than any extra hour of random cardio or bootcamp ever will.

Someone the other day commented on my demonstrating exercises in this TV segment, and how easy I make it look. I can assure you it’s not because I’m the strongest dude around, because I know many who are way stronger but can’t do those movements.  It is because I have slowed down and practiced the skills necessary.

Watching some of the world’s best cyclocross racers doing the same course I had just raced on this past month certainly drives that point home. No amount of energy system or strength training is going to make me corner as well as they, or to be as fast through barriers as they are. That is all skill training.

Next time you are in the gym, cycling, running, or whatever it is you like to do keep in mind what ideal form should look like and don’t be so concerned with how hard or how much you are doing. Then thank masters such as Dr. Ed Thomas for reminding us what masters of every physical discipline over the past 2 or 3,000 years have done.