Cant We all just get along

I was at the gym and I did something I hate to do. I got into a discussion about exercises with another trainer. What was I thinking! In case you’ve never heard fitness professionals talk about training, they tend to believe strongly in their own methods and these discussions tend to get heated. The point of contention was whether or not you should arch your back when you press for the best results. And what I said had people up in arms.

One guy was talking about physiology origins and insertions of muscles and really pulling out all the stops. Another got so upset that he started yelling and stormed off claiming “everyone knows you arch your back when you press! Arghhhhh! Then he threw a weight plate at a mirror. Okay the last part is a lie but he was that angry. You want to know what I said to get them so heated?

“The form you use all depends on what your goal is”

They looked at me like I was Christopher fucking Columbus when he claimed the earth wasn’t flat. All this animosity based on the fact that I wouldn’t pick a side. We were both right. Arching your back shortens the range of motion and is great form for power lifting. Keeping your back flat uses a complete range of motion and is better for building muscle in the chest. Two situations where using a different form would make complete sense. Form is a variable that you manipulate depending on what you want to accomplish; Tools in your toolbox

People often ask me do you think yoga is good, what about boxing fitness, do you believe in kettle bells? My answer is that they are all tools with some aspects that are useful to your purpose and others that aren’t. It all starts with the goal. The stronger the goal the easier it is to make choices about what tools will bring you closer or further away from that goal. Some smart guy at some point in history said something that went like:

“The pitfall of knowledge is once you think you know something you stop looking for answers”

I look at everything from Pilates to power lifting when looking for ways to get people to their goal faster. My only hope is that when I look back at what I believe now that I am confronted with the question: What was I thinking!

Derick