Not every question gets the same answer

January 21, 2010 in BLOG 4 Comments

I had some odd things pop up on the Q and A and some emails. I sometimes get people telling me: “You said this here and now you are telling that to this guy.” I have no issue with that as one of the signs of human intellect is to hold opposing thoughts in concert at once. Moreover, not everyone is the same. I have this little pyramid in my head when I answer fitness questions:

At the base is simply moving around…again. Although those basic human movements should be done (squat, walk (run), push, pull, big move from the hip hinge like a deadlift or swing), the reality is that we just want to get going again. So, long walks might trump everything else. Don’t forget that throughout a career either: long easy stuff always has a place.

Next, comes the 1. Pick stuff up off the ground 2. Put things overhead and 3. Carry things for time and distance. So, in a sense, the Program Minimum Minimum (with a little walking or whatever) might be the base of a fairly serious program. Like Dan Martin discovered, the PMM or variations can remind you of shortcomings or provide you with some awareness of where you are heading. So, some people who are at the “next level” need to drop back for a short while to relearn some things. I try to do it yearly.

This second tier can be informative, too, but a workout of deadlifts, military press and farmer walks can get you ready for about anything. The top layer is the intensity. For me, it is my “Sprint 8″ workout where I do eight buildups (“start slow and taper off” is my joke) in sprinting. It is also heavy lifts, usually at lifting meets or rare heavy training sessions. If you spend a lot of time here, you are going to tumble down the whole pyramid sooner or later.

I have the same ideas about diet and recovery: sleep and drink water. Eat your veggies, meats, fish and eggs. Take your fish oil capsules and Mg. Try something cool and groovy like Leucine. Note that we just rose up the pyramid here, too.

So, when someone asks a question, I try hard to figure out where the person is actually coming from so I can honestly answer them.

So, yes, I say one thing here and one there. I am completely comfortable with this, too.