Before enlightenment: chop wood, carry water. After enlightenment: chop wood, carry water.
I mentioned this Zen aphorism in my first installment of the Fit and Vibrant YOU Project, and its profound importance to your overall health and wellbeing.
The secret to stellar fitness (and by extension, health, vitality and vibrance) is the same two-fold secret that underpins the Zen concept of enlightenment: doing the ordinary, yes -- but also remaining mindful while going about those mundane daily tasks. Performing each simple duty with the fascination and wonderment of a beginner.
And removing from your mind the idea that “new and different” equates to accelerated performance.
In the Zen context, many adherents believe they can accelerate awakening (enlightenment) by way of some magical technique such as physical contortion, or by some extreme physical condition such as starvation or excessive heat, cold or labor. These extreme tactics do not work out well for most (even the Buddha, in his quest for awakening). And in any case, it’s only in the hands of a master where the notion that “one must know the rules to break the rules” applies.
The great irony of course being that masters can, in fact, successfully wield spectacular means and techniques. But they generally choose not to, because the same end can be realized via more pedestrian, non-spectacular methods. And why would a master care to draw undue attention to himself by doing so? The apprentice sees the master’s ability and assumes he ascended to lofty heights by virtue of those extraordinary means.
Not so. The master became a master by chopping wood, and carrying water. Every day. And with the attentiveness of a novice. And a master maintains competency by the same manner.
So in the context of fitness, consistency > sophistication.
This is always the case. And not just with fitness, but just about everything in life.
We always come back to Occam's Razor. The Pareto (or 80/20) principle. Just eat real food (hat tip Sean Croxton). Not allowing perfection to stand in the way of the good (hat tip Paleo f(x))
I’ve been in the fitness game 40+ years, and one of the first exercises I ever mastered was the basic deadlift. And I’m still doing them today.
Yes, the loads I lift now are heavier than when I began. And sometimes I incorporate bands, or cool machines. But the underlying principles remain. No need to get fancy. Even after 40+ years.
Wash, rinse, and repeat. It's not glamorous, but it is effective.
The day’s workout:
A1) weighted chins: 45/5
A2) banded front rack press: 75 + red + black bands/3
5 rounds
Note: the A1/A2 format here means that I alternated these two exercises. In other words, a set of chins, followed by a set of presses.
An A1/B1 format would indicate completion of all sets of exercise “A”, prior to moving on to exercise “B”.
Rest between rounds is generally about 3 minutes, unless otherwise noted. Rest between exercises is generally less than 1 minute.
If you’ve got questions, I’ve got answers. Let ‘em fly.
Heal thyself, harden thyself, change the world -
Keith