Both Sides Now
A muscle can do one of two things: it can contract (shorten), or relax (lengthen) — and in concert and coordination with all the other muscles of the body, can produce the myriad of movements possible to the (human) body. Many ancient understandings and disciplines thought that muscles could only relax — or only contract — as their singular function, most exemplified by yoga on the one hand and competitive bodybuilders on the other extreme.
It is the alternation of one extreme to the other, that is the most efficient and beneficial — just as the heart functions for its critical role in circulation. It is not enough for the heart to just contract — and never relax (again). Or for the heart to relax and never contract (again). It is the alternation of one state to the other, that is the life-giving property of the heart — and the heart either contracts 100% and relaxes 100%, and if it only does 50% each way, one has major problems — if not imminent death. Hence, that is the significance of the heart rate, because one knows exactly what the quantity is as a constant — and not a variable.
Realizing this, the limit of any muscle is in its weakest position — rather than its strongest, and that was the rationale for varying resistance along that curve — if at all possible. While a weight (resistance) may remain constant, one uses all the muscles to orchestrate the minimal amount of load to any one muscle exclusively. That is to say that a major function of all the muscles, is to protect any one muscle from exclusively bearing the load — rendering it vulnerable to injury when contracting forcefully in its weakest, most vulnerable position.
The classic example is doing a standing barbell curl with too heavy a weight — causing a rupture at the biceps (tendon) insertion. In that variation of the exercise, the adjoining muscles are not in position and activation to protect the biceps — as they would be if the “finished” position was rotated so that rather than the elbow hanging down, the elbow is rotated to point towards the ceiling — resulting in a maximal contraction of the biceps because its supporting muscle is contracted as well.
All the muscles of the body are connected in that same way — that the contractile state of any one muscle, is dependent on the state of the muscles adjoining it. In knowing that, one can then conceive of the most efficient and effective to effect that state in all the muscles simultaneously, rather than have to do one specific exercise for each muscle — to say nothing of multiple exercises as well as sets for each muscle. The impracticality of that is that there is not enough time in the day to get to all one’s muscles to ensure full muscular development and a well-functioning body.
Fortunately, in understanding that the muscular state of any one muscle is dependent on the state of all the others, it then becomes a simple task to produce that one state or the other — rather than 600–800 different states of contraction/relaxation coordination throughout the body. Not surprisingly, the position of the head determines the muscular state for the rest of the body — which is the easiest to overlook, and with modern conveniences, unnecessary to move at all. The obvious downside of that is that movement dictates the flow to and from the heart. Those are the gates governing fluid flow through the body — particularly problematical in the well-known deterioration of the body beginning at the hands, feet and head — due to the inflammation caused by venous insufficiency in the return to the heart and central purifying organs of the body.
That is what muscular contractions from the extremities do — quite naturally, from most forms of traditional, productive, necessary movements — and why people who do them a lot, tend of be better developed, and more robust than those who seldom perform such movements. That essential “fitness” is hardwired into the evolution of every species — but modern conveniences have obviating their necessity over the last 50 years especially. That is the downside of labor-saving machinery — coinciding with the devolution of human health over that time period — when obesity and metabolic disorders have become the prime threat to human health in longevity.
The other side of the coin is just as bad — in those who remain hypertense all the time. The most extreme example of that are bodybuilders who remain contracted all the time — and never allow themselves to ever be seen “relaxed.” Relaxation is just as important as being able to maximize effort — and switching from one to the other as appropriate, is the healthy response to life — rather than the psychopaths constantly at war with everybody else — for no good reason. Predictably, they too live short, nasty, brutal lives — exacerbated by their behaviors and conditioning. The switch can be instantaneous.
Most conditioning is not done that way — instead thinking there is only one way to be — either all force, or all relaxation, and it is the ability to switch appropriately from one to the other, and all variations in between, that has the most survival value (fitness) — and how one wishes to condition themselves to be.
The Holy Grail of Health
The question is not whether exercise works and is good for you, but what does one prioritize in a world of limited time, energy and resources?
We see that in older people, what breaks down are the critical faculties at the head, hands and feet — or cognitive function, grip strength, and foot strength (balance), as the major markers of decline — or good health. Those are neuromuscular functions — or voluntary — rather than cardiovascular — which is autonomic. That means that what one can make the most significant difference, is what one can control — rather than what is automatic. The neuromuscular effects the cardiovascular system automatically, while simply increasing the heart rate, does not indicate or improve athletic performance. That is to say that lifting a weight will increase the heart rate, but simply increasing the heart rate, will not necessarily lift a weight.
And in fact, what is usually called cardio exercise, is usually done with very little movement of the upper body, as well as foot articulation. It is the full range articulation at that axis that causes the muscle to be fully contracted or fully relaxed. Just shuffling one’s feet with little of that change of muscular states precludes that flow to the extremities — while the core may continue to function for years. And that is the problem of the unexcercised body — the willful voluntary muscles hardly move again. That movement causes blood and fluids to circulate to those areas — and without it, the circuit is circumscribed.
The heart may be working harder — but none of the other muscles of the body are — and they contribute greatly to the circulatory effect. It is that circulation that produces muscle growth and optimal functioning of all the organs. So if the brain, hands and feet are cut off from that enhancement, effective and efficient circulation will not occur no matter how hard and fast the heart alone works. It is a one pound organ providing for the hundredful mass and musculature — rather than recruiting all the other muscles of the body to optimize that circulatory effect. That would be the intelligent thing to do — and the most productive exercise to do.
That is what is overlooked in exercise expressly for health in longevity. A person who is vital and animated is particularly so by the expressions and movements (articulations) at the head, hands and feet. Those are the organs of human expression. The rest of the body plays a supportive role. When the functioning (health) of the head, hands and feet cease, then that individual loses their uniqueness and identity — and become our worst nightmare — requiring constant care by others to do all the things most people can do for themselves.
But if a person retains and increases their functioning and proficiency at the head, hands and feet, they are functioning at their highest level. But even young and presumably fit people don’t achieve that — because their time, energy and resources are misplaced to what is much less important — including competitive athletics, which presumably is to prepare them for the greater challenges of life ahead. That may be lifting a heavy weight, or running great distances — leaving no time for developing the head, hands and feet.
The best example would be maintaining and enhancing one’s ability to turn one’s head 360 degrees — because that movement, requires the activation and engagement of all the muscles of the body! — and not just the heart alone. The exercise of that movement, would be indicative of a person firing on all cylinders — and not just the one — whether that be the heart, biceps, glutes, abdominals, etc. The atrophied turkey/pencil neck is not inevitable in every aging person — but indicative of poor circulation to the head (brain) — with predictably disastrous consequences. The head must actually move to provide that circulation; playing “mental” games doesn’t produce that very “physical” effect. That is the integration of mind and body long sought as the Holy Grail of Health. It’s not the mind or the body; it requires one to be firing on all cylinders to make the “unprecedented” life possible. That is what we are all here for.
Obviously we just can’t keep on doing the same things that hasn’t worked before — hoping for a different result. We have to do something differently — something that makes perfectly good sense — so we don’t have to force ourselves to do what doesn’t make perfectly good sense and produces those results immediately as self-evident truth.
Making Something Out of Nothing
In a world full of options and choices, one doesn’t have unlimited time, energy and resources, and must develop priorities — in order of what is most important to do. In a time of scarcity and dearth of that abundance, that might have been eating, drinking, travel, entertainment, bodybuilding and weightlifting without end — just because we could. However, even the most prolific practitioners often culminated in premature deaths, injuries, and health problems — and so one has to question whether just getting as big as possible, running as far as possible, lifting as much weight as possible, are productive ends in themselves.
If one could truly develop any aspect of their bodies and lives, what would they deem most important? The intelligent answer would be those qualities that make humans above all the previous iterations of life forms — which is the large brain, tool-making hand, and feet that enables an upright posture. That would be obvious to the anthropologists studying the evolution of species over time, and was particularly the topic of JJ Bronowski’s “The Ascent of Man.” From there, he describes the further evolution and development of humankind and what the ideal can be.
That brought us to the 20th century in which people like Abraham Maslow, inquired what is the ultimate “human actualization?” — and writers like Heinlein, Rand, Orwell, et al fleshed out in their literary creations. The underlying question was what is the ultimate human form and expression — of every individual life, which is the underlying theme of Heinlein’s Stranger in a Strange Land. That was the story of a human born on Mars and had no preconceived ideas of what the ideal form should be — and so he manifested it, or made it flesh.
There is a widespread belief that the heart pumps blood equally to all parts of the body — but obviously, more so to those areas actually exercised — which is the reason some people only manifest upper body development, while their legs languish. That would not be possible if the heart pumped that blood equally — even to those muscles and organs not used. Instead, the blood goes more to those muscles that are contracted and relaxed — just as the heart moves fluid. Where there is no such articulation at that joint, the blood and fluids remain in those tissues — and will immediately increase that flow, when it is exercised directly. That’s why people who do cardio exercises have small, atrophied muscles. Their hearts work harder and faster — but the rest of the musculature largely is inactivated.
That is the advantage weight-training has over most conventional exercise — it can be directed to develop the part of the body one thinks is so important — like the biceps and abdominals, etc. But the most efficient and economical way to enhance the flow (circulation) is to activate the joints at the extremities of the body — because that pushes the blood back towards the heart at that axis of activation. Those are the places where aging is most visible — even in aging bodybuilders. That’s where most of the aches and pains are experienced first — in the arthritis and neuropathies — where the circulation is the poorest, and not health-sustaining. Those are the casualties of disuse and aging.
It doesn’t have to be. One can activate all the muscles of the upper body by simply bending at the wrist. Likewise, one can activate all the muscles of the lower body by raising the heel or toe as much as possible. It doesn’t require weights to produce those contractions. The movement itself, is a contraction — and the farther one expresses those extremes, the more it engages all the supporting and connected muscles back towards the center of the body where all the muscles converge. The ancient Chinese called it dyantin — or simply, the center of the body — conveniently located next to the heart.
Nature is very smart in that way. It makes things economical and efficient — because it really wants us to live, thrive, and evolve to higher possibilities, rather than favor disfunction, disease and extinction. That is ultimately what “fitness” is all about — and not just doing what we’ve always done before with the predictable end results. It’s not that lying, sitting, standing are bad in and of itself — but there is no movement at the wrist, ankle and neck — that implies the rest. But if there is no movement beyond the shoulder and hip girdle, all those areas beyond it, don’t receive the exercise effect.
Knowing this, one can design an exercise program with heel raises, wrist curls and the turning of the head all the way to the left and right — and most inactive people will come alive in doing so. That is the easiest way just to get up in the morning. One does not need resistance or to make these movements any harder. The (lack of) movement is the resistance. It’s not that one isn’t moving their head to the left and right with 100 lbs of resistance — but they never move their head at all. That is most obviously true in what passes for the typical cardio exercise — the head and hands never move, and the feet shuffle as fast as possible — with little articulation. The proper foot articulation would be to raise the heels as high as possible — just like the ballet dancers — men and women. But all one needs to do is hold on to the back of a chair or countertop and merely raise their heels up as high as possible and down — as the superior leg movement. No special equipment required. No need to make the movement harder, or add more weight and resistance. The movement itself is exemplary.
It’s not that the calves, forearms and neck are the hardest muscles to develop — but that most don’t think to move at those joints — at all. But in so doing, unlike the disproportionate development many have because they concentrate on core muscles to the exclusion of the extremities, exercise seems to have no preventive effect against aging, atrophy and deterioration. It seems to be the obvious way to design a 21st century exercise program for health in longevity. You don’t want to lose your most valuable parts of yourself — while the heart is still the only muscle still ticking for decades longer.
Making Exercise Easy -- and Possible
There is no lack of "teachers" who can make any subject difficult, complicated and impossible to understand -- and therefore master. Promoting that, ensures their own lifelong job security -- until the student breaks free from that codependency -- and moves on.
That is part of the journey in any learning -- which true teachers also recognize and encourage. The bad teachers never want their students to move on and do without them -- and that is the problem of many primitive cultures in which the "witch doctors" keep as many people as possible under their personal control. That is the essential feature of such societies -- the control by others, and power derived outside of oneself.
But with the development of civilization, individuals are increasingly empowered to be their own light and motive power -- rather than the instruments of any other -- particularly of forces they may never be aware of. Then that is like living in those more primitive societies in which one never realizes who is pulling their strings and pushing their buttons-- as though they thought of these things themselves.
That's why it is so important to know oneself -- both the powers and limitations -- and in that process, discover the real -- and not just what somebody else would have them believe is the truth of the matter. Many such teachers, would have us believe that what they know, is all that can be known -- when in fact, any explanation is not the ultimate truth but just the quest for a better explanation -- particularly if the explanation merely justifies why everything is going wrong -- working with that current "understanding." But that does not solve the problem -- and in fact, may be one of these explanations that can never be tested for truth because it is purely hypothetical.
In philosophy and science, it is not the knowledge itself that is so important -- as it is whether it can be proven in each instance to be a valid truth in each individual case. If not, then its value is unproven, and it really doesn't matter what one believes. Any explanation will be as good as any other -- because none can be tested for the truth, or is untestable.
Fortunately, most of life is not that way -- but easily accessible for any individual to test the truth of the matter for themselves. Yet many don't -- because they have been indoctrinated to believe that the truth is what somebody else says it is -- and they cannot test the truth for themselves, because they are not the "experts." People don't usually become good at what they do by listening to the experts -- but in discovering the truth of the matter for themselves. Those are the real experts, and not those who know what somebody else taught them is the truth -- and they inquire no further.
Those are the inquiring minds -- to whom the known is just the beginning and not the end of their quest for the ultimate limits of any truth and understanding. Nowhere is it more possible to test the truth and validity than in exercise and physical education -- because the results are direct and immediate -- and not just in some other time and place far away. If competitive bodybuilders prove nothing else, it is that such immediate manifestations and transformations are possible. That is the underlying theme in any quest -- and not simply doing the same things somebody has told them to without commensurate and immediate results.
The major rationale for proper exercise is not that one will look and feel better a year or ten years from now -- but that it does effect that affect immediately, and improves with practice. That is what one is learning -- and not just mindlessly burning as many calories as possible -- doing anything! Likewise, it doesn't matter how much money one spends -- but how much value one obtains in those exchanges that improve the quality of their lives. So obviously, one should devote all one's attention to what they are doing -- and not simply doing as much as possible, burning as many calories as one can.
But that is the mindset many have in doing anything -- usually because some authority told them so -- and not that they ever learned anything on their own, and so when facing any challenge, they ask everybody else what they should do -- without bothering to test their own capabilities and understanding on the matter -- and then consulting the collective wisdom of the known. That is the challenge under which most will have to live their lives -- and why we were each given our own brain and senses.
Not even little children first consult their parents before attempting to find out the truth of the matter for themselves -- by themselves. They often will try and try again -- before one day miraculously standing all by themselves. Some personalities and predispositions will be more inclined than others. But the understanding shouldn't be a limiting factor -- except when imposed as what a few self-designated experts regard as their exclusive economic opportunity.
Life is more important than that. A basic right is that everyone should first resort to their own brain and senses -- before asking anybody else what to do. That is already going about it in the wrong way. The value of exercise, conditioning, practice, and improving, is that skillset comes in handy throughout their lives -- but especially so when they are retired and in declining health. Rather than continuing to get worse, one should experiment to see if one can get better -- even resurrecting themselves from the nearly dead back to unprecedented good health. What have they got to lose? -- and everything to gain -- even if ultimately, they run out of time and life.
So does everybody else. That is the great equalizer. We all come into the world alone, and leave it alone. Nothing has ever changed that -- not even the great pharoahs and emperors of old -- who thought they could bring everybody else with them -- to continue to serve them in the next world. But at that point, one would be deluding oneself to think that one would still be in-charge and controlling everybody else.
The genius in exercise, conditioning and fitness, is not how to make it harder for everyone, but how to make it easier -- so that even those on their death beds or at death's door, can still do it to get better -- and that is the greatest challenge of their lives at that moment. That may be the difference between moving on, or staying unmoved forevermore.
Everything else is variations on those basics. The heart works by alternating a full contraction with a full relaxation. If it only contracts, or only relaxes, it is no good. It has to do both. But that is not so much a problem with the heart, as it is with every other muscle in the body -- of never contracting again. It is like CPR for the rest of the body. One knows that alternating a compression with a rest, is necessary for life itself -- and beyond that, all the muscles of the body could be trained to mimick the heart in that way -- optimizing the circulation that ensures and enables healthy functioning and development.
Some exercise researchers claimed that the soleus muscle was a second heart -- pumping the blood back to the heart -- and not realizing all muscles will act as a pump when contractions (compressions) are alternated with relaxations. That is the principle of fluid dynamics. That is all that is necessary to effect (optimize) the flow -- of blood surely, but also the lymphatic fluids that allowed to stagnate and accumulate, become the scourge of inflammation and all disease and malfunction. So just knowing that, is worth all the other.
But most have never thought about it -- as much as people all over the world participate in these athletic events and competitions -- until of course, they can't. They're good up to that point -- but then many fall off the cliff -- even before they get to middle age, and some after they leave kindergarten. That's way too early to stop learning anything more.
At this age and stage, we are rewriting life itself -- in just living it. No need for added drama and difficulty. The easiest movements to do, are simply moving at the head, hands and wrists -- producing those alternating muscular contractions/relaxations -- at the furthest extremities one moves at -- which would be at the head, hands, and feet -- where it is most productive and healthy to do so. It is as simple as that. You don't need to get the whole body around the track -- but can get a better health effect by simply alternating contractions at the extremities with the most critical organs of the body -- that makes each individual distinctive.
The Proper Performance of the Squat -- or any other Exercise
The “problem” with squats — or any exercise for that matter — is that people make the movement harder and more unnatural than it has to be — when the whole point of exercising (practicing) a movement, should be to make it easier. That is particularly and especially true when one needs to access those capabilities the most — as they grow older and more incapable of all movements.
Obviously, a helpful person advising them is not going to prescribe a manner of performance that makes it much more difficult, tortuous, torturous and even impossible to do it at all — or that elder person will never get up again if they fall, because their “genius” coach will devise a way to make it even harder yet. And it is also not helpful to encourage them to keep on practicing what is difficult, impossible, and even dangerous, on the promise if they keep on trying, they will eventually (a year from now) be able to do it easily — because that person who cannot get off the floor will have long since perished.
So any advice, has to be helpful and meaningful as one is in the moment — but learning the techniques that make such movements possible under the present circumstances and abilities. Then with practice, one simply becomes more effective and efficient at it — and not that the impossible becomes possible because one always attempts the impossible, and makes it so by imposing one’s will over realities.
The proper understanding of all leg exercises is that its primary objective is to move the foot — retracting the toes, and pushing off on the toes — and by that range of movement, one is able to walk, run, jump, dance, play games, lift weights, etc. Simply bending at the knee has little use otherwise — and will greatly stress the knee —but that is what most people do in usually constraining the leg action to just the movement at that joint.
The preferred and noninjurious leg movement, is to hinge at every joint involved — which means the knee must move as far forward as possible in a squat, rather than only moving at the knee joint — as must happen, when foot movement (dorsiflexion) is not allowed — not because nature does not allow it, but because of the manner of advice that is wholly misguided. When the knees are allowed to move forward as one squats — rather than more stress placed on the knees — actually less stress occurs on the knee, because increasingly more movement occurs in the plantar fascia (foot) as well as the tendons and ligaments of the ankle — the tightness and inactivation of which causes a limited range of motion and the problems of balance because the foot muscles are not activated.
Much of exercise advice and performance nullifies the importance of movement at the critical organs of expression — which is the hands, feet and head. That is what the entire musculature is supporting and enabling. Much less important to the body, is how much weight one can handle in the squat, deadlift, bench press — because those movements deliberately disable any movement at those end joints —or insertions of the muscles.
So while one may “burn” slightly more calories working only the large muscles, it is really the fine muscles, that make the difference. Try running (or even walking) without any articulation of the foot movement. That performance is familiar as the shuffling of the feet in old people — and doing so for miles, is not going to do them much good as simply articulating the foot movement — regardless of the more familiar gross movement of the hips and shoulders — if that.
Fine motor control is what people lose most with disuse and age — commonly expressed as the familiar markers of “grip strength, foot strength (balance), and cognition (ability to direct their senses). Awareness is largely this ability to turn one’s head towards the incoming information to determine the appropriate response (action). Many caregivers often point out that the problem of the hard of hearing, is that they don’t direct their attention (head) to the person speaking — which makes listening problematical. That is also the problem with drivers (cyclists) who do not turn their heads to see the conditions around them — but are insistent that it is every other person who needs to be aware of them — and ensure their safety.
Squats are an important movement to do because it can exercise all the major hinges (joints) of the lower part of the body — if allowed to do so rather than prohibiting that free play on those possibilities. It is infinitely more important to have full range movement around all the joints — rather than seeing how much weight one can handle in a constricted and constrained movement — until one is eventually and inevitably injured by that overload and overuse. Many will have long abandoned such movements before it reaches that point of no return and recovery.
What is most important to a long lifespan, is retaining all one’s capabilities through that duration —- rather than sacrificing everything for their “15 seconds of fame” — and then merely reliving those memories for the next 50 years because one no longer can. The squat is not so much an exercise or movement as it is a position one can attain in articulating all the joints of the lower body and rest (remain) comfortably and do whatever they have to in that position. It most definitely is not simply rebounding out of that position as quickly as possible — so one is never comfortable maintaining that position. That is what most people’s rendition of a squat is — a rebound out of the low position, rather than the maintenance of that low position that stretches all the ligaments and tendons of the legs that are the excuse for not doing a properly maintained squat position.
Contrary to common belief, maintaining the knee behind the foot is infinitely more stressful on the knee in the squat movement because one is immobilizing all the other joints that would normally come into play — to minimize that stress on that singular joint — instead of dissipating that stress among as many joints as possible. That is the danger posed in any movement in isolation — because the well known phenomenon of muscle action, is actually to recruit as many other muscles as possible to help in the task. That is to say, that the body always wants to make it easier on itself than harder — and never impossible, or to failure.
The objective of any conditioning, is not to fail, but to succeed. The categorical imperative is to find a way to win — and not condition oneself to fail time and again — as though that were a good thing, and that the opposite will happen.
Any Time, Any Where
Sitting or lying does not preclude being able to exercise. It can be done anywhere, at any time, under any conditions. ‘The prerequisite for beneficial exercise, is knowing what exercise is — and does, and not simply following the directives of some authoritarian figure presuming to know what is best for everybody — having never thought it through for themselves, but only being “conditioned” to do what they are commanded to. That’s what passes for exercise and physical education in unenlightened societies and cultures — and why there is great resistance to doing what doesn’t make perfectly good sense. But that is irrelevant because the “conditioning” to just do — without question or understanding, is the whole purpose and intent of such conditioning.
The rationale and justification for exercise is that it enhances the circulatory effect — beginning with the proper understanding of breathing — because it is oxygen and other nutrients that one is attempting to circulate, while effectively removing the accumulation of waste products of the body due to extraordinary exertion — as well as normal metabolic processes that are going on all the time as the minimum requirements for sustaining life at the most basic level. With that understanding of the “basics,” then one can concoct a strategy for maximizing those benefits while eliminating the invariable and inevitable negatives — which occurs in everything one does in life.
Thus, one assesses first, what is the reward to risk of what I’m proposing to do — rather than adopting the reckless abandon of thinking that “whatever doesn’t kill me, will make me stronger.” Life doesn’t work that way — so even the lion does not take on the bull elephant, or the shark the orca — which will surely kill them — no matter how many times they try. Instead, they know better to harvest the low-hanging fruit first before attempting to get at the most difficult — and precarious, thereby risking life and limb. Those are the inviolable rules of survival, and learning those lessons well, enables one to live a good and long life.
Sitting in itself is not a bad position to be in — and is usually preferred to standing all day, or even lying all day. If sitting precluded healthy exercise, then bicycle riding wouldn’t qualify as healthy exercise — nor would most of the equipment in the gym consist of flat and adjustable benches. Nor would the weightlifter or football player sit down at every chance they have. The problem with standing all day is the steady state muscle tension/relaxation that doesn’t vary which produces the pumping (circulatory) effect that rids the tissues of waste products and creates space for new nutrients. One has to precede the other — and the new cannot simply force out the old occupying that space.
That’s what muscle contraction does — squeeze out the old fluids — so upon that muscle relaxation, there is space to accept the new. That’s how breathing also works: the old has to be contracted (compressed) out first, and upon relaxation, the atmospheric pressure will fill the lungs with fresh air — and not simply that one can suck in air harder despite the lungs not being emptied first. “Lungs” very specifically means branching tissue — requiring air and fluids to take a very specific fixed path. It is not just a balloon where every random air molecule, can go wherever it wants to. The circulatory (blood) system also has that same construction — requiring the old first to be pushed out, and upon relaxation, new nutrients are drawn into that space (vacuum.)
Then when one has that proper understanding on that very fundamental and basic level, one can easily design the functioning that optimizes that. The contraction beginning at the furthest extremity (joint) will cause all that fluid to be evacuated towards the center of the body — but if there is no movement at those extremities — there is only a contraction from that joint actually moving — which may be minimally at the shoulder and hip girdles, while placing greater demands on the heart alone — and so that kind of exercise has been deemed “cardio,” because there is no commensurate effort otherwise. That is an artificial construct devised by people who sell “cardio” equipment, rather than the requirements of movement in the natural world, which would more accurately measure output rather than input.
That is to say, that it doesn’t matter how hard the heart can be forced to work, if it results in no measurable difference in output or outcomes. The far more meaningful measure, is the movement at the hands, feet and head — just like placing the thermostats at the farthest reaches of the house — and not in the furnace itself. It doesn’t matter how hard the heart is working — if it never gets that flow to the hands, feet and head — the critical faculties of the body. That’s where most of the senses are located.
It is a well-known phenomenon of contemporary life that those senses and faculties fail in people long before the heart does — because of this lack of effective circulation — resulting in weakened hand and foot strength, cognitive functioning indicated by the deterioration of the neck musculature and appearance, coinciding with decreasing head movement. Those are the joints and parts of the body that actually need to be moved — and is irrelevant whether one is standing, sitting, or lying — or for that matter, is in outer space.
The movement at the neck, wrists and ankles can all be effected sitting, lying, or standing — inconspicuously and largely unnoticed unlike most traditional exercises which aim to be as conspicuous and attention-seeking as possible. That is the way most people have been conditioned to think exercise “has to be” — appealing for the validation of others, and if nobody is going to pay them any mind, they’re just not going to do it. They don’t quite get it that exercise is good they are doing for themselves, and not for the good of everybody else — if that even makes sense. Thus, they won’t care, if everybody else doesn’t — first. And if nobody cares, they’ll quit at their first opportunity — or just won’t do it at all.
So the understanding has to precede the doing — and once one is clear about what they are doing, then it is a simple matter to devise the movements Nature quite intended for humans to do. Move the head left and right, up and down. Move the closed hand towards the palmward direction, and the knuckleward direction. Move the heels up and down, and feet side to side for 50 reps as an impromptu exercise whenever one has the opportunity to — and those motions, will increase the circulation to the extremities of the body — where the body begins to break down because of that deficiency of effective circulation.
Then once a week, have a gym workout — and maintain that schedule for the rest of their lives — for a higher intensity capability — using those same principles and priorities.
Designing an Exercise Program
The value of exercise is that it directs the blood flow specifically to those parts of the body in which the muscle is contracting — which is how it lifts weights and does work. Conversely, when it relaxes, gravity moves the object to its lowest level, and the only resistance required is just enough to keep an object from breaking. The alternation of muscle contraction with relaxation, produces a pumping effect — just as the heart is specialized and dedicated to doing — in the direction towards the extremities of the body. But once at the extremities, the body relies on the muscle contractions at those extremities to produce the compression of fluids back to the center of the body — and those that do that more often and effectively, develop greater health and the musculature that an enhanced blow flow enables.
That is not simply making the heart alone work harder and faster, but the recruitment of the skeletal (voluntary) muscles to enhance that effect very deliberately and specifically. Those who do that best are self-described “bodybuilders,” because their exercise is to produce that effect — while in all other activities and events, that is a secondary, adjunct consideration. So if one considers the amount of weight lifted as primary importance, they may not achieve as impressive a bodybuilding effect — as it is to one who places “the pump” as their primary concern. The older weight trainers were very clear on this difference and distinction.
In present times, those distinctions and differences are lost, and so, many will exercise long and hard without achieving their desired ends — if they are even clear on that. Most people want to be the biggest and strongest ever, without considering that many others also wish for that, and many, like in every facet of human activity, are just more gifted genetically to be successful at it — because that is the way it is with everything in life. There are the prodigies — and everybody else, but that does not preclude them from doing what they truly love to do above all else.
However within their potential, there is considerable room for improvement — and that is not nothing. It can also be its own calling in its own unique way. Except for specifically prescribed competitions and protocols, there are all manner of ways one can define their own success. Many of the legendary strong men were motivated to overcome their handicaps and poor health as their motivation for breaking their own limits of what was possible — and ultimately to set the standard for many others to follow.
One does not know for certain what the ultimate actualization of that potential is — unless it is articulated and developed. Nobody comes into the world completely developed. That is a process of time and growth — and the adventure of every life, is discovering what that will be. Many think that the feet, hands and head are designed to support the rest of the musculature, when it is the other way around. And so they are “conditioned” not to move their feet, hands and head but instead immobilize them while moving the larger muscles as though they were the prime movers.
But anybody familiar with anatomy knows that a muscle will contract from the insertion (most distant) towards the origin of that muscle — and never vice-versa, and when a joint is fully articulated, it will activate the larger muscle supporting it. In this manner, it is possible to engage all the muscles along the five meridians (pathways) back to the center of the body so that the body develops commensurate strength throughout — instead of the disproportionate development working each muscle in isolation — beginning with the largest — and invariably running out of time and energy to exercise the most important muscles at the extremities.
But then in later years, that mistake reveals itself in the muscle atrophy occurring from the extremities back towards the core — in the conditions of edema, lymphedema, lipedema, arthritis, neuropathies, infirmities, and dementias. That is no accident and coincidence. Over the long history and evolution of human societies, the hand, feet and head is what put the human at the top — but because of the conveniences of modern life, we no longer have to move those parts of our body, and movement is what determines the blood flow — and so to immobilize them in exercises is a fatal error — because those are the critically important organs to maintain and develop above all else.
The cardio machines are notably bad for immobilizing the head, hands and feet — while maximizing the heart rate. But the heart is not the weakness of the body as much as it is that the skeletal (voluntary) muscles are unexercised and unengaged. Throwing a rock or spear, requires that flick of the wrist to ensure any kind of accuracy -- whether shooting a basketball, throwing a baseball, hitting a tennis ball or baseball. Without that wrist activation (contraction) that movement is largely meaningless and unproductive. Yet those movements have largely been eliminated in many popular conditioning activities — and so seems to have little or no effect on the increasing dysfunction and malfunctioning of those body parts — while thinking one is getting the proper exercise — as defined only by heart action. But what about exercise for the rest of the body? — pumping the fluids back to the heart and cleansing organs of the body.
Where is the atrophy and deterioration most obvious in aging — and all those aging-related diseases? At the extremities. And their usual manner of exercising seems to be less successful at preventing it — much less producing gains. Obviously, they need to renew and emphasize the flow to those areas as their priorities — and not continuing to ignore that development with such disastrous results. It is even more obvious on the former legendary bodybuilders as they age — and are in a panic because all those efforts seem to be futile now even if the gains came easily when they were younger. Their own bodies are telling them what needs to be tended to — but then they go and do something else instead.
That time is up. Now they have to do what they really have to do — as their urgency. That was the normal course of life until the modern conveniences made no such demands on them to assure their usefulness and health. Watching television all day does not require head movement, grip strength and foot balance. They can just as soon do it in a wheelchair. Predictably, they become less able — even if they get out of their chair for a half-hour of treadmill (cardio) — requiring no articulation and movement at the head, hands, and feet.
That’s the heart’s job, right? The heart is a one pound organ that can’t be expected to be the only working muscle in the body. What about all that other muscle mass? What are they doing? And that is the problem — nothing useful — if anything at all. One doesn’t even know what they’re there for. Thus even the bodybuilders will eschew working the neck, forearms, and calves as non-productive exercises because they don’t know how to use them properly.
The range of motion itself produces a contraction and a relaxation — from the furthest muscular insertions of the body and is thus the most effective and efficient way to improve the circulation throughout the body — that maintains it health — beginning with its most critically important organs at the extremities where they are the most useful. But if one never uses them, they wouldn’t know that.
Is One Set Enough?
Many people think that “progressive weight training” is simply using more weight — rather than considering all the variables. Number one is considering range of motion. The early bodybuilders were very adamant that one had to begin their movement from the greatest stretch possible — and then move into the fullest contraction possible, and alternate that change of muscular state as “one repetition.” But when one thinks that all that matters is how much weight one loads the bar/machine up to and then proceeds to move only a few inches by adjusting the leverage rather than by muscle change — and not going anywhere close to the fullest relaxation and fullest contraction — that manner of performance explains why they don’t achieve favorable benefits from all their “exercise.” They can exercise in that manner until the cows come home, and won’t obtain the benefits of properly executed exercise. Ultimately, that is what they are hoping to exercise and become proficient at — changing muscular states.
Then once that is established as what one is trying to achieve — then the number of repetitions becomes the second consideration of importance. Most people will achieve muscle failure at 50 repetitions — without prolonged resting — performed in this full range manner, whatever weight they are using. So if they are smart, they will select the lightest weight that makes 50 repetitions possible. Once they have obtained momentary muscle failure — nothing more is necessary — or possible. But rather than resting as long as possible to make further effort possible, the more productive strategy is to move onto the next exercise on one’s agenda, and then the next, until one has completed their entire workout with as little rest as possible — and one is completely exhausted. That manner of exercising would make it “aerobic” or “cardio” because an effort sustained for so long, has to be done with attention to breathing — while six repetitions can be done without proper attention to breathing, which makes it ‘anaerobic.” Thus, one has to rest overly long to recover from that deficit.
In fact, properly performed movement actually rides the breathing contraction and will then act as a pre-exhaustion for the subsequent exercise because there is no cardiovascular failure prohibiting further efforts. But unlike using too heavy weights, a light weight becomes heavy — until finally, one cannot even lift their arms without any weight or resistance. That is true muscle failure. That is the state one hopes to obtain in working out — that signals to the body that it must become stronger and more enduring. If it spends 90+% of its time resting, then there is no imperative to become stronger and more able. One simply quits whenever it is convenient to and adapts to the resting state — and so those “results” are not immediately apparent, as it is for those who have learned to make that transformation instantaneously. That is what the physique competitors become good at — making that impressive transformation.
Many are impressive coming in off the streets, but what distinguishes the champion bodybuilders from all the others, is this ability to transform to even greater levels than their fellow competitors can — which was the scientific flaw of Arthur Jones and his Nautilus principles. Rather than selecting a random population sample to “prove” his ideas, he found the two people who were the greatest genetic freaks in making those transformations — and nobody else came close. What makes something “scientific” is that it can be proven on random population samples — and not self-selected individuals with that predisposition for exhibiting those qualities one hopes to exhibit.
That is to say that what works for Casey Viator or Sergio Oliva, is not necessarily going to work for anybody else — but what works for a broad population of 70 year olds, probably has merit. By then, that population sample has already entered into those years in which muscle atrophy is the distinguishing characteristic of that population — and anything that defies and defeats it, is extraordinarily significant. By that measure, traditional and conventional exercise does not work — or it would have been demonstrated conclusively a long time ago. Just simply more of that is not going to work — no matter how strident the belief.
But that doesn’t mean that nothing can work — only that what we thought might work, hasn’t worked before — and so maybe we need to rethink it entirely to match the realities, rather than persisting in the belief that if we wish it hard enough, it will become reality. That is the paradigm of contemporary exercise — and why it doesn’t work, or only works among the young — and then fails utterly as people age, and need it most to work. It doesn’t make sense and is only our desire to impose our will over that reality.
Of course most people would like to believe that they can get into better shape by not doing anything — or just doing whatever they want to do — regardless of the consequences or the results. But life doesn’t work that way. Or merely doing the opposite of whatever life is telling us. That creates a lot of extra work and jobs, and for many, busyness itself is its own virtue and reward. Thus, many still think that proper exercise is simply a matter of burning the most calories — rather than actually getting “results,” and especially, with as little expenditure of time, energy and other resources. The object of a car is not simply to burn as energy as possible but to actually get somewhere — preferably as economically and efficiently as possible.
But one has to measure the output (results) and not simply the inputs (efforts and good intentions) — that can be unlimited with no commensurate results. So when we ask is one set sufficient to optimize gains, the better question is in what manner of training, is nothing more possible? That would obviously be doing 50 repetitions of one exercise immediately followed by the next exercise for 50 repetitions, etc until the body is fully exhausted. There is no place for multiple sets — which means resting for more than one is actually exercising. That is the reason most people fail to make gains — they’re resting most of the time — claiming they are doing “multiple sets” — to failure even. They don’t have the slightest idea what that is.
If they do only one set to failure (or 50 repetitions), that will produce the extreme muscle soreness that will take about a week to recover from — if they do nothing else. But the quickest way to recover from that extreme muscle soreness is just to exercise alternating the contraction and relaxation of those muscles because that action is the circulatory effect that removes the inflammation and promotes healing. Such daily exercises until the next gym workout is for the recovery and consolidation of those gains.
That’s how one set of each exercise is more than enough, and one gym workout a week, is more than enough — to sustain gains at any age, because what one is doing then, is working on their recovery ability — and that is the problem of aging and disease. Then, even the exceptional, run out of recovery ability — and go into irreversible decline. But that is not necessarily inherent in aging. Some activities are more productive than others — and that is what the true scientists are trying to isolate — and not just doing anything, and wondering why it doesn’t work.
Effective Exercise has to Be Very Specific and Directed
The value of movement and exercise is that it directs the body to where the effort and resources need to go -- to achieve maximum results. That means if one needs to throw a projectile at a specific target, it won't do just to run off somewhere else --no matter how far and long. It won't accomplish the task at hand. Likewise, if one wants to condition the midsection to be as fit as possible, one has to actually engage and activate those muscles and movements -- and not do everything else but that. Yet that is the muddled thinking used by most -- and particularly the "experts" -- thinking that if they do enough random movements, something might work -- and many waste their whole lives that way.
That is the unfortunate consequence of not being able to "discriminate" anything important and significant -- from every other thing. And that is what a scientist does -- or any person who becomes proficient in anything. They have to differentiate which among the many considerations -- is most important, and not that everything is equally important -- because there is not enough time and life in the world to pursue everything randomly.
That is true whether they are participating in athletics, personal financial management, rocket science, brain surgery, etc. You have to exclude most things, to focus one's energies and resources on what one thinks is most important -- even if it means learning otherwise. Then one can move on -- and higher because one is no longer consuming all their time and energy on everything -- equally. So one must have this fundamental understanding of reality to be successful at understanding anything particular and specific -- unless of course, they want to be successful at wasting as much time and resources (their life) as an ideal in itself.
We recognize such people as being dysfunctional -- and thus wholly out of touch with reality -- as their objective, and it is futile to argue with that. They don't want to be led to greater clarity and understanding -- but wish to drag as many down with them as possible, and so the wise, avoid them as much as possible. That's not entirely difficult to do because they overrun predictable turf -- that most but the police and emergency responders learn to avoid. That is not their job to have to deal with -- at 4 am in the worst part of town -- where most of these bizarre events occur.
However given enough tolerance, it soon spreads to every other aspect of our lives. One thinks that it is enough just to do anything -- and even to waste the most time, energy and resources -- as the "secret sauce" to life, success and prosperity -- because unfortunately these days, nobody teaches them any other -- and they are merely encouraged to "let it all hang out." And so many get into trouble, and have no way of getting out -- but to do "more of the same." Predictably, it doesn't end well -- but way before the final outcome, one can see the signs that all is not well, but are powerless to do anything about -- because they run out of time to get it right.
And so that is the imperative to get it right -- by practicing and perfecting it, and not just thinking that if one shoots enough balls, one is bound to go in. As absurd as it sounds (hopefully), that is the way many think about exercise -- that it is enough just to burn as many calories as possible or to raise the heart beat as many as possible -- rather than to achieve a specific -- which is the whole purpose of any living being -- to optimize its chances for survival. The health of any individual, is the best predictor of those prospects -- and why it is the primary imperative of every living entity.
Those who live closer to the edge for survival are required to be fitter to rise to those challenges -- much in the manner of more primitive times. They literally have to be "looking over their shoulder -- while those in more comfortable environments, may never have to move their heads at all -- and even their "fitness" activities, do not require any movement at these critical junctures -- which is the movement at the head, hands and feet -- where it is universally recognized as the weakness of the body because circulation is poorest and even nonexistent -- to the point where they even have to be amputated -- but usually before then, have become immobilized, and merely repositories of toxic waste products and inflammation.
And so the obvious good of any exercise, would be to address those vulnerabilities -- and even turn them into one's strengths -- in enhancing the circulatory effectiveness by creating muscular pumps at the extremities to rid these impurities -- and in that process, creating the space to accept life-giving new nutrients. There is only so much space in the body -- particularly after one reaches full growth so that one has to get rid of the old, weak, diseased cells to make room for sustained health and even growth.
That part of life hasn't been figured out successfully -- and so we have the inevitable age-old problems of deteriorating conditions impairing the quality of life and living. Some think it requires infinitely more funding to discover -- while many more are working on such discoveries in their own lives. Many more discoveries will undoubtedly be made with many more people working on it -- rather than just the ones claiming exclusive jurisdiction of the territory -- since everybody gets older, and should not be precluded from finding out what works in their own lives -- especially when the remedies of the experts have been expensive failures.
To my mind, the obvious markers of the condition of any individual, is the form and function of the neck, forearms, and lower leg muscles -- that modern lifestyles no longer require to engage and activate -- unless one deliberately does so. That is not a difficult thing to do -- but is the easiest exercise and movements anyone can do -- if they just think about it, and exercise that understanding and possibility -- even while lying in bed, sitting, or standing. That's where the human body fails -- and most people, even the "experts," think nothing can be done about it. But if one just does that -- that ensures the body is firing on all cylinders because nothing else is possible. You have to go through the rest of the body to activate it at its furthest extremities -- but not vice-versa if all one thinks is necessary is to make the heart alone work harder. That paradigm obviously doesn't work.
Exercising Made Easy
Proper and effective exercise can be achieved with just the understanding of the human body — and how it evolved to work and maintain itself — and failing to do so accounts for a lot of the difficulties we experience as insurmountable problems in our lives. What is the human body designed to do? It is to move at the head, hands and feet — which is precisely what most popular contemporary exercises ignore entirely — in favor of what they believe are the “core” muscles and development — which have no function and meaning except for an ultimate expression at the head, hands and feet.
The muscular design is for the insertion (distal) of each muscle to contract towards the origin (proximal) — and not that one can produce a contraction starting at the core, or origin out towards the extr emity. This is a very important concept to understand — and when it is properly understood — makes any exercise or activity meaningful and productive, rather than just thinking that the object of every activity is to burn as many calories as possible. Or, not much better, to work the heart as hard as possible — as though it wasn’t already the hardest working muscle (organ) of the body. That is not the problem — but that in most contemporary people, the rest of the muscles in the body — are doing nothing most of the time.
So one asks, “What is the most productive thing those muscles could do?” Is it walking, running, jumping, lifting, martial arts, golf, treadmill, etc? If one is thinking clearly, it would be to help the heart in optimizing the circulation process — particularly at the known weaknesses of the furthest extremities known for its poorest circulation, which then causes all kinds of havoc — including the amputation in people of the feet most commonly, and the lack of circulation to the brain and head, which makes every other functioning meaningless and irrelevant.
If one can improve one’s circulation and functioning to any part of the body, what would be one’s priority? The abs, the pecs, the delts, the biceps, the lats, etc. Any intelligent person would say the brain — and not that the brain can take care of itself — but I need the largest bicep in the world, and that is my key to success in life. But if one gives precedence to the brain, the brain decides if it needs a bigger bicep, but a bigger bicep will not think to develop a bigger brain. One recognizes that the critical path of all development, has to be the brain first — and every other consideration second. But then, in a more reflective and thoughtful moment, one would realize the importance of the fine motor development and control of the hand second, and then the feet as critical to maintaining the upright human posture and propulsion as the feet levers against the ground.
We largely take those extremities (organs) for granted — and that is our problem — and not the lack of bigger quads, glutes, biceps, etc. That is not what is going to fail first — but if one activates the furthest most contraction, it triggers off all the supporting muscles closer to the center — where all the muscles have to be anchored next to the heart. Otherwise, all the muscles are disconnected and isolated — and so it is possible to develop disproportionately rather than proportionately as an fully integrated movement from the extremities makes necessary. Then there is no missing link or weakness that predisposes one to injury — or undue wear and tear.
Those joints made to move are moved, and those structures made to provide support and stability for the expressions (articulations) at the head, hands and feet, are not moved excessively and unnecessarily to require routine replacements as part of normal aging. That should be an indication that one is using the body improperly and abusively — and a matter of time before one is injured or impaired. That would be counterproductive to what we hope to be achieving with proper exercise — improvement and enhancement without the excessive and unnecessary risk of injury and even premature death — in the thinking that what doesn’t kill them will make them stronger. You don’t want to be that guy.
A very common sight in gyms — as well as the general population — is to see the modern physique of undeveloped and atrophied neck, forearms and calf muscles — while the development of those areas are sufficient proof that the rest is well-developed enough to support the formidable development at the extremities. But obviously, vice-versa is not true — and is more than just a matter of taste and aesthetics. That is a better measure of functionality (fitness) than how hard and fast the heart is working. That is evidenced by hand-eye coordination and fine motor skills — and not just the gross at the core of the body. That is what people tend to lose as they age — or deteriorate at any age. Yet somehow, they are overlooked — in the zeal to sell exercise equipment, machines and programs.
So we have the problems of arthritis at the hands, feet, and neck — because we never move those parts — even as much as we walk, run, bike, treadmill, and lift weights. Inevitably those parts will be involved — but the full range of that muscle from its ultimate contraction to fullest relaxation is not the intent as it should be — that enhances the blood flow through that area by the action of the voluntary muscular contraction rather than the mistaken notion that the heart can do it alone — unaided by the rest of the much more massive musculature. That is what the muscles can do most productively — and that is the healthiest thing it can do. That is why the body evolved as it did — to make all these things possible, and with the best understanding of it, optimize its functioning.
Get Rid of the Inflammation
Another word for "inflammation" is "swelling" -- which is the accumulation of toxins/waste products in the tissues -- which in the normally healthy body is directed back towards the filtering and purifying organs at the center of the body -- the liver, kidneys, lungs, etc., where it is eliminated and exchanged for fresh nutrients that keep the body alive and even growing. That process can be impeded in many different ways -- including not eating the necessary nutrients, shallow or ineffective breathing, not producing the necessary muscular contractions that push those fluids (blood and lymphatic fluid) out of the tissues and back towards the center of the body for that recycling, etc.
Those are the conditions humans have evolved in for millions of years -- along with many other life forms. Until very recently, such movements were required for the very survival of each individual, and favored the most productive in that manner. Those who were incapable of rising to those occasions with the proper responses perished in those early days of survival. The "fit" were those who survived.
But as human societies predominated, many more less abled could survive -- and other talents and abilities could flourish -- with even greater survival advantage. That would be the emergence of strategic thinkers -- who could manage primitive societies into greater civilizations beyond just conquering the other tribe. Larger synergies gave rise to cities that planned for larger populations to live in relative peace, harmony and cooperation -- we commonly call "teamwork" -- a vast improvement over the winner take all that could be easily overcome by many working in concert.
But individually, the individual human is also designed that way -- to work in concert with all the other parts of the organism -- and not one in primacy over all the others. Even the brain is smart enough to know it cannot do it alone -- but wants all the parts working in synchrony -- doing the best it can to do what it has to do. That is what Nature also intended -- and has honed to what it is today.
But sometimes things go out of whack -- and we witness or experience injury, disease and even death -- and that becomes the major preoccupation and challenge of our lives. Thus many have risen to those challenges because their very existence depended on it -- in the many remarkable transformations that become legendary. The proverbial "98 lb. weakling" who becomes the World's Strongest Man -- because if he didn't, he wouldn't be here today, or the child with rheumatoid arthritis who doctors pronounced would be crippled as an adult.
They refused to take those verdicts lying down but asked themselves what had they got to lose by continuing on their present path? Only that certain fate that awaited them, so rejecting that, tried everything until something worked -- and not simply settle for a better explanation of why it wasn't working. That is the common fallacy of most self-improvement regimens -- that they just have a fancier explanation for why things don't work, rather than a simple and obvious manifestation of what does work -- as self-evident truth. That is the obvious truth of the present moment -- and must be proven in each subsequent moment rather than what so-called experts say -- and have no way of proving in this, or any other time in life and circumstances.
What most fail to observe is that muscle contractions compress the fluids in the tissues back towards the center -- which steady state muscular states do not. That is the significance of alternating full contractions with full relaxations -- that mimic the heart movement in pumping blood out to the rest of the body. The weakness of circulation is that there is no similar pump at the extremities pumping the fluids back towards the center -- which greatly optimizes the circulation in the body -- particularly in those areas that inflammation (swelling) is the problem.
The first resort is not medications to do so, but activating the muscle very deliberately to do so -- as the best thing one can do -- if that is their problem. And if that is not a problem anymore, the body will have those conditions in which it can optimize its own health -- including for producing greater muscle growth and functioning. That is the reason exercise works -- and even produces transformative miracles for those not doing it expressly for that reason. They are simply doing the right things -- and Nature takes care of the rest. That's how simple and direct life is.
The simplest explanation is the best -- and not the most complicated and complex. That may win prizes at academic institutions but is not how the world works. However, in this age of inflated egos and credentials, that's how some people think makes the world go around -- all that hot air creating a vacuum causing the world to spin.
Modern contemporary life doesn't require a lot of personal physical effort to sustain life anymore -- and as a result, many will manifest those shapes and conditions of unexercised specimens -- rather than be fully functional human beings capable of doing what they have to do. If one hasn't done so before, there's no reason to believe one can do it -- until they actually try. Many presume they just have those capabilities whether they've actually ever tried to put themselves in those positions -- and the body was not made not to work, but to actually work.
But one does not realize that until one actually finds that out -- by attempting to do so. And if that first attempt is nowhere close (predictably), then one tries again -- and again -- until they have mastered the movement to achieve precisely the outcome they want with reasonable reliability. A few will decide they wish to become the best at it -- and that is the basis for sport and competitive activities. But that is not the driving force behind most practice to improve. Their fundamental health may be much more urgent and important -- as a lifelong practice. They want to be masters of their own life and health, and not just win prizes for their 15 minutes of fame and glory -- and not care what happens beyond that.
The challenge of these times is not just how long one can live, but the quality of that lifespan. If that is good throughout, then one is prepared to go at one's best -- and the rest is beyond their control. But what they can control, they are their own masters at -- and that is the organizational and driving force of their lives. That is what they are -- and do -- all their lives, no matter how long. That's also how they go out.
They don't sweat the small stuff.
Beyond Resistance Training
The calves, forearms and neck muscles are similar in that they are the muscles at the extremities of the body — that respond most to range of motion — rather than resistance. Added resistance merely decreases the range of motion. Regardless of the condition anybody is in, as soon as they turn their heads all the way to the left or right, the sternomastoid muscle of the neck contracts into prominence — whether one is obese or a body builder, but the people most likely to have a pleasing neck development, are the dancers — who cultivate that development — along with the movements of the hands and feet. It is typical for them to point their feet to be in line with their lower leg — while the typical range of movement for most people, is to barely move their feet from a right angle to the lower leg. It is that range of motion that accounts for the fuller development of the lower leg muscles — and adding more weight, further restricts foot movement.
That is the major argument against the thinking that simply adding more resistance to a movement, will produce a prodigious development — when in fact, for most people, just bodyweight alone is already too much weight for them to be able to raise fully on their toes. They may perform their calf raise on an elevation — and then only go up to slightly above a right angle to their lower leg — and then back down to the stretched position. And so their calf muscle doesn’t develop no matter how much weight they use, or how many reps they do — because they don’t do the most productive part of any exercise — which is the full contraction.
The magic of the full contraction is that it physically forces the blood and other fluids to be compressed out of those tissues — and upon relaxation, the heart can easily pump blow into those areas because the compression has created a vacuum that draws fresh nutrients in. A semi-contracted or semi-relaxed muscular state, which is how most people perform their weight-training exercises, does not produce that impactful flow caused by the difference in the greatest contraction alternated by the greatest relaxation — just as the heart works as a pump.
The ideal design for improving circulation, would be to have pumps at the furthest extremities of the body to pump the fluids back towards the heart — but the muscles of the body can voluntarily do that in many productive activities. Unfortunately, the modern paradigm eliminates that essential involvement and places it on the heart rate and core development — while ignoring the development of the essential movements and development of the neck, forearms and lower legs — which is totally backwards and why modern bodybuilders have grossly disproportional developments — that even Arnold finds disturbing.
That disproportionate development does not happen if one exercises from the extremities on in — because that is the natural evolutionary design. That is, the larger muscles develop to support the fine motor movements at the head, hands and feet — and not the larger muscles with no expression at the head, hands and feet — as many conditioning activities do. What is particularly noticeable in older physique competitors, is the glaring absence of lower leg, lower arm, and neck development — despite the overdevelopment of biceps and abdominals.
That is contrasted with the still formidable leg, arm and neck development seen in older ballet performers and teachers. If one does nothing else but develop the lower leg, lower arms, and neck, then the eye extrapolates that the rest of the musculature must be awesome — because it is so traditionally underdeveloped as a yardstick for that assessment. But more accurately, the impressive development of the extremities, implies the greater health of the supporting structures — but not vice-versa. That is, one can have a well developed core muscles — while still having a pencil neck, and pipestem forearms and calves — which is a common sight in many gyms. Aside from the aestethics, the common failure of most aging people, is the deterioration visible at the neck (face), hands and feet as the telltale signs of aging.
So the question one asks, is what allows for the greatest range of movement at the joint one wishes to develop? That would be to assume the Achilles tendon stretch against a wall or chair, and then raising the heel to achieve the greatest contraction (articulation) of that forward push off — rather than rising straight up with a weight on their shoulders because the spine is bearing most of the impact. That is true for most of the exercises one thinks they are doing for the development of the larger muscles of the body. The primary victim is the spine and its compression — often leading to back pain for the rest of their lives.
While the ballet dancers are impressive that they can stand on their toes, for the rest of us, if we can get into that position bearing no weight, or as little weight that allows that full range contraction, we can achieve the same effect. Arthur Jones noted that the strength curve between the fully relaxed position of a muscle to the fully contracted position varied greatly, but dismissed the observation that at the most extreme positions, further attempts to increase that range, produced its own unlimited resistance. If one thinks to increase that range of movement (flexibility), it is usually only in the relaxed position — and not the contracted position, where most simply rest in a bone-on-bone lockout — whether that is a squat, deadlift, bench press or standing press. To go into a hypercontracted position would cause the bar to come crashing down because it is so intense as to be unsustainable. But that is what we want to do with a lighter weight, and in many cases, no additional weight at all — which is what a supercontracted calf raise beginning from an Achilles tendon stretch would be.
That is very different than doing the calf raise off of blocks — starting with a maximum resistance. Then at best, one would only raise one’s feet to level before dropping back down into the lowered position. One has to find a way that they can get into the fully contracted, and even hypercontracted position — even without weights — because it is the range of movement that is paramount, and not the weight lifted for no meaningful change of muscular state that will induce the nutrients for growth. It is not the weight lifted, but the changes in the muscular state from full contraction to full relaxation that produces that flow that maintains and grows the body.
It’s not the lack of effort or resistance, but the lack of the proper understanding of what one is doing — and hoping to accomplish. Then when it makes perfectly good sense, one can’t help but do the right things — because it wouldn’t make sense to do otherwise.
Exercising the Brain
The value of all “physical” exercise is that it increases the flow of blood and nutrients to the part of the body actually exercised — by first ridding the body of accumulated toxins (inflammation) by those muscular contractions at the extremities. In a primitive healthy individual, that is an absolute requirement for survival (fitness) — because that survival is not guaranteed by others (society). Each individual has to provide wholly for themselves — because there is no 911 to call. Or by the time that help arrives, one has already perished. Those are the conditions that humans evolved in — and so those who survived, were best at doing so.
The distinctive features of the human body that place them above all the other creatures are the large brain, tool-making/using hand, and feet that allow for an upright position — so if anything, it would make the most sense to service those organs as the highest priority — because that takes care of the rest. Those are the organs one has the most control over —and can make the greatest impact — whether that is throwing a stone/spear, running, jumping, climbing, and of course, the brain directs it all. But even before that, the first task of the head, is to turn and direct one senses in the right direction. If nothing else, that tells the other — whether animal or human — that they are aware, and not just lost in their own thought — oblivious to everything happening around them.
Even predators notice this difference — and are likely to go after the prey most unaware of their presence than take on the fully attentive individual anticipating their every move. But it is not just enough to possess those capabilities — because one has to actually exercise them to do any good. That means turning one’s head to see whether a car is coming towards them — and it is not enough just to know that they shouldn’t be. That is true whether one is in a car or on a bike — and more important than how fast one’s heart is beating. That is automatic — but whether one turns his head to know that the car is coming and letting the car know that also in that movement — is a critically important accomplishment.
That frequently is the difference between life and death — and so it is a very important movement to practice and cultivate — and not just head fixed straight ahead thinking one can beat any other to that spot faster — if one simply ignores all else. So those head movements, are still critically important skills to ensure the optimal functioning of the brain and body — but contemporary lifestyles often take for granted as unnecessary or makes convenient not to.
Most people’s idea of “exercising the brain” therefore, consists of doing meaningless crossword puzzles or other such extraneous brain games — while ignoring the obvious and very visible fact that their neck muscles are atrophying — in what is called the “turkey neck,” or the “pencil neck” — despite having impressive biceps and “six-pack” abdominal development. That won’t prevent them from suffering the consequences of suboptimal blood flow to the brain — which is the whole point of CPR and basic first aid. Once the brain is gone, it doesn’t matter how many more years the heart can continue to function normally. And that is a major concern and problem in societies today.
In advanced ages surely, but less recognized, is that lack of optimal functioning and blood flow to the brain at any age and condition. I’ve even heard people who should know better, say that the head should not move — nor should one increase the blood flow to the brain — and then, that it makes no difference. Yet they will claim that we have to exercise the brain just like any other muscle — but without movement. If we did exercises for the muscles without movement, the results would predictably be nonproductive and obviously absurd. That lack of obvious movement is the very reason for their lack of muscular development and overall poor condition — because it is the contraction along with the alternating relaxation of the muscles in use, that actuates the flow — and not merely the wishing it would (mental exercise).
Why are the problematical parts of the body (the extremities) not regarded as the proof of the effectiveness of exercise (optimizing blood flow) — but rather, considered the exceptions to the rule for robust health? It should be obvious that that is how one would go about it — if selling machines and supplements were not the primary considerations. Does one really need to make the heart work harder and faster — or would it be better if the hands, feet and head movements were articulated to ensure optimal functioning of those organs as the highest priority and that would empower the rest — but not vice-versa.
That is to say that empowering the bicep first, would not lead to deciding that a better functioning brain would be desirable, but in empowering the brain first, it might decide that a stronger bicep might be advantageous — but not vice-versa. That is the hierarchy of human development — and critical path for determining the ultimate success of that individual. Everything else, is diverting energy and resources from this important work of the body — whether one is 70 or 7. That’s why any body fails — this failure to distinguish the significant from the diversions and distractions of contemporary life.
Once a Week Higher-Intensity Gym Workouts
If you work out intensely, then it won’t be possible to work out oftener than once a week. That is the general rule — or observation, because that all-out effort can only be done infrequently — and not every day — even by the best. It is like a professional or even college football player playing a big game every day. There is not enough recovery ability and psychic energy to do so on that frequency. If one did, then one would exhaust their recovery ability and regress —rather than progress — but far more common is becoming injured because the body cannot maintain that level of intensity for long — or frequently.
So that is lesson one in any athlete’s training — to discover that point that is not too little, or too much — and err on the side of too little, because one can always do a little more — but if one is too aggressive, is that they will injure themselves, and set them back for weeks — or forever, which is how many swear off exercise for the rest of their lives. You don’t want to be that guy —- that is the worst case scenario.
That’s why anybody who tells you they are training to failure everyday, on every set, doesn’t know what they are talking about — because even the greatest athletes know to pace themselves and peak at exactly the right moment — and then once that is achieved, many often go off the rails — and do all kinds of things they feel they have deprived themselves of to reach that peak condition in that right moment.
Most people however, just want to be in acceptable shape and condition all their lives — rather than the one moment of glory and then die prematurely — or become crippled for life. That greatly explains why a lot of these bodybuilding competitors die early — rather than being the paragons of health up to 100. And that really is the objective for most people — and not whether they can obtain maximal gains at any cost, no matter how briefly. With that in mind, one wants to know what is the sustainable pace of improvement throughout one’s life — rather than the one and done — and then we move on to the next impressive prodigy with short shelf life. We really want to be the first person to 100 who doesn’t look 100 — and not the person who is 100 who looks like they should be dead. Or even 60 for that matter.
The problem with a once a week intense workout is not that it is not productive, but that it produces extreme muscular soreness for the following week that seems to worsen even up to the fourth day and sometimes beyond after the workout, and then finally to show signs of recovery up to the day of one’s next weekly intense workout. So the problem is always that one is recovering from this extreme muscle soreness — that pains one to bend at most joints — if one does not do anything else for the whole week. And so the key breakthrough, was recovering from this extreme and debilitating muscle soreness, so that one can live an enjoyable life — rather than just being in recovery perpetually — even if that is what it takes to achieve maximum muscle growth in the fastest time possible.
Because the bigger objective — in all one does — is to achieve the most enjoyable life possible, and not just the one thing — and being healthy and highly functioning is more important than any single competition — at whatever cost. The wise strategy is finding out how much less one can do to achieve that same effect — rather than how much more one can do — which often results in less of that effect — or diminishing returns for more cost and effort. The medical expression is the smallest effective dose — and not the popular belief that if a little is good, than more must be better — infinitely.
So if one goes to the gym once a week and works out at any intensity, that is already good enough to keep them in the game — all their lives. You just don’t want to go to zero — by overdoing it and getting injured or burned out so that one swears off doing anything anymore for the rest of their life. That is the critical failure. But if one is going to the gym once a week and working out as hard as they want to, that puts them way ahead of most people — including a lot of people who do more — and then stop, because their regimen becomes too difficult to continue.
Lots of people recount how active and even prolific they used to be 20, 30, 40, 50 years ago — but haven’t done anything since — so what matters is what they still do now, and can do better. But a hundred times zero, is still zero. That is also true for 1,000% followed by zero. So the proper intensity, is what one can do — and continues to do — regularly. That is “regular” exercise. Then when one is exercising regularly, the next question to ask, is what is most beneficial to do?
For most people, that would be becoming good or better at what they already do — and not as the exercise experts would have them do — become good or better at what they never do otherwise. Yet that seems to be largely what the exercise experts teach — movements one would not even think to do — while ignoring the difficulties/or pain they are having at what they actually do.
Another word for intensity is “focus” — which means to concentrate one’s energy and efforts to the proper axis of attention — and not have it dissipated and scattered everywhere so one loses that central importance of what is being studied — and its causes and effects. Then one can measure its significance as cause and effect — rather than just being coincidental and correlated to anything — which may or may not be important. Correlation is the beginning and not the ending of one’s studies. Poor scientists and researchers seek to confirm their beliefs by eliminating all the information contrary to it — rather than proving a direct causal relationship in a random population sample.
The importance of that is that a principle will work on anybody and everybody — and not just on a highly motivated self-selected few — who may have very little in common with the average population. It may be that it only works for a special population sample — rather than being a universal truth. But one recognizes the truth that everybody is not indefatiguable — and must rest and recover to some degree greater than others. It is during those times that the body has the chance to get rid of the damage and build itself better — for the next time. But if the next time never comes, that response is extinguished — because the body has more important things to do than maintain a reserve that is never tapped.
As one gets older, they realize that resources are not unlimited but have to be diligently maintained in the best balance — with priority to whatever is most important to do. That with unquesttionably be to maintain the functioning and health of the extremities of the head, hands, and feet, where it is usually noted, that the circulation and development is the most compromised — as the telltale signs of aging. Perfect — because those alternating contractions and relaxations of the musculature of those organs, optimize the circulatory effect of the body — if one were designing the human body as a machine for optimal performance and functioning. Those movements can be performed anytime, anywhere, as needed — to enhance the recovery from the once a week intense workouts at the gym.
Rising to the Challenges of Daily Living
The chief benefit of all exercise is to direct all the energy and resources to the task (challenge) at hand — and maintain that capability all one’s life. So obviously, if one does not actually exercise that capability, one doesn’t know if one has it, nor the degree to which it can be recruited — momentarily, as needed. That is not dependent on free weights, machines, or any other apparatus — but is the mastery over one’s own body and its functioning. There is nothing magical about the equipment; the major ingredient is the understanding of the challenge and the individual’s response.
Muscles are the means by which we can change to accomplish any task and objective. We do that by contracting a muscle — or relaxing it to achieve the desired effect. When any movement is studied and observed beyond the distractions, we realize that those are the essentials that keep the body functioning optimally — regardless of the activity. Weight-training and machines isolate those movements — which can be performed productively without that equipment, and is probably the breakthrough that enables people to exercise throughout their lives — by DECREASING the resistance to such movements. That is the key to exercising in longevity. Not lifting more weights, but learning to produce those contractions and relaxations — without the resistance or need to accomplish any other extraneous work.
In that way, it is similar to a lot of athletic events that require minimal apparatus — like yoga, tai chi, dance, etc., that have become ritualized in its own way — and become a hindrance to the simplicity in effecting immediate health. It doesn’t take years of study and practice to produce a muscle contraction or relaxation. That is just what muscles do. But exercise (training) makes them do it better — but the capability is always there as the nature of the organ. The user guide is another matter entirely — and unfortunately many, if not all, come into the world having no idea what to do with it — although the child prodigies of movement have a huge head start in this mastery — just as they do in every other, and that is why one is advised throughout life, to discover who they are, and what they were born to do — as they will have great advantage in doing so.
But the simplicity of exercise is the understanding that if one increases the circulation to any organ or area, that maintains its health — as a priority over organs and areas not given that priority. Everything will not develop equally well just because it is the heart’s job to pump blood equally well to every part regardless. Preference is given to what one actually does — and not all one could do, but doesn’t. And that is many things. But in rising to the challenge of one’s own existence and environment, one is shaped in that way — to be more prolific at what one actually does. So it is not enough just to wish one had those formidable capabilities, but actually practice it enough to make it so.
But then we usually get lost in the activity and the competitions surrounding it — until much later in life when we wish we just had the ability to do what we used to do so easily — but took the erroneous path of making it more cumbersome and difficult, and eventually impossible and even injurious. We are encouraged to do so by those who would sell their products with the promise to restore those capabilities — whether it still makes sense to do so or not — as one now has trouble just getting out of bed, or out of a chair — and doesn’t think those are worthy challenges to master but are now their handicaps for life.
Then instructors and therapists will come along and advise them how to make those movements more difficult — to make the simple seem easier. But that just raises the bar higher, and what is indicated, is lowering the bar, so that they can actually do it — and do it easily, effortlessly, and gracefully. And as long as they can do that, then movement is their friend, and not their struggle — but it requires that simplicity of understanding, and not making it more complex and harder.
So the simplicity of movement is that it is effected by contracting a muscle or lengthening it — and the rhythmic alternation of those states, produces the same pumping effect as the heart does unfailingly until the day one dies. As important as its role and function, the heart is still a small organ of roughly one pound — supplying blood for a 100+ body, and the best and most healthful use for all the other muscles, is to assist the heart in pumping the blood out of the extremities at the head, hands and feet where circulation is poorest — back towards the center of the body for elimination, exchange and recycling — or the body simply accumulates those waste products as the inflammation and swelling that undermines this healthful process. That is the kind of exercise one needs in the extraordinary circumstances of outer space of deepest depths of the ocean — or simply getting out of bed each day ready to take on the challenges of one’s daily living.
The Giant Swing
In the mid-80s, I ran across a very thin volume in which a doctor from the early 20th century, advised doing the Giant Swing — as a remedy for virtually every major human ill — and so it was hard to take him seriously — in an age of increasing specialization and fragmentation.
Each of the 20 chapters or so, described a health condition in two pages, for which the remedy was the exact same movement — which he called, The Giant Swing. It was kind of maddening to see the same simple exercise prescribed for all the major illnesses of the times — but I was used to hearing eccentric ideas regarding training — often from the inventors themselves, and kept an open mind as to how their insights concurred with actual observations and experiences.
As a still fairly young person, these answers seemed too easy and obvious — or “too good to be true,” that it is easy to assume that they must not be true — because we are conditioned to not believing our own senses but to rely on the “unquestionable authorities” who claim to do all the thinking for everyone henceforth — just because they thought of it first. But real science is always challenging authority — in a quest for a better understanding, and not merely accepting previous authorities as the end-all of what can be known — especially when it fails to solve our age-old problems.
At that point, we don’t stop looking and give up in despair that there can be a better solution and understanding, but find out ourselves what works and what doesn’t — even if only for ourselves. And then if it does, the secret will get out — even if suppressed, censored, edited out by the gatekeepers of information paid handsomely to maintain the status quo.
But the quest for truth and understanding, is a higher calling that eventually overwhelms the narrow self-aggrandizing interests — to lay the foundation for the next level of evolution, which requires the presence of a critical mass of population of first sufficient longevity, and secondly, the healthspan beyond that. Thus, simply a longer life, is not sufficient to define health, but health is now measured beyond mere survival. That sign, would be the ability to maintain their functioning, mobility, and competence to accomplish all the tasks to maintain independence and freedom in life. That is now the new standard for meaningful existence — and not simply the bare vital signs with no willful capacity.
On the other hand, one does not need to be setting world records for their age group — or in open competitions for that matter — to prove they are still viable, and merit living longer. It should be enough to provide for their own independent living — at increasing higher levels of competency. That is already plenty, and accomplished even by a few — including the young and more active. Only a few become wiser with age — while many more become older and simply fall apart increasingly, because they have no way of getting better. The many ways offered by the “experts,” require them to be highly-functioning, to become better, rather than starting from their present state of competency — even if it is barely detectable.
That is the basic level of responsiveness — where any sign of voluntary movement is indicative of the possibility of improvement. Everyone has days like that, and so what is of primary importance, is being able to raise oneself from the dead — as required, this one more time. Or if one doesn’t feel up to doing anything, anymore. The giant swing is a good way to get started — because the movement of the head relative to the torso, produces the alternation of the muscle contraction and relaxation at the neck, to enhance that flow to the most important organ of the human body. But without that specific flow, it doesn’t matter how fast and how hard the heart is working — because that is not the lack — but is the last thing one needs to worry about. But in most conventional exercise with their muddled and even backwards understanding of the value of exercise, they place the autonomic above the voluntary muscular action — which is certainly wrong thinking and wrong understanding of the human body.
There is a reason it is an autonomic (automatic) function and not that one has to reinvent millions of years of evolution because Nature got it wrong in providing so — in every living animal. But the voluntary muscular actions, is what every individual can do to enhance their present functioning, capabilities and development. That is simply inescapable common sense and self-evident truth — that any right-thinking individual can discover for themselves. But unfortunately, that is not how many learn anymore — thinking that the primary way of learning, is to ask somebody else for the truth of the matter. And if all the “experts” are aligned on one consensus, it doesn’t matter that it doesn’t work for anyone — and never will. They are in agreement on what the truth is — despite it being nonproductive and even ruinous for everyone — but they are the experts who will continue to be in charge as these problems get worse — without end.
But if one can simply perform the giant swing that ensures the enhancement of the blood flow primarily to the brain, and secondarily to the muscles (organs) of the torso, one can feel fairly confident that one is engaging enough of the total musculature beyond simply working the heart harder and faster — to do some real good. However, one still has to do that, and not merely think that that makes perfectly good sense — and knowing that alone without exercising that knowledge, is sufficient to obtain desirable results.
The giant swing is more commonly known as the torso twist while looking straight ahead, or the 360 degree head turn — requiring the engagement and activation of all the muscles of the body to achieve.
