Rethinking Exercise
The major difference between high-intensity training (HIT) and low-intensity training (LIT) is that HIT cannot be sustained for very long, which requires a rest (Interval) making it HIIT. Low-intensity exercise does not require one to have to take a rest break at frequent intervals — but is exercise that can be sustained and prolonged indefinitely — like a cross-country bike ride. That person would not require a rest break every ten minutes — or they’d never get anywhere. But the high-intensity effort can usually not be sustained for very long because it usually means holding one’s breath for a maximal effort — which makes it anaerobic — or done without breathing.
The internal pressures involved with such maximal efforts are what causes a lot of damage and premature deaths among such highly-motivated athletes — like the proverbial “John Henry” who thought he could outrace a steam engine. Many of the “World’s Strongest Men,” also succumb to such stresses and retire quite young from such competitions, as well as many bodybuilders — including the Arnolds and the Ronnies. It is not that the spirit is not willing, but the body accumulates all these past traumas — and rather than becoming infinitely stronger, it inevitably takes a toll. That is not likely to be the case with low-intensity training — in which one can go on indefinitely — and so the body is telling you something in that.
However, just because one can sustain an activity indefinitely, is no guarantee that it will be productive enough to produce muscle growth and enhanced functioning. So one is aiming for that sweet spot at which one can sustain muscle growth and improved functioning for the rest of their lives — rather than the brief moment of glory followed by a lifetime in decline — which is the case in many former champions.
It may be that they suffer a few injuries along the way that makes no longer all-out efforts possible, and they’d be happy just to rehabilitate those injuries so they could resume a life without pain and disabilities — and that is the far superior role of lower-intensity but also productive exercise — which almost every highly-competitive athlete comes around to — but unfortunately, know no other way to train and exercise but the all-out to the next injury style.
At this point, many just give up and abandon exercise completely — or come back for high-intensity training that forces a prolonged rest, burnout and/or injury — before becoming completely discouraged. Their conditioning has been that they either have to force themselves beyond their limits each and every workout, or it is a waste of time to do anything less. But the less can be more — if it can be sustained over an entire lifetime, and I thing that is the paradigm people want — but are usually not offered that possibility.
It does require rethinking productive movements — beginning with the notion of the measurement of exercise at the heart — which defines high and low intensity. High intensity exercise is measured by achieving maximal heart rate — which is a danger zone and why that theoretical maximum was formulated — to protect those with heart problems from approaching those thresholds. Thus the concepts or “aerobic” and “cardio” also derive from that focus on heart function alone as the measure of effectiveness. But in the hands of the highly competitive, what was originally designed as maximums that should not be broached, was interpreted by the jocks as minimums that must be exceeded each and every time to be productive.
That is not true. The central focus in exercise is not how hard the heart works, but how effectively the muscle one wishes to develop is working — to increase the blood flow through that area — which is the circulatory effect — that more sensibly, has to be measured at the extremities rather than at the heart — because that is the objective — to pump the blood to the farthest reaches of the body, and not just to the heart itself. The heart always gets all the blood — by design. But the muscles don’t — unless they are activated in the same manner as the heart — in alternately contracting fully and relaxing fully, which makes its an auxillary pump.
That muscle mass is about 30% of the body weight — as opposed to the one pound heart — which people think is erroneously pushing the blood singlehandedly throughout the body as well as lifting hundreds of pounds externally. What the body does, is use favorable leverage to perform such tasks — rather than the naive notion that one simply has to make the heart alone work harder and faster — until it fails completely, and that is not a desirable outcome. Instead, one wants to produce as much results as possible, at a slow and steady pace — which usually makes the difference over time.
Meanwhile, the high-intensity guys are usually resting — which is a hell of a way to get anything done — but that’s what they think they are doing. But as people get older and wiser, they recognize that if they can still move through a great range, they are way ahead of the game, and that more than increasing resistance over a decreasing range, is the quality of life and movement they want.
High and low intensity is inherently the wrong way to think about it — because the focus is on working the heart harder and faster — rather than whether the muscles of the body are working as the heart does — making the entire musculature dedicated to the circulatory effect — which produces the optimal health and all its benefits.
Intensity and Resistance
Usually when we speak of resistance, that is referring to a mass outside the body, which can be moved measurably — including the body mass itself. In fact, many people’s idea of exercise is to move the body itself — before adding further resistance. However, the really important part of movement, is the movement happening within the body itself — which is the circulation, or circulatory effect that enables one to perform a movement, and more importantly, sustain such effort to accomplish some task.
It’s rarely the case that one accomplishes anything with one burst of power — and then no further effort. Those incidents are largely involved in the destruction of something — rather than the making of it. Building something requires time and effort — while great things can be destroyed in a millisecond. But then all one has is a lot of broken pieces, while the objective of most work and effort, is to build something out of nothing — over time. That is the work of man — whether building a structure, or their own bodies, health, and well-being.
Such edifices can last a lifetime — while “one and done” is dependent on how much one started out with — to last very long. If one hasn’t first build up that reserve, then there is no well to go to — and one is constantly in search of a new source, and exhausting oneself each day in that way. Thus the practicality of building up one’s reserves — so that they are readily available at the right opportunities — or the need for survival. But rather than exist only in perpetual survival mode, one wishes to have a little extra, and if possible, a lot extra — to better take advantage of the opportunities presented to them. That begins with one’s health and fitness — or readiness to respond to the challenges of their own existence — as the basic equipment they always have with them.
Naturally, it would make a lot of sense if that did not require a lot of equipment, nutrients and other resources to carry around with them — to access those inner reserves — by the body’s own design. That is the function of the circulatory system and effect. It gets those resources to where they need to be — to be most useful and productive. In primitive times and conditions, the daily movements required for survival ensured people stayed in the best health for what they had to do. But in contemporary life and times, there is little one actually needs to do to ensure that survival, and so a lot of people become unfit — simply because they can.
In earlier and less prosperous times, societies could not support such unproductive individuals, and so it just didn’t happen — not if any individual could help it. But with the growth of societies and civilizations, it became possible to support most people in abundance, and prosperity if they managed that abundance well, and wisely. Life became a little more complex — because it afforded most with that luxury. However, such wealth can be frittered away if not valued and managed properly for optimal results.
One might simply waste as much time, energy and resources as the thing to do — thinking that is all to do in life. And so their exercises and activities will reflect that wasting of capacity rather than the building of those reserves toward a greater life. Predictably, their measure is only how many calories they “burn” — as though that is all — and not the possibility that it is to build the body for greater capacities than it started out with. Most are aware of such possibilities, but think that it is only possible with great sacrifice of time, energy and resources — rather than how the body would prefer to be — and was designed for.
All animals are similarly designed in that way — unless their movements and activities are distorted and constrained. In humans, certain movements naturally produce muscle contractions — which are the triggers for blood flow to increase in that way. That is the effect of use, or exercise — specifically to produce a maximal contraction that expels fluids out, and upon relaxation, reload because of the space (vacuum) created by that expansion. — allowing the heart to easily fill those areas with its reliable pumping. All the muscles of the body work in this simple way: There is a position in which it must be fully contracted, and another position in which it must be fully relaxed, and those are the important positions — and NOT the resistance in going from one position to the other.
The body doesn’t care about the resistance in going from one extreme to the other. In that way, it is similar to the operation of a computer. The computer only recognizes if a switch is open or closed — and how it gets from one extreme to the other is irrelevant. But that is what most people concern themselves with — the resistance in getting to the extremes, and so never get there. Getting to those extremes, is what is required in increasing the range of motion (movement). Instead, the tendency is to shorten the range of movement — while adding more resistance — whether that is bodyweight, free weights, machines, angle, difficulty, etc.
The problem is that one selects a resistance that is determined by the most weight one can handle in the pre-contracted position — rather than the proper weight determined by the pre-stretched position — and thus never gets into the super-contracted or super-relaxed positions indicative of the greatest range of that possibility. That can be achieved not by resistance — but in knowing what the extreme ranges of that muscle expression are. That was what I observed when I studied the Nautilus machines that featured “variable resistance throughout the full range of movement.” The range of movement itself, was the greatest resistance — moving in either direction.
This is particularly helpful to note in people with limited range of movement — which is virtually everybody — but obscured with the preoccupation of “resistance” used — while the range of the movement varies greatly from one person to another — so as to be virtually meaningless. That is true of all the exercises usually performed and seen in a gym — further exacerbated by overly long rest intervals, so as to render most workouts predictably unproductive. Some are more obvious than others — such as talking or scrolling on their smart phones for 90% of their gym time. Very rarely does one witness a person actually working out the entirety of their gym session — but if one does, that is usually the best conditioned person in the gym.
But it is not enough just to do a limited range movement like the treadmill or stationary bike — in which there is no articulation of the neck, wrists and ankles — indicative of people only working their heart harder and faster, with the resulting atrophied and emaciated look of “cardio” exercisers throughout the rest of their musculature. Sensibly, they should be doing light resistance weight training without rest as all the cardio they need — while achieving total muscular failure/exhaustion in an hour. I’ve never seen that program fail to produce impressive outcomes with each and every workout — no matter what the level of previous training and experience.
That quality of workout can be done only once a week — while simulating those movements without weights the rest of the week — to obviate the muscle soreness that might linger the rest of the week. What is generally called a “high-intensity” workout uses heavy weights for a small number of repetitions — that produces cardiovascular failure rather than true muscle failure, because the weight restricts the breathing by compressing the chest — while the heart rate exceeds the safe levels under that duress. So everything about that manner of performance and exercise is telling the trainee to stop or they will suffer extreme adverse effects — and not that whatever doesn’t kill them, will make them invulnerable. Life doesn’t work that way.
Clearing Space
Reconfigure your home into an exercise studio: All you need is space, and then a few props like a padded floor mat, a sturdy folding chair, and a light pair of dumbbells. The major thing is that it is always set up and ready to go — at any time one thinks of it. You don’t want to be putting your exercise machine and equipment away — so it is a hassle to get it out and set it up each time, and by then, lose the inspiration of the moment. No, you have to be ready to go whenever you feel like it, or can think of it — and not that you have to get your gym clothes together, drive to the gym, pool, or some other specialized place, and all the other things that make exercise a hassle — before one even starts.
No, you already want to be exercising before you realize it — and have to make a monumental effort to get started. And so many don’t start, but just wait for those moments of inspiration to pass — and so never get around to it — as much as they think they should, or ought to. But if you’re standing by the dryer waiting for that five minutes to end, you can do five minutes of calf (heel) raises — which is better than running/walking a mile. And then if the clothes are still not dry, you can set the timer for another five minutes and do five minutes of bent over rows — or overhead arm raises.
The key to making any movement an effective exercise, is the movement (flexion or extension) at the extremities of the head, hands, and feet — which is exactly where most contemporary people never move anymore. That is the price of a modern convenient life — not requiring those movements anymore because the information comes to us on the screen — so we don’t have to turn our heads to see and hear what is behind us. And so the neck and neck muscles atrophy — but more importantly, the brain does as well because as any part of the body, it benefits from increased (optimal) circulation, and is only sustained at a subsistence level — like most parts of the body.
Where one specifically moves, increases the flow to those parts actually moved, because the movement itself enhances the flow. That’s how one can tell what a person actually does: they show prodigious development in those areas actually moved — and lesser development to those areas hardly activated. The typical example is the grossly disproportionate development between the upper body and the lower body development in most gym goers. Realizing this, most people’s remedy is just to hide their legs from view — while wearing tank tops to expose their most prodigious development. But doing so, makes the disproportion grow even greater — until it becomes a hopeless disproportion bordering on a disability.
The easiest exercise to actually do — is the simple calf (heel) raise — anytime one can think of it. That essential movement, is what is required in running, jumping, walking, cycling, and Olympic weightlifting. It doesn’t need to be made any harder or more difficult. It just has to be done — and sustained for a good amount of time — because you don’t want to run for just ten reps — but as long as one has to. Doing it on a block doesn’t make it a better exercise — but actually makes it worse. One can get all the stretch one desires by moving one foot as far back from the other to obtain a maximal stretch — while also producing a maximal contraction as well by eliminating the resistance that prevents that amplitude.
That is to note that the amount of weight that can be safely handled in the stretched (relaxed) position, is a fraction of the amount that can be safely handled in its most contracted position — as was noted by Arthur Jones in the design of his Nautilus machines. In the case of the calf (heel) raise off of a block, that principle is reversed to make the beginning position the hardest part of the movement — while causing the top position of that movement to be eliminated entirely. It is the top portion of that movement that is the most productive part of it — as is true for all the movements of the body.
It is the contraction that needs to be achieved, and not more relaxation. That is the exercise effect. You want to extend the range of contraction — as the effort — rather than the relaxation — as the effort. That is why the concept of accentuating the negative, doesn’t work in the real world applications — while it might cause a muscle to fail sooner — because it is not given this interval to properly rest and prepare for the next contraction. Any muscle used in this manner would fail sooner (prematurely) — but what would be the point? — other than to make it fail as quickly as possible, as an end in itself. I can think of no application in which such an outcome would be desirable — other than to prove that it is possible. In every case, it would be better just to allow gravity to do its work. The reason for lowering a weight under a controlled speed, would be to protect the tendons, ligaments and muscles from the accelerating forces of a deadweight drop in its most vulnerable position.
Under normal conditions, there is no such danger — and one can proceed to move with the confidence of safety — from any position of complete rest and inactivity. That requires space to move freely, a mat for doing lying exercises, and a chair to aid one in doing seated or standing exercises. As easy as it may seem, it has to always be readily available — and not apparatus that only takes five or ten minutes to set up. That won’t do.
Eventually one hopes to be conditioned into the thinking that they exercise any time, any place, under any circumstances because the body and its proper understanding is all one needs to maintain its optimal health — and not the thinking that one is dependent on all these other extraneous factors, promoters of their products and expertise, want you to believe is necessary.
You don’t need to be standing up to exercise — or even to be seated. you can be lying on a mat — or in bed — as long as you move the head, hands and feet through their full ranges. That is what most exercisers don’t do — and that is the areas that need to be moved — as the known weaknesses of the human constitution. This is particularly critical in older people with their lifelong accumulation of problems that threaten their very survival. Conventional/traditional exercise does not work because of the focus on the wrong parts of the body, and no amount of doing all the wrong things, will equal a little bit of the right thing.
Recovery from Exercise
Physiologists say there are 600-800 muscles in the human body -- so in order to work every muscle individually would be prohibitive -- and require one to exercise virtually every waking moment -- unless they can find a way to work many muscles at a time, which is an easy thing to do when one realizes that muscles are organized into pathways or meridians in which energy flows. Some of the ancient adepts called it "chi" or "prana" indicating the vital life force. Centuries later, it would be called "circulation," which for all practical purposes, are the same thing.
Life is funny in that way: the same thing can be called by different names as though they were different things -- rather than the same thing called and described in different ways -- as it more accurately is. Such differences are rooted in language itself, and not whether it is a higher or lower understanding of that phenomenon. But once we are clear on what we are talking about, we can evolve even higher levels of understanding of what we are talking about, otherwise, one opinion (explanation) is as good as any other.
In these discussions, it is possible to go in two different ways: the simpler, or the vastly more complex -- and endless discussion so that one never gets around to acting on it. Or having the simplest understanding, and immediately acting on it, and being guided by that outcome as to what to do next. In other words, one does not begin with a conclusion -- but is a discovery of the truth along the way. Most of life prefers this way -- learning by trial and error, or doing -- rather than thinking one knows what they doing, and finding out at the end, that one had no idea what they were doing. That is the difference between success and failure -- and of course, disappointment.
"Exercise" has always been the exercise of one's understanding, and not just the mindless repetition of what some higher authority says is good for you -- without rhyme nor reason. The value of exercise has been to enhance and even optimize the circulatory effect -- to best do what a body needs to do. For a few, that might be to lift the heaviest weight -- but for most, it is to sustain their effort for as long as it takes -- and not to fail prematurely or unexpectedly. Under dire circumstances, maybe that is what they would have to do -- but not if they can avoid it, as a last, desperate resort.
Instead, they would prefer to have plenty in reserve at all times -- uncertain as we all are, of exactly where the "finish line" is, or the music stops. That is true for all the aspects of our lives -- health, finances, jobs, relationships, or contests -- or if we choose to condition ourselves for such extremes, it is done sparingly and under controlled circumstances in which even the recovery is planned for. It is not enough just to work oneself until utter exhaustion and even death -- thinking that whatever doesn't kill them makes them stronger. They might not recover -- but go into a lifelong downward spiral to the end.
That is particularly a problem with prolonged modern lives. Everyone would be perfectly happy to live a hundred years in perfectly good health -- but that is usually not the case. Thus far, it may even be unprecedented. So then, who will be the first? Obviously, recovery and recovery ability plays a big role in that actualization.
As far as I've been able to determine, performing the exercise through the full range of motion from contraction to relaxation -- without a load (resistance) speeds the recovery from the inflammation brought about my overload training. Such a performance is what used to be called "muscle control," by the pioneers of modern day bodybuilding -- like Eugen Sandow himself -- generally considered the "father of modern bodybuilding." But he was notably unique in that he trained with heavy weights, light weights, and no weights at all, and attributed each for his outstanding development. Each in his mind, was equally valid, and allowed everyone to self-select the course of instruction that suited them best.
It is only in recent times that most are convinced that lifting the most weight is the most productive -- and the exercises in which one can lift the most weight, have become the most popular -- even though they are largely unproductive for most. They can simply lift the most weight in the deadlift, squat and bench press -- but whether they are the most productive exercises for bodybuilding and health, is another matter entirely. And particularly worth pondering because they are likely to be the most injurious exercises to perform because of the heavy weights.
That is in distinct contrast to achieving a superior muscular contraction and relaxation -- with no weight at all -- because there is no resistance to prevent it. That would be similar to the peak muscle contractions achieved by competitive bodybuilders -- whose downside is that they never learn to master the muscular relaxation phase of it -- and thus are always hypertense. Hypertension is a big problem in the population at large -- and doesn't need to be exacerbated by maintaining that state all the time. That is in fact the major occupational hazard of being a competitive bodybuilder -- as opposed to the bodybuilders who do it purely to achieve their best health -- which includes the ability to relax as well.
But the critical factor in such movements is not the weight or resistance -- but the attainment of the fullest contraction and the fullest relaxation that produces the pumping effect that reduces the inflammation (swelling) by enhancing this flow -- that can be achieved and effected by just knowing in what position the articulation must be. That is how easy, effective, productive exercise can be -- at all times, and under any conditions, and especially in recovering from more strenuous exercise that produces extreme muscle soreness that gets worse without this active recovery process.
Optimal Conditions for Exercise
The key to understanding exercise under any circumstances and conditions is the importance of the circulatory effect and how it is effected by the change in muscle states from contraction to relaxation (expansion). The prime example of this is the function of the heart — which is dedicated to providing this ambient constant pressure outwards towards the extremities.
However, the flow back towards the heart is not provided by that same functioning — but then is determined by the extent of the skeletal (voluntary) muscles compressing the fluids back towards the heart and central organs of the body to recycle, purify and eliminate waste products out of the body, and the failure to do so, largely accounts for the accumulation of these toxic substances in the tissues as the inflammation (swelling) that is seen as the source of all human dysfunction, disrepair, deterioration and eventually death.
In that sense, the body is an ecosystem dependent on the exchange with the greater environment — taking in food, air, water, other nutrients, and eliminating it from the body in an optimal interdependence. Simply put, that is taking in the new, and getting rid of the old, as the normal, healthy process of life — and therefore, anything that aids in that process, facilitates the health, and that which impedes those processes, have to be addressed, accommodated, and adapted for as much as is practicable in living one’s life, and prolonging those possibilities.
Simply put, one has to put in that effort to survive, and then beyond that, to flourish and prosper beyond the most primitive hand-to-mouth survival — in building up more than adequate reserves to deal with even greater challenges and rewards. Life for every living creature is not automatic and entitled. One has to do the necessary — and the basics, which should not be taken for granted just because they are provided for at a minimal, subsistence level — such as a heart beat. That is the minimal that will keep us alive — but beyond that, we wish to have greater capacities to do the many things that the human mind can conceive of.
So whether one is bedridden, chair-bound, or forced to stand all day, the requirements for effective exercise remain the same — and that is how effectively the body can move the metabolic waste products out of the body — and in that same process, create the space for new nutrients to enter — in changing the muscular states that produce contraction and compression. How much weight, or how far or fast one moves the entirety of the body is irrelevant for this purpose — because the only thing that matters, is the movement of the fluids out of the tissues at it most distant end. Those extremities are the head, hands, and feet — in that order of importance.
That is also the order of decline in most badly aging people. While it is difficult to determine cognitive decline and mental functioning, what is obvious and overlooked, is the decline in the muscularity and condition of the neck and face — which are the indications of the effectiveness of the circulation to those furthest reaches of the body — that people think there is very little they can do something about. There is also very little or nothing they think they can do about a weakening grip or unsteady foot — when these areas can be impacted most easily and greatly by exercise — or movements at these end joints.
Instead, they place great emphasis and importance of movement everywhere else — and especially on increasing the rate at which the always working heart is now demanded to increase the circulatory effect throughout the mass that is at least 100 times the mass of the heart. Meanwhile, the rest of their muscles still do nothing — and they are stunned when they continue to deteriorate dramatically even as they make their heart work harder and harder — until it ultimately fails. That was never the problem.
The problem was that the fluids were accumulating in the extremities of the feet, hands, and head, and they were not producing the movements at those joints (axes) to push out accumulation — and when they do that, they realize they can instantly transform themselves into their highest functioning selves — just as Nature intended and designed the body to — anytime, anywhere, under any circumstances it is required to — to optimize its chances for survival. Other animals grow twice as big when threatened.
That is the primary talent and skill bodybuilders have and cultivate to get better at. That they shrink back to “normal” is quite expected — because one doesn’t have to be at peak form all the time. Only when they have to — same as all the other animals in nature. They do only what they have to do — and keep the rest in reserve — for when they have to. The rest is just a waste of time, effort and resources — devoted to all the irrelevant things — while the really important, go completely unrecognized, ignored, and merely taken for granted — as nothing can be done about it. That is where it makes the most difference. Those are the true markers of the vitality and condition of an aging (deteriorating) individual — the appearance of the neck, hands and feet — implying the health and circulation of the rest.
It is not weight and resistance that determines that — but range of motion at those most distal axes — that trigger the rest of the musculature. It’s always been as simple as that.
The Most Important Exercise (Few do anymore)
I like to begin each gym workout by doing light breathing pullovers lying on a bench — which used to be the key exercise in the ’50s and ’60s “Golden Era” of bodybuilding — producing those impressive chest to waist differentials through ribcage expansion — as well as midsection minimization. It was such a key movement, that Arthur Jones made it the prototype to demonstrate his Nautilus principles in action. His second machine, was the hip and back machine, which did not catch on in popularity — even though it was for the hip girdle muscles, as much as the pullover was for the shoulder girdle muscles — in his objective to work the maximum number of muscles as well as the largest of the body — with these two basic movements and machines.
Every other machine and movement was much less effective in its impact — because it was either redundant, or more specialized and isolating. And in the case of the neck, forearms, and calves, he felt that no machines in the Nautilus mode were necessary — because the standard mode of performance and resistance could not be improved on. What he, as well as most gym athletes failed to appreciate, was that those levers of the human body are activated and developed not so much by resistance as they are by the range of movement — inversely related to resistance. Because of that, most people lifting heavy weights, never move at their wrists, hands and neck — and even come to believe as many do, that such joints should not be articulated (moved) — because they cannot move under heavy resistance, or would be injurious to do so.
Such extremities were evolved (designed) optimally for range of motion — rather than lifting heavy loads as their primary purpose. That is the reason that the most impressive development of these muscles at the extremities are usually exhibited by the ballet dancers and gymnasts — who have unparalleled development of such movements and that musculature/functioning. That is usually the difference between the outstanding performer and the novice — who doesn’t exhibit such mastery out to their very fingertips. Those are people obviously born with high body intelligence and are usually recognized very early in life as prodigies of movement — which no amount of training can duplicate. So in many countries that appreciate those qualities, they can spot such talents in a roomful of youngsters and only train those who will greatly benefit by such guidance.
Every other society does that to some extent — because they recognize certain qualities as more desirable than others, and that life is not just a random crapshoot in which the normal have as much chance of winning as the “gifted” in that field or specialty. They don’t start off equal, and they don’t end up equal — which is the proper understanding of life and all its activities and outcomes. But that is not to say that nothing can be done — and those advantages are inevitable and inviolable.
The exercise that seems to make the most difference in leveling the playing field for most — is the breathing exercise which is best exemplified by the pullover done lying on a bench with either a light dumbbell or barbell — with either bent or straight arms — for at least 50 repetitions. That was the transformative movement that turned many puny weaklings into bodybuilding champions — in this golden era in which those taking up exercise with this modality were invariably successful beyond their wildest hopes. That was fairly typical of the results one could expect as a weight trainee of that time — but not so much anymore, when the wrong things are given greater emphasis and importance.
It was the importance and practice of breathing — and not merely the increase and monitoring of the heart rate that produced the greatest difference in exercisers. In fact, the pullover is hardly ever taught anymore as even one of the necessary exercises — while many much less and even unproductive movements are promoted as the must-do exercises — the usual being the bench press, squat and deadlift. And if that were not bad enough, done with dangerously heavy weights.
Meanwhile, the most productive exercise ever performed, is shunned because one cannot lift as heavy weights — or should. But proper deep breathing alone would probably be transformative to most people — for a very good reason. First off, they need to breathe only through the nose, and let the movement of air in and out of their body happen because the volume of the chest capacity is maximized and minimized by the natural action of the pullover movement — with a very nominal weight that serves mainly as a focal point. There is no other exercise or movement that comes close to duplicating that dedication to that objective and effectiveness. It is essentially the “breathing exercise” — and as such, makes all subsequent exercises much more productive — done in that same manner — with that attention to the breathing as the essential muscle contraction powering all the others.
In fact, properly done, every other muscle contraction and effort, merely “rides” the breathing contraction — and that is the proper cadence for sustaining any prolonged effort. That is the “flow” one wants to get into, which becomes conditioned so that one need not give conscious attention to in doing most other things. It should be automatic — because of this essential conditioning.
The opposite of this are the mouth-breathers who force air in and out of their bodies — and deliberately make a conscious effort of even breathing, which adds to their workload diverting attention from the effortless flow. And so they are desperately trying to catch their breath — even in walking, talking and sleeping.
It is so basic and essential that it is so easy to overlook -- as the most important thing we have to do in life. Many ancient wisdoms have made it the foundation of their healthy practices. This is how we practice better breathing by just the attention to it -- and all subsequent efforts become more productive.
Being Well-grounded
The extremities of the feet, hands and head (face and brain) are the leading indicators of the general health and functioning of the body — so much so that that is how we recognize individuals apart from every other. Those are also the most visible and obvious parts of every body — more than we could identify one’s person’s heart from another, shoulder or hip, etc.
They are also the distinctively expressive organs of the human body. When we note that an individual is remarkably animated (vibrant, lively) it is because of those movements at the face, hands and feet — rather than how high or far they jump, fast they run, or how much they lift. And in fact, specialists in such activities will adopt a rather stoic expression throughout to conserve their energy only to the essential required for efficiency and economy of their "movement."
Apart from such narrow and constrained competitions though, the human is at its best being ready and able to express whatever movements might be required by their versatility afforded by their face (communication), hands (tool using and making), and feet (leveraging one’s bodyweight against the ground). Other animals are much more specialized in what they can do — and why they do it so well. But the human being (organism) has the capacity to do many things — because of the large brain capacity that enables and empowers it. Humans seem to be good at whatever they decide they want to become good at.
One of the earliest forms of human expression and distinction in addition to physical competition, was simply dance — that exhibited fine motor coordination in addition to the gross motor coordination of traditional athletics. Other similar manifestations were painting (art) and music (dexterity) — in the broader category of culture — those shared values it was agreed upon that were desirable qualities to cultivate and improve — for long-forgotten reasons.
Often, people didn’t know why, but recognized that there was something “right” in being light on one’s feet — rather than simply plodding along, shuffling one’s feet — even for great distances. Palpably and aesthetically, it was not the same sense as one leaping and moving quickly on their feet — and particularly on their toes or balls of their feet. Such movements, required the greater articulation of the foot musculature — which has led some exercise physiologists to proclaim that the feet are the second heart of the human body when operated in this manner — as the "soleus pushup.”
That has led to a few enterprising individuals to devise and market a simple device to simulate this movement — but doesn’t require it. It can easily and effectively be done sitting in any chair that allows such freedom of movement — and as such, may even be superior to a stationary bicycle because of its singular focus on the importance of the full range foot movement — not to be confused with the movement at the hips and knees. It is the alternation of the muscle state from fullest contraction to relaxation that produces the pumping effect — which is also the quality produced by any and all the muscles activated in this way.
That is the very reason that exercise in general is beneficial for the health of the body — by directing the blood flow to those areas actually exercised in this manner. If it were only the heart responsible for pumping blood equally to all parts of the body, then we would not see the disproportionate developments of those who choose only to work their upper body, and ignore their lower body -- and vice-versa. But the flow must go to where there actually is the clearing of space because of the muscular contractions compressing the fluids out of that area — which then makes it possible and easy for the heart to pump blood into those vacuums. Without such preceding contractions and clearing, the heart cannot overcome the resistance of the already full area — and fluid accumulation and inflammation (swelling) Is the inevitable result — that continues to worsen in time without this intervention.
This is the condition seen so often with poor circulation in their feet and legs — even if they articulate movement at the hip and knees — because the backup begins at the feet that is minimally or inadequately articulated — even while there may be movement at the hips and knees. This is fairly typical of the movements performed on exercise machines that do not stress the importance of the movement at the extremity. For all practical purposes, it is the same as walking a mile while shuffling their feet. There is no articulation at the foot, and thus no pumping effect — which is the chief value of the exercise.
So when one realizes that it is the movement at the feet (ankle), the machine, device, resistance is much less important — that movement can be done, seated, lying, or standing — with or without equipment, productively. That is true for all the extremities of the body — which are those areas notorious for the poorest circulation of the body — but doesn’t have to be that way. The understanding changes the equation. Then when one realizes that the distal (insertion) of muscles contracts towards the proximal (origin), it becomes a simple matter in accomplishing the healthful effect of exercises — rather than just burning as many calories futilely by doing all the wrong things and wondering why exercise does not deliver the results promised by so many “experts.”
It doesn’t matter how much of the wrong thing you do — and have no time to learn the right thing that works.
What 5% of the Effort -- Provides 95% of the Results
People knowledgeable of High-intensity exercise have proven in study after study, as well as personal experience — that one such workout a week is sufficient to induce and sustain growth over the course of their lifetime. However, that doesn’t mean they only work out that once a week at that level of intensity. If that’s all they do — and nothing else the rest of the week — they are likely to experience extreme muscle soreness for nearly all that week until it is time for their next high-intensity once a week workout — which is not a pleasant way to go through life — always recovering, and then inflicting that same muscle soreness for another week, etc.
But that does not invalidate the fact that one hard workout a week is about all a body can stand — without prematurely burning out or getting injured in some mysterious way — causing many to give up exercise entirely once they reach the vulnerable, susceptible “older” ages — which of course becomes fatal at that stage of life. So the challenge for everyone, is to find that “pace” that allows them to remain exercising all their lives — rather than overdoing it for a short period of time, and then quitting completely — as is fairly typical. One desires to be the atypical person who wasn’t just active and in good shape 50 years ago in the past, but one at the top of their game until the end of life. That is the survival of the fitness — and not the many others who have fallen off the exercise bandwagon for some reason or another. At that point, it doesn’t matter what the excuse is — only that one is not doing the best they can — presently.
Thus one will see a lot of people giving advice in their later years — of what they claimed worked 50 years ago, but is simply unthinkable in their present condition — which might have gotten them this way. That includes the damaged knees, damaged backs, damaged hearts, drug addictions, personality disorders, etc. That is often the price the former great athletes had to pay for their moments of glory. To a lesser extent, that is also the calculus daily exercisers have to make as well. The question is, what 5% of the effort and expenditure, gets one 95% of the results and effects of beneficial exercise — and not as many people think, that unlimited more is always better — and guarantees favorable outcomes.
That is usually what naive and young people think — and think is sufficient to keep them always young — but a few grow wiser with time and age, and note that recovery ability is not unlimited — but has to be managed to last and optimize a lifetime. Of course, first we have to have a critical mass of people living to those older ages — before we note, that some do it better than others — as is true of most things in life. So increasingly, we see the great divergence of the healthy becoming unprecedentedly healthier — while there seems to be no limit to how dependent the not so fortunate in this respect can be kept merely alive indefinitely.
That gives a new meaning to the concept of “peak physical condition” beyond the past traditional measures and expectations of what that is — because it is being defined as we live it. It is not just whether we can still sprint a 100 yards — or do 10 pullups — but something much more meaningful in our daily living — as we actually require it. It is just as much about knowing one’s present capabilities and limitations — as it is establishing a “new personal best” by more conventional standards or event.
At some point in life, just successfully recovering from a hard (intense) workout, is accomplishment enough — because if one can maintain that “ability,” that is all the encouragement and motivation one needs. What is worrisome, is reaching a point in life at which one feels they can no longer recover — from anything, and just fall further into hopelessness and despair for the rest of their lives. That is what resilience is about — which is recovery ability — to adapt to the many challenges a life will bring — and that is more important than just doing what doesn’t need to be done — no matter how impressive.
Most are familiar that some version of a squat is desirable to maintain joint integrity of the lower body — but are often advised not to allow their knees to move as far forward as possible — which is precisely the requirement for engaging the ligaments and tendons of the ankle — as well as the plantar fascia of the feet. Yet the excuse for that performance is that it does not stress the knee joint — which is not the limitation in most people but the tightness of the ligaments and tendons of the ankle, as well as the tightness of the plantar fascia. Meanwhile, the knee maintained in a nearly upright position is obviously the most stressful to the knee by forcing all the weight only on to that one hinge (axis), rather than allowing all the joints of the leg to handle that load — and disburse it. That should be the whole purpose of that exercise (movement).
And similarly, for the upper body (shoulder girdle), the movement of greatest engagement is to attempt to touch one’s hands behind one’s back, with one arm going above the shoulder and the other going below the shoulder — as the productive calisthenic (freehand) movement that results in a quick muscle pump of those structures — more so than one could get with the jumping jacks. Such a movement engages all the muscles in one — rather than working only one at a time, with the obvious limitation that one simply runs out of time and energy to do such low-productivity workouts.
And the word on diet is simply that one is best off lowering carbohydrate intake as low as possible — because the healthy body has the capacity to create its own fuel (glucose) from its own healthy cells. That is the basis for the wisdom of the ketogenic diet and autophagy. There is no need to store glucose in the body — which results in obesity and diabetes (insulin/metabolic resistance). With these simple guidelines, achieving optimal health and functioning should not be the difficult resistance many make it out to be. Actually, that is how Nature intended it to be — and provided for, but we have to understand, and learn to work with — and not against.
How Much Rest is Enough?
As a general rule, the more one rests, the less they do. That is true not only in working out, but at work, play, and any other activities. As far as I have observed, the most out of shape people, are those who do very little — if anything at all. Such people obviously don’t need more rest — while world-class athletes, can benefit from as much rest as they need — before their inner clock compels them to make another attempt. But then, one need not tell the world-champion in that event what more or less they should be doing, because their distinction tells it all.
However, for those in the poorest health and condition, any strategy that gets them in motion and keeps them in motion, is the much better strategy — until they become the world champion at whatever they want to be good at. Among the less proficient, the better advice is to practice until one becomes good at what one is doing, and the rest and inactivity are what they are already good at, and don’t need more practice. They need to practice what they seldom do — and not rest up over generously from the little they already do.
That is the obvious reason most people who workout in gyms or any other venue, don’t get any, or much results: they are resting too much — thinking that is the major part of the program they like to do, and so they double up on that, rather than the hard part. Some justify that by making the hard part harder, rather than making the hard part easier — so that people actually like doing them — instead of not doing it as much as possible — and getting that result.
In the 1960s, two forms of exercise became popular: one promoting what is today called “High-intensity (interval) training,” and the other, “aerobics” or “cardio” training — and were promoted as though they are two different things, rather than two-sides of the same thing — resulting in superior health and outcomes. Back then, high-intensity training meant higher levels of effort that couldn’t be sustained for more than a minute — or less. The 100 yard sprint is the best example of this, while a marathon run would be an example of the ultimate cardio event. Same activity (running) — but conducted at levels that could be sustained by vastly different durations.
As most have observed, marathoners are usually ultrathin people not carrying excessive muscle mass, while strength athletes carry as much weight as their weight-class will allow. The lesson here is that if one’s primary goal is to lose and control weight, they should be actually exercising most of their workout time — rather than resting 95% of the time — presumably to recover from their 10 second at maximum effort. Even the world champion at that event will insist on at least 10 minutes of rest before their next heat.
The problem lies with people used to putting out little effort and then taking overly long rest breaks. That is likely to be your novice exerciser — not strong enough to exert themselves requiring much if any time for recovery. Such people don’t need maximum rest to recover from minimal efforts. They just need the practice — or “reps” until they become much more proficient at their movements to become serious threats to their own well-being and safety. That is a danger posed in a “non-contact injury,” which become the majority of injuries among the aging and old — so that they give up on competitive events because they recognize that they are their own greatest risk to their well-being and continued success.
But rather than maintaining or increasing those loads, the better strategy is to lower the intensity so that it can be sustained for the proper amount of time — rather than resting to compensate for those overloads. The obvious would be using minimal resistance and eliminating the rest entirely — which then makes resistance training cardio as well, and cardio, muscle building — to converge as the one thing that builds strength as well as endurance.
That is to say that for the majority of those exercising for complete and comprehensive health benefits, they should do high reps of different movements while eliminating the rest periods entirely. Low reps and overly long rest between, won’t get one into the shape one wants to be in.
The Measure of Success
What a lot of people don’t realize about those “Before” and “After” photos is that it is not about change over time — but change momentarily. When the entire objective is to build (pump) the body — rather than measure on any other criteria or performance — that can be seen by a tape measure and photos of that enhanced circulation known as the “pump.”
This can be so dramatic that many well-known physiques will not let anybody see them unless they are pumped — and their arm sizes are about 2″ larger than their arms are “cold.” Likewise, they may be fairly fit-looking before a workout, but seem twice as big, and virtually a different person — and that is why a lot of adolescents get hooked on bodybuilding and weight-training — because it does give them that instant gratification and success, particularly if it coincides with their puberty growth spurt. Then these transformations seem nothing short of miraculous — and dramatically affects their psyche and outlook on life thereafter.
As often as not, that is the significance of the “before” and “after” photos and measurements. It could just as well be the measure of change before and after a single workout — rather than the representation of change over time. That is the measure of the effectiveness of a product or practice — more than it is little change over many years — thinking it will miraculously morph into something unforeseen in the present practice and exercise.
Bodybuilding and weight-training is not alone in effecting such transformations. One can see it happen instantly in skin care products — and more familiarly, with the application of make-up, posture, manner, and dress. All this should not come as a secret; it should be obvious — and why astute people cultivate these advantages.
The worst outlook on life, is to feel that one can never change anything — about themselves, or any other happening in the world — no matter how much time, effort and resources one devotes to it. That is distinctly the value of movement, action, and intent: one can change the world, because they can change themselves — and that is the root of all action and intents.
They experience that as a fact — in their workouts — which the tape measure and photos merely confirm enough times initially that shortly, it is not required — but should not be forgotten — for those times in life when what used to work, no longer works. Then they have to go back to those basics, rather than merely presume it is still working — because they may be doing something entirely different now — that doesn’t work. It usually is because they are doing too few repetitions with too much weight — that it actually precludes doing anything productive, restorative or rehabilitative. That’s why there is no measurable change — no matter how long one stays at it.
But actually changing, is easily measurable — and that measure is significant. It is not merely the passage of time — with no change until eventually, one day, everything will have changed — but what exactly caused it, is anybody’s conjecture. Changing weights is the easiest thing to do — but changing the body itself is the greater objective. For that purpose, it doesn’t matter how much the weights have changed — while one has stayed the same.
That’s what most people don’t suspect — that the most consequential change, is what is happening to the body — and not the weight stack. Is the body being super pumped — or is it largely and mostly at rest? If one can sustain an optimal pumping effect, where is it going? — and how can one tell? The tape measure and before and after photos are easily obtainable self-evidence of this. Either it is happening — or it isn’t. Even in the older guys who believe they can no longer achieve a pump (because of age) — if they ever did.
That’s what makes bodybuilders and physique competitors fairly unique; that is their objective — which is not a bad thing for anybody to be able to do somewhat — because that is the rehabilitative process that also makes them grow. That is what is called the recovery ability — and when one loses that, deterioration and decline becomes a way of life. How does one know when that has become the predominant theme in their life? The tape measure and photo — of before and after. The decline is not inevitable. That becomes the measure of success.
Only a rare few improve persistently over time. That is what is significant to measure — and people who make that difference.
Doing the Right Thing(s)
The glutes, hamstrings, lower back, are all contracted maximally when the thigh bone (femur) moves backwards out of line with the torso, and if the head moves down simultaneously, the abdominal muscles are contracted maximally as well — disputing the notion that muscles work antagonistically — than as is more often the case, complementarily, or synergistically.
The obvious case in point is the contraction of the biceps of the arm. That contraction of the biceps does not produce a relaxation of the triceps — but requires the triceps to be maximally contracted as well. And so It is the case that when the back muscles are maximally contracted, the abdominal (front torso) must be maximally contracted simultaneously — or the maximum contraction in one direction with the complete relaxation of the stabilizing muscles in the other direction, would pose great risk to the spinal column — which has structural strength and integrity by equalizing the pressures to these vulnerabilities in all directions.
That is to note that if one anticipates absorbing a blow to the midsection, one would not simply contract the front abdominal muscles, but all the muscles surrounding the midsection simultaneously for maximum structural strength — which then gets dissipated through all the other muscles of the body. That is one of the greatest reasons for older people to maintain maximum muscularity throughout life — not because they can hit another harder, but they can absorb the blows from any other effectively and efficiently so as to render themselves impervious to those injuries — including the inevitable and dreaded falls — which are more likely than finding themselves in a fist fight.
Muscular people bounce right up — or lie there briefly thinking if everything is still responsive and in working order — and slowly are on their way again. Muscles are not only decorative but highly functional — for many different reasons this way. So while many will think what is the point of developing the gluteus muscle — the fact that it is the largest muscle of the body and likely to remain so the older one gets, probably serves an evolutionary survival purpose — in padding and protecting the well-recognized fragility of the hip structures that have served as a reliable indicator of survival in elderly populations.
In younger people in their most prolific years, the dancers, gymnasts, ice skaters, are probably most notable for their outstanding ranges of motion — by which they awe the competition and judges with their ability to easily move their legs back and even grab their foot above their heads. But most people are not built that way — so moving the leg back even slightly out of line with the torso is likely to produce a maximal muscle contraction and development — and can even be done lying down on one’s side in comfort. In this respect, lying on one’s back or stomach is more problematical because of the pressures against the breathing muscles of the lower torso — when a heavy weight is employed in the traditional machines designed for that purpose.
However, as I’ve frequently pointed out before, maximum muscular contraction is more a function of the range of movement — than weight used in a limited (unchanging) range of movement — with the weight often acting as an impediment to the expression (articulation) of the muscular states from fullest relaxation to fullest contraction. That is primarily a function of knowing in which position the muscle is relaxed and contracted — and not of the resistance and effort of moving from one to the other. It’s like a light switch: it doesn’t matter how much resistance or effort is required to get from the “off” position to the “on” position. What matters is whether it is fully on or fully off — often being the exact same motion. That is the “digital” world of reality.
That is the pumping effect we are trying to achieve — in developing any muscle. If the muscle is not articulating the fullest flow (circulation), then no amount of doing that movement with any amount of weight and resistance will produce the desired effects. No matter how much weight one stands up straight with in the squat or deadlift, the gluteus muscle will remain relaxed — because it requires the fenur to be moving back out of line with the torso to contract, and contract strongly. That is directing the flow to and from any muscle — producing the desired function, form and development (health).
If one does the wrong movement that doesn’t achieve those changes of muscular states, it doesn’t matter how much weight and resistance one uses — though admittedly, one is using more weight and resistance. But if one simply wants the results — without the impediments to it — which is the underlying question of every inquiry, then one has to examine what movement produces those changes — regardless of weight, resistance, repetitions and all the other irrelevant considerations — because time is running out on everybody — and that is why we are exercising as a lifelong practice.
No Equipment, No Problem
The critical mistake most (elderly) people make is in thinking that in order to exercise and improve their fitness (health), they have to have certain equipment and instruction (experience) rather than realizing that the body itself is designed for that self-maintenance and optimization. That accounts for the wide-range of things a person can do — and achieve proficiency in, which in their younger years serve as that measure of their fitness, but as they get older, are less likely to remain so specialized at those metrics, but value greater versatility and generality for doing all the various things one needs to enable their lives. Then, whether they can open a jar or medicine bottle, become the necessary requirements for living a full and fulfilling life. Likewise, standing, squatting, getting up from any position, is their Super Bowl — not requiring them to make it any more difficult than it already is.
Most exercise equipment, is actually designed to make movements harder — rather than easier, and then are instructed to make the difficult, impossible by increasing the resistance to failure — after five repetitions if possible. The problem is not that most elderly (untrained) people will do too many pullups and squats, but that such movements will be impossible to do even one — and so equipment that makes it increasingly harder, is not the direction you want to go — but to make that movement possible, and even easy — so that one can do it countless times without quitting — and that is obviously the problem when one is insistent that one should never do more than five repetitions of any movement — and if one does, then one immediately must add more resistance so that is not possible. That kind of training becomes negative reinforcement — rather than the positive reinforcement one should receive to encourage them further.
One does not need to program premature failure; that is the default — yet there is this kind of perverse psychology and conditioning — that predictably discourages people from exercise rather than engaging it as a lifelong necessity. Exercise is not something one does because they can do it easily and tirelessly beforehand — but is what is necessary to get to that point — much more importantly. That can be done just to be able to get out of bed, a chair, off the ground — without specialized equipment to do so. That would be an easy thing to do if one always had a chair or walker to assist them — but in lieu of that convenience, one makes do with whatever equipment is available — which is always the case with the body. One is not likely to go anywhere without it. That is the rationale and genius of movement strategies like yoga, tai-chi, dance, floor exercises, chair exercises, and bed exercises.
The important thing to know is that a muscle contraction begins at the insertion (distal) end of a muscle back towards the origin (proximal) end closer to the center of the body — without exception, and that is why the most valuable muscle contractions will begin at the furthest axes of movements — at the hands, feet and head doing the most to enhance the circulation — by contracting the fluid (blood) out of those areas to reduce the swelling (inflammation) caused by that buildup in the tissues which is the debilitating and disease effect.
One can argue about that endlessly to no conclusion, but one can immediately verify that by simply moving at those axes in which few do because it is no longer a requirement in modern life — which has as its objective, the elimination of as much effort and movement as possible from daily life. That has unintended consequences — of reducing the circulatory effectiveness of ordinary movements. So unless one reprograms back in such movements, they will virtually never be done, or articulated, which is self-maintaining to health, and in its absence and omission, becomes non-functional and/or dysfunctional. That could include such things as getting up and walking a short distance to use the bathroom or kitchen. There is simply no need to maintain those abilities — if they are no longer required.
Exercise machines often require one to maintain those skills — but are they the most useful and versatile movements to become proficient at? That is the problem with treadmills, stationary bikes, and even rowing machines. Are those the movements that actually loom large in one’s daily activities? — or are they movements and activities one would not do otherwise? — or more than a minute just to ensure one still could. But 30 minutes every day? What else could one be doing with that time — and energy? Probably one could easily do 30 different movements — not requiring 30 different exercise machines.
Those are the simple articulations of full-range head, hand and foot movements — that activate the rest of the musculature because they the insertions of those muscles that instigate those integrated movements. One frequently hears it referred to as compound exercises involving the most muscles possible — without understanding its fullest implications. The engagement of the muscles is not lateral but vertical — which is to note that the change in the position of the foot, bending the fist, turning the head — activates and engages all the muscles in that pathway back towards the center of the body near the heart.
So making a fist and simply bending it in a knuckleward or palmward direction causes all the muscles from that point to contract or relax — and that alternation of muscular states, like the heart, produces a pumping effect, which is the circulatory effect by adding those pumps to the extremities at which have the greatest effect — particularly if one suffers from the many problems of poor circulation (swelling/inflammation) at the hands, feet and head — and their related conditions — including brain functioning.
For the foot, one can simply hold the back of a chair with one foot ahead of the other and shift the weight forward and back to articulate the fullest range of foot movement. That would be superior to walking miles with a limited (non-existent) foot movement — as most people do — thinking speed and incline is more important. But when shifting the weight back, the front foot will lift the toes as much as possible, and then shifting the weight forward the back foot will lift the heel as much as possible — ensuring the change of muscular states that pump the swelling out of the foot. Most older people are notable for having swollen feet, hands and faces for that reason. That is the simple remedy that gets them back on the right path to addressing these vulnerabilities of the aging human body.
Beyond Effort
“Aerobics” means with breathing as the essential focus of one’s movement. That is to say that all the other movements and activities of the body are synchronized to the breathing contraction and relaxation — rather than as many think, the breathing has to catch up to their activity — and so they commonly run out of breath, and the body is forced to stop. That is what one doesn’t want happening at the most critical moments in life — because that is frequently the difference between life and death. One has to know at any moment, what reserves and capacities one can reliably access — and not that one could fail at any time, moment, and circumstances. Obviously, that will not do — and serve their purposes very well — which is why we condition ourselves to meet the challenges of every moment of our lives — to be prepared for most things we normally encounter in our lives.
One of the first things a person does to become a world champion athlete or attempt any monumental undertaking in their lives — is to get their breathing under control, and well-known to them — rather than as many novices do, think nothing about it — and place it last in the scheme of their concerns. Thus, they will always run out of breath — and fail ultimately because of that — not for the lack of air around them, but because they are not managing that resource effectively. That is why a lot of physical as well as mental disciplines place the control of breathing as their highest priority — and not the last thing one should concern themselves with — if they ever get around to it at all.
In the early 20th century, exercise was largely about breathing and posture — which then morphed into muscle control and early bodybuilding — of which it was noted that the most transformative exercises was alternating the breathing squat with the breathing pullover — and was promoted by the popular physical culture magazines of its time as the foundational exercises for subsequent bodybuilding. Its earliest practitioners were not so much intent on gaining muscle — as it was that that was the astounding result of just doing those exercises to begin every workout. Many of those guys actually took up exercise as the minimum they could do — often with the lightest weights possible.
In fact, the person often regarded as the father of modern bodybuilding, Eugen Sandow, was famous for promoting his exercise routines using 5 lb dumbbells for 50–100 repetitions. But he also had a strong man act in which he lifted record poundages for his time. But he was not insistent that that was what one had to do — to be in good shape. The 5 lb dumbbells was what got him there. And beyond that, he was a master of muscle control — which is largely the understanding of how the muscle works and changes — regardless of equipment and venue.
The equipment doesn’t make the muscle work; the muscle makes the equipment work. That varies according to how well one knows the action of any single movement around one axis of movement (or rotation) — because all the muscles work in that same manner once its basic action is understood. Unfortunately, most people don’t bother with that simple, basic understanding — and so most of their movements are of a random sort — thinking that any motion is as good as any other, because their whole understanding is to waste as much energy as possible in everything they do. That’s why some people become very good at what they do — while many others have no idea of what they are doing, and could care less.
Those are the people who become unsuccessful exercisers — and are indifferent or hate what they do, because none of it makes any sense at all — and they are just wasting their time — not that they have anything more important to do. For surely, getting the understanding of exercise right, is the most important thing they can do — and get right, because it makes the most difference in their quality of life. That’s why exercise is revered in many cultures and traditions throughout history and survival. Properly done, it makes the biggest difference in the quality of one’s life -- and its many outcomes.
Undoubtedly the most important movement in one’s life is the simplicity of breathing. As a volume expands, the pressure drops. As a volume contracts, the pressure increases. That is the physics of movement — and not gravity. A high pressure will move into a lesser pressure. No exercise does that more purposely and effectively than the lying pullover on a bench — expanding the rib cage (volume) and contracting it was well. If one does no other exercise (movement), that would be the best one to do.
Arthur Jones recognized this and made it his prototype Nautilus machine. His second was the Hip and Back machine — and then he could have stopped there. That would have produced 90% of the results — with truly minimal effort — particularly if one did 50–100 repetitions of each with a resistance that made that possible. The muscle didn’t have to fail to make the movement productive; doing the movement itself — with nominal resistance, would have been the right movement to ensure impressive muscular development — whether one wanted it or not. He didn’t have to create all those other machines. The singular upper body movement, and the singular lower body movement, was all that was needed — to get into shape and maintain it all one’s life — without the strain and effort that people thought was necessary in exercise — because that is the way they have been conditioned to think and reinforce.
It’s never been thought that exercise doesn’t need to be difficult and hard — and that the better way, is actually the intelligent way — which can be sustained without the difficulties self-imposed. That was the step beyond — that he never quite achieved. How does one go beyond effort?
The Most Natural Exercise
The problem with most exercise is that one is usually doing one thing over and over again — rather than all things the body is capable of — to keep it in working order. If one never does these things, then one doesn’t know what they are presently capable of — until one day, when they try to access that capability, realize it is no longer there, or might not have been as proficient as they imagined it to be. Thus the need to regularly exercise those capabilities to ensure that they are still there — and improve them if that is desired. One does not get better at anything by never finding out what their present capabilities are — and not practicing them to get better. The simple cliche is, “if you don’t use it, you lose it.” Or the more positive way to look at it, is just to practice what you want to get better at. Those are also good rules for life.
By that same wisdom, one also eliminates those activities one does not want to get better at — and are actually harmful — leading to injury and unnecessary risks. One doesn’t want to be doing things that predispose them to injury, danger, and even death — thinking that “whatever doesn’t kill them, will make them stronger.” The world doesn’t work that way — or won’t for long, and one of the reasons for any practice, is to live a long, healthy and prosperous life — and not flame out at every chance one gets — in a brief and precarious existence, usually filled with much toil and trouble.
So rather than everyone who takes up exercise thinking they have to become the world champion at it or it is a waste of time, energy and resources, the better approach is simply to realize that one won’t be at their momentary best at anything they do — without the proper warmup, or familiarization with their actual present capabilities — to have a fairly good idea of what they are capable of — regardless of the world record in that event. All they are trying to find out, is what they are capable of — and how it needs to improve for whatever task at hand.
Running may occasionally be appropriate — or jumping, swimming, lifting — but rather than becoming proficient at only one thing, the better strategy, is to be prepared to do anything — or as wide a range of movement and activities as one can reasonably expect to encounter — rather than the one thing practiced to the exclusion of everything else. The obvious example are those who only do the treadmill for hours on end — thinking in doing so, that one is exercising the entire body as represented by the heart — while letting all the other muscles and joints atrophy.
The heart has the least danger of atrophying — and in fact, the greater danger is the enlargement of the heart because it is the only muscle demanded to work harder and faster — while the greater mass of muscle remains immobilized. That is similarly true for cycling: one simple movement is repeated countless times — while the mass of muscles, remain immobilized — even to the extent that the blood supply (circulation) is cut off — by the constant, unvarying tension (contraction) in those muscles frequently causing numbness and nerve damage particularly to the hands and arms.
The remedy obviously is to articulate the movement at the wrists, elbows and shoulders — that vary the muscular state from contraction to relaxation — which restores the pumping effect of the muscles. That will not happen if the muscles remain constantly tense (contracted), or as in most sedentary people — unvaryingly flaccid — no matter how hard and fast the heart alone is working. The evolution of the circulatory system is that it works best when there is a pumping effect at the extremities of the body to work in conjunction with the pumping effect from the heart on out to the rest of the body. Those who complement that design and use, optimize the circulatory effect — which is why exercise works — to keep the body in top operating condition — and improve in its capabilities as evidenced by its growth and development. One does not need to fully understand that in order for it to work. Nature ensures that it will — through millions of years of design and testing.
All one has to do is not get in the way of that natural process and development. One may even have fanciful ideas that the way to make it work even better is to obstruct and impede that process — in the mistaken notion that the best action, is to do the opposite rather than the obvious. Not surprisingly, many people die prematurely, in addition to almost everyone experiencing injuries and calamities along this journey — and predictably, many abandon all efforts altogether — and resign themselves to that’s how life is, inevitably, for everyone — as the “aging” paradigm. But as many more live longer lives, it becomes apparent, that they are not all aging equally. A rare few actually seem to be getting better with age — or at least, aging better — because, and not despite, of all they are doing.
Some things make more sense than others — as well as being self-evident truths. So rather than being focused on the end-results of what one desires from exercise, one is best off not beginning with such presumptions and ambitions — but begin with no preconceptions of what one can do and find out upon awakening — as their warmup to each day. Then once they do that, they can forget about it for the rest of the day — as having met their requirement for getting into optimal operating condition — and go on with thee rest of life unbothered by the aches, pains and other limitations that prevent them from living their best lives from day to day.
