Reading Dan John’s latest article got me thinking about my goals. I don’t play any particular sport, I don’t dream of being the strongest man in the world, or the fastest. I spend most of my day sitting and reading (I’m a grad student), but I do enjoy being active, challenging myself in various (and often extreme) ways; I want to be very healthy, and I’m attracted to a well rounded sort of fitness. A healthy body and a healthy mind.
I guess my goal is general physical fitness and health. So, I don’t want to sacrifice my joints, for instance, for the sake of strength. Now, if I wanted to to be strong, I would go to the powerlifters. If I wanted to be ripped, to the body builders. But where does one go for general fitness and health? I know that some people around here hate Crossfit like the plague, but is it (or something like it, at least) good for my goals?
Or is it too intense, putting too much wear and tear on the body, with the puking and all (I really enjoy intense workouts, but I’d rather not do them at the cost of my health)? Or does Crossfit not emphasize strength enough, even just for general health? And if not something like crossfit, what sort of things should I do to achieve my goals?
I see Crossfit as a program for advanced people who want to mix things up a bit.
I don’t know what your strength levels are now, but if they are not past beginner status, then I think just getting your strength up will improve “total health” more than doing more specialized programs.
What are your bench, squat, and dead numbers? What is your height and weight? Just curious, but how fast do you think you can run the mile now?
I think the OP is just acknowledging that the training methodologies used to achieve optimal performance in specific areas may not be appropriate for someone seeking general athleticism (however that may be defined). I think it’s an interesting question and I’d love to see people’s comments about it.
Cross Training of Strength(Weights and Bodyweight), Endurance, and a bit of hypertrophy sounds like what your looking for, and @fit might be what you are looking for, setting aside the cultish behavior and puking/rhabo.
Or you could lift, run, and do pullups and dips, then go compete at a sport. Sprint Triathalon, Rugby, 10K, MMA are all good ideas.
The delusion of mediocrity mixed with liver damage is last bastion of the person who fears competition.
[quote]CrispyFish wrote:
I think the OP is just acknowledging that the training methodologies used to achieve optimal performance in specific areas may not be appropriate for someone seeking general athleticism (however that may be defined). I think it’s an interesting question and I’d love to see people’s comments about it.[/quote]
Yes, that is exactly what I meant to ask. CrispyFish put the question much better than I did. Personally, I know I have some weaknesses I need to fix before I pursue a more general program - But for someone without such weaknesses, how does he best pursue general athleticism, not geared toward any one activity in particular?
Lifting total body twice a week and doing intervals once or twice a week would get you into damn good shape. Most of bodybuilding is about being in good shape. Only when you reach advanced stages of bodybuilding would you worry about muscle shape, symmetry, etc. Bottom line is that bodybuilding methods are what will get you your “general athleticism.”
Or you could just go run 30 minutes a day 5 times a week like the rest of the “in-shape” population…