“As to methods there may be a million and then some, but principles are few. The man who grasps principles can successfully select his own methods. The man who tries methods, ignoring principles, is sure to have trouble.”
-Ralph Waldo Emerson
Methods - a procedure, technique, or way of doing something, especially in accordance with a definite plan
In life, we have principles and we have methods. Methods usually come and go while principles have stood the test of time. The fitness industry is no different. There are plenty of methods to choose from. (Total body split vs. body part split, functional training, crossfit, pilates, yoga, boxing, kettlebells, spin class etc.) There is more than one way to skin a cat just like there may be several different ways to solve a math problem. Who cares how we reached the answer as long as that answer is correct. You can’t argue with results.
The issue at hand here is that our generation is living in the information age, or the information era. What information was once thought to be difficult or maybe impossible to find now literally lies at the tips of our fingers. The Information Era is an idea that the current age will be characterized by the ability of individuals to transfer information freely, and to have instant access to knowledge. Now this is great since knowledge equals power, right? Well, to quote the outspoken word artist, Henry Rollins, “knowledge without mileage equals bullshit”. I like to apply this quote to the diet and fitness world as well. Sometimes one method or another will be promoted as the best, the end-all-be all or the only way to get results. We are often asked which one of these methods is the right one and like almost any answer to any fitness question, "It depends."
What may work for you may not work for someone else. There are too many cookie-cutter programs in the fitness industry, too much contradicting information, quick-fix recipes, andgimmicks out there that can lead to second-guessing and endless confusion. What we get are people blindly jumping on the bandwagon of a fad or late night infomercial with no rhyme or reason other than the fact that they heard it worked for a their favorite celebrity. These people get frustrated because they are trying everything, yet they are not seeing results. They see a friend, co-worker or a family member have great success with a certain method so they try it out for a few weeks but don’t see the same success. They quickly give up and find themselves caught in the rat maze of diet ditching and program hopping. Seeking the quick fix or the magic pill, these people lose sight of their values. Remember, the best way to see results is through consistent work and progress. Instead of looking at how several exercises or training programs are all different, which can become confusing, we need to look at what they all have in common. These are called principles and principles are the key to success.
Principles – A fundamental rule or law, usually unaffected by time or technology
Instead of basing fitness and training philosophy’s around one method or one tool, we need to construct our philosophy around core principles, or as we like to call it “core values”. Once we have our core values in place, we can then pick and choose different methods for differentclients as long as they REFLECT our core values. The METHOD simply allows us to optimize the PRINICPLES we need to follow to get the best results. When we come across a new or different method, there are certain questions that should be asked to determine whether this method holds up to our core values.
- Is it safe?
- Is it sustainable?
- Is it measureable?
- Is it manageable?
- Is it progressive?
- Safety
- Intensity
- Progression
- Overload
- Specificity
- Fun
- NUTRITION
- Nutrition
- Strength Training
- High-Intensity Anaerobic Interval Training
- High-Intensity Aerobic Interval Training
- Recovery