Tired of empty fitness goals based entirely on self-image?
Functional Fitness, a Manifesto You’re working out, so you are obviously full of yourself, attempting to live up to the standard of the models and movie stars you see on the covers of overpriced magazines, resting on the shelves across from the get-well-soon cards in the grocery store. This is the majority opinion, based on the mindset of people who don’t care enough to reach for the remote, and who can’t fathom any reason to train beyond some sick preoccupation with self-image. I started out on this path, dragged in by the media image of the perfect male specimen, 2% body fat, oiled up and retouched where the lighting effects during shooting didn’t take. This shallow view of fitness doesn’t last long, though, and when you become tired of the empty goals afforded by the quest for image, you have one of two choices; to quit working out and grab a bag of chips, or to retool your training plan to accomplish some greater purpose. This is what functional fitness is all about. Rather than allowing us to glaze over our weaknesses, functional fitness is a manifestation of our ability to face real-world challenges head-on. Instead of backing down, we incorporate the tools and methods at our disposal in order to rise to the occasion. Training for self-image alone constructs a façade that conveniently hides our weak-points, making us all show and no go. When you decide to embark on truly functional training, often the hardest part of the decision is facing our glaring weaknesses and addressing them openly, honestly and effectively. Truly functional fitness relies on the most basic of equipment, our own body, a few simple implements (pull-up bar, rings for dips and something heavy…perhaps a sandbag ) and the willingness to put in the required hard-work to make it effective. There is a tendency for people to associate the new and exciting gadgets with actual results, but by keeping it simple and relying on effective, functional movements and plain hard work; you will reap greater benefits in the real world. You’ll very rarely have to lift a weight that is strung through pulleys and restrained to a straight-line range of motion. When you are faced with a challenge that requires multi-directional movement and stabilization, all the work done on the latest new machine or contraption will fall short. So, leave behind the worthless gadgets that assuage our egos and create a worthless standard of fitness! Drop to the floor and do some push-ups, sprint around the block, or pick up something heavy and carry it for distance or time. The more you simplify your workouts the more you’ll simplify the potentially complicated situations you might be involved with outside the gym. Make randomized patterns, simple, full-body movements and downright hard work the three pillars of your system and all the self-image goals will achieve themselves as a result of --rather than the purpose for-- your gracefully efficient, and artfully functional fitness plan.
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