If you are reading this you probably have some form of fitness, health, strength or athletic performance goals. Most of the times our solutions to meet these goals are constrained by our current models of how the world is, how it works, and our place in it. This is influenced by our neurobiology, hormones, environment and genes at any given moment. Behavior is complex. Throw those things into a blender and wha-la! Out comes a behavior.
Now, that isn’t necessarily what this article is about. That’s way past my pay grade and expertise. I just wanted to create a background of information.
Basically, we are limited by our biology and environment. We are only going to search for solutions to our goals within those confines. Thinking differently is hard and our brains want to reject any sort of information that doesn’t conform to our current biases. If we are big into the foundational strength movements, we are unlikely to be persuaded by any sort of new information brought to our attention as to how there might be better ways to train your fitness and weight loss clients.
I want to state right now by saying that we don’t have the right answers. We are just offering up what we think the best answers to solutions are based on our past experience. We can’t fully perceive reality and we work with mental models that are useful, but not always accurate.
What I am challenging you to do with this article is to think differently about solutions and offer yourself up to having your mind changed. I don’t think you have to abandon your current model but let some information that you otherwise would blow off as “stupid” inside that little mind of yours. Be open to trying different interventions. You might be surprised as to what works that you originally didn’t think would.
Let me offer up something that I recently changed my mind on. I recently told someone that I don’t think sprinting is a good training protocol for anyone other than an athlete that needs to sprint in their sport. However, because we are currently in quarantine and our constraints with our clients have changed, we have to look for some other solutions. I had a client reach out and ask if he could have some sprinting stuff on his program. This is someone I would normally never program sprints for. I said yes and tailored a sprint and running workout best for his current level of physical fitness. Turns out he is really enjoying it and is more consistent with this running program than he was coming into the gym before the quarantine. This is something that surprised me.
If we don’t open ourselves up to other possibilities, we are only hurting our own chances to succeed as along with the clients we train. Likely, there is a solution out there that we just have to search and work a little harder for. Don’t be set on having ONE way to do all things. The Universe is complex, and humans are complex. There are many ways to achieve one goal. Be open to possibilities.