Efficiency and Form; The first sacrifice.
Lift with your body, not your EGO.
We've all seen it - be it in gyms, Supermarkets and in public. Where as humans our ego's will not allow us to accept failure or the inability to do something, and we end up jeopardising our physical well being to do the task at hand.
I'm fully confident, that we've all given way to logic and form at one point in life, just to see if we can go that little bit heavier, and feel good about the lump of metal we just shifted.
But the question we need to ask ourselves at this point isn't "How much can you bench, bro" - the question is, is lifting a weight... once; quite badly, and sacrificing form - risking injury, going to help you reach any bodily goal? Or is going to help you boast?
I've seen it so much where people dedicate so much of their time to a good cause such as their health. They then plateau, regress and realise that their bodies and health aren't getting better, but they can lift more. The amount of people I see on a daily basis using their lower backs and their quads to do a BICEPS CURL (No that isn't a typo); that's more than two times the weight they should realistically be pushing, is shocking. When I first walked into the gym I always understood that slow and steady won the race, the point was to work the muscle, not see how fast you can lift the weight and attempt to hit the roof with it. Every person is different, and yeah that skinny guy who's been training a lot longer than you is probably a hell of a lot stronger than you too... but please leave your caveman instinct at the door because it'll do you more harm than good.
Some exercise and movements more people are getting accustomed to are Olympic style lifts. And while this is great to see happening, it's also a massive note for caution. In the name of the exercise itself - Olympic - shows you that the event in which these lifts are seen aren't events any person walks into to lift a heavy piece of metal. No. They're trained professionals who've been training for most of their lives, and that's key here.
The injuries sustained here are unbelievable, some are permanent, and most ruin lives. This should seriously highlight the risk you face when attempting to do this. This should seriously highlight the importance to leave your ego at the door. And to those of you that see people with such injuries, it doesn't mean it'll happen to you and therefore you should do nothing but arm workouts and abdominal crunches, it means you should take note and learn from others the consequences of messing up. Getting your form right, will lead to much faster gains in strength, better posture, better chances of making gains... and yes, eventually being able to lift heavier.
Efficiency
And finally, efficiency. When I first heard this word I thought it meant making every repetition the same, using the same muscles throughout all of the movements and moving better and quicker in speed, without jeopardising your body to injury. Training in CrossFit is all about the efficiency of movement, and mental toughness of continuation in a tough physical state.
Where I was wrong was what I found out only a few days ago. Efficiency isn't as much about using the same muscles, and making all movement identical in correct form, as much as it is about using the correct muscles, or being able to adapt the way you move, adapting the muscles you use, in order not to exhaust yourself from further movements. For example, in using your gluteal and hamstring muscles to do a dead-lift or a kettle-bell swing, as opposed to your quadriceps, saves said quads to be used more efficiently elsewhere. This is what I mean here.
We must all take into account a MASSIVE fundamental that people will attempt to swerve. you cannot and will not out train a bad diet. The fuel your body uses, it's origin, it's natural self is what will make you reach your goals. You don't use petrol in a diesel. So why use chocolate for muscle growth.
I hope you take on board some of what I said, again, this really does depend on you, because not one person is similar out there in terms of the way they're able to move, lift and live. So adapt yourself in a way that suits you. When it comes to your training, if you're just starting, go light, perfect the motion, get your form perfect, then make gains. Don't sacrifice your body to satisfy your ego. It's the most valuable asset you have (Your body that is). ;)
Please like, comment and share! It's a good topic to talk about and I'd like to know what you think of my opinion of it!
Thanks for reading,
Alexander Yagoub
twitter: @ayagoub1
instagram: @alexmagooyag
I'm fully confident, that we've all given way to logic and form at one point in life, just to see if we can go that little bit heavier, and feel good about the lump of metal we just shifted.
But the question we need to ask ourselves at this point isn't "How much can you bench, bro" - the question is, is lifting a weight... once; quite badly, and sacrificing form - risking injury, going to help you reach any bodily goal? Or is going to help you boast?
I've seen it so much where people dedicate so much of their time to a good cause such as their health. They then plateau, regress and realise that their bodies and health aren't getting better, but they can lift more. The amount of people I see on a daily basis using their lower backs and their quads to do a BICEPS CURL (No that isn't a typo); that's more than two times the weight they should realistically be pushing, is shocking. When I first walked into the gym I always understood that slow and steady won the race, the point was to work the muscle, not see how fast you can lift the weight and attempt to hit the roof with it. Every person is different, and yeah that skinny guy who's been training a lot longer than you is probably a hell of a lot stronger than you too... but please leave your caveman instinct at the door because it'll do you more harm than good.
Some exercise and movements more people are getting accustomed to are Olympic style lifts. And while this is great to see happening, it's also a massive note for caution. In the name of the exercise itself - Olympic - shows you that the event in which these lifts are seen aren't events any person walks into to lift a heavy piece of metal. No. They're trained professionals who've been training for most of their lives, and that's key here.
The injuries sustained here are unbelievable, some are permanent, and most ruin lives. This should seriously highlight the risk you face when attempting to do this. This should seriously highlight the importance to leave your ego at the door. And to those of you that see people with such injuries, it doesn't mean it'll happen to you and therefore you should do nothing but arm workouts and abdominal crunches, it means you should take note and learn from others the consequences of messing up. Getting your form right, will lead to much faster gains in strength, better posture, better chances of making gains... and yes, eventually being able to lift heavier.
Efficiency
And finally, efficiency. When I first heard this word I thought it meant making every repetition the same, using the same muscles throughout all of the movements and moving better and quicker in speed, without jeopardising your body to injury. Training in CrossFit is all about the efficiency of movement, and mental toughness of continuation in a tough physical state.
Where I was wrong was what I found out only a few days ago. Efficiency isn't as much about using the same muscles, and making all movement identical in correct form, as much as it is about using the correct muscles, or being able to adapt the way you move, adapting the muscles you use, in order not to exhaust yourself from further movements. For example, in using your gluteal and hamstring muscles to do a dead-lift or a kettle-bell swing, as opposed to your quadriceps, saves said quads to be used more efficiently elsewhere. This is what I mean here.
I hope you take on board some of what I said, again, this really does depend on you, because not one person is similar out there in terms of the way they're able to move, lift and live. So adapt yourself in a way that suits you. When it comes to your training, if you're just starting, go light, perfect the motion, get your form perfect, then make gains. Don't sacrifice your body to satisfy your ego. It's the most valuable asset you have (Your body that is). ;)
Please like, comment and share! It's a good topic to talk about and I'd like to know what you think of my opinion of it!
Thanks for reading,
Alexander Yagoub
twitter: @ayagoub1
instagram: @alexmagooyag
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