The Biggest Misconception in Fitness

Hello Friends,

The word “fitness” is thrown around a great deal. Every gym, martial arts school, aerobics instructor, personal trainer and even your mailman probably have their own opinions on what it means. The truth is, before you can say that someone is fit you have to identify what exactly they are fit for.

The way that a person trains will dictate what that person is in condition for, or in other words what they are fit to do. A marathon runner could do 1000 push-ups with a cow strapped to their back – but how would that make them fit or conditioned for a marathon?

Though it may seem like common sense, many people miss the forest for the trees when it comes to defining what fitness means.

The coach potato is more fit than a triathlete!!

Everything you do is training. Everything! Everything that you do produces a training effect, regardless of how you value that effect. A person who goes to work, sits behind a computer, comes home and clicks on the TV is fit. They have conditioned their body so that it is in the best possible state to sit on the couch or to slump over the computer screen. Their daily grind has caused a training effect. While we would all agree that this effect is not desirable, have no illusions that couch potatoes are fit. They are fit for the task that they have prepared themselves for.

Everything that we do produces an outcome, regardless of how we value that outcome.

This is why TACFIT promotes systems and programs that are HEALTH-FIRST. The health first approach is not based on a preconception of what fitness is. Health first means many things, but variables such as physique, how much you can bench, how far you can run and how fast, and how many times you can lift, squat or swing whatever are all secondary to health.

When people misunderstand what fitness is, it creates a problem. Often they unintentionally walk into a situation where a workout is challenging, and they walk out believing that they must be “out of shape” because the workout wore them out. They aren’t in shape — not for that particular workout.

There are two paths that diverge from this point. On the first path you can view your training program as an end unto itself. People do this all the time. They end up training to train. They work out to improve their performance in their workout. If that’s your thing more power to you. Be aware, though, that the adaptations your body is making are specific to your training and will not necessarily cross over to another venue. The body responds very specifically to the demands placed upon it (SAID Principle).

The activity that you want to be fit for should determine your training regime. When the 400 pound strongman fails to press the 800 pound barbell for the 10th time, he never says “I wish I would have done more running”.

Likewise, the marathon runner who is narrowly beaten at the last second never says “If only I would’ve spent more time on the bench press”.

This is why TACFIT always encourages asking questions of yourself to identify your goals as you set out to find an appropriate training program or exercise.

• What are your goals?
• What is your performance goal for your exercise?
• Along with the benefits of a particular exercise or program, what negatives will come along for the ride?
• How do you intend to address those?

As mentioned above, fitness means nothing without first defining what it is that we need or want to be fit for. An exercise is only as good as the results that it produces and how directly those results apply to the attributes or skills of your chosen endeavor.

So…how “fit” are you?

Very Respectfully,

Scott B. Sonnon