A meditation on movement and physical fitness

How do we define fitness? This question can be answered any number of ways most of which are unhelpful, however using the scientific method I believe it is possible to define what fitness is and how to best improve in the most readily applicable manner.

So please bear with me while I give you an overview of my scientific understanding of physiology and how it applies to improving physical fitness and I'll address the fun part of making it applicable to training routines at the end.

During the American Revolutionary War of Independence the battle cry was ”no taxation without representation” so strongly was this sentiment felt that it became the founding principle of the American Constitution. There is a law of the Constitution of the human body, this law being” no muscular innovation without gravitation” cosmonauts and astronauts in long-term orbit around the Earth know this law well. As long term exposure to zero gravity conditions leads to muscle wasting and bone demineralisation, much has been done to create effective exercise program in outer space and cosmonauts spend a great deal of time each day counteracting the effects of the environment, but what does this have to do with physical fitness program back on Earth.

The musculoskeletal system exists to produce force and counter act the effects of incoming forces; this is well understood and discussed in biomechanical literature. However muscles also have another primary function which is often overlooked in both physical training and sports programs. Muscles in conjunction with peripheral and central nervous system act as a sensory organ for the gathering of information about the environment, forming an effective feedback loop to constitute effective movement. This sensory organ feature of musculature can also be effectively trained and improved. The homunculus is a pictorial representation of sensory information received in the brain from the nervous system. Resembling the 50s science-fiction character of the Mekon the head is huge with massive feet and hands and shrivelled torso. This represents the main sensory areas of the body where information about one's surroundings is received. The human body is meant to respond to uncertainty circumstances and conditions, the chaotic nature of our planet and its terrain. This in print of the homunculus onto the musculoskeletal system allows for motor learning of new tasks, skills and abilities at any age and is far more flexible than most people imagine. The process of nerve innovation is what allows for the use it or lose it phenomenon in physical fitness and more generally in relearning movement patterns after injury or illness and the acquisition of locomotive skills in toddlers.

So then when a typical trainee enters a modern training facility why do they switch most of their sensory input off ? By means listening to an iPod or watching television (for the purpose of distraction because the activity is so fundamentally dull and mentally unstimulating ), whist running on a treadmill (which is easier than covering the same distance over ground for even rough terrain) training on weights machines (which counterbalance and create non-functional ergonomics) and the over use of benches for lifting (which reduce scapular action).All of which over time lead to the development of muscle dysfunction, pattern overload(similar to repetitive strain injury) poor posture and the inability to reproduce force transfer in any meaningful manner in sports performance.

In an indoor climbing facility on will find precisely the opposite, Bouldering routes which can be covered in any number of ways. Nobody listens to an iPod as bland Music is never blasted out over the speaker system. In a boxing gym reflexes are trained with pad work, speedball floor-to-ceiling ball, skipping and sparring all of which demand concentration and presents for mind. The outdoor fell runners body constantly reacts and anticipates steep ascent's and rapid descents. A gymnast on the rings or pommel horse uses strength and manual dexterity to maintain both isometric contractions and dynamic bursts of energy with fine control of motor skills.

Scott Sonnon in his book bodyflow recommends a series of exercises to familiarise oneself with the bodies primary movement patterns, in my opinion this is one of the best books on fitness ever written. Sonnon is heavily influenced by both yoga and Russian styles of exercise which concentrate on flow and bodily awareness. Chris Sommer is a gymnastics coach from United States of America he has a DVD series and has written numerous articles on gymnastics training and it's applicability to fitness training in general. In one article describes how a male gymnast who has never lifted weights before in his life performance 400 pound deadlift with no previous experience. Such is the effectiveness of high-level bodyweight gymnastic training. Carl Forch,s coach doesn't believe in adding resistance exercises until one has full command of basic bodyweight exercises.

Although Kettlebell's for exceptionally fine tools for the use of strength training, the average trainee performs these poorly and lacking in good form and most commercial gyms. No method for approach to training is a cure-all, and assessment, planning and applicability always have to be taken into account. Many pieces of fitness equipment are sold on the basis of being suitable for all users and frankly this is not the case. In my time as a personal trainer I've seen poor balance and coordination regularly as inhibitors of progression in physical fitness. In contrast sports and activities such as climbing, gymnastics, skateboarding, snowboarding, surfing , rollerblading, slacklining, martial arts and martial arts weapon training, boxing, wrestling, all forms of dance, fell running, free running mountaineering, tennis, skipping, rugby and football all develop body awareness and fine motor skills when they are playing regularly.

When one has mastered one's body they can then return to weightlifting, bodybuilding, cross fitness and cardio machine training, while still benefiting from enhanced control which will feedback into other activities.

Karl Gotch a 1948 Olympic competitor in the sport of wrestling defines physical fitness as having five components strength, stamina, speed, agility and reflexes. In the introduction to his DVD “conditioning for combat sports” he talks about copying the movements of animals in the wild. This practice is also common to traditional Chinese martial arts, yogic postures and is part of Sebastien Foucan,s philosophy of the art of free running( indeed this philosophy helped him transfer his highly Level of body awareness into a new sport of iceskating) .

In conclusion I would say is been my experience that strength training cardio training and agility drills can be performed separately but for an all-round athlete training these assets in unison often becomes much more than the sum of its parts. People often get caught up in the minutiae of physical fitness training following standardised routines from books ,magazines and increasingly the Internet, in my opinion more thought should be given to general skills acquisition for the development of superior athletes and well conditioned physical fitness enthusiasts.