No one is a bigger advocate of hard work and intensity than I am. Work ethic, dedication and determination are something that I try to instill in ALL of my clientele. Whether performance is to be done under the lights on the field, or in the meeting room it is necessary to push to the limits of intensity and always go hard in order to give your best effort!
But there are some cases where going hard is not appropriate.
Not everyone is “ready” to Go Hard because they’re bodies are not ready to handle the level of intensity that they are attempting to attain.
Now don’t get me wrong, I like for my clients to train with “relative intensity” but they have to be able to complete the movement tasks at hand.
In his book, Enter the Kettlebell: Strength Secret of the Sovient Supermen, Pavel Tsatsouline, a former Sovient Special Forces physical training instructor emphasizes a very important point:
“Practice makes permanent…Under stress we revert to training …Practice; don’t workout!”
I believe this principle should apply all of our physical training methods. At the root, Pavel is simply stating that we should view our training practices as a time to acquire and refine technical skill that directly correlates to our ability to move well with fluidity.
We just shouldn’t seek to workout and sweat for the sake of burning calories, our aim should be to make our bodies “smarter” by possessing the competency to move well.
If our bodies do not possess the competency to move well under low loads in a predictable environment, then how can expect to move with explosive fluidity in the midst of highly loaded and chaotic environments? It just won’t happen.
Most individuals, both the “elite” athlete and general fitness enthusiast lack the flexibility, body control and gross motor skills which is the foundation for durability. Deficiencies in durability yield higher injury risk.
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