Welcome to Revolutionary Fitness Army tactics 101
Lesson 1: Unconventional Fitness Warfare
Don’t kid yourself, we are at war! A war against obesity, heart disease and about a dozen other diseases and issues that riddle this society due to, more or less, inactivity. It is time to fight back!
The war = getting people fit and healthy. The battle = getting people fit and healthy the right way .
Today, we talk about the battle
Since man picked up a weapon against his fellow being, he has always looked for a way to defeat his opponent in a more efficient and lethal way. It is our nature to seek out and exploit the weaknesses of our opponent thus maximizing our gain versus our risk.
Above is a quote about actual warfare, but it also applies to fitness. Ever since people got into ‘getting fit’ there has been a constant push to make fitness faster, easier and more efficient. The general idea is progress equals efficiency. It is a good idea in most aspects, but not in fitness.
This idea has left us with a sea of fitness machines, pills that harm us and diets that can kill us. Where do we draw the line?
We draw the line here. Fitness nonconformity.
When the odds are against you, and you don’t feel like you could take on such a task, you must get unconventional! This is where the Unconventional Fitness Warfare tactics come in. Unconventional warfare can be traced all the way back to the revolutionary war – which makes me think to have a fitness revolution we must get unconventional.
Unconventional Fitness Tactics
Tactic #1: Ambush the commercial gym
More and more people are proving on a daily basis that gym membership are completely unnecessary. Albeit, having a gym membership and being in shape > doing nothing at all. However, I would still make the argument for tactic #3 below if you keep the membership….getting sidetracked.
When I talk to people about getting in shape, especially when getting started, I am always thrown off for the reasons people have not to do something. People look at fitness as a package deal.
The deal:
- Money for the membership
- Money for the new clothes
- The commute
- The people with judgemental eyes
- The high pressure personal trainer sales person
Normally not mentioned: Pushing yourself, getting sweaty, working hard and eating right.
If you find yourself in this position, I have great news! At one point in time I would have said all you need to get in shape is a garage, but now, I say, all you need to get in shape is space and creativity. I have been working with a number of people in recent months who are getting in great shape with nothing but their bodies and a backyard, and sometimes a living room 🙂
Add a barbell with some weight to this equation and you are now capable of training at an elite level.
Tactic #2: Flank the fitness norm
It is as simple as: power cleans vs. bench press, stabilization vs. ab machines, pull-ups vs. bicep curls. Unless you goal is to be painted with bronzer, half-naked on a stage and flexing, stay away from the isolation madness.
Two things I have learned from venturing down the functional fitness path:
- Getting functionally fit will make you look good naked.
- Functional fitness applies everywhere for everything.
So, about bullet number one there…I don’t normally talk about vanity and fitness, because ‘looking good’ is very low on my list of fitness priorities, but I know for a lot of you it ranks towards the top. Functional fitness will shape your body into everything it is supposed to be. Working out muscles that most don’t and performing activities others will never try will give you unique results. Following the same logic, doing things that most don’t will make you look how most don’t – FIT!!
More about bullet number two…Of course you will notice your fitness improve and general tasks will get easier and life will get better, but the coolest thing I notice is what I DON’T notice. Working with your friends in different ways such as moving boxes, going on a long hike or any other activity you will notice your friends will normally say how tired they are…and you will realize you aren’t! Your friends will say things like, “I’ll be sore from that tomorrow”, and you know you won’t be. People may say “let’s take a break here” and you will think, Why?
You will find yourself doing life better – and that’s what Eo3 is all about.
Tactic # 3: Exploit the Dark
Perhaps the number one reason people give for not working out – Time, a.k.a too busy.
People are busy. Actually, everyone is busy. Welcome to the 21st century! A place where information is instantaneous, work is demanding and family life is a distance second to most employers. Anytime people bring up the word ‘busy’, it is hilarious to see the conversation that ensues. If you claim to be busy most other people see that as an opportunity to compare schedules with you to see who is ACTUALLY busier. When, really, it doesn’t matter!! We are all busy! Get over it!
Now that you don’t have that excuse to hide behind, you need to find time to fit fitness into your schedule. When I say exploit the dark, you may think I mean workout at night. You can work out at night but you may have a ‘workout high’ and it will be hard for you to fall asleep, and sleep is of the utmost importance.
When I say exploit the dark I really mean, GET UP EARLY!! It is hard to wake up earlier than you have to, I know, but you can do it! Try it for two weeks and see how quickly your body adjusts, you will be impressed.
Tactic # 4: Gather Intelligence
This tactic is insanely important!
There should never be anything in your life that you learn once and never think about it again, except for maybe using the bathroom. Let me rephrase, you should always be on the quest for knowledge where knowledge is to be had.
I can’t tell you how many guys I know who are still doing the weightlifting routine their highschool football coach taught them how to do 10 years ago, just because that is all they know.
Always be out looking to learn more about fitness and make sure you are doing the right things. At one point in time the Atkins diet looked like a great way to lose weight, now we know that isn’t really true.
Make sure you gather your intel regularly, from reputable sources.
Tactic #5: Concentration of force
The last and final tactic of unconventional fitness warfare tactics is concentration of force.
Concentration of force means, a concentrated effort to maximize efficiency or impact when numbers, resources (or forces) are limited.
This kind of ties in with tactic number three in the fact that it deals with time. Like I said, we are all busy. Not everyone has hours and hours of time to devote to fitness, myself included. We have to fit it in what we can when we can.
Make the best use of your time. Time spent working out does not equal how great a workout was. Be quick and efficient and you will see great things.
Remember 30 minutes is always better than zero minutes!!
What else?
Any methods or tactics you have discovered to help you in your fitness journey?