Rif had an interesting post during the past week or so talking about why people train. It was a great read for me, as it’s something I’ve been thinking a lot about lately as I’ve been working to further develop my coaching business. At the end of the day, most people are in it to look and feel good.
It’s the “feeling good” part that I’m really interested in these days. I really want my clients to view “taking care of themselves” as more than the hour spent in the gym now and again. I’m also really interested in the science of play and the neurological effects of play and fun on all aspects of the human body, so I want people to enjoy working out.
I have an entire page of this web site devoted to exercising outside of the gym and finding other ways to get/stay in to shape. What I never talk about is that if all you do is run around on the soccer field once every couple of weeks, the likelihood of getting hurt is a lot higher than someone who either a) runs around on a soccer field on a much more regular basis, or b) does supplemental training on their own to improve key soccer skills. As Z-Health perpetually reminds me, everything is a skill, so if you are “practicing” these skills infrequently and very quickly, your odds of getting hurt increase dramatically.
For example, I want to start playing tennis again. My tennis skills are beginner at best, so I will have to take lessons, no question about it. But, before I do that, I need to start getting some lateral footwork in and should also make sure my shoulder mobility is good. Z-Health has the shoulder covered, so I’m in pretty good shape there. Kettlebell snatches and TGUs will also be great for shoulder mobility and strength. For lateral footwork, I can just go down and back the hall a couple of times, picking up the pace over time.
It won’t take me much time to do this – I already snatch and TGU a couple times a week. It’s only a few more minutes a week to do the lateral footwork (no amount of brainstorming has developed good KB drills for that – altho I know Dr. Cobb has some good Z drills for tennis). And, if it can keep me from getting hurt playing tennis, then I’m all for it.
So, go find something you enjoy. But don’t forget that everything is a skill!
Move Well, Be Fit, Have Fun…
About Jen Waak