What’s Necessary vs. What’s Possible?
Training can be used to describe the actioning of a course of exercise and dieting in preparation for an event.
When new to exercise, it can be difficult to know what you should be training. If you don’t have a sport, yet, or a particular event to train for, you can just train for life, and that’s okay.
So, the question to ask is, “What do I value?”
Here’s a few examples of attributes a person may value.
Being able to run for the bus.
Being able to get up the stairs without knee pain.
Having strong ankles so that they can tolerate rolls and twists.
Being able to do the splits like a dancer.
Having a sound mind knowing that you’ve pushed your body today.
Or even having a six-pack that looks like a cheese grater.*
* Abs like these!
I like to divide my training into 2 categories:
“Necessary” training
“What’s Possible?” training
Why is this distinction important?
Some of the training we do needs to serve daily functions like being fit enough to take the stairs instead of the escalators.
Other parts of our training should be aimed towards exploring our potential.
Here’s an analogy:
Necessary training is the eggs, flour and oat milk that goes into the pancake mix. You need the pancake because it’s the base and foundation of the meal.
What’s Possible training is the lemon and sugar, the peanut butter, the Nutella. We put it on the pancake because it tastes bloody excellent and it makes breakfast a treat.
So, let’s put the pen to paper and start making some movement towards more purposeful training.
Some Homework for you…
We are going to make a list of areas of our life that are Necessary to train for.
Then, we are going to make a list of What’s Possible that we could do one day and that we would like to train for.
Start with what you need your body to be able to do. Think about how you can break down those needs down into bite-sized chunks to complete over a reasonable period of time.
Here’s an example Necessary list:
I want to be able to run to the bus.
I want to be able to take the stairs instead of the escalator without gasping for air.
I want to drop a few kgs of weight to fit in my wedding suit.
Once you’ve got these necessary values clear and defined, move on to explore What’s Possible. Let your mind think, ponder and wonder. Allow yourself to believe it possible to do something you have never done before.
Here’s an example What’s Possible list:
I want to be able to do 30 push ups in a row.
I want to be able to pick the equivalent of my bodyweight off the floor.
I want to be able to do the splits and kick an apple off the top of my friends head.*
*Like Jean-Claude Van Damme
Remember: “You don’t need to be able to do it straight away, give your body time to adapt.”
The human body is remarkable and given time, persistence and respect, it can adapt to perform some truly impressive feats.
The key is curiosity.
If you’re still struggling to know what you should be training, fill out this form and we can chat.
Make your lists and keep moving,
Monty