Over on the 'secret' BodyTribe Facebook Group (just ask, I'll add ya), one of our deep thinkers, Steve Cork, opened a dialog with some worthy inquiries. Now, full disclosure, this includes a warm plug for my book, Are You Useful, which is a blatant promo on my part, while also letting us speculate on what a "warm plug" might be.
"I only just finished reading 'Are You Useful' - absolutely loved it Chip! Curious to
hear how you have engaged clients to think beyond the gym if they start out with the gym as their only real physical activity? I get the sense you invite a much bigger relationship than simply joining the dots to something like 'helps you to be better at running, sports etc'. Actually there are lots of real world examples of the differences people make - maybe it's celebrating these every bit as much as more weight on the bar, or amount of fat lost!?"
Perhaps using a paragraph from said book might open this discussion up by offering a groovy thought exercise that can help establish the path for the fitness journey.
Not too long ago I was spending time with some friends at Agoge Fitness in lovely Birmingham, Alabama. After a weekend of intensity, movement, and other general physical subculture mayhem, I posed that question to them: what is strength? Eventually we filled up a dry erase board with a collection of answers that had little to do with picking up something heavy, although overcoming obstacles seemed to be a major theme. Words like integrity, perseverance, respect, and understanding filled this board as representations or displays of strength… what it means to be strong. Love topped the list, as it should. Therefore, if those are the definitions of Strength, then what is strength TRAINING? Be strong, my friends!
Defining strength helps define your goals. Suddenly a great chunk of most of the goals that the industry provides for you have less potency. Now there's a simple trick in defining strength. Simply ask yourself why is it important. You suddenly have your definition for what it is.
If you'd like to share your definition of strength, please do, either here, on on the FB group page. Come join the conversation!
__________ By the way, if you haven't subscribed to my YouTube channel yet, please do! It's my creative, playful place, exploring mischievous movement and strength in playful locations, often with a good dose of thought-provoking mini-diatribes blended into the mix. For instance...