What Survival Training Teaches us About Fitness.

What Survival Training Teaches us About Fitness.

I had the pleasure of taking Introduction to Wilderness Survival and Compass Navigation courses at Survival School Canada http://www.survivalschoolcanada.com/

Paul Cobham has so much knowledge to pass on, but I found one of his lessons in particular had a great correlation to my view of physical fitness and health.  He described a pyramid of priorities (like the food pyramid we are familiar with).

Graphic by Leona Graham http://www.leonagraham.net/

In this graphic, Mr. Cobham says the most important thing is the WILL TO LIVE.  Your attitude is the most important thing.  He described an event where one of his former students was stranded in the Arctic with no gear other than what was on his back in a horrible blizzard.  All he could do was sit and wait for rescue.  What kept him alive was thinking about coming home to his wife. 

So what does this have to do with fitness?  Your attitude is the most important part of your fitness and health.  That is what will get you through the pain and obstacles.  If you don’t have the will to press on, your fitness pyramid will crumble.  I encourage everyone to FIND THAT FIRST.  Whatever it is.  Living longer for your kids, feeling better in the future, the attention of the opposite sex, or what ever you need to keep you going on the 7^th kilometer of your 10k.  That is the real reason personal trainers and us odd fitness folks keep going on about motivation.  If you have that, building on everything else is easy.

Then you will be inspired to find knowledge.  For fitness and survival, this means learning the proper way to execute a task and the reason why these tasks are important and effective.  Mr. Cobham was excellent at that for survival, and I hope I can help you with that in fitness.  Then, you need to apply this with practice.  The application of knowledge with practice develops SKILL!  In fitness and survival training we intend to develop skills and grow.  Take home for this, don’t get frustrated quickly.  You are learning and practicing.  JUST KEEP WORKING AT IT.

And what is the smallest part of the pyramid.   KIT.  That is all the crap you buy.  Does this hit home with anyone?  Think about all that exercise equipment you have at home.  All of those tv and magazine adds.  Mr. Cobham described our consumer society as being overly focused on kit, so most people’s pyramid looks like this:

Look familiar.  You buy the latest thing, try to practice, but you fail because you don’t have the knowledge, and this really does not help your attitude at all.  Take home:  kit is great, but is worthless if you do not start with THE WILL TO GO ON.  Without will all your kit is just expensive clutter.  All these items are ephemeral, your attitude can be eternal. 

So start between your ears.  Find your motivation, you will stumble and fail and run into adversity, but you will also succeed and have personal victories. 

I had a great time at Survival School Canada  http://www.survivalschoolcanada.com/

and the setting in the Willow Retreat http://www.willowretreat.com/ was a great opportunity for me to get some mind, body and health balance. Check out their pages for some great health related opportunities. Anne Cobham does Reiki and Meditation in an old-fashioned peace and quiet environment.  I have a feeling that may be my next adventure.

           

6 reasons why men are afraid to take group fitness classes, but really should.

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Sometimes I feel like this in Zumba, on a good day that is.

I was inspired this week.  I took two killer group fitness classes.  Each one was a brutal full workout and I pushed it with all I had.  But once again I noticed, I was the only guy.  Why don’t guys go to group fitness classes?

1- Guys do 3 sets of 10.

Guys have been doing 3 sets of 10 forever and get results, so why do group fitness?  Well at some point you will plateau and 3 sets of 10 will not challenge your body enough.  Your body will only build new muscle in response to new stimulus.  Also, if you are doing your old standby routine, you may be avoiding some exercises because they are your weak spots.  You know, the spots that need the most work.  Group fitness classes are great to force you to do something different that will challenge you and work your neglected parts.

2- They use lightweight.  It looks too easy.

First off, trust me, everyone is getting what they put into the class.  I pushed my self hard and had nothing left.  Guys are always attracted to heavy weights and low reps to build more muscle.  But remember, your body will get used to that.  For healthy muscle you need to switch it up.  FULL range of motion with focus on technique and form make healthy muscles.

3- I don’t want to feel foolish.

Big tough guys, and totally in secure.  I take a group fitness class with a bunch of women who chose to do something for themselves, take a chance and try their best.  Trust me, it is a lot easier to blend into the weight room than it is to take a class, get in a room with people fitter than you and do something you have never done before.  That is guts. 

4- What if a girl is better than you!?!

The worst possible situation, right?  It happens to me.  Everyone has some weak parts and some strong parts; the girl next to me is really good at shoulder presses.  I have weaker shoulders so she is doing better than me, no shame.  I have really good push ups, she can’t get two out.  Men are much more competitive so are always looking next to them to see how much the other person is doing.  Women can be much more secure and just do what they know is best for them.  Us guys can learn from that.

5- There is nothing but girls in the class!

Like being surrounded by a bunch of amazing women is a problem.  But it is tough being the only guy in the class.  You don’t want to feel conspicuous or different.  But get over it.  If you want to have fun you have to take a chance and not take yourself so seriously.  Let yourself have the time of your life in Zumba.  It is truly inspiring for me to see all the ladies in Zumba just setting themselves free.  Men always try to be restrained.   For as tough as guys pretend to be, a little bump on the ego turns us into shy little boys. 

6- Oh and by the way… you are sitting on your butt too much!

Something I see a lot in the weight room is excessive rest in-between sets.  I see a lot of guys playing with their phones, walking around, talking to bros, and just doing whatever.  When I take a break between sets, I use a stop watch to insure I am not “just chilling.”  When you take a group fitness class you get on the rid and it don’t stop until it is over.  Those who are guilty of  over resting will be impressed by the impact continuous activity has.

Conclusion.

So for the guys out there, that is what I have to say about the other side of the gym you turn your head to look at but never go in.  Men talk all the time about team sports, in a group fitness class I feel like I am a part of a team.  Everyone is encouraging each other, and by the end we all say, “we did it!”

Another secret, women like men who are not afraid to dance, so Zumba is not a terrible thing to get into.  During breaks in fitness classes all the ladies talk to each other and I find myself the odd man out. Feels a little bit like the first day of kindergarten. But just like kindergarten, don’t worry guys, you will make friends.  And if more guys come to Zumba or other group fitness classes, I might not feel so conspicuous!