I recently participated in a ju-jitsu workout as part of my martial arts continuing education.  During the class, I was put through a 30 minute conditioning workout which included medicine ball work, footwork drills, push-ups, etc.  I found the conditioning somewhat challenging, but not exhausting or beyond my abilities.  I was able to complete every exercise without too much difficulty.

In this same workout there were 2 younger men (in their mid 20’s) who appeared very fit.  One of these men had substantial muscle mass in the chest and shoulders – most likely from bench press and other free-weight training.  Although this man looked very strong he had a hard time completing the upper body conditioning which involved body weight exercises.

As I drove home from this workout I started to think about how interesting it was that this young man, who could probably bench press almost twice his own body weight, could not complete even 60 seconds of medicine ball push-ups without going to his knees.  I found it so interesting because I realized (again) that many people confuse strength for conditioning.  In other words, training to lift heavy weights is not conditioning for real-time physical activity, it just develops strength.

To offer a simple definition, strength is the ability to lift a weight (body weight or external resistance).  A very strong person can lift very heavy loads, whereas a weak person can lift only very light loads.  Conditioning refers to the body’s ability to utilize strength at varying rates of speed and body positions.  Often the word “conditioning” also implies the ability to maintain performance throughout an event (endurance).

Going back to the young guy with the big pecs . . . sure he can bench press way more than I can, but (luckily for me) martial arts events don’t take place in a weight room – they take place on the mat, the ring or the dojo.  In these environments it is conditioning that counts, not just raw strength.  Many people get focused on developing strength and forget they are training for performance in a sport, not to lift heavy weights.

Exercise is hard, it hurts while you do it and sometimes for several days after you do it.  Most people do not enjoy things that are hard and that hurt.  At the same time, most people would prefer to be in shape.

The most common excuse for lack of exercise is lack of time.  People are too busy or work too much to work out.  Then they whine and complain about not having the body they want.  That is just lame.  Everyone has time to work out, they just don’t do it.

You have to make time to work out!  If you have to hire a trainer to kick your butt, then do it.  If you need to join a class with a friend to motivate you, then do it.

If you are still trying to use the “I’m too busy” excuse.  Here are some time saving ideas for you:

• Turn off the TV
• Stop online shopping
• Don’t go to a movie
• Stop playing video games
• Hire a babysitter sometimes
• Don’t enroll all your children in 6 different activities at once
• Just say “NO” to after work drinks (at least 2 times/week)

Americans are blessed to live a rich and prosperous nation (even during a recession).  Perhaps our prosperity correlates with our obesity.  Our lives have simply become too easy and our bodies too soft.  We no longer have to chop wood, carry water, hand-wash clothes, plow fields by hand, etc.  We don’t even have to walk to work or to the store.

We complain when things are not done fast enough for us or when things are difficult to do.  Exercise is no exception.  People say they don’t exercise because they have no time – that is just and excuse.  The real reason people don’t work out is because it is hard work.  Well boo hoo!  I am not impressed.  Yeah its hard, big deal – THAT’S THE POINT!  The challenge of exercise is what makes it valuable.  Sure, other things come easier, all the things that make us weak!

So many people whine about how hard it is to find time to exercise and that they are just not motivated to push themselves.  Well guess what people – that’s lame.

What American’s want is to have great bodies and tons of energy without doing any of the work.  Guess what people – that’s nuts.  There is no such thing as fitness without hard work.  It is time to stop making excuses and start moving.  If you don’t like the work, that’s your own problem.

I participated in a 5 hour martial arts workshop today.  As always, I know that I learned a lot – but it was so mentally overwhelming that I won’t realize the true value of the techniques for at least a couple of days, maybe even a week or two.  I have been to several of these in the last year, and I always leave feeling like my mind is tired, but my body is still fresh.  I wish that the seminars were shorter, with less technique and more repetition so I could get a workout and learn new technique at the same time.  I am starting to understand that people in the martial arts are very focused on technique, and not on fitness.  Perhaps they are not alone . . .

As in all sports or physical activities, martial arts is only fun in so far as one can comfortably endure the physical work that it takes to perform the activity.  In other words, it stops being fun when you are tired.  The sooner the fatigue occurs, the less time the student (player) can spend having fun while learning.  The only way to have more fun (and develop skill)  is to be more fit.  There are many ways to become more fit, but they all involve a lot of repetition.  Most people do not like repetition because it is not exciting or interesting enough to hold their attention (maybe that’s why most people are not fit?).

At one point during the seminar, the person I was working with says to me “I am running out of options.”  And I replied “You don’t need more options, you just need to have a few that you can get every time.”  His reply was “Where’s the fun in that?”

We can see  the student’s distaste for repetition by way of this comment.  This attitude is all too common among martial arts students, and is the reason that most people do not stick with their training.  It also the reason people do not stick with their workout regimens.

There are a few interesting contradictions in this way of thinking which i would paraphrase:   “It has to be fun for me to want to work hard at it.”

1. First of all, the reason he ran out of options was that I was larger, stronger and more fit than him, so he could not rely on intimidation or brute strength.  The contradiction here is that the student does not take responsibility for his own success or failure when training gets mundane, but is happy to claim bragging rights when everything is going his way.
2. Secondly, the true talent of elite athletes in any sport is their ability to flawlessly repeat the basic movements of their sport or art with effortless grace and precision – NOT to re-invent the event in every moment.  Basics are basics, and a person’s concept of fun can either include them or not, but they are still the foundation of success. No one likes lunges or push-ups, but they will always be effective.  The people who look beyond their desire to be entertained by exercise programs, and actually do the work, will have more fun working in the long term because they will continue to get results.
3. Third and finally, repetition is not fun.  I agree – it is less fun to take the same technique and do it 1,000 times than it is to change techniques every 10 minutes or so; unfortunately, that is how you become proficient. When we strive to increase our level of fitness, we should be focused on results.  Loosing weight and finally getting new clothes that you feel confident wearing is fun – so who cares if we have to do a few “boring” things to get there – isn’t it worth it?  If not, then you don’t get to whine when someone who has done the work shows you up.

The training process does not always have to be fun to be rewarding. In fact, training is often difficult, humiliating and painful, but the skills (fitness) that we develop help us have fun as we progress.