Sometimes it still alarms me when people–friends or family members, especially– ask me: “How do I get in shape?”
Never mind that my thought about what “in shape” is might differ from yours. I simply spend so much time reading fitness, writing fitness, and thinking about fitness that I just start assuming that everyone knows what I know. DBS family, I know you already know to exercise often and with intensity, to eat quality food in sensible amounts, and to take care of yourself mentally and emotionally. However, you may not know what it is about intense exercise that improves your “shape.”
So today, I’m writing about the upcoming Friday workout (Day 5, week 3 of this Community Gains Project), the first workout I may ever describe as “Perfect.”
I wrote a while back that fitness is NOT health and that improving your fitness demands asking “fit for what task?” If “everyday life and the hopefully rare emergency” is your task, then Friday is the perfect workout for you.
Training for exemplary general fitness–exactly what we do at the Shop–should incorporate several things:
- Heavy loads (called intensity)
- High total reps (called volume)
- Picking things up
- Carrying things
- Getting up and down from the floor
- Moving as fast as possible (while being safe & in perfect form)
That’s the standard list. You could pick any day of any week and notice we do those in class. But there are some additional things that are just as or more useful:
- Social interaction
- Mental/intellectual challenge
- Emotional stimulation (usually “fun” is correct, but competition stirs up certain feelings that are also healthy)
- Challenges at the edge of ability
That’s definitely a more complex list.
To answer the original question: “How do I get in shape?” Well, for exercise purposes, find a few workouts that do all 10 things above and attack them with everything you have.
So back to Friday: We have the Most Perfect Workout yet at DBS all ready for you.
Friday we have a card game mixed into a nearly impossible workout. It will be you versus the world. (Against your class at least.) The movements are very simple, but they involve a tremendous expense of energy. Because they are simple, you can load them up heavy and do them very fast. I noted that the workout is nearly impossible, and that’s important. If you’re aggressive, clever, and committed to getting the best out of yourself, you can finish this thing in 50 minutes or less, guaranteed. If you’re having an off day or your classmates really hose you in the card game, things could get hairy!
I don’t want to reveal the fun details, but I will give you the basic rules and an overview. I want you to be both prepared and excited for this Most Perfect Workout.
THE MOVEMENTS
Kettlebell Swings
Push-ups
Suitcase Carry
THE BASIC RULES
- Everyone begins with 2 cards.
- If you receive a card, your push-ups become burpees for one round.
- If you lose or give a card, your push-ups become sprawls for one round.
- If you accumulate 4 cards, you can “cash in” to skip push-ups for one round.
There are plenty of rounds, my friends, so don’t worry if you get a little confused at the beginning.
That’s all you have to know for now to show up Friday and have an incredible experience. Remember to keep things playful (or go for the jugular and pass out Burpees like Skittles). Remember to pace yourself (or put down the hammer and crush this thing). Remember to use a comfortable load (or get amped up and surprise yourself with your strength).
If being fit enough to live a high quality life and be prepared for the occasional threat is your goal, take note of how you feel Friday. I can’t speak for everyone (after all, “in shape” means different things to different people), but if you’ve liked the way we train at the Shop so far, you’re going to love Friday.
And…Saturday, please send all hate mail directly to me: dunte.hector@gmail.com, that way, I can be certain that you all know by then exactly what I know now.
