Image by quickster This is the third and final installment of the “Shah Training is Not Bodybuilding” series. The first post talked about focusing on a long-term approach to fitness. In the second post we took that idea further and I asked you to take another look at your current goals. Are they really something that will bring you satisfaction in the long term?

This final post I want to dabble in the definition of fitness. The princeton.edu definition for fitness is – the quality of being suitable.

Suitable for what? For life? For bodybuilding? For powerlifting? For a particular job? For what?Princeton.edu provides a sample sentence: “They had to prove their fitness for the position.”

Interesting. I actually like this definition of fitness. I once made a short video where I stated something like, “Fitness has nothing to do with losing weight or gaining muscle. It has to do with being healthy.”

A Practical Example

A bodybuilder friend of mine responded by saying, “You’re contradicting yourself.” Lets do a little experiment in word replacement:

What I’m saying is, “Being fit means that you are healthy.”

Apparently, according to my bodybuilder friend means the same as:

“Having a six pack means you are healthy.”

or

“Having big biceps means you are healthy.”

or

“Being able to run 24 miles in a few hours means you are healthy.”

Here are my thoughts:

• A six pack does not necessarily mean that you are healthy, because you could have gone through some extreme form of dieting that could be potentially harmful to your body. In this case you look healthy, but may not be much healthy once you get your blood work done.

• Same goes for the guy with big biceps. How many guys are walking around with huge arms and inflated chest, along with a belly hanging down to the ground? They’re just strong, but don’t look very fit. They wouldn’t be able to run very fast, nor would they be able to lift their own bodyweight for high reps.

• Finally, lets take the last example. Most distance runners are extremely skinny. They lack fundamental levels of strength and some even look sick- borderline anorexic. I would not call them healthy.

So then, what exactly is the definition of fitness? I would love to hear your thoughts.

I’ve always been a non-conformist, doing things that others don’t do. When kids were out playing basketball during recess, I was standing up against the fence reading a 300-page paper back novel. In high school, when most kids were out partying or getting into car accidents, I was at home, working on my first novel. And in college, when most kids were once again partying, getting into car accidents, and skipping class, I was at the campus writing center, work-shopping my screenplay with an exuberant grad student.

I’ve always been different, always been somewhat strange, practical yet un-practical. My email signature says: Strength Consultant. Writer. Dreamer. You just need those two words to really describe who I am: Writer. Dreamer. The fitness aspect of my life is another big part of me. I don’t know when it started, or why it started, but through the goal of weight loss, and the activity of Martial Arts, I developed a strong interest in the planning process. Why is it that when we run, we increase our endurance, but our strength goes caput? Why is it that despite being able to do more push-ups, our punching power doesn’t change? What causes what? And why does it cause it?

Since very early on, I enjoyed trying new things, especially if it was creative and something that most people wouldn’t think of doing. One example is my decision to start Yoga, at age 12. How many American suburbanite 12-year olds want to start Yoga? You can say it’s my Indian background, but then how many 12-year olds wake up early JUST to perform Yoga? I dunno, looking back, I think that I was born with this knack for just doing something I wanted to do, no matter what it took and how many people said no to me.

Why are all these thoughts coming to my head, and what does this have to do with fitness? It has everything to do with fitness! What we’re talking about here is the ability to do something because you love doing it. This seems to be a lost cause now a days. People work simply for the sake of working. People eat simply for the sake of eating. And people workout simply for the sake of working out. If you’re not having fun, then whats the point? No complex, super-intense workout will work if it doesn’t excite you at the beginning, and satisfy you at the end.

Ask yourself one question: Is my training program fun? If not, then forget about goals and start doing something fun!

Also check out:

• How can I get a full-body workout at the gym? – Choose whole-body movements
  
• Stop Rationalizing and Lift!
• Three Steps to High Frequency Training
• Dumbells for Power and Strength
• Differences in Training