Lot’s of good information in here…

Human Development: Kids and sports from Lauren Muney on Vimeo.

What do you think… Could adults use a little more creativity, curiosity, imagination, and play?

To your health and success,

Fitness Professional

P.S. apologies for the inconsistency with the blog lately. I’ve been struggling to stay afloat!

Think about it…

Is being able to run a 10k in 50 minutes good general conditioning?

What about being able to do 10 pullups, 30 pushups, and 50 bodyweight squats?

How about being able to carry an 80 lb rucksack through moderate-difficult terrain for a weekend?

Aren’t those all qualities of general conditioning?

So, the first problem is that general conditioning requires a definition – which immediately makes that conditioning SPECIFIC. Even if you make the definition of general conditioning very broad, you still have specific means of obtaining it.

For instance, the MovNat domain of fitness includes:

12 natural capacities of movement: walking, running, jumping, balancing, moving on all fours, climbing, lifting, carrying, throwing, catching, swimming and defending.

This is a VERY broad definition of conditioning that spans many different and unique skills – each of which can be quantified and qualified to fit specific criteria and categorized as “good” or “poor” conditioning. And yet, the only way to improve the “general conditioning” of those skills it to practice them. You won’t get better at moving on all fours by running more.

It’s common knowledge that training for one movement skill will seldom (or never) transfer to improved performance in another movement skill. This is true because of the SAID Principle – Specific Adaptation to Imposed Demands.

Lance Armstrong is an excellent example of this. Unless you’ve been living under a rock, you probably know that Armstrong is the worlds greatest road racing cyclist in history. He has won the Tour de France for a record-breaking 7 consecutive years, from 1998-2005.

In 2006, Armstrong decided to try a different type of road race – the marathon, a 26.2 mile foot race. At the New York City Marathon, Armstrong finished in 856th place – hardly the position of a world-champion.

You see, Armstrong may have had the cardiovascular conditioning for both race events (at least in regards to how they’re measured in a clinical setting), but that doesn’t mean his whole body was conditioned for it. In simpleton terms, his heart and lungs may have been conditioned for both types of races, but his muscles, joints, and nervous system were not. And sure, he didn’t do that poorly. I mean, he broke the 3-hour mark in his performance, which is nothing to scoff at – but needless to say, he wasn’t ranked in the competition. (and I will give him credit because his next marathon in 2007 was a major improvement)

Being the best cyclist in the world didn’t transfer over to being a talented runner. I’m sure it didn’t hurt his performance, but it certainly didn’t help him as much as we’d like to think. That’s because his conditioning was specific to olympic-level cycling, not for running.

We run into the same problems with our fitness programs. Depending on who you talk or listen to, everyone has a different definition of what general conditioning is.

Circular Strength Training has 3 wings of fitness in which fitness is subjectively measured.

CrossFit has the 10 domains of fitness: cardiovascular/respiratory endurance, stamina, strength, flexibility, power, speed, agility, balance, coordination, and accuracy.

The Russian Kettlebell Club has a different definition from the American Kettlebell Club who has a different definition from the International Kettlebell and Fitness Federation. Even within these organizations, each coach has a slightly different take on what “general conditioning” entails.

I’m sure you see the problem – general conditioning sounds pretty SPECIFIC to me, too.

So, how do we tackle the question “how do I train for general conditioning?”

Well, the obvious answer is that “whatever you do, you’re conditioning yourself for that activity – even if you don’t want that conditioning.” Yep, if you sit all day long, your body will get conditioned to repeat that activity more efficiently and effectively. This means tighter hips, rounded shoulders, and a protruding neck among other things. So, if you spend a good majority of your day in front of the computer, even if reading up on blogs like mine – get your butt off the chair and get MOVING.

On the flip side, if you practice running, you’ll get better at running. If you practice lifting heavy things, you’ll get better at doing that, too. The issue is that most people want to get good at a lot of things. Most guys want to be able to bench press 600 lbs, run a marathon while carrying an injured girl on their back to safety, fight like Bruce Lee, and move over urban terrain like a parkour athlete. You’ll find comparative examples for most women, too. This obviously puts a personal trainer in a mind spell that’s more complicated than quantum physics.

How the heck are we supposed to train for all of these things at once?!?

I’ll tell you – you CAN’T.

You’ll have to practice each skill, one at a time. Sure, you can mix things up in an individual session, but each skill must be practiced exclusively. If you want to get good at all of these skills, then you’ll have to practice ALL OF THEM, fairly regularly. That’s the only way you’ll get good at all of them. Training for the Tour de France won’t help you run a marathon much better, just like lifting weights won’t help you perform in a mixed martial arts fight much better. It doesn’t work like that.

Now, I know what you’re thinking…

“I can’t possibly train for all the things I want to get good at.”

And maybe you’re right. Henry Ford knew what he was talking about when he said, “whether you think you can or think you can’t, you’re right.” If you don’t think you can train for all of the physical skills you want to master, then you won’t be successful at doing that.

I’m sure the excuses are already bouncing around your head.

“I’m too busy…”

“I don’t know how to start…”

“I’m not strong enough…”

“I need a good coach, I can’t do it alone…”

“I can’t…”

The truth of the matter is that YES, YOU CAN begin to start practicing what you’ve always wanted to master. You can master many different domains of movement and fitness skills. You can become a specialist of “general conditioning” – and fit for almost every possible fight. It will take a lot of work, more than you’ve ever done before probably. Do what you’ve always done, and you’ll get what you’ve always got. There’s no hidden secret to getting to this point, you just need to go out there and do it, EVERY DAY.

Obviously, this is a higher call to physical mastery – this goes beyond every gym rat, every weekend warrior, and every half-hearted attempt at “getting in shape.” This is the REAL McCoy, folks – a lifelong study of physical mastery, a worthy study indeed.

Now, if you’re deconditioned – if you’re not already in “good shape,” – then you’ve got plenty of work cut out for you. If you’re DEconditioned, then you need to UN-DEcondition yourself before you jump right into a vibrant physical lifestyle. Many people get started on a new fitness program and have to drop out due to injury because they try to tackle more than their sedentary-loving bodies can handle. If you’re not in good shape, then you need to REHABILITATE yourself until you are in a healthy position for long-term physical mastery. Now, that’s a medical term that carries a lot of weight, but unfortunately, your doctor probably can’t tell you anything about what you need to be doing to get out of this position of needing rehabilitation. It’s likely that you’ll have to walk the journey alone.

The good news is that you can get started today.

One of the first steps I took towards obtaining movement mastery was to work on the mobility of my joints – just trying to recover and coordinate the natural range of motion that my body was capable of achieving, but had lost. I used the Intu-Flow program to get me to where I am today, and I still use it almost daily as my method of “cleaning the slate” and now PREhabilitating myself from injury or worse.

Pick up a copy of Intu-Flow here:

Now, hear me out. I’m not saying that I have THE answer to YOUR problem. What I AM saying is that there IS an answer – and it’s out there, waiting to be discovered. And only you can find it.

For instance, if you present a laundry list of physical goals to a personal trainer who works at the local Gold’s Gym, he will likely either tell you…

1) this can’t be done – he will say this because he’s only thinking “inside the box” of Gold’s Gym. His little mind can’t possibly conceive anything outside of lifting weights and cardio.

2) you’ll have to tackle these goals one at a time – this is because he’s only ever helped people work on one goal at a time, like the most popular goal of “looking better,” which is usually achieved through fat loss OR muscle building based training. Strength and conditioning specialists are a little better off in this regard because they work with real life athletes that likely have many distinct, and equally important goals in the same season.

How do we specialize in many things?

I would suggest you take a balanced approach to this revolutionary way of physical practice. We all have goals that are very important to us, goals that take a priority. Make them your priority, but don’t forget about all of the rest of your less-important goals that you still want to achieve. For these other goals, I want you to employ the BACK BURNER STRATEGY.

Outside of your primary goals, you have some secondary goals. You will pursue your primary goals as usual, but you’ll also be practicing skills for your secondary goals with a submaximal intensity level – nothing that would push you over your training threshold. Think less than 60% intensity.

Here’s an example of the BACK BURNER STRATEGY from my current training plan…

I have some specific goals that I need to meet in preparation for an upcoming Circular Strength Training seminar. Namely, I need to meet some performance goals with clubbell training, and the FlowFit program. These are my primary goals and I am focusing on them in my program, among a few other things like Prasara BodyFlow Yoga.

However, I’m also working on several minor goals, that don’t bear the same importance, but I’m still very interested in achieving long-term. For instance, I’m doing a lot of barefoot walking and running, and I’m also trying to improve my swimming and diving skills, along with many other similar less time-sensitive skills. These are all on the back burner, but I’m definitely making forward progress on them, just not as quickly as my primary goals.

Ideally, you want all of your physical practice to work together to help you achieve both your primary and secondary goals, so think of this when trying to setup a plan. Do keep in mind that you can’t just practice a random variety of skills and expect to make progress – that would be cock-tailing your fitness program. Instead, you’ll want to balance the variety of your physical practice with enough progression in your skills and conditioning. You’ll need to find the sweet spot between variety and progression.

The Bottom Line

General conditioning doesn’t exist – all conditioning is specific. Fortunately, we can train for a broad base of skills. Although, it requires  a higher level of discipline than most people are willing to commit to. Almost anyone can have the conditioning of a world-class athlete, or specialize in broad physical skills, it just takes a tremendous commitment far beyond the traditional approach to fitness. The back burner strategy is one of the best ways to get there safely and naturally.

To your health and success,

Fitness Professional

P.S. If you want the most effective fitness system for practically all general conditioning goals, then I highly recommend you check out 4×7: The Magic In The Mundane Program I’ve heard of athletes setting new personal records as often as every 4 days using this protocol. Best of all, it’s perfectly suited for instituting the back burner strategy long-term:

That's me climbing a vine in Maui.

Most people I meet have Nature Deficit Disorder. That’s just a fancy way of saying they don’t get outdoors much, and are not in-tune with the natural world they live in. Frank Forencich refers to this as likened unto being aliens on our own planet. Erwan Le Corre calls it the zoo human syndrome. I’m sure various governing bodies call it the “epidemic of inactivity.” Call it whatever you want, the truth of the matter is that most people don’t get outside much. If you’re a regular reader here, then you know I’m always recommending that you get outdoors as much as possible. There are many good reasons for this, and it’s a little more than  just “good ‘ol advice.”

I remember my mother telling me to go play outside when I was a kid. It was supposed to be good for me, but I didn’t understand that then, and I would have much rather played video games or watch TV. Mom was right though, and there’s a lot of wisdom contained in that simple phrase, “go play outside.”

Top 10 Reasons to go Outside

1) Get “away” from it all - Going outside gives you an opportunity to forget about the phone, TV, internet, and to-do lists. We tend to carry our hectic schedule wherever we go, and getting outdoors is one good way to relax and recharge our body and mind.

2) Get moving! – Going outdoors will inspire you to move. You can stretch your legs, or use them over a variety of terrain. This creates a greater development of coordination and the muscles which stabilize the body. Soft and smooth surfaces adorn almost every floor of civilized society, so much so that we’ve literally lost touch with the natural environment around us. Try going barefoot, and you’ll see what I mean about being insensitive to your natural surroundings.

The world is always in movement. – V. S. Naipaul

3) Get some sunshine that is packed full of vitamin D – Getting enough vitamin D is super-important for maintaining a healthy immune system. This vitamin has been proven to help prevent osteoporosis, cancer, and Alzheimer disease. It also may help in the prevention of Diabetes, multiple sclerosis, rheumatoid arthritis, and heart disease. You know just as well as I do that supplements don’t really cut it, go for the natural source in the sun.

4) Get an opportunity to take chances, and develop independence – Going outdoors is a little more risky than staying in the safety of the confined indoors. This is an opportunity to try new things, to develop new skills, and test yourself in unique ways such as climbing a tree.

5) It’s good for your eyes – In our mostly seated culture, we tend to focus our eyes directly in front of us when looking at a computer screen or paperwork. There is no overstimulating TV or computer to stare at when you step out into mother nature. Your pupils contract, similar to muscles, when looking at various distances. Simply by walking around outdoors, your eyes have a chance to both focus on the ground in front of you and the landscape around you, which is great exercise for TV and monitor over-stimulated eyes.

Nature will bear the closest inspection. She invites us to lay our eye level with her smallest leaf, and take an insect view of its plain. -Henry David Thoreau

6) Get in better touch with nature – There is so much to be experienced out in nature, it’s almost silly to try to classify it in a blogpost. Listen to birds, smell the trees, feel the wind and the heat of the sun. Watch an animal going about its daily routine. Enough said.

To me a lush carpet of pine needles or spongy grass is more welcome than the most luxurious Persian rug. – Helen Keller

7) Get some fresh air – Depending on where you live, going outside involves breathing fresh air. There are no toxic chemicals in the great outdoors – no cleaners, detergents, plastics, building materials to touch or breathe in.

Fresh air makes me throw up. I can’t handle it. I’d rather be around three Denobili cigars blowing in my face all night. -Frank Sinatra

8 ) Better mental clarity, longer attention span – Researchers Marc Berman, John Jonides and Stephen Kaplan found memory performance and attention spans improved by 20 percent after people spent an hour interacting with nature. They also believe the findings could have broader impact on helping people who may be suffering from mental fatigue. ya think? (study here)

9) Boost energy levels – Going outdoors has unseen therapeutic effects that actually increase your energy levels, and no one can argue with that!

When I go into the garden with a spade, and dig a bed, I feel such an exhilaration and health that I discover that I have been defrauding myself all this time in letting others do for me what I should have done with my own hands. -Ralph Waldo Emerson

One of the most important resources that a garden makes available for use, is the gardener’s own body. A garden gives the body the dignity of working in its own support. It is a way of rejoining the human race. -Wendell Berry

10) A new, tangible community – When you step outside your doors, you have a chance to enter a whole new environment – not just physically, but relationally too.  By visiting a park, climbing a mountain, or sailing a lake you can make new connections with people that would have never been possible. You will learn more about someone from one hour of playing outside than you will in a year of working with them.

The best remedy for those who are afraid, lonely or unhappy is to go outside, somewhere where they can be quiet, alone with the heavens, nature and God. Because only then does one feel that all is as it should be and that God wishes to see people happy, amidst the simple beauty of nature. – Anne Frank (one of my favorite authors)

The Bottom Line

It’s funny how we know something is right, even good for us, and yet we still need reminders constantly.  Do we really need a top 10 list of reasons why going outside is good for us? I mean, come on – we all know that going outdoors is good medicine, just like we know that getting regular exercise is good for us. I think the problem we are facing is not a lack of useful information, but a lack of compliance and sustainability. Most people either don’t enjoy going outdoors, or they reserve it only for special, infrequent occasions.

That’s the root of the problem right there.

Many health and fitness programs recommend spending time outdoors, listing a selection of benefits similar to the ones above. Sometimes, these programs produce good short-term results, but mostly they teach people to focus on the wrong thing: the benefits (or the consequences of NOT following the program).

I’d like to offer you a different approach to health and fitness. I want you to seek after experiences that are rewarding in and of themselves, activities that you will do for their own sake. Going outside is fun, even liberating for some people. It can change your entire perspective if you’ll allow it.

Even though setting specific goals is an essential part of training, long-term lifestyle transformation  can only be sustained when you’re enjoying the process itself. So, I want you to try things that you just love to do outside. Play games or sports, make it a priority to have fun, and dare something worthy. Health benefits and consequences are distractions that take us away from the task at hand. Instead, focus on the journey, that is your new lifestyle.

If you don’t know where to start, just try taking your current fitness program outdoors. I hike, climb, swim, swing clubbells, practice Prasara Yoga, and explore bodyweight exercise outside almost year round.

To your health and success,

Fitness Professional

“It struck me the other day just how much time I spend telling people what I eat. Then there’s the inevitable discussion that follows, in which the usual questions are raised, to which I give the usual answers. And I thought – wouldn’t it be nice if there was a 5-minute video which covers all that stuff? So I created one. Once I got started, it became something of a labour of love. I hope you enjoy it – and that it might save you as much time as it will save me!

For maximum impact, I recommend playing it full screen…”

Primal Nutrition in a Nutshell


Primal food is naturally occurring on the earth – natural being the key word here. If it crawled, ran, swam, or flew at one point, it was primal food. If it could be gathered in the wild or harvested from the garden, it was primal food. While I wouldn’t go as far to say that primal food or the paleo diet are 100% the only way to eat, I think there is a TON of value in this pursuit and anyone can learn a lot about healthy eating by learning more about primal nutrition.

I also think it’s a silly idea that the earth is millions of years old, but I do agree that human genetics haven’t changed much, if at all, over the last several thousand years. We still need all the basic nutrients that our ancestors did.

What do you think of the video?

To your health and success,

Fitness Professional

P.S. If you are interested in a health-first diet without supplements, fake foods, drugs, or pesticides, and without screwing up your metabolism, then this will be the most important book you ever read. Burn the Fat, Feed the Muscle is the #1 Best Selling Diet and Nutrition program in Internet History, and for a good reason. Read the official review here:

Review of Burn the Fat, Feed the Muscle