What does it mean to be strong?
It could refer to the physical; being able to exert great muscular force or power.
It could refer to the mental; having the ability to continue in adverse situations.
In fact, it could refer to any number of things; an online dictionary has nearly 30 definitions for strong. Everybody has their own personal definition of what being strong means to them. It could be having the ability to bench press 100kgs, lift your grandchildren above your head or being able to make it up the stairs without any pain. It may be attending school or work every day knowing that you will get picked on, finding out you have an illness and still putting others ahead of yourself.
I prefer to treat the body and mind as one; having a strong and active body helps the mind to function well. However, if the mind is weak it is hard to maintain a strong body. With a strong positive mental attitude it is possible to overcome the physical; an example is Joe Simpson (Author of Touching the Void
) who had a mountaineering accident after reaching the summit of Siula Grande, he was presumed dead by his climbing partner who had to descend the dangerous mountain alone. Joe had survived a 100ft fall into a crevasse with an already broken leg. He chose to survive and kept a strong mental attitude, he spent three days, without food and only splashes of water from melting ice, crawling and hopping five miles back to the base camp. The story is one of great mental strength and how having a survivor’s attitude can lead the body to overcome great physical trials. Lance Armstrong’s story (It's Not About The Bike) is another fantastic example of how with a strong mental attitude you can overcome your weaknesses and achieve your goals.
Fortunately, most of us are not put in to a position of survival but having a positive thought process to achieving your goals makes it more likely that you will. I teach Shaolin Freestyle Chinese Boxing and I use the term black belt attitude to describe to my students how they need to focus their minds to achieve their goal, ultimately their black belt. During their grading they will be pushed way beyond their physical capabilities and only those with a strong mind will keep pushing on, overcoming their weaknesses to achieve what they desire the most.
As mentioned above, a strong body makes it easier to achieve a strong mind; I’m referring to true strength though not merely being able to lift a heavy weight when your body is supported. The best example of this I can give is that of a gymnast (the Olympics start on Friday, check them out), they have total control over their body throughout all ranges of movement. If training for physical strength you need to focus more on bodyweight and free weight exercises that allow your body to function as it was designed, not along preset pathways that only increase your strength in that exact motion. We have 7 basic movement patterns that we have had since we were cavemen and to function efficiently and with true strength we need to combine them into our exercise routines. I will go into more detail about these in future blogs.
Be strong, eat clean
Darren
It could refer to the physical; being able to exert great muscular force or power.
It could refer to the mental; having the ability to continue in adverse situations.
In fact, it could refer to any number of things; an online dictionary has nearly 30 definitions for strong. Everybody has their own personal definition of what being strong means to them. It could be having the ability to bench press 100kgs, lift your grandchildren above your head or being able to make it up the stairs without any pain. It may be attending school or work every day knowing that you will get picked on, finding out you have an illness and still putting others ahead of yourself.
I prefer to treat the body and mind as one; having a strong and active body helps the mind to function well. However, if the mind is weak it is hard to maintain a strong body. With a strong positive mental attitude it is possible to overcome the physical; an example is Joe Simpson (Author of Touching the Void
) who had a mountaineering accident after reaching the summit of Siula Grande, he was presumed dead by his climbing partner who had to descend the dangerous mountain alone. Joe had survived a 100ft fall into a crevasse with an already broken leg. He chose to survive and kept a strong mental attitude, he spent three days, without food and only splashes of water from melting ice, crawling and hopping five miles back to the base camp. The story is one of great mental strength and how having a survivor’s attitude can lead the body to overcome great physical trials. Lance Armstrong’s story (It's Not About The Bike) is another fantastic example of how with a strong mental attitude you can overcome your weaknesses and achieve your goals.Fortunately, most of us are not put in to a position of survival but having a positive thought process to achieving your goals makes it more likely that you will. I teach Shaolin Freestyle Chinese Boxing and I use the term black belt attitude to describe to my students how they need to focus their minds to achieve their goal, ultimately their black belt. During their grading they will be pushed way beyond their physical capabilities and only those with a strong mind will keep pushing on, overcoming their weaknesses to achieve what they desire the most.
As mentioned above, a strong body makes it easier to achieve a strong mind; I’m referring to true strength though not merely being able to lift a heavy weight when your body is supported. The best example of this I can give is that of a gymnast (the Olympics start on Friday, check them out), they have total control over their body throughout all ranges of movement. If training for physical strength you need to focus more on bodyweight and free weight exercises that allow your body to function as it was designed, not along preset pathways that only increase your strength in that exact motion. We have 7 basic movement patterns that we have had since we were cavemen and to function efficiently and with true strength we need to combine them into our exercise routines. I will go into more detail about these in future blogs.
Be strong, eat clean
Darren
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