昨天在Line時跟朋友開玩笑說前天我去健身房時遇到一位識貨的男會員稱讚我體格練得很好，他是在我把啞鈴放下暫時休息時走過來跟我講話，總之是稱讚之類的話，比較不同的是一般我遇到的陌生人是會在我完全練完要走人時才過來跟我講話或問我問題，不然就是講個一兩句就離開，但這位老兄完全不知道健身房禮儀（應該有健身房禮儀這種東西吧？），看有機會就會過來跟我講話，禮貌起見稍微跟他聊了一下才知道他已經練4個小時了（我還不到1時），而且是練同一肌群，我心裡想，天吶，老兄，你可真沒效率，如果真的認真練4小時你早就肌肉疲乏，而不是你現在這種狀況，不然你根本就是練心理安慰的。他還不是一個禮拜只去2天或3天而是5天，5天吶！而且他只練上半身（健身房裡很多男人的通病），一週五天，每次3~4小時，我不禁懷疑他大概自己當老板，所以有那麼多時間，但重點是太XX的沒效率了，以他的訓練頻率，認真起來應該用現在的三分之一的時間就能練得很好，他還沾沾自喜自己練得很好，跟我說他體脂有多少。哼哼，男人女人體脂大概有多少身體就會呈現什麼樣子，網路上有很多照片你可以參考，就我目測，他根本沒有他講的那麼低，但素昧平生沒必要多費唇舌。
原諒我在這裡講別人的壞話，但這不是我這裡要提的。只是這件事讓我想起不久前看到的下面這篇文章，我覺得寫得很好，現代人太重視自己看起來好不好看，肌肉夠不夠大（是指男人），有沒有腹肌，看起來性不性感。當然，看起來好看是重要，但它只是附帶效果，當你努力追求整體表現時這些附帶效果自然會產生，而不是在練的當下心裡想我要讓二頭肌多幾吋或我要有六塊肌，然後練完在健身房對著鏡子自我陶醉。
從歷史角度來看，運動是為了訓練你的身體好接受挑戰（比賽或打仗），你認為斯巴達戰士會擔心他的二頭不夠壯嗎？
改變你的訓練心態，把焦點放在加強自己整體的機能而非只追求某部份肌肉的大小，自然你就會更像運動員，自然你就會看起來很讚。
The
Functional Fitness Approach to Getting Lean & Strong
For most of my life, I
followed a bodybuilding approach to fitness based on aesthetics, frequent
eating, and targeting 1-2 muscle groups each workout.
My fitness bible was “Arnold Schwarzenegger’s Guide to Modern
Bodybuilding” and I “chased the pump” for many years. I worshipped hugely
muscular dudes with 20-inch biceps, so of course I did their 20-set arms
routines, which I read in Muscle & Fitness magazine to get my 12-inch
teenage guns bigger.
After over 10 years of following the bodybuilding path, I
realized my athleticism and overall health were declining. I was tighter than
Tin Man, I lacked the balance and coordination I enjoyed as an avid athlete
growing up, my frequent eating schedule created unnecessary anxiety in my life,
and finally, I had an unhealthy focus on how I looked.
I’m not writing this article to say the bodybuilding
approach to fitness is evil, or wrong. There are many bodybuilders who I’ve
learned from and respect like Tom Venuto, Dave Draper, & Franco Columbu to
name a few.
I’m sharing my opinion on how following a functional
fitness approach based on how our bodies are built to function may lead to
better health, more happiness, and greater longevity.
Use Your Body As One Piece
If I could sum up the
functional fitness approach to exercise in one phrase, it would be to “use your
body as one piece”.
The human body is an amazing interconnected web of
muscles, fascia, bones, ligaments, tendons, nerves and other matter that
collaborate seamlessly to create movement and support life.
Focusing on one, or two body parts each workout is like
turning the human body into a dumb machine comprised of disparate parts. But
this is not how the human body works, or is structured. If you watch a human
dissection (videos are available on YouTube), you’ll see that trying to
“target” specific muscles through exercise is almost laughable.
Anatomist Thomas Myers concluded the human body is like
“one muscle separated into 600 fascial pockets”. Fascia is the collagenous web
that connects our muscles together.
A full-body exercise approach based on fundamental
movement patterns like squatting, bending, pushing, and pulling uses the body
as one piece to develop functional strength that carries over into your daily
life or sporting activities. This approach also promotes better cardiovascular
health and mobility.
A full-body approach is arguably superior for building
muscle, burning fat, improving strength, and increasing athletic performance.
Finally, a full-body, functional approach that emphasizes
movements over muscle groups can help address (or identify) weaknesses you may
have, which in turn boosts your overall strength and athleticism.
Focus
On Performance, Aesthetics Will Follow
While how you look is
probably very important to you, does that mean your training should be
structured around aesthetics? I don’t think so.
From a historical perspective, the purpose of exercise was
to prepare for physical challenges, typically sport or fighting. My guess is
that Spartan Warriors were not worried about getting a biceps pump.
By focusing on improving performance, as you become
stronger and more athletic, your body will start to look more athletic, lean,
and fit. In other words, aesthetics are a byproduct of improved performance.
Most importantly, focusing
on performance creates a healthy mindset shift from obsessively thinking about
how you look, to approaching exercise as a skill that is
developed and refined. This can be a liberating experience.
By challenging your entire body as one piece, you develop
your muscles in a way that is naturally aesthetic. You won’t have to worry
about gross muscle imbalances like an oversized chest with small arms. You
won’t have to worry about doing abs exercises to get a six-pack.
Eat
To Support Your Lifestyle
The typical bodybuilding
approach to nutrition is to eat frequently, as many as 6 or 7 meals per day.
Most of these meals are comprised of whole foods, with a couple protein shakes.
Bodybuilding is also associated with heavy use of
supplements and ergogenic aids like steroids. Supplements in particular are
promoted by reputable fitness models who are sponsored by the supplement
companies. While some supplements can make a difference, most are a waste of
money in my opinion.
Research has shown meal frequency does not boost your
metabolism, nor does it help you burn more fat1. Whether
it’s eating 3 square meals per day, or 2, or 7, go with whatever best fits your
lifestyle.
How do you build a strong, lean, athletic body? – Train
like an athlete by using a full-body approach to exercise and fuel your body
with whole foods, eating however many meals makes sense for you while meeting
the demands of your active lifestyle.
Have you ever followed the bodybuilding approach before?
Have you made the shift to a functional fitness approach?
