Is how you do one thing, how you do everything?

The short answer is “No.” That being said, it’d be helpful if you did in the gym, at least. There are plenty of things that some people do well while they fail to have the same attention to detail and value-system in other areas of their lives, so I think we can put the maxim that gives this article it’s namesake to rest. 

In the gym, there’s a concept called “skill transfer” that might make doing one thing, how you do everything worth your time and effort. You see, there are countless movements that show up in our training. With enough time, we could name hundreds.. Maybe thousands. 

There are downsides to doing pull ups only like you do pull ups and air squats only like you do air squats. Conversely, there are a number of key elements of movement patterns that would benefit from you attacking them like you attack other movements. 

The hollow body shape is a classic example.

When students do dips with their knees bent and ankles crossed like you’d see at any bodybuilding or corporate gym, it is a bit like practicing dips for the sake of dips alone. However, when you hold and maintain the rigid hollow body shape while performing the same dips, it offers much more “skill transfer” benefit to every other movement that stresses the hollow body shape. In this example, you could perform dips, strict pull ups, kipping pull ups, push ups, how rocks, various tumbling movements, handstand push ups, muscle ups, and countless other movements the same. 

In the former expression, you can practice one thing at a time. In the later, you’re practicing everything all the time. You choose.