I caught a glimpse of a conversation the other day between a group of people that were all supporting two very clear points. The first was about how active they all were. They loved exercise, running, yoga, etc. The second thing they all agreed on was this notion that being sore was the enemy. They were passionate about their ‘training,” but only to a point.
I mean, let’s not get too carried away here, right? Exercise is one thing. Training too hard and being sore all over the next day is another.
I heard all this and didn’t know what to think. One half of me wants to parade these motivated folks around town and show the world what dedication to an active lifestyle is all about. The other half of me wanted to call them out for missing the boat. It’s like claiming to be “spiritual” because you don’t like the harsh reality of accountability in faith.
Yay burpees!
In some ways, claiming the title of Johnny Fitness or Jane Exercise without owning the totality of improving fitness is a bit inauthentic in my opinion. Sure, no one really enjoys soreness. Yet, contrary to the beliefs of the folks’ I overhead talking, on a basic level that soreness is EXACTLY what your training for.
You see, exercise itself isn’t what grows muscle, burns fat, improves stamia and coordination, etc, it’s the adaptation of said exercise. Soreness, then, at least on some level is a sign that there was some adaption or change as a result of your training. Running from that seems to me more like exercising because you like to say you did as opposed to training with a purpose.
Then again, I’m assuming a “purpose” means to be better than yesterday. As a performance based fitness program, that’s our bias. I personally don’t see it any other way.
Logan Gelbrich
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Wednesday’s Workout:
6 rounds:
400m Sprint
-Rest 3 min-
