A Balanced Approach to Physical Training

It’s funny- we’ve moved so far away from our natural way of being as humans that we now need to simulate those physical labours that were once our means of survival. From hunter-gatherers, tree climbers, and the greatest long-distance runners in the animal kingdom – we now spend our spare time in the gym in the hopes of rectifying bad posture from sedentary work lifestyles, and burning off those excess calories from hyper-processed foods.

People work out for a number of reasons: some like to look good, some to get stronger, some to be healthier, some for regulating mental health. However, too much of a good thing can be harmful, and a single-minded approach does not make one versatile! Many power-lifters would struggle to run a mile, many long distance runners struggle with long-term joint pain, and many yogis might struggle to lift their own body-weight in compound lifts. It should be the endeavour of all people to be as physically adaptable as possible, earned through a balanced approach to health and fitness- resulting in a well-rounded set of skills and abilities.

I’ve been interested in physical health since I was around the age of 17, and would like to offer the wisps of wisdom that I’ve accumulated over the years, and offer a balanced approach to health and fitness.

I’ll outline some base modes of physical improvement, give an overview of areas to consider in health & fitness, and distinguish between those that are similar:

Power, Intensity, and Strength:

Lifting heavy stuff, (mostly)! Strength and power are fairly similar, but the distinction I’d make between them is that Power is generally smaller bursts of higher intensity, strength can be fast or slow. Training for Power in lifting might look like sets with a rep range of 1-3, whilst training for strength can be anything between 1-20 reps, (anything more, you’re looking more at endurance than strength). Intensity is proportional to the power output (energy expended per second); if we think of running as an example, sprinting is high intensity while jogging is low intensity.

It’s important to train with intensity every now and then, if for no other reason than to understand and really push the boundaries of the maximal power output that your body is capable of. However, consistently training with power and intensity in mind has a higher chance for you to sustain an injury, and also requires more recovery time- meaning you can’t train as frequently.

Endurance, Cardio, and Stamina:

Endurance is how long you can go for, and cardio is essentially the strength of your heart (or cardiovascular system). Cardio can be high or low intensity, but tends to be more effectively exercised in long-duration workouts rather than in short bursts; this forces the body to re-acclimate to a sustained need for oxygen supply to muscles, increasing the baseline production.

Endurance is a case of strong cardio, and also the amount of energy stored in muscles in the form of glycogen and intramuscular triglycerides; with regular endurance training and effective carbohydrate loading, the body optimises for this type of exercise by depositing more of these energy sources in and close to the muscles, ready to be burnt when needed. Mitochondrial efficiency also plays a role, (the part of the cells responsible for converting these into energy output).

Stamina is a factor of both of the above, and also of mental fortitude- being able to push into and through discomfort. With regular exposure to difficulty and by actively doing things that you don’t ‘want’ to do, there is a part of the brain called the hypothalamus that actually increases with size! This part of the brain is responsible for dopamine regulation, motivation, and stress response, and- like a muscle- gets stronger the more you exercise it.

Flexibility, Mobility, Agility, and Balance:

Mobility is the ability to move effectively in different ways: are you comfortable moving on the floor- rolling, crawling, standing back up – can you climb a wall or jump accurately? Flexibility is more obvious: the maximisation of joint range of motion. But interestingly enough it’s not only joint, muscle, and tendon elasticity that are limiting factors when trying to bend and flex – it’s actually mainly your nervous system that stops you! Nerves, being less stretchy, are the main things that stop you from moving past certain ranges of motion by stopping the signal to the muscles when put under stress. When someone is put under general anaesthetic or unconscious however- they can be folded like a pancake!

Agility is the ability to dynamically change direction – to move quickly and easily. Balance is a honing of the mind-body connection, and contributes to every other exercise. It is the practice of understanding the relationship between the position & movement of your body and the force of gravity.

For many years I neglected these through vanity- concentrating more on trying to lift heavy, get big, and look good. However, being able to move effectively in a full range of motion is conducive to injury prevention and longevity- and of course training these plays a crucial role in helping to maximise what is possible with the mechanics of the human body.

Size and Aesthetics:

Looking ripped, lean, strong, and muscular are probably the primary drivers for people when they want to get into fitness. Looking good is a combination of factors: how big your muscles are, proportionality (having massive arms and no chest or back looks ridiculous), your body fat percentage, and also skin tone.

Getting bigger is a case of what is called muscle ‘hypertrophy’ – muscles can get bigger in two ways: the muscle cells absorb more glycogen, intramuscular triphosphates, and retain more water – causing the existing muscle fibres to swell. In order to grow new muscle fibres, existing muscles need to be put under stress and strain (progressive overload), causing micro-tears; as the body heals, it produces more muscle cells to fill the tears- making you bigger and stronger.

Longevity, Recovery, and Mental Health:

Keeping your heart, mind, and body healthy is the best way to live longer and live better – it goes without saying. However, too much cardio can be damaging- and ultra runners and the like tend to have lower average lifespans. Similarly, having high muscle mass makes you more resilient and resistant to physical damage (especially for muscle surrounding joints), and muscle mass in the legs has a strong inverse correlation with mortality, (people with stronger legs live longer) – but consistently abusing the body with repetitive stress and strain has its consequences- and ideally, avoiding serious injury should be a primary consideration when thinking about longevity.

Being larger can come with its perks and make you more resistant to some potential injuries, but as they say- “the bigger they are, the harder they fall”, and can also be the cause of a few as well. Being bigger also means eating more, which means more metabolising and higher body temperatures, which are counterproductive to longevity; smaller body weight (while remaining healthy), and lower average body temp tend to correlate to a longer lifespan. The reason for this effectively boils down to entropy: more temp, more chaos, and higher rate of cell death with an engine running hotter and faster; every time a cell needs to be replaced- your telomeres unwind slightly and you get older.

Higher levels of testosterone are also a factor in shortening lifespan, with eunuchs living a longer average life than other men, conversely- those who abuse steroids often die early deaths. Mobility is a key factor in longevity too, with the simple ability of being able to get back up from the floor unaided strongly correlated to living longer.

Hot and cold therapy are both great for recovery, with heat promoting a minimisation of inflammation and good blood flow to both the muscles and brain for brain health. Likewise, cold therapy is also great for circulation and inflammation, as well as increasing metabolism, mitochondrial function, and ‘exercising’ the hypothalamus- strengthening resolve and mental strength. Oftentimes, saunas also have inbuilt infrared lights, which can help to stimulate ATP for further benefits to tissue repair.

Pushing yourself physically is great for your mind and mental health. As well as physiological factors such as increased energy levels and better blood flow to the brain, it also helps to develop a psychological strength and resilience- especially when you start to see results that affirm and validate your efforts. Hard work pays off. That being said, it doesn’t always have to involve pushing your limits and exhausting yourself, a lot of the time just turning up is reason enough for your brain to give you some credit. Working out can also be a form of either calming mindful meditation, or a great outlet for stress, as well as helping to balance and regulate your endocrine system (hormones).

It should go without saying – alcohol and drugs will negatively impact recovery, mental health, and longevity. If you do use PEDs (steroids, for instance), at least wait until you’ve finished developing naturally in your mid twenties – they can really fuck with your hormone balance. It also doesn’t make sense to use them before you’ve hit a plateau in size or strength. I strongly advise that you don’t use them at all- its egoistic and vain. That being said- if you’re looking for natural and healthy ways to increase testosterone…

Diet, Nutrition, and Supplements:

What do those on a carnivore diet and vegans have in common? Both purport to see the benefits of their respective diets within weeks, reporting higher energy levels, better gastrointestinal function, and clarity of thinking… But it’s not in what they’re choosing to eat- but rather what they’re choosing not to. Ultra-processed foods.

Simplest guide to a good diet? White meat, veggies, fruit, and healthy fats. Avoid processed sugars and ultra-processed foods.

For someone trying to gain weight or put on muscle, it might be worth adding some red meat to your diet too, as it’s incredibly nutrient dense- with a more diverse amino acid and protein profile when compared to chicken, but both are excellent sources of protein. It might also be worth optimising the diet to ensure that you are consuming enough of the ingredients required for testosterone production such as magnesium and zinc; dark green vegetables like spinach and broccoli are great for these.

Foods high in soluble fibre are great for helping to reduce bad cholesterol. Healthy fats can be found in Avocados, Olive oil, Fish, and Nuts. Some cholesterol is good (HDL- not LDL), as it’s important for brain function. Healthy fats are essential for brain health too, as it’s what your brain mainly consists of- fatty acids. There are contending opinions on the healthiness of eating eggs, but I personally think that they’re great: a good source of protein, fat, cholesterol, choline, and have a great general nutritional profile.

A high protein diet can aid in weight loss, as protein takes the body energy to digest in order to use as an energy source; it’s less metabolically efficient. Something like the keto diet can be effective too, as you essentially train the body to use fat and protein as the main source of energy, so it burns energy in a more regular fashion- without the spikes and crashes in blood sugar. Regulated insulin levels are also great for testosterone production. That being said, I’d recommend including fruit and veg too.

As for supplements, there are millions I might suggest- but I’ll stick to a few. If you’re going to take one supplement, take creatine. It’s great for muscular power output, brain function, and water retention if you want to get swole. L-Carnitine is great for helping to convert fat into energy, so can aid with weight loss. BCAAs (branched-chain amino acids) can be useful, as they can either be broken down into a source of energy, or used by the body to build protein. Likewise, supplementing with Vitamin B can be beneficial for energy levels – Vitamin B is produced by bacteria in soil which are ingested by cattle and plants, and then passed on to us (in theory). With sustained pesticide use however, many of these bacteria have died, meaning that the animals need to be supplemented with Vitamin B, but it’s not always well absorbed. I tend to have a Berocca every day, which covers B vitamins as well as other vitamins and minerals.

Anti-oxidants remove ‘free radicals’ from your system, which are charged particles that can bind to and damage other cells and DNA. Antioxidants are generally associated with better recovery, longevity, and are anti-carcinogenic (cancer preventing). Green tea is a great source of antioxidants as well as L-Theanine, which helps to keep you calm and focused: excellent in synergy with caffeine. Acai berries are also great for antioxidants and reduction of inflammation. As well as green tea, other teas have been used for hundreds of years for various purposes, and I’d recommend chamomile for contributing to good sleep quality, which brings me on to my next point…

Sleep hygiene is one of- if not the most important things conducive to health, well-being, fitness, mental health, and longevity. It’s the time your body sets aside to recover and physically repair any muscle tears or injuries, and also the process by which your brain detoxes- removing dead cells and detritus from your system, as well as committing short term memory to long term memory- solidifying learning whether that be theory or muscle memory.

Skill Building, Functional Strength, Problem Solving, and Motor Coordination:

All of the aforementioned are great for basic physical development and health- but, they can get boring. Working out for the sake of getting better at working out can feel like an empty endeavour, especially if your brain isn’t getting that positive reward-pathway feedback from complexity and problem solving. How do you actually achieve improvement in the areas outlined while making sure to not invest too heavily in one area at the expense of neglecting another?

The solution is… Keep moving! Literally, and in what you practice. Find fun and engaging methods of exercise that hit multiple areas; develop and hone skills, and challenge your comfort zone alongside physical development.

I like to flit between the following, I’ll outline the basic benefits of each with a few tidbits of advice:

Lifting

A base level of strength is good, and lifting heavy stuff is the best way for the body to adapt and get stronger. With lifting- check your ego! Don’t lift too heavy without being ready, as there is a high risk for injury. Always warm up from doing the movement with no weight, working up to your desired weight. When starting out, concentrate on form over weight, making sure you’re moving your body properly for the movement before moving onto progressive overload- it’s a lot easier to spend time getting it right the first time vs correcting muscle imbalances later on.

Compound lifts are the best, hands down. They’re exercises that utilise many different muscle groups instead of focusing on specific ones. 5X5 is a great foundation for lifting that can be developed and added to after you’ve mastered the basics.

5X5: In basic, it’s 5 sets of 5 of the following exercises (usually 3 from the following per day, 3 days a week):

Deadlifts: great for lower back, glutes, core, grip (forearms), traps, and legs.

Squats: great for lower back, glutes, legs, and some traps.

Benchpress: great for arms and chest.

Overhead Press: great for arms and shoulders.

Barbell Rows: Great for upper & lower back, rear of shoulders, and arms.

There are plenty of auxiliary movements (such as bicep curls, leg extensions, deltoid raises, etc) that you can add to your routine with time, and given practice and study it should soon make more sense what movements work which muscle groups.

Martial Arts

Martial arts are fantastic for building useful skills, mental fortitude, discipline, strength, and usually flexibility. They’re also great for problem solving. They also tend to have clear progression in the form of belts- giving a natural incentive and motivation for improving and training consistently.

Brazillian Jiu Jitsu or wrestling are fantastic for grappling, and something like Muay Thai or Boxing for striking, (though with striking, take care if you spar not to get seriously injured – hits to the head are not good). Of all of these I personally prefer BJJ, with many complex moves, concepts, and a rich philosophical history- its amazing for cultivating a calm mindset in the face of adversity, and maximising the efficiency with which you use your strength through leverage, as well as developing strong cardio.

Floor Work

I’ve integrated floor work into my regular routine more recently, and it goes hand in hand with BJJ too. It tends to consist of a combination of static and dynamic stretches for the hips and legs, and a series of dynamic movements and floor-walks to really get comfortable and efficient at moving on the ground.

Rucking

The special forces call this their ‘bread and butter’ of exercises, and they use it with good reason. What do you do? Simple: load a heavy backpack, and hike a long distance. It’s a great low-impact sustained cardio workout, whilst also improving leg, shoulder, and back strength, as well as helping to develop a very strong core. Extra points if you do it for multiple days and camp out- carrying everything that you need on your back.

Climbing

Scared of heights? Me too. But it’s good to learn how to lean into that and overcome fear. Climbing also requires a high level of skill and technicality, whilst naturally increasing upper body strength, balance, coordination, and flexibility. It’s great for problem solving, too.

Sprints and HIIT

Both are great for training power output and pushing your maximum heart rate. HIIT stands for high intensity interval training, meaning that you give it your all, rest for a minute, then do it again. It could involve hill sprints, burpees, or basically any exercise really – just make sure to maximise the intensity and rest in-between.

Long Distance Running

This could be 5k anywhere up to ultramarathons. Whilst running tends to be fairly basic in terms of benefits: endurance, cardio, and mental toughness, it’s the most basic of human activities- we’re the best long distance runners in the animal kingdom, and I think everyone should try to run a marathon at least once in their life. The run-walk method is the best approach in my opinion.

Swimming

Swimming is something that I haven’t really incorporated into my workout routine much as of yet, but it’s fantastic for improving lung capacity, joint health (very low impact), cardio, and a useful skill to have- obviously!

Yoga, Qi Gong/Tai Chi, and Ecstatic Dance

Yoga is great for calming the mind, increasing flexibility & balance, and nurturing a mind-body connection such that you can experiment with what movements use what muscle groups. It tends to be quite static and isometric, but can also be practised in a dynamic flow of varying intensity.

Qi Gong and Tai Chi tend to be fairly similar to yoga, but with more of a concentration on a slow flow of movements, and a strong meditative aspect. With ecstatic dance it can be really cathartic to move slowly and deliberately in as many different ways as possible- stretching your body and limbs in ways you’ve never tried before- letting your mind shut down to what is ‘proper’ and just letting yourself move.

Calisthenics

Calisthenics are essentially any exercise you can do with your own body-weight, whether that be pull-ups, chin-ups, press ups, sit ups, or body-weight squats. It’s great for getting to know how to use your body functionally in the most natural way- it’s just you and gravity. It doesn’t really require any equipment (except for maybe somewhere to do pull-ups), and is easy to do as-and-when; I used to do 10 press-ups and 10 pull ups every time I walked through my bedroom door. As you progress, you can increase the difficulty by changing leverage and experimenting with variants- going for wider grip push-ups, front-levers and muscle-ups for pull-ups, and work towards doing them both with one arm.

Plyometrics

Plyometrics are a group of exercises that tend to be analogous to the auxiliary movements in lifting. Most of the movements will never be used or applied practically, but can be beneficial to other areas of fitness. They include the likes of one-legged squats, explosive squats, lunges, box jumps, hops, burpees, mountain climbers, and bench hops.

Active Impromptu Exercise

Waiting for the train? Practice one-legged calf raises! Opening a door? Row it with good form! Sat at work? Focus on good posture!

Wherever you are and whatever you’re doing, you can integrate movements that are small stretches or workouts. Walk to the shops instead of driving, take the stairs instead of the lift! It pays off in the long run.

Final Comments

There are a million more things I could talk about in infinitely more detail, but I’ll have to come back to this at some point and elaborate. It’s not my best writing either, and could do with more diagrams and visual aids- but I’ll get to it at some point, this is a start, at least! I could do with structuring the sections better too.

Notes: Posture, caloric deficit, dance, how frequent should training be, what structure of workouts