For Love of Movement

An Energy Bulletin


I hate to exercise, really it's true. For me, there is nothing more dull, boring and un-exciting as heading off to the gym to go and exercise, blah.

I do however enjoy learning and improving upon movement like; the timing of my clean and jerk, the balance of my handstands, the flow of my Olympic snatch, my posture and bio-mechanics of my sprint or running gait, the timing, balance, flow and posture required to deliver an effective combat strike and of course trying to improve the time in which it takes me to accomplish a set task or challenge. You see, despite its apparent simplicity, all these activities are incredibly challenging both physically and mentally. For me it's a lifelong and never ending quest for movement perfection.

It's interesting that the general public, including the media often consider endurance athlete's to be the fittest of the fit. How could anyone possibly be fitter than Robert de Costella in his prime? Well, that would probably be difficult if you only included cario/endurance capacity as your sole
measure of fitness. But what if you included other aspects of fitness like strength, co-ordination and agility? Where would Robert place on the list then I wonder.

It saddens me to see that skills concerning timing, agility, balance and co-ordination have been left out of most traditional gym programs over the past 20 years, even though all of these attributes are all obviously an important part of human movement and performance.

So what you say, I'm not interested in hand stands, forward rolls, kettle bell swings or what I look like running down the road. I just want to lose some body fat, tone up a little and keep healthy.

Well let me tell ya kids, there ain't a better method of achieving those weight management results than learning how to improve the efficiency and capacity of your movement. A better squat will mean the capacity to lift a heavier load. Improved efficiency will reduce the amount of time you need to accomplish a set number of repetitions or tasks and this all means that you would have dramatically increased your capacity to work.

And this is REALLY IMPORTANT!

Increased work means more energy burned = Fat loss! Increased work capacity means you are able accomplish more reps with a heavier weight = Muscle increase. Improved work capacity and efficiency also means that you have improved on your bio mechanics or movement
patterns = Far, far less injuries when you start to get this right.

But it's not just about being able to work harder and more effectively, although this is obviously of huge benefit. It's also about keeping training interesting. I simply couldn't stand it if I had to go back to the old days of Mon- Chest and Biceps, Wed- Legs and cardio, Fri- Back, Triceps and Abs. Seriously, I would rather become a Sherpa and haul other peoples luggage up Mt Everest.

Let me leave you with another of Coach Glassmans little gems. I've had this little number blue tacked beside my computer on the wall since 07 and I'm still not tired of reading it.

World-Class Fitness in 100 Words:

■ Eat meat and vegetables, nuts and seeds, some fruit, little starch
and no sugar. Keep intake to levels that will support exercise but
not body fat.

■ Practice and train major lifts: Deadlift, clean, squat, presses,
C&J, and snatch. Similarly, master the basics of gymnastics: pull-ups,
dips, rope climb, push-ups, sit-ups, presses to handstand, pirouettes,
flips, splits, and holds. Bike, run, swim, row, etc, hard and fast.

■ Five or six days per week mix these elements in as many combinations
and patterns as creativity will allow. Routine is the enemy. Keep
workouts short and intense.

■ Regularly learn and play new sports.


These are words not only to live by, but words you can live very, very
well by.

duncan