I’ve been thinking about this for a while now, and as the thought formed, I wanted to share it. Working with constraints is a common topic on this forum. Many people have constraints – from our unique builds, to congenital or developmental defects, to current injuries, to old injuries that can’t be any further rehabilitated, or just from hitting a limit for unknown reason. (Or dare I say it: age).
And here, there is this remarkably healthy approach as the underlying theme; to understand it, explore it, work with it as much as possible, then find ways to focus on areas that can be advanced rather than continuing to beat you head against a brick wall. Between healthy behaviors (acknowledge, accept, explore, challenge, own) and unhealthy behaviors (deny, punish, force, bypass, compensate, misdiagnose, avoid), so many posts reflect these themes of healthy acceptance; challenging, but ultimately owning a physical constraint. Each body is different and has its limitations. Finding them and learning to work with them is part of the journey of symbiotically living with the body you have.
Even beyond this, it seems that the constraints often challenge us to do more. Interesting things often arise from fertile ground when channeled away from natural development; the pressure forces growth into areas that would have otherwise gone unreached. And there are so many ways to grow, it’s quite mind-boggling. Unlike a sport like Triathlon where it’s always “beat the clock”, there are endless ways to progress when it comes to strength.
Hats off to Steve Freides, especially – you are superb at this yourself! And you seem to bring others forward in this way. This certainly resonates within the theme of “Strength Has a Greater Purpose.”
And here, there is this remarkably healthy approach as the underlying theme; to understand it, explore it, work with it as much as possible, then find ways to focus on areas that can be advanced rather than continuing to beat you head against a brick wall. Between healthy behaviors (acknowledge, accept, explore, challenge, own) and unhealthy behaviors (deny, punish, force, bypass, compensate, misdiagnose, avoid), so many posts reflect these themes of healthy acceptance; challenging, but ultimately owning a physical constraint. Each body is different and has its limitations. Finding them and learning to work with them is part of the journey of symbiotically living with the body you have.
Even beyond this, it seems that the constraints often challenge us to do more. Interesting things often arise from fertile ground when channeled away from natural development; the pressure forces growth into areas that would have otherwise gone unreached. And there are so many ways to grow, it’s quite mind-boggling. Unlike a sport like Triathlon where it’s always “beat the clock”, there are endless ways to progress when it comes to strength.
Hats off to Steve Freides, especially – you are superb at this yourself! And you seem to bring others forward in this way. This certainly resonates within the theme of “Strength Has a Greater Purpose.”
