Fitness Fundamentals #3. Synergy. It’s a fun word that gets tossed out occasionally, but what exactly is it? If you were a distance runner at North Central College, the voice of Al saying that “when you have people unified in the pursuit of a common goal, the whole is greater than the sum of its parts” will forever be imprinted in your memory. Mark Twain defined synergy as “the bonus that is achieved when things work together harmoniously.” When it comes to fitness, I believe that with few exceptions, the best results will come to those who have the support of and accountability to others around them. Whether it’s a team, family, or even an online support group, we need others around us who share a common vision of where we’re headed and what we want to accomplish. If that’s true, then why do so many of us shy away from training with others? The excuse I tell myself most often is that I haven’t found someone around my fitness level to train with (I’m into road cycling, and there isn’t a huge pool of people riding their bikes around here). But what really keeps many of us from training with and being accountable to others is fear. Deep down I know that I’m afraid. Afraid of getting my butt handed to me during an interval workout. For many of us, we fear looking fat. Clumsy. Not being able to keep up with others, or with our self-imposed expectations. But what if we really stared reality in the eye? One recent study has suggested that when it comes to fitness goals, success rates double when a fitness program is complemented with something as simple as an online support group. If these studies reflect reality, wouldn’t we be fools to ignore the truth? Long story short, almost all of us would like to be faster, stronger, lighter. Once you have a goal in mind and a plan on how you’re going to get there, then start looking for a person or group whose goals and/or workout function (i.e. running, cycling, crossfit, etc) align with yours. When youve got someone by your side challenging you day in and day out, training volume, intensity, and consistency are all likely to increase significantly. But if we wanna be the next Billy Bad Ass, we need to get in tune with the Bad Ass family and start training with them. The best way to get better is to surround yourself with people better than you!
Posted on: Wed, 13 Nov 2013 00:00:00 +0000
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