Finding Out What Works

 In every human activity and aspect of life, the ultimate measure and bottom-line is what works — and not just compulsive activity and busyness until one dies — or simply gives up. With all the things that humans can do, learning what an individual does well, gives them a competitive advantage in the struggle for survival, and discovering what those are, is the fulfillment of the ancient wisdom to “know oneself” — as the best guide in living one’s best life. In this, one is not likely to start equal with everyone else — and even less likely to end up equal with everyone else, even if we handicap the most able, while giving. unfair advantages to the least able and competent. That is not a wise use of human capital and knowledge.

But in many areas of life, most people possess baseline similarities to get through a normal life with appropriate adaptations and modifications. The greatest difference is between those who do — and those who absolutely can’t, because the principles of physics and physiology apply to everyone equally. To a much greater extent, differences arise from the lack of understanding of those principles — in favor of knowledge that doesn’t make any difference — which many get fixated on, thinking that to know better, is the same as doing better — or even, doing anything at all. They simply wish they were healthier and more capable — as though that were enough.

So from the youngest years, individuals are greatly advantaged to test reality for themselves — rather than taking the word of others that something should work — or is good for them — as though though that other person really knew. That is the value of exercise — to learn if the principles one learned, actually works in many different cases — and not just the one that may be the exception. In fact, the scientific method is an invitation for any independent practitioner to prove or disprove what the author of that idea has offered as the truth of the matter.

It is not enough just for some authority figure to claim themselves as the “science” that has to be accepted unquestionably by all the others who haven’t claimed that exclusive title and turf for themselves first. In this, time usually wins out — until a better idea is offered — and ideas that prevail, have literally stood the test of time — and not as many say, “age” is now the excuse. What worked 50 years ago, no longer works — because of age, and besides, most of them are dead anyway — as proof that that truth cannot be tested.

But that should be convincing proof that the idea doesn’t work — except for the exceptional few who are still alive — because what most are interested in, is the general rule (principle) that works for everyone — and then we deviate from there. That would be that human movement is characterized by movement and expressions at the extremities back towards the center, and not that it emanates from the center to the extremities, or all movement is equal — and one can just choose any muscle as effectively and productively as any other — resulting in the competitive bodybuilding physiques of looking like unrelated and disproportionate body parts pasted together in an unpleasing lack of flow.

Usually, such attainments are abandoned as soon as the stage lights are off — because they are not sustainable any longer than they have to be — which is actually quite an aberration from the enduring work of art and athleticism one hopes to endure as long as one lives. As many more achieve longer lives, that is the greater meaning of “fitness,” than how much one can lift — if one can still move at all. And rather than functionality at the extremities to be the first thing to go, they actually imply the proper functioning of the supporting structures that enable it — rather than vice-versa. That is the disturbing trend in modern contemporary aging — that the hands, feet, and head are the first to go — rather than implying the health and functioning of all the rest.

As such, movement (exercise) should more meaningfully and productively be focused on the axis of rotation at the wrist, ankles and neck — over running, jumping and lifting heavy weights to ensure the longevity. That is the resistance — that lack of movement at the most critical organs of the human body — that can be verified by one’s own experience and experimentation.

That is the design flaw in most exercise machines — they require movement at everywhere else — but what is most essential to move, and optimize. Bodybuilders should have the advantage in conceiving movement specifically and directly to the body part they wish to develop — but even they, don’t. One does not need a machine to do so. Full-range of motion movement achieves it — from full relaxation to full contraction of those muscles at the axis they occur. Yet once those muscles are activated and engaged as a priority, one can add any other body movement one chooses to — but one can’t move in the other direction because the insertion (distal) part of the muscle must move towards the origin (proximal).

That was the problem even with the Nautilus training machines — if one kept the head, hands and feet immobilized — as the manner they were instructed to. Those machines, and any movements, become optimized for blood flow only when those circuits are defined by the alternating contractions and relaxations at the furthest axes of the body — which naturally engages and activates the supporting muscular structures back to the center of the body — next to the heart, lungs and other central organs — as the logical pathway to maintaining health and functionality all one’s life.