Movement 101

𝐓𝐡𝐞𝐫𝐞 𝐢𝐬 𝐧𝐨 𝐞𝐚𝐬𝐲 𝐰𝐚𝐲.

Ageing will kick your ass. Life will kick your ass.

The biggest obstacle I’ve recognised for getting people to the next level, physically or any other aspect of their lives, is the avoidance of discomfort.

The fear of change. Of doing something unfamiliar. Of getting out there and getting after the life they want.

Everybody wants to feel ready. Wants to feel a hundred percent.

𝗪𝐡𝐞𝐧 𝐢𝐭 𝐜𝐨𝐦𝐞𝐬 𝐭𝐨 𝐲𝐨𝐮𝐫 𝐩𝐡𝐲𝐬𝐢𝐜𝐚𝐥𝐢𝐭𝐲, 𝐚𝐬 𝐲𝐨𝐮 𝐠𝐞𝐭 𝐨𝐥𝐝𝐞𝐫, 𝐲𝐨𝐮’𝐫𝐞 𝐠𝐨𝐧𝐧𝐚 𝐡𝐚𝐯𝐞 𝐭𝐨 𝐩𝐮𝐭 𝐢𝐧 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐰𝐨𝐫𝐤. 𝐘𝐨𝐮’𝐫𝐞 𝐠𝐨𝐧𝐧𝐚 𝐡𝐚𝐯𝐞 𝐭𝐨 𝐫𝐚𝐢𝐬𝐞 𝐲𝐨𝐮𝐫 𝐬𝐭𝐚𝐧𝐝𝐚𝐫𝐝𝐬.

That’s the work.

𝐀𝐧𝐝 𝐲𝐨𝐮’𝐫𝐞 𝐠𝐨𝐧𝐧𝐚 𝐡𝐚𝐯𝐞 𝐭𝐨 𝐝𝐨 𝐢𝐭 𝐩𝐨𝐭𝐞𝐧𝐭𝐢𝐚𝐥𝐥𝐲 𝐰𝐡𝐢𝐥𝐬𝐭 𝐫𝐮𝐧𝐧𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐚 𝐛𝐮𝐬𝐢𝐧𝐞𝐬𝐬. 𝐈𝐧 𝐚 𝐡𝐢𝐠𝐡 𝐩𝐫𝐞𝐬𝐬𝐮𝐫𝐞 𝐣𝐨𝐛. 𝐋𝐨𝐨𝐤𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐚𝐟𝐭𝐞𝐫 𝐚𝐥𝐥 𝐭𝐡𝐚𝐭 𝐡𝐨𝐮𝐬𝐞 𝐚𝐝𝐦𝐢𝐧. 𝐑𝐚𝐢𝐬𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐜𝐡𝐢𝐥𝐝𝐫𝐞𝐧. 𝐋𝐨𝐨𝐤𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐚𝐟𝐭𝐞𝐫 𝐞𝐥𝐝𝐞𝐫𝐥𝐲 𝐩𝐚𝐫𝐞𝐧𝐭𝐬. 𝐃𝐞𝐚𝐥𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐰𝐢𝐭𝐡 𝐢𝐧𝐣𝐮𝐫𝐢𝐞𝐬, 𝐧𝐢𝐠𝐠𝐥𝐞𝐬 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐩𝐚𝐢𝐧.

It will always be effort. There will always be more work to do.

𝐓𝐡𝐚𝐭’𝐬 𝐰𝐡𝐲 𝐦𝐨𝐬𝐭 𝐩𝐞𝐨𝐩𝐥𝐞 𝐝𝐨𝐧’𝐭 𝐛𝐨𝐭𝐡𝐞𝐫 𝐭𝐡𝐞𝐢𝐫 𝐡𝐨𝐥𝐞.

Everyone has an excuse. Get bored of them. Write them out - read them aloud. Listen to them. Bore yourself with them.

Those who seek the most comfortable life end up being the most uncomfortable. Weak. Unfit. Unable to do the sport, in pain. I’ve been down that road.

Painkillers. Joi

𝐀 𝐠𝐮𝐲 𝐦𝐞𝐬𝐬𝐚𝐠𝐞𝐝 𝐦𝐞 𝐥𝐚𝐬𝐭 𝐰𝐞𝐞𝐤 𝐭𝐨 𝐭𝐞𝐥𝐥 𝐦𝐞 𝐡𝐞’𝐬 𝐮𝐧𝐟𝐨𝐥𝐥𝐨𝐰𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐦𝐞. 𝐁𝐞𝐜𝐚𝐮𝐬𝐞 𝐨𝐟 𝐦𝐲 “𝐚𝐧𝐭𝐢 𝐚𝐥𝐜𝐨𝐡𝐨𝐥” 𝐬𝐭𝐚𝐧𝐜𝐞.

He’s not the first.

Interesting.

I see the benefit in challenging my beliefs. Understanding my conditioning.

It’ll be four years at the end of this year.

I’m not an alcoholic. You don’t need to be, to not consume a carcinogenic substance that’s in the same class as ci******es, asbestos and radiation.

But then again, it took me thirty nine years to figure that out.

And I’m yet to meet anyone who’s gone alcohol free for a prolonged period who hasn’t felt massive, life changing benefits.

Absolutely, you can enjoy alcohol in moderation. Everyone’s free to do what they want.

From a physical perspective (and I don’t make the rules), if you want to be stronger, fitter, more mobile, the less alcohol the better. Particularly as you get older.

The deep learning is in challenging the belief. Understanding the conditioning. Seeking something else. Running experiments.

𝐈 𝐥𝐨𝐯𝐞 𝐧𝐨𝐭 𝐝𝐫𝐢𝐧𝐤𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐦𝐨𝐫𝐞 𝐭𝐡𝐚𝐧 𝐈 𝐞𝐯𝐞𝐫 𝐥𝐨𝐯𝐞𝐝 𝐝𝐫𝐢𝐧𝐤𝐢𝐧𝐠. 𝐓𝐡𝐚𝐭’𝐬 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐛𝐢𝐠𝐠𝐞𝐬𝐭 𝐬𝐮𝐫𝐩𝐫𝐢𝐬𝐞 𝐨𝐟 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐥𝐨𝐭.

If you drink regularly, are you not curious?

Same goes for the evening.

𝐘𝐞𝐬𝐭𝐞𝐫𝐝𝐚𝐲 𝐈 𝐠𝐨𝐭 𝐦𝐲 𝐫𝐮𝐧 𝐝𝐨𝐧𝐞 𝐞𝐚𝐫𝐥𝐲. 𝐋𝐚𝐬𝐭 𝐧𝐢𝐠𝐡𝐭 𝐈 𝐝𝐢𝐝 𝐚 𝐭𝐰𝐞𝐧𝐭𝐲 𝐦𝐢𝐧𝐮𝐭𝐞 𝐬𝐭𝐫𝐞𝐭𝐜𝐡 𝐫𝐨𝐮𝐭𝐢𝐧𝐞.

Maybe you don’t get to the gym all the time. You’re busy. I appreciate that.

𝐁𝐮𝐭 𝐰𝐡𝐨 𝐝𝐨𝐞𝐬𝐧’𝐭 𝐡𝐚𝐯𝐞 𝐭𝐞𝐧 𝐨𝐫 𝐭𝐰𝐞𝐧𝐭𝐲 𝐦𝐢𝐧𝐮𝐭𝐞𝐬 𝐢𝐧 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐞𝐯𝐞𝐧𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐨𝐫 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐦𝐨𝐫𝐧𝐢𝐧𝐠?

You absolutely do.

𝐘𝐨𝐮’𝐫𝐞 𝐣𝐮𝐬𝐭 𝐧𝐨𝐭 𝐮𝐬𝐞𝐝 𝐭𝐨 𝐭𝐚𝐤𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐚𝐜𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧. 𝐀𝐧𝐝 𝐲𝐨𝐮 𝐡𝐚𝐯𝐞𝐧’𝐭 𝐜𝐨𝐧𝐧𝐞𝐜𝐭𝐞𝐝 𝐰𝐡𝐚𝐭 𝐲𝐨𝐮’𝐫𝐞 𝐝𝐨𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐧𝐨𝐰 𝐭𝐨 𝐡𝐨𝐰 𝐲𝐨𝐮’𝐥𝐥 𝐛𝐞 𝐦𝐨𝐯𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐚𝐭 𝐟𝐢𝐟𝐭𝐲. 𝐒𝐢𝐱𝐭𝐲 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐛𝐞𝐲𝐨𝐧𝐝.

Hours a week on your phone, complaining about your physicality, claiming you don’t have time.

You’re bullsh*tting yourself.

If you’re happy to tell yourself that, that’s grand. But there’s real value in being honest with yourself.

𝐓𝐡𝐞 𝐚𝐠𝐞𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐩𝐫𝐨𝐜𝐞𝐬𝐬 𝐢𝐬 𝐞𝐯𝐞𝐧𝐭𝐮𝐚𝐥𝐥𝐲 𝐠𝐨𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐭𝐨 𝐰𝐢𝐧. 𝗪𝐞’𝐫𝐞 𝐚𝐥𝐥 𝐠𝐨𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐭𝐨 𝐝𝐢𝐞. 𝐓𝐡𝐞 𝐥𝐨𝐧𝐠𝐞𝐫 𝐲𝐨𝐮 𝐩𝐮𝐭 𝐢𝐭 𝐨𝐟𝐟, 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐰𝐨𝐫𝐬𝐞 𝐢𝐭 𝐠𝐞𝐭𝐬.

I talk to people in their thirties who are injury prone all the time because of the nonsense style training they’re doing. And they tell themselves they don’t have time to learn a different way.

It’s an identity.

I can sympathise. But that’s not going to get you the results you want. In fact, it’s just facilitating the story you tell yourself.

We all have time - exactly one lifetime.

If you want results - be hones

Two stretches for the neck.

Sit at a desk all day, spend so much time on the screen — this is where it shows up.

Five minutes. Twice a week.

Save it, try it👊

𝐏𝐞𝐨𝐩𝐥𝐞 𝐝𝐨𝐧’𝐭 𝐤𝐧𝐨𝐰 𝐰𝐡𝐚𝐭 𝐓𝐞𝐥𝐨𝐬 𝐦𝐞𝐚𝐧𝐬.

It comes from Aristotle. Every living thing has a telos, its end, its ultimate purpose. The telos of an acorn is to become an oak tree. But an acorn in the wrong environment isn’t going to grow. It needs the right conditions.

That’s why we use the term. Pursuing our telos. It essentially means pursuing our potential.

And to do that, we need to understand what our values are, what our mission is, what’s really important to us. We need to do so much more.

For me it started with a decision to get fit, get strong, get out of pain, and asking for help with that. Look where that’s led.

Fitness isn’t something you go and do and stay the same. It doesn’t work like that. It changes you fundamentally. The person I needed to become to quit drinking, quit smoking, get back training, overcome pain. I’m a different person. Right?

And I see it in Telos all the time. People doing things they had no intention of doing when they joined. Meditation. Writing. Abstaining from alcohol. Getting back to a sport they once thought was beyond them. Changing career. Broadening their horizons. Gaining clarity on the obstacles that were holding them back. Killing off disempowering beliefs. Getting clear on the life they really want to live.

That’s the ripple effect. And it’s the most rewarding part of what I do.

Our mind is our body, and our body is our mind. When we look after the body, we have changes in the mind. A different outlook. And when you’re not worried about stiffness and pain, that zaps energy and focus, you can focus elsewhere.

Physical progress is a gateway. It was for me.

It’s why I love what I do. It led to my career change also.

It’s been a class holiday. I got what I wanted out of it. Refreshed, energised, content. But also looking forward to getting back. We’ve work to do in Telos. The journey continues.

𝗪𝐞’𝐥𝐥 𝐛𝐞 𝐭𝐚𝐤𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐨𝐧 𝐚 𝐟𝐞𝐰 𝐧𝐞𝐰 𝐜𝐥𝐢𝐞𝐧𝐭𝐬 𝐧𝐞𝐱𝐭 𝐰𝐞𝐞𝐤.

Train for the life you dream of

#𝐭𝐞𝐥𝐨𝐬

𝐒𝐭𝐫𝐞𝐧𝐠𝐭𝐡 𝐭𝐫𝐚𝐢𝐧𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐢𝐬 𝐛𝐫𝐨𝐤𝐞𝐧.

Guy in his forties in the gym this morning. Squat. Romanian deadlift. Overhead press. All perfectly good exercises. Following an app, working hard, putting the effort in.

But his technique was off. And he wasn’t moving well. Poor range of motion. Hips not functioning. Very poor squat range of motion.

He’ll probably be sore tomorrow. But he’ll still be just as stiff when he comes home from his holidays. He’s “getting stronger” while further disimproving how he moves.

He’s training a strength program, which he needs. But he also needs to train movement.

𝐀𝐧𝐝 𝐭𝐡𝐞𝐫𝐞 𝐚𝐫𝐞 𝐚 𝐥𝐨𝐭 𝐨𝐟 𝐩𝐞𝐨𝐩𝐥𝐞 𝐨𝐮𝐭 𝐭𝐡𝐞𝐫𝐞 𝐰𝐡𝐨 𝐤𝐧𝐨𝐰 𝐬𝐨𝐦𝐞𝐭𝐡𝐢𝐧𝐠’𝐬 𝐰𝐫𝐨𝐧𝐠. 𝐓𝐡𝐞𝐲 𝐠𝐞𝐭 𝐢𝐭. 𝐓𝐡𝐞𝐲’𝐫𝐞 𝐝𝐨𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐬𝐭𝐫𝐞𝐧𝐠𝐭𝐡 𝐭𝐫𝐚𝐢𝐧𝐢𝐧𝐠. 𝐀𝐧𝐝 𝐭𝐡𝐞𝐲’𝐫𝐞 𝐬𝐭𝐢𝐥𝐥 𝐭𝐢𝐠𝐡𝐭 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐬𝐭𝐢𝐟𝐟.

That tightness is a tax on your body. A tax on your energy. And if you’re in pain, that steals your focus too, whilst reducing your quality of life.

This is my non-negotiable daily mobility routine. But on its own it won’t fix all that. It’s just one component. Intelligent strength training is the other half of it. It has to come together.

𝐀 𝐟𝐞𝐰 𝐜𝐨𝐚𝐜𝐡𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐬𝐥𝐨𝐭𝐬 𝐨𝐩𝐞𝐧𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐮𝐩 𝐧𝐞𝐱𝐭 𝐰𝐞𝐞𝐤 𝐰𝐡𝐞𝐧 𝐈’𝐦 𝐛𝐚𝐜𝐤. 𝐊𝐞𝐞𝐩 𝐚𝐧 𝐞𝐲𝐞 𝐨𝐮𝐭.