Take Pride in Yourself

by Neil Anderson

Old No 7? - It's PRIDE.   

When I was a kid, I spent a very long, hot summer moving hand line & wheel line sprinkler pipes in Idaho.  It's ROUGH stuff moving pipe.  Slogging around, ankle deep in thick mud, lifting 40 ft pipes that weigh-in at 50 lbs. (after you dump the water out), and resetting them 50 feet down the field 2x per day is a lot of work.  (BTW - lessons learned on the farm are the origins of the workouts you do daily.)

My help that year was quite a bit older than me.  He mostly drove truck for the farm, but sometimes he'd help move pipe.  According to him, he'd spent a fair amount of time in prison.  He said he was working for the farm that summer to "get right."  

Working along side of him was always interesting.  He'd tell stories all day long.  Mostly about his exciting and dangerous adventures in life and in prison.  Truth be told, I was scared to death of him.  I was sure at any given time, after speaking just the right/wrong comment he'd "shank" me.  He claimed he'd it done to others - once for nothing more than a "look." 

Because of my fear of him, and also because of his entertaining stories, he always had my UNDIVIDED attention when he spoke.

I was paying particularly close attention one day as he was sharing a sermon he'd received from a fire-breathing pastor while on the "inside."  It was the sermon which he claims "changed his life" and helped him get back on track.  His telling of it had a lasting impression on me.  

It was a sermon on PRIDE, or "Old Number Seven" as he'd say.  His relation of this sermon, to me, was masterful.  At a certain point, he'd always (I heard it several times) cross-over from relating what the pastor had said, to somehow slipping into the role of the pastor himself.  His voice would raise several octaves higher as it became louder.  His face would become more animated and he'd throw his arms around dramatically, occasionally pounding his fists on pipe.  Yep, in the middle of a field in Malta, Idaho that pipe would become his pulpit.  The mud, my pew.  It was cool.  I wish I could hear it again. I wish I knew where to find it.  

Here are a couple of things I remember about that sermon.

Pride, he said, is the only of the "Seven Deadly Sins" that has duality.  It is both good and evil.  In some languages there are two words for pride.  In our language we have come to know that there is "good pride," and "bad pride." 

Good Pride

View fullsize

This is a sense of pride that makes you feel good about something you put effort and love into.  It is the type of pride that causes self-respect.  True self-respect is the type of thing that enriches, not only your own life, but also the lives of all who are around you.  A person with self-respect can go amazing places and do great things that only a few can.  This person usually brings others up along with them. 

Bad Pride

Bad Pride is all about itself.  It is self-absorbed. It is self-righteous. It is conceited.  This is the type of pride that causes dis-respect.  It is degrading to all who are around it.  It is the most dangerous attitude of all.  A person who is disrespectful of themselves and to others will be forced into terrible places and bad situations they might not otherwise go.  This person usually brings others down along with them.

There was more.  Much more.  But, at some point I have to relate this to health and fitness, right? 

The beginning of a New Year is a great time for introspection.  It is a great time to analyze what is working in your life, and what isn't.  Regardless of what is, or isn't working in your life, I encourage you this year to take pride in yourself. 

Good Pride - ONLY. 

Taking pride in yourself will help you "get right."  To get right you'll need to become healthy.  Becoming physically healthy through proper exercise and nutrition is the conduit to ALL other forms of health (physical, mental, emotional, spiritual, social, financial).  Becoming healthy is the ultimate demonstration of self-respect.  If done with great effort and love it will help you feel the right kind of pride.  This pride will enrich your life and the lives of all who are around you.  It will propel you to amazing places and help you do great things.  As you do these things you will bring others up along with you.  

Active Rest is Best

How should you rest between sets?  It looks like the best advice is - ACTIVELY! 

Staying mildly active (light jogging, jump rope, cycling) between sets of intense exercise will increase your max output during the work phase.  With a workout like today's, higher intensity = higher gains and benefits. 

It was discovered recently that cyclists who pedaled at 30% of max intensity during the rest phase of interval training sessions cleared lactate faster than those who didn't.  Their max power output was much higher as a result. 

Keep in mind that, many times, a 2 min rest during a good workout can degrade quickly (talking, lack of focus) into a 45 minute runaway slack job if you are not careful.  Stay on the clock today.  And try being more active between sets.  Record your findings.

Trainer: "That's NOT Exercise"

Dear GPP,

"I've been following along with you guys off-site for almost 2 years now.  I love it.  I love what it has done for my body.  I love what it has done for my health.  I love what it has done for my appearance.  I'm stronger and leaner than ever and I can't wait to see what next workout will be tomorrow. There is only one problem.

I do the workouts at the local fitness center here in TX (no GPP yet).  All too often one, or two of the trainers approach me to tell me I'm doing something wrong.  So far they've tried to correct me on pushups (I snake them), situps (for using my arms), biceps curls (when I swing them), jumping jack presses, and many others.  They about lost their minds the first time I did kettle bell biceps curls.  LOL.  

I know GPP works for me, but want to explain it to them in better terms than - Oh, just shut up!  Do you have any suggestions for what to say to people (it's not always just the trainers) when they do this? ... "
- Jill from TX

Haha.  Hi Jill.  Yours is not an uncommon problem.  Not remotely.  Unfortunately, your problem doesn't have an easy fix.  Not remotely. 

Maybe the best thing to do would be to congratulate them on being so concerned with your health and fitness success.  I'm giving them the benefit of the doubt here, but it seems great that trainers in your gym (and other people) care so much.  Surely, they are not just trying to make sales, or market a different program, right? 

So, you have THAT going for you.

And since NOBODY likes having something rammed down their throats (not so subtle hint - for them), maybe the best way to explain GPP philosophies, programming and methods would be by living the principles of it and letting them try to argue with your results. Maybe if that doesn't work, you might try asking a few reflective questions. 

Some of these questions would go as follows (based on actual conversations):

Them:  "You know, swinging while doing biceps curls is the wrong way to develop that muscle."

Me:  Is there anything it could be RIGHT for? (I usually ask this with a wry little smile).

I love this question.  It is a question that many (even those in the profession) will have never even considered.  But, it catches them off-guard a lot of times, and they'll generally respond with either, pertinent/relevant questions, or condescension.  Pertinent/relevant questions will end this journey.  Condescension, however requires more questions from you. 

Let's pick the conversation up from them interpreting your question as a challenge.  

Them:  Um ... (rolls eyes).  Not really.  I mean, I would never do them that way ... And, I would NEVER have a client do them that way either.  

Me:  Why NOT?   

This is where he/she will begin to back up their points (the bad ones will bully and attack).  They start with their credentials.  Move to their training.  Quote several studies they are aware of (hopefully they are THAT knowledgeable) and finally they'll get around to the scare tactics centered on how many different ways you will hurt yourself while wasting your time NOT getting fit.  

Me: (just asking questions here - in review) So, it's BAD to do exercises that don't target specific muscles completely?  It's bad to use momentum during movements?  It is also bad and frightfully injurious to go from one plane of motion (forward) directly to another (sideways) during the same movement?  

(still trying to hold back sarcasm)

Me: I wonder then ...

How did anyone in the history of earth ever throw a ball? 
How do people swim?
How do people hike? 
How do people play tennis, or golf, or ride horses? 

Are these not exercise?

Them: That's different.  Those are not targeted at muscle groups.

Me: But just earlier you said an exercise NOT targeted at specific muscle groups would "not really" have any useful purpose.  You said it isn't something "you would do." And that you'd "NEVER have a client do them that way either."  

Which muscle group does swimming target?  Which one does hiking, tennis, or playing ball? 

At this point you'll either be stimulating further enlightening conversation, or just kicking a dead horse.  Move forward appropriately. 

Over the years I've gotten a lot more miles out of appealing to a trainer's expertise and professionalism than I have by challenging their training, or thoughts.  By asking a few simple questions, common sense will usually prevail.