I remember hearing this quote once that was referencing how to come out on top during competition. It was in reference to being successful. The quote said “You only have to work a little harder than the next guy. You only have to work a little smarter than the next guy.” I don’t recall the origin of this quote, but despite its obvious nature the truth is very loud in this statement.
Having a strong back is crucial to developing and maintaining a healthy strong body regardless of the goals of the individual. The posterior chain is something that is too neglected with much of the general population when looking to develop an optimal level of fitness and a rock solid foundation of strength. Now having said this there are layers involved in building a strong back…and one big layer involves making sure your shoulders are as stable as iron.
Throughout my life there have been many times where I’ve heard some people say things that result in the outcomes that they undoubtedly create…and it’s usually not for the best. For instance, there have been times when some guy that was of the same age, or older would look at me train and make a comment that they wouldn’t be doing what I was doing because they were too old. Of course, this is simply not true.
Part of my job involves examining how people move and to also determine how they should be moving based on my experience as a coach and athlete. The reality is that more and more people in the general population are moving worse and worse in this day and age. This more than likely is because of the explosion of sitting jobs.
Today I’m not going to go down the same ‘ole path examining how poorly and immobilized people’s hips and shoulders are (ok maybe I will touch on this a little), but instead I’m going to look at another movement that many people neglect in their strength and conditioning training. Stay tuned my young Jedi of strength!
The key to being able to make the biggest gains both in training and in life is to devote yourself to a cause and to not let up from pursuing that cause regardless of what setbacks, attacks, and downfalls you may encounter. This is where you will find yourself at a crossroads deciding whether or not to weather the storm, or to get blown off the path like a feather in a tornado. If it were easy then everyone would do it, but rest assured that you will learn a lot about yourself and what it takes to have the mental edge to overcome hardship and failure.
