I know that I talk a lot about our mindset in these posts, why it’s important and I go deep in that space.
Welp, it get’s lost sometimes but we also train hard here, as in physically preparing our bodies for the rigors of day to day life.
One thing I see that would create a clear reason to train, would be to understand why it’s important to be strong, and how strong is that, actually …
In short, I personally can work all day in high-stress situations without my body limiting me, hurting me, or taking energy from me AND I’m always able to mentally go deeper than anyone I know because I have the body to support such deep thinking.
I have no more aches and pains (I did for a long time) and that used to really suck energy out of me, diverting it away from my actual purpose in life by limiting my ability to serve others because I was in pain, dealing with my own self.
Even if I was teaching a session, I’d give all the energy I had to my students, and in doing so, those injuries robbed me of a lot of energy I could’ve used to train and build myself up.
Instead, I needed physical healing, which also requires energy.
I’ve spent the last 2+ years healing completely from an array of nagging injuries and once I got myself to a point where I felt good, I checked in with my fitness and overall strength to see if there were things I’d ignored that were now lagging.
Over the years, I’ve built up some physical human standards (with the help of Dan John, among others) into my practice, meaning, I know if you hit these numbers, strength is no longer your issue, and we can look at other areas.
Conversely, until these numbers are hit, there isn’t much value in doing all the other things that people think are fitness (conditioning, flexibility, mobility, speed, etc.).
In short, if you’re not working on your maximal strength numbers, you’re going to lose most of what you’re doing now until you get those numbers up.
Strength training is like building a water glass, while everything else is water.
The bigger and stronger your glass, the more water you can hold in it (conditioning, flexibility, mobility, speed, etc.).
It’s like the foundation of a house, and I built a lot of this infrastructure in my teens, which is what’s so great about strength training because once it’s built, it doesn’t really go away, like conditioning does …
My nervous system remembers what it’s like to pick up 455 lbs from the ground 5 times, or to squat 475 lbs 2 times, and bench press 305 lbs.
Having that ability has been huge for me because I’ve brought back all of the following numbers easily, because of the work I’d once done.
It’s a lot harder for my adult students who never really trained that way in their youth, and now they have injuries that have stacked up from life.
Getting healthy is priority one, and then building this strength is always up next.
With that said, here are 10 things I know every woman or man is able to do as a human, regardless of age, and should do before other goals are chased.
- Bench your Bodyweight – However much you weigh, you should be able to press that same weight away from you.
- Deadlift Double your Bodyweight – However much you weigh, you should be able to lift DOUBLE that weight off the floor.
- Hold a two minute Pushup Position Plank – If you can’t, you’re either too heavy, your abs are weak or you can’t create tension.
- Single Leg Wall Sit (30 sec on each leg) – Perform a wall sit where your your hips are just below your knees, lift one leg and hold for 30 sec (repeat on other side). You’re at risk for soft tissue injury if you can’t hold, or it’s not even.
- Sit on floor without using hands, knees or shins – If you can’t go from standing to sitting and back again without using your hands, knees, or shins, then you are at an elevated risk for falling, injury, or death.
- Balance on 1 foot for 10 seconds – Failing either side is a sign of a serious problem, like hip or knee replacement type serious.
- 30 second Hang – Hang from a pullup bar for 30 seconds. It tests your grip, spine and back health. If you can do it, can you do a pullup after 30 seconds?
- Long Jump Your Height – If you’re 5 foot 2, then you should be able to jump that far away from where you stand now. If not, start practicing.
- 30 sec bodyweight squat and hold – Squat down all the way to the bottom, hold for 30 seconds and stand up without using your hands.
- Farmers walk your bodyweight – Pick up 2 weights that equal your bodyweight and go for a walk. Just that ability alone will get you ready for any zombie apocalypse that comes our way.
Many will look at this list and go ‘Yea right, that’s not me and I don’t see why I should train that hard.’
To which I’ll say ‘if you choose not to work towards these, you are choosing to be a liability to others, not an asset, and one day somebody else will have to pick up your slack, which won’t be me’.
What do you think about these Physical Human Standards {first_name}, can you do them all?
Please reply and let me know if you’d like to hit these numbers, or maintain them, and we’ll get you on that track!
Be Well – John
Changing the way Life is done.
Mindset. Fitness. Nutrition.
P.S. Here are 4 more ways you can become happier and healthier:
1. Podcasts
Some of the greatest insights and healing for me, have come from listening to podcasts in the last few years. This long-form type of communication, I’ve found, has been extremely important for understanding context, while learning how to make sustainable change.
That’s why I have started to find ways to get our story on some podcasts, and give you an opportunity to really go deep with us, and see what we’re all about. That way, you can decide if this tribe fits your personality. Click the link below to go to our podcast page, where you can find all our episodes!
2. Rise
Rise is the story of ‘never feeling powerful … to … never feeling powerless’. It’s about John Bair’s life, why he does what he does and how his suffering created happiness.
This handwritten book takes you through an intimate, yet, self-revealing journey, which allows you to implant yourself into the story, as it relates to your own, and reveal the steps you’ll need to take, in order to make change a successful reality.
Available in DIGITAL, AUDIO, BOOK
Click Here To Get Your FREE Copy
3. Join our BADASS Community on Facebook
We want to work with and be around as many BADASS people as possible. Folks who might forget how BADASS they are and just need the space to remember.
So, we started a FREE group on Facebook called BADASS, which is our own private community where we go deeper into what we do at Bair Knuckle Strength.
The truth is, it makes the world a happier, safer, more enjoyable place when you love your BADASS self.
If you’re ready to see what we do, just CLICK HERE!
4. Fitness Scorecard
Have you gone through the Fitness Scorecard yet?
Confused where to start, or what to do next with your health and fitness journey?
Well, step 1 is to understand where you currently score across the 8 Fitness Indicators.
Start your journey toward your personal fitness breakthrough by completing your Fitness Scorecard Today: CLICK HERE