MON: Is Balance a Lie?

We are all told that the key to long-term results is balance. I tell people that. I employ that approach myself, and I often suggest that others do the same. But is balance really, when it comes down to it, the best approach for results?

Is balancing something that is beneficial towards your results with the occasional dose of something that isn’t the best strategy?

Maybe. Maybe not.

It depends first and foremost, on how we define results. For each of us, a result is something entirely different and the scale for how they are defined is completely unique. Is Mike, a competitive bodybuilder getting to four percent body fat, the same result as Jill hoping to drop ten pounds? Is Lauren, a competitive powerlifter winning a gold medal at a meet the same result as Ryan completing his first three hundred pound back squat?

If we are to ever understand if a “balanced” approach is best, we have to first have a very real conversation with ourselves on what we consider a successful result. We have to define the game we’re playing.

The harsh truth is that to get to the top upper echelon of a result with a balanced approach is highly unlikely. It’s why some of the most successful people are also some of the most intense and extreme personalities. Daniel Day Lewis is not thinking about mental balance when he is getting into character to play Abraham Lincoln, he is consumed by it. As a result, he wins Oscars. But he’s probably not that fun of a guy to go on a three hour car ride with.

For Mike getting to four percent body fat, balance is not really going to be in his vocabulary. He’s going to eat, train, and basically replicate his entire day, everyday until he reaches that goal. It will filled with trial and intensity, extreme focus and isolation from most of the world. The result is likely a win and paid sponsorship. The trade off is his social life.

However, Jill dropping ten pounds and Ryan hitting a back squat goal can certainly be reached with a balanced approach. The goal to be healthy, move, look and feel better is definitely attainable with a balanced approach. A healthy long-term relationship with fitness is won with balance, as well.

Ultimately, it is extremity that does not succeed on balance. If you want success at the extreme ends of things, then extreme behavior is a likely going to be requirement. The scales must be tipped in the direction you want to head. Whether or not balance will yield you results depends whether or not your goals are closer to Mike’s or Jill’s? Lauren’s or Ryan’s?

-Dave

Monday, 2.12.18

Partner Workout in Tiers 2 and 3.

First, for Structure.
3×10 DB Floor Press
—
First, 8′ EMOM
A: 2 Hell Trots
B: 7 Squat Jumps
—
Then,
A1: 5 Thrusters + 100m Run
A2: 15 BB Row + 150m Run
B: Rest
(x15 Min)