The Laws

- What are the purpose and nature of laws? - 

The following laws may draw from other disciplines but still apply and correlate to our quest in strength. They will serve as the context and truths from which we shall operate.

• Law of Specificity (SAID)

SAID = Specific Adaptation to Imposed Demand

The human body is nothing short of amazing from the functions it performs to near infinite information gathered & processed. All the while being in a constant state of adapting. Some say our bodies are smarter than us, I'd incline to agree.


Mr Besselink's definition of SAID

your body ALWAYS adapts to EXACTLY what you are doing, whether you are conscious of it or not.  - Mike T Nelson

Therefore general fitness does not exist. It is a misconception that by training a certain way it will transfer to other skill sets and movements. We only get better at what we specifically do. Desire to be an Olympic Sprinter - train sprint technique as often as possible, All star baseball pitcher - practice the skill of pitching. Of course there are accessory and supplemental exercise but their aims are to strengthen and refine the core skill / technique. Remember to set context, identify goals, and train specifically the desired adaptation. 

• Law of Force

F = MA

To successfully generate force a body of mass (barbell, bodyweight) must be accelerated. The quicker the movement and/or greater the mass results in greater force. The formula can also be manipulated to isolate any of the variables. If one wishes to create high acceleration, increase force and decrease mass. A = F/M. Champion sprinters clearly demonstrate this law as they train and exert high force output (applied to the ground) with minimal mass. What is Usain Bolt's body-fat percentage? 

•  Law of Power

P = F/T

There is a misconception that strength is the same as power. The two are not synonymous. Power is simply a force generated over a specific time. High power output is a function of high force exerted over a small amount of time. A vertical jump test demonstrates overall body power because it requires high force to overcome gravity and bodyweight done in a few milliseconds. Olympic lifts such as the clean & jerk or snatch also train massive power output.

• Law of Sophistication

Increase of Motor Sophistication Equates to Increase of Strength 

The above is true but not vice versa. Many understand and believe in the progressive overload system. It is true our muscles require stress in the form of physical work (stimulus) for intended adaptation (muscle growth, increased strength). However traditional progressive overload does not address challenging the neurological aspect of strength. Only by engaging motor sophistication through performing more complex skills does - which simultaneously strengthens the mind-body connection. A double even triple bodyweight bench press does not carry with it the skill to perform a planche - even when one would assume it uses the same muscle groups. If you're fortunate to come across one who has mastered the skill, invite or challenge him to the bench. Recall the CNS and how it delivers signals throughout the body. The stronger and clearer the signal, the better response in contraction of the muscle. In a telephone conversation if the signal is terrible, maxing out the volume does not remedy the situation. Focus on the quality of the signal (skill refinement) and the volume (muscle growth/adaptation) will take care of itself.

• Law of Balance

 Truth & strength coincide with balance

In physics and art the term symmetry is used. For our purposes the terms are interchangeable. Balance and symmetry are paramount. We find beauty in symmetry - a study was conducted to explore attractiveness of the human face. In conclusion the most symmetrical were deemed most attractive. Also notice how nature is another proponent that seems to favor symmetry, even our own body is near symmetrical as are the heavenly bodies and stars. Thus we must approach our training in the same manner, carefully building strength while retaining balance within the body. The exercises, skills, routines, frequency, intensity, recovery, nutrition all must be balanced with and against one another - for to purposely or ignorantly create imbalance would hinder progress towards our goals. In similar respect neglecting to build the mind & character will also create imbalance but that will be addressed later as bodily strength will serve as our primary focus and a platform on which to grow the others. A strong body leads to strong mind, then strong character.

• Law Simplicity

Simpler = Closer to Truth

"Truth is ever to be found in the simplicity, and not in the multiplicity and confusion of things." - Issac Newton

I feel Sir Issac Newton put it best. Truth's purpose is to show clarity, enlightened understanding, certainty which brings peace & tranquility to the mind and soul. Opposite of that is confusion, obscurity, & ambiguity that results in feeling lost, uncertain, unrest. There are no mathematical proofs for this law but observe how most theorems are reduced to the simplest terms and how we prefer to understand concepts as simply as can be explained. Is it any wonder why we naturally favor and gravitate toward simplicity.

• Law of Compensation

Every Action has an Effect

Relating to the law of balance and Newton's third law of motion, any and all action (force, movement, thought) has a specific effect - usually compensatory but not always. In our strength context repeated movements create residual tension within the muscle and joints. Over time scar tissue and adhesions build restricting ROM. Prolong seated positions shortens muscles in the hip (hip flexors) because of the SAID law (it adapts to getting better at sitting) eventually creating muscular imbalance leading to pain or injury. It is like a rubber band, once overstretched & deformed it does not return to original shape or ROM. Thus compensation is necessary to continue building strength, maintain balance, form & ROM in the long term while remaining injury & pain free.

• Law of Persistence

Never Give Up

Good things come to those who wait - almost. Patience is a virtue that needs to be exercised and will grow with continued training. However in the realm of bodily strength, consistency and determination are the real keys to success. I used to always look for shortcuts in life, a hack or any means to get ahead without paying the full price. I see now there is a price for everything, nothing is free except our (God given) will. The price to pay for short-cutting is the strain placed upon the character or mental psyche. Cheat others and you eventually cheat yourself. Overreach your current level with ambition & disregard and injury shall find you. Anything worth having must be earned. To earn it one must not give in or give up. Do not fret cause you will get the chance to give in with your final breath. For now, are you willing to pay the price for following this law? How about all the above?


Like it or not our bodies are bound by the laws of physics & reality, what gives us the notion we can overcome that, when even almighty gravity is subject to it. I hold these principles to be true until tested and proven otherwise.

My Favorite Training Tool - Part 1

- What tool is always around, needs no setup, goes anywhere, without special requirements, and can use alone? -


Your Own Body


Ancient warriors and athletes did not have access to nautilus or smith machines, fancy dumbbells, bosu balls and the like. They used what they had, their own body and simple tools and that was far more than enough. Spartans, Vikings, Gladiators, Martial Artists anyone?

Here's what Pavel and the folks at dragondoor have to say about that.

A quick digression: I thank gravity for its existence for it is the ultimate force - unyielding, unwavering, unchanging, independent of circumstances, situations, time, place, & space. Without gravity we could not train or exert force upon the body. Even with weights and all other modalities their fundamental principle is to act against gravity. Moving weights in space (vacuum) does not provide any stimulus. Thus why astronauts loose muscle mass rapidly if there is no resistance provided to their body. The same holds true for bodyweight. We move our own bodies through space challenging the force of gravity. Insane levels of strength can also be built just as with weights or any other modality. They are all tools in the same toolbox. I believe the bodyweight tool carries with it more benefit and a more specific application in real world - you will always use your body to move through space, not necessarily moving external weight/mass. 


The benefits of bodyweight training:

• always there, no equipment needed - complies with the law of simplicity
• trains movement and skills as a whole unit 
• no monetary investment required
  
• strengthens mind-body connection, promotes body awareness
  
• limitless levels of progression, challenge and neurological-motor sophistication
• strengthens joint, tendons, ligaments, & connective tissue
• develops balance, coordination, agility, flexibility, ROM
  
• trains skill of generating full body tension
  
• works within the matrix of relative strength-weight ratio 
• emphasizes natural movement patterns not isolated, limited ROM movement
  
• obeys law of balance by exposing asymmetries / imbalance in body
• allows all to participate: young-old, elite athletes-sedentary office jock, women-children
• fully scalable from beginner to elite level
• near infinite variety of movements skills and complexity - always room for improvement
• programmable to any goal within entire strength <--> endurance spectrum

The cons:

• requires in depth knowledge and detail to specifics
• incremental progression not easily as measured (compared to weights, 0.5 lb plates)
• requires commitment, dedication & discipline in order to reach advanced levels

Many of you may be wondering how is it possible to build high levels of strength when your own bodyweight is more or less fixed. True, but here is the answer from Coach Sommer as he puts it more eloquently than I:

First of all, exercise is exercise. Period. The name of the game is resistance. A muscle contracts against resistance and, with perseverance, over time, becomes stronger. For strength to increase, the amount of resistance or load worked against must also increase over time. Hence the problem with bodyweight conditioning - as the resistance (weight of the body) is fixed, how to continue to increase strength? Surprisingly the answer is simple - by decreasing the amount of leverage it is possible to exert on an exercise, the resistance of an exercise becomes increasingly greater. For example, a hanging straight leg lift is much harder than a tucked leg lift. In both exercises the weight of your legs remains constant, however by reducing your leverage (i.e. in this case straightening your legs) we are able to greatly increase the resistance. By straightening the legs we have effectively doubled the difficulty of the exercise even though the weight of the body has remained constant.

In essence:

• manipulate ROM
• vary leverage
• redistribute weight throughout body

 Don't take his word for it, try it yourself.

The Power of Context

 - What is context, does it even matter, how does it relate to real world applications? -

Context: the interrelated conditions in which something exists or occurs.

Meaning the framework or edges of "the box" in which the concept lies


Imagine the two champions Muhammad Ali & Michael Jordan.  Who is the better athlete?


Hard to answer? No problem let's just add the context. Now picture them on the basketball court, who dominates in that respective sport? Conversely visualize the setting in the boxing ring? Or maybe you're a numbers person who'd use win vs. loss ratio or championships (all of which is context) to determine superiority. It seems erroneous that apples can be compared to oranges when by definition they differ from one another. Conceptual oxymoron anyone?

Before jumping to conclusions regarding theories, methods, beliefs or anything on which is optimal/best ask yourself - what is the context? Without a clearly defined framework, debate and discussion leads to spinning wheels. It may have sex appeal but in the end it results in wasted energy. The choice is yours.

The context of this journal is framed from the perspective of holistic health. True strength shall build & add to an entire individual in some amount not diminish or reduce in any way/shape/form. For example if one is neglecting quality of diet for studies to strengthen the mind it is not holistic health in nature - due to the sacrifice of one aspect to gain in another. Likewise the individual who trains to such an extreme degree for an extra pound of muscle mass that recovery and vitality is impaired. Holistic health is centered on the idea of balance. Even the universe and heavens are subject to balance with other forces. Imbalance leads to chaos, disorder, and randomness. All these concepts oppose our stated goals. Of course there will be times when things are in disarray, that is ok, just strive to align them back into balance. Our training will enables us to do so with grace and poise. Study and incorporate context for its power will immensely aid in discerning truth.

Definition of Strength

- What is true strength, what does it mean, and how can one use it? -

I believe the legends of history had the right idea regarding true strength:

• Arthur Saxon's definition of strength

• the great Eugen Sandow chimes in

• Strength is the ability to generate force under given conditions  - Pavel Tsatsouline

Why look to history to guide us in modern times? Fact is the feats & accomplishments of the old timers have yet to be match today even with the advances in science & technology. Synthetic derived hormones (performance enhancing drugs) nor state of the art machines/equipment existed and without shortcuts that leaves only ass-busting training and indomitable dedication. If those two parameters stood the test of time, could it be that they are the foundation upon which true strength is built? Why try reinventing the wheel, why not add to or modify it?

In the context of physical culture, many espouse different but similar opinions. Through meticulous sorting, testing, & refining I discovered a pattern converging to the underlying principle.


Strength is a skill in conscious control of muscular & neurological force production over varying periods of time, through a pain & injury free range of motion. I stand firmly behind this definition and will adopt it for our purposes on this blog.


Skill: Proficiency, facility, or dexterity that is acquired or developed through training or experience

Meaning one can always undergo the challenge of building up and refining skill regardless of starting position, experience, knowledge, disadvantage, etc. That's the good news, the bad - there is a price to pay for acquiring and mastering any skill. The skill of strength is paid in the currencies of time, energy, sacrifice, blood, sweat, & tears. However its benefit is near inexhaustible; improving - health, longevity, quality of life, discipline, stress management, constitution, endurance, energy, performance, form, while lessening lethargy and weakness. How does that deal sound to you?

Training: the process of bringing a person, etc., to an agreed standard of proficiency, by practice and instruction

Meaning training is purposeful in moving one toward a stated goal through repeated actions of practice. Great instruction will accelerate one toward a goal, poor instruction will retard progress. See the Foundational Skill post

From the Laws we hold true force is a function of mass and acceleration. Contracting the muscles is what causes acceleration, muscle by definition has some mass, therefore we arrive at a specific amount of force. The neurological aspect is involved because in order for a muscle to contract, it requires an electrochemical impulse sent from the brain via the Central Nervous System (CNS).

 You order a book from Amazon.com, amazon warehouse/headquarter (brain) sends out a package (electrochemical instruction) to arrive at your house (muscle) to serve your intended purpose (contraction). The CNS is the bodies delivery system just like the Postal Service, however it is much more complex as it also performs other functions.

Duration of time is another aspect often neglected but nevertheless critical to the definition of strength as it plays a major role. Power can be expressed mathematically as:

Power  =   Force 
                  Time

How can power be expressed if the time interval is not defined? It can't. That's what differentiates types of strengths, slower grinding vs. explosive high-intensity movements - by varying the time component. This will enables us to fall anywhere within the strength - endurance spectrum.

Can one be truly exert strength while in pain? Seems contradictory because it is. Pain is identified by the CNS as a threat therefore its reaction is to remedy the issue usually via inflammatory processes. If you have suffered an injury such as stubbed finger, the CNS detects a force acting upon the finger, determines that force is causing pain then elicits a response to address the pain to prevent further damage. Which results in the restriction of either range of motion (ROM) in the finger and/or reduction of contractile strength. Maybe moving it certain directions causes pain or applying force to the finger by opening a jar. Training through pain does not make one strong, mentally or physically, it only invites more damage and lengthened recovery times. Pain is a stop sign that must be interpreted and analyzed to rectify a problem, correct it, then pursue on.  

Range of motion (ROM) is inherently tied to strength for strength exists only through a ROM. This can be clearly demonstrated by the act of standing up. Your whole body moves through space and even though it may not feel like strength is applied, it is. You are just so skilled at the maneuver that it no longer provides an adequate stress to your muscles. ROM is part of the context of strength. A simple test - anything that increases your ROM will increase some some aspect of strength, likewise a decrease in ROM will decrease strength.

The advantage of first understanding bodily strength is the direct evidence of its power. It physically changes the human form inside and out, enhances movement function, increases energy capacity, and floods the body with limitless vigor. This will provide the necessary motivation to endure the challenges and expand awareness by using these learned truths to apply strength in other channels such as the mind and character. The second advantage is it provides near immediate feedback. Think of it as your report card. You will notice changes within yourself some easily described, some not. Lastly the ease of which to track and measure progress because without assessing data, one cannot be certain if advancement toward goals are being made.

Strength is not bound to just the physical realm. It has many shapes and forms, some more tangible and quantifiable than others. Just as we cannot perceive gravity or electromagnetic waves, their powerful force effects us regardless if we see, believe, or understand it. Keep in mind, the strengthening of mind and character are no less important or critical. As stated above I shall embark on the avenue of bodily strength first.

Goals

 - Do I really need goals? Are they a false notion of hope? - 

Goal: The purpose toward which an endeavor is directed; an objective

Meaning without goals there is no direction and no aim, purpose is fleeting or accidental. Like a ship at sea without a map or navigation, lost amidst the vastness of the ocean. Imagine being the captain of that ship, what do you feel? That feeling is not truth, not strength therefore we must adopt goals to arrive at truth and strength.  

To adopt & live the student creed:

• Nobody can teach you as well as you can learn to teach yourself.
  
  
• Being a good student means that you are learning, not just doing the work.
  
  
• Not everything you are assigned or asked to do is equally important.
  
  
• Making mistakes is the price you pay for real learning and growth.
  
  
• The point of a question is to get you to think — not simply to answer it.
  
  
• You’re in school to learn to think for yourself, not simply to repeat what the teachers or textbooks tell you.
  
  
• You will not find all subjects interesting and fun, but being actively engaged in learning them is better than being passively bored and not learning them.
  
  
• Few things in life are as potentially difficult, frustrating or frightening as genuine learning, yet nothing else can give you so many rewards and so much power.
  

         * based & adapted by The Smart Student's Credo



To comprehend, cultivate,  & apply true strength - see definition of strength post

In summary, the long term overall goal of this blog is:


(what)        To continue in the ongoing struggle of seeking truth 
(how)          through the active process of learning 
(which)       in order to use the tool of strength 
(who)          to build upon oneself 
(why)          to accomplish constructive goals effectively and efficiently

the where is any, the when is now

Preface & Foreward

In order to obtain the maximum benefits of this blog I implore you to begin with these post as they set the strong foundation upon which all goals shall be built, provide a mental framework to organize all this information, and form direction with purpose.

Goals

Definition of Strength

Power of Context

The Laws

Mind, Body, Soul

The Foundational Skill

The seed that sprouts my actions originate from an unquenchable hunger for understanding. In spite of our great advances, achievements and progressions as a civilization; there is still much confusion and falseness in our world today. I surmise that only leads to dark, inhumane actions and thought. Not only do I see it, but now feel its weight bear upon my spirit. The more questions I ask, the more answers I must find. Like a devastating earthquake does to a weak foundation, all my years of knowledge was rattled so now I reembark to test and verify all data to arrive closer to truth - a true foundation. For a reason unknown to me, I do not possess the ability to stop. This is beyond an addiction, no ultimatum or compensation will cease it. To remain sane I seek to shed light not only for myself but for you as well.

I thank everyone I had the opportunity to encounter and engage in life with as each & everyone of you have an influence. I also need to extend that thanks to mentors, role models, coaches that I have not had the fortunate opportunity to meet - for your thoughts and words touched me beyond your knowing. Furthermore, I pay it forward and thank those who have yet to come into my life but someday shall. Big or small, friend or foe, close or no more, nonetheless it is all important to me. Without you, none of this would have come into being and I am indebted to your graciousness.
 
It is my wish that this journey will serve you more than it has served me.


                                                                                                                                    -   Jon Cheung