Today’s topic is one which I find particularly fascinating. Let’s begin with a definition of what Training for LIFE means.
Training for LIFE, in TLA terms, means two things. You are engaged in athletic and fitness training throughout your lifespan. This process will evolve and take on different shapes, but you’re in it to win it. And perhaps more importantly, you know deeply that keeping yourself high-performing, functional, and vital allows you to maximize your participation and experience with life itself. More accomplishment. More contribution. More satisfaction. More joy. Everywhere and in everything. Training for LIFE doesn’t focus on trying to live longer. It’s all about applying effort to live better…NOW!
As a member of this community, you don’t just think…you know that definition to be entirely true. So I don’t need to convince you to take the athletic avenue into wellness. To become Hard to Kill on the playing field and everywhere else. To be (Grim) Reaper-resistant. To Kick Ass – at life – for LIFE! You hear me say these things all the time and they are far from being trite phrases. They represent our ethos.
But when I think of our world, and its incredible mix of wonderful opportunities and horrific problems, I continue to see those of us Training for LIFE as the minority. Regardless of the odds, I feel strongly that it is my, actually our, mission to turn our inclusive society into the majority. Big talk, I realize. But change for the better can be made one person at a time.
This brings me to think about a conversation I had last week with an old friend. Our discussion revolved around the concept of Training for LIFE. As I so often do, I found our discourse inspiring and thought-provoking. So much so that I’d like to share it today.
My friend reached out to me to say “Hi” and catch up a bit. She also was seeking my input on an orthopedic problem with which she had been struggling. This is quite common. When a problematic issue reaches a level of annoyance that impacts one’s approach to life, it drives us to seek input and to make change. I always consider this a great honor when someone values my expertise and asks for my input. It validates what I do and in most cases it helps that individual.
Pain, in a global sense, is the primary motivator for behavior change. I’m using the term “pain” in a very general manner. Yes, it could be excruciating, sharp, or chronic pain and we are ancestrally wired to seek relief from this agony. But it can also be aberrations in sensation and function that basically create a “pain in the ass” situation we want to get rid of. Fear (dread) and anger (rage) also have a tendency to become painful burdens which we again, are evolutionarily driven to escape. So for the purpose of today’s discussion, it’s all pain, it all sucks, and we all want to make this misery go away.
Whenever you are engaging with someone in a problem-solving situation, it works best when you go about it a certain way.You have to read the room. Or more importantly, the person. Listen very hard, to quote Led Zeppelin. Any health care provider, coach, therapist, counselor is trained to hear and assimilate the information provided, and to ask the “right” follow-up questions. But you get better at this with reps, years, decades. You go through a deductive reasoning process and apply a combination of evidence-based principles, wisdom, and experience to the session. And so it went as my friend and I bantered in a fashion somewhere between colloquial and didactic, to come up with a hypothesis and action plan capable of being substantiated.
As our discussion evolved, the conversation eventually flowed into the philosophy of Training for LIFE. As we defined it at the beginning, this is a concept I’m thinking about all the time and I use it multiple times per day in work-related conversations and content. But I was quickly reminded that not everyone has that viewpoint top of mind with not only a relaxed acceptance of the philosophy but a zealous application of the principles. When I mentioned Training for LIFE, my friend reflexively responded with a repelling stance against such behavior. She bristled and stated “that’s not for me.” I asked “How so?” She said the words training and program felt confining and restraining, limiting her freedom to pursue spontaneous activity in joyous fashion. Like being forced by The Man to stay in the box, without any opportunity for personal decision or expression.
Of course that isn’t my position and I felt it was important to explain my perspective on Training for LIFE. No one in our community should feel constrained, or incarcerated in an institution of monastic methodology. Head down, trudging in a straight line. Wearing drab, dirty clothing and having expressionless faces. Falling in step. Never questioning. That’s not what we are about. We are into this whole celebration of able-bodiedness, and using that state to live a life of joy and do more good in this world.
Being an athlete for life encompasses a number of abilities. The Athletic Assessment can help you to gain an understanding and appreciation of general, all-around athleticism. There will be those who only view being athletic as being involved in competitive sport. That’s valuable for sure but at TLA we look at humans as animals, BEASTS actually, that are genetically programmed to be comprehensively athletic (the major reason we are the dominant species on planet earth). It was our capable bodies that allowed us to grow these relatively large brains and to progress through the majority of our evolutionary journey. But today, each of us can and should take a uniquely personal path to athleticism.
This is exactly why our Training Tribe programming emphasizes a flexible structure. Or structured flexibility. Or scalable, dynamic, scientific training with tons of options for customization as well as the occasional bailout. You see, Training for LIFE is indeed an evidence-based, organized process. But it must also be adaptable to the ever-changing context of the modern human. No one person is alike. Not in their abilities or in their preferences. But, there are known qualities, or Capacities of Athleticism/Human Performance that every human in the quest for a long, peak-performing healthspan…must possess. There has to be a system in place to help the trainee to evaluate their status, and optimize their exercise behaviors to best align with their genetics and activity goals.
That system is the Athletic Capacity Rating System. We have a number of articles and videos on this topic, and subscribed members in The Lifetime Athlete App can jump into Lifetime Athlete Programs or MasterClass sections and take as deep a dive as they wish. The ACRS allows you to get a sense of your ranking (low, moderate, or high) in the 5 Capacities of Human Performance which are strength, speed, power, agility, and endurance. The Training Tribe programming follows an Annual Training Plan which uses block periodization to effectively address all 5 capacities in a revolving, blended fashion. Members can work on shoring up deficiencies, honing strengths, or matching up their training to better fit their sport. We have resources everyone can use to make modifications, or they can sign up for Personal Coaching Consultations for customized 1-on-1 service.
There exists a sweet spot for each person within the broad middle ground our platform covers. You can’t please everyone, so The Lifetime Athlete doesn’t offer a rigid dictatorial routine or, on the other hand, a totally random and completely serendipitous approach. Although our system allows you to get fairly close to those extremes if you desire. My position is that if you don’t have at least some sort or structure in your training, it is very difficult to be clear on what it is you’re working on or toward. Just ask any business manager, stock market analyst, or military advisor. Likewise, everyone deserves the freedom to choose the exercise and activity (training and sports) they like and change things up to keep it exciting and enjoyable.
Consistency comes to mind, and it is often referenced in these types of discussions…by many experts. We need consistency of habit or exposure to training. Thus frequency should be relatively high. To only train now and then…not so effective. We need relative or moderate consistency with respect to training stimulus. There must be some repeatability in movement patterns and energy system utilization for the body to make optimal adaptations. This isn’t just true from a neurologic perspective, it’s factual regarding physiology as well. However, there needs to be enough variety (this absolutely varies with each person’s physical and psychological makeup) to keep training interesting and stimulating. Make it such that the person wants to train, looks forward to it, and views it as one of the best parts of their day.
I created this framework based on years of study, decades of experience, and a desire to capture what I see as an ever-growing drive in our society to optimize aging. People want and deserve to do more “stuff” as they mature. Participating in many activities. Staying youthful. Enjoying retirement. Remaining highly functional and independent. No longer are we satisfied to sit in the rocker, read the AARP magazine, then take our scooter down to the pharmacy to pick up more meds. Not the Lifetime Athlete generation. We’re talking about younger Boomers and older Gen-Xers, specifically those 45-75 years in age, give or take.
This now brings us back to the terms training and program. I hadn’t forgotten about those terms. I just wanted to spend some time on the overarching philosophy of all this great mojo first. That’s the same thing I did in my conversation with my friend.
Regulars here will probably be quite familiar with TLA’s definition of training. It is simply the art of turning exercise into something that’s more purpose-driven and results-oriented. Look at it this way. You can exercise in a general sense in the pursuit of health and fitness. That’s pretty good. Think of this as “pass-fail” scoring. But when you begin to train using specific methodology (geared to your needs) in an organized fashion, your movement behaviors immediately become more meaningful (to you) and effective. Outcomes now rank as excellent and A-graded. There is a boost in self esteem as you not only accomplish physical objectives but find your energy and capability for all of life, such as work and relationships, to be upregulated. Lifetime Athletes don’t just randomly exercise and hope for decent results. We train intentionally and intelligently to confidently achieve our highest potential. We train to win. And we do.
Training does have an official sound to it…because it is official. The minute you say you are training for something – LIFE in this case – you acknowledge that you’re committed to the pursuit of excellence. So of course there is some seriousness in all this. If exercise habits are too casual and undefined, they lack purposeful clarity. Nothing to rebel against here. Nobody makes you train for LIFE…it’s your own idea which you invest in willingly. Striving to be capable of living one’s best life requires dedication. It’s a noble pursuit. Others recognize this as well. Ours is an inclusive community. We welcome and invite everyone to join us in this magnificent practice of Training for LIFE.
Programs are not dogma-ridden schedules and rulebooks that Lifetime Athletes are forced to adhere to. Instead, they are custom-crafted vessels that carry us down the athletic avenue into wellness! To a life of joy! We take the big rocks, or first principles, and shape them into personalized systems that provide best fit for the trainee. As you know from our body of knowledge, the program is the result at the end of the vision-goal-plan-program process we use when aligning objectives with methods. The Basics of Training Program Design covers this fairly well if you would like a reference. Uniquely, the Training Tribe program can be customized in multiple ways. Honestly, it works great for most people just the way it is and that was my purpose in designing it. T2 programming hits that sweet spot between taking yourself and your training too seriously and relishing in the playful, whimsical side of things. Members report it’s something they feel privileged to get to do…not have to do.
But folks who are looking for something a little different and more personalized often seek my help in developing their own winning recipe. This is especially true when a person has some injuries, orthopedic conditions, or specific sports goals that need laser-like focus. For me, it’s a privilege to work with them. TLA programs always have the same objectives…get results, don’t get hurt, and have fun in the process. I don’t say pick any 2…you get all three.
The magic in program design lies in creating something that is at once structured and flexible. Meaning having a framework, but one that is not exceedingly rigid. Specific and dynamic. These terms describe the personalization to one’s training needs and properties which can easily be modified and scaled. Each human is unique, but honestly we are more similar than different from a species perspective. That’s why Training Tribe programming works so well. It’s highly adaptable across a broad range of the population. But when someone has a chronic condition or a very specific performance goal, a detailed and individualized program is not difficult to concoct. The Lifetime Athlete App has the resources which empower you to build your own, best program.
When you Train for LIFE, you need a coach. But, here’s the kicker. You can be your own coach. Doing so works great as long as you have the knowledge to get it done right. The App is rich with the resources you need to develop a personalized Train for LIFE program and to learn about the associated aspects of nutrition, lifestyle, and injury prevention. Every App member has unlimited email support. And when you want some 1-on-1 assistance, you buy only the amount you need (via Personal Coaching Consultations – an App member exclusive) and nothing more. This is perhaps the most evolved model in performance and wellness coaching. There is no barrier to entry into a world of optimization. No excessively authoritative relationships. Only thoughtful, caring advisement and guidance.
I’m thankful for my friend and for her inquisitive nature around this essential concept. She’s always welcome at TLA and I’m always happy to talk about Training for LIFE.
I’m very passionate about this subject. No matter how much I study and observe, I’m continually humbled. Learning, growing, sharing. That’s what it’s all about. I certainly want to be as athletic as I can for as long as I can, and I want to help you to do the same. We don’t know everything. Never will. We’ll continue to refine this platform as we go along. Staying true to science, whose goal is to be less wrong over time. But also never being afraid to experiment and follow our instincts. Training is a process. One at which we continually get better. For LIFE!