Individualized Physical Training

This article sort of opened my eyes to viewing fitness and conditioning from a very different perspective.  Sort of California, holistic perspective on training:

http://rockysfitnesscenter.com/fitness-approach.html

This guy Rocky wrote a book on fitness and conditioning for paddling.  His approach is to get information on the person's movements and try to correct any issues. 

He started out doing personal training with the only thing he knew, a bodybuilding sort of approach.  He later realized that he was doing a disservice to his clients as he learned more about conditioning and the body.  Now, his approach is more holistic and individualized, although he does group classes as well. 

Having a very good personal trainer would be an asset for any athlete.  If you don't have one and can't afford one, it would be worthwhile to consult with a top conditioning specialist for a session or two, and then follow his instructions in the future.

He admits in the article that we are in the dark ages as far as physical conditioning goes.  There are many things we don't know yet, but our knowledge has come a long ways in the past 20 years or so. 

Many of us have very disfunctional bodies that aren't properly aligned and our movements are not fluid or efficient as a result.  We have muscle imbalances that cause misalignment and injury and disease.

In typical California surfer new-age style, he advocates getting outside, getting in touch with nature, getting in touch with our bodies, getting away from the sedentary lifestyle and poor nutritional and lifestyle choices that characterize our modern industrial society.  Go barefoot and walk on the beach and eat some fruits and vegetables and work out at his gym.

This is a completely new approach to training that most of us aren't familiar with.  Holistic training, rather than just concentrating on paddling our boats and going fast and clean.  Cleaning up our nutrition.  Making our bodies pure and balanced.  Helping our movements to be more fluid and natural.  Athletics as a path to wholeness and balance.