Move further

This is not a post about cardio.

...but, actually, while we're on the subject: Cardio is important. You should do it. Especially running. I should probably clarify that by "running" I mean "running more than 3 miles." There are depressingly big camps in the Paleo/Crossfit/Ancestral Health/Whatever-we're-calling-it-these-days movements who vocally declare their hatred and distain for running.  I really believe running is the beginning and the end of all functional movement, especially Parkour. Fancy moves, tricks, etc. are kid's stuff (which I don't mean in a bad way at all - I think they're awesome) but the real deal comes when you try to cover distance in an obstacle rich environment.

Okay, mini-rant over.

Last week I was talking with a guy who asked me, "So what is Fifth Ape training?" I was feeling philosophical so I replied something along the lines of "It's an acknowledgement of the journey."

That guy never signed up for a free trial class. I am suddenly realizing that I am perhaps the world's worst salesman.

Let's see if I can elaborate here. There's a saying that the best fitness program is the one you'll stick to. I 80% agree. But, I think there's more to it. I think what REALLY makes the difference - the thing that ties together fitness and health (not the same thing btw) is a constant need to evolve and grow as a human being. You must cultivate a desire to constantly push beyond your comfort zone. This doesn't mean flitting from one activity to another but it does mean refusing to get stuck and stagnate.

For me, the journey began at age 12 when I decided to combine two interests of mine - martial arts movies and a deep desire to impress girls* - by signing up for martial arts classes. During that time I was also spending an hour after school with this guy:

Batman is my coach...which seared into my impressionable brain that, while brawn and fighting skill is important, the SUPER cool thing to do is outthink and outmaneuver your opponents. And have neat gadgets. Those are some good life lessons.

*For my young male readers, I regret to inform you that martial arts skills do not impress girls. You know what does? Cooking. Learn to cook. Seriously.

When I made it to college, my martial arts practice deepened when I was introduced to grappling and muay thai. I realized I needed supplemental training to improve my MMA game. So I started bodybuilding, which had a very limited positive effect. Through exercise science classes and watching the football team train, I realized that athletes train very differently from "regular" people and was off and running down the path of "functional fitness." This led to Crossfit and George Hebert's Natural Method. This led to watching a video of some crazy Russians doing "Russian climbing" - my first intro to Parkour.

So I became a Crossfit zealot, which pushed me a little further down the path before I ran into its inherent limitations, and backed away. I followed a strict Paleo diet, before I realized I could loosen up a bit and suffer no ill effects. I realized that if I trained a little differently and took things at my own pace, I could not just learn but excel at Parkour, despite my "old age." I learned that pulling back from MMA training and culture gave me the space to become a gentler person without rejecting martial arts all together.

Now, I can't say this with 100% certainty because I'm still very much on my own journey, but I think what I've learned is this: skill, movement, and adventure come first. Training that furthers those goals tends to stick around. Everything else is stripped away. Bruce Lee knew what he was talking about.

I don't want to beat the dead horse any more, but this is why this whole "sport of fitness" thing makes me either 1) double over with laughter or 2) get kinda sad. Lifting weights, swinging kettlebells, and doing box jumps is what you do to get better at the actual fun stuff. It's fine - great actually - if you enjoy all that in and of itself (I do!) But don't stop there! If that's your idea of "play" and "the unknown" then you really do lead a zoo-human life. I'm reminded of one of my favorite Coach Rip stories. A man tells Rip that "Starting Strength" is the most interesting book he's ever read to which Rip replies, "You must have only started reading a couple weeks ago."

Everyone's journey will look different and it absolutely does not have to include Parkour, martial arts, etc. I guess what I'm really asking is for you to take enough interest in your own life to make it as interesting, fun, and challenging as possible. Open your eyes to the possibilities and dare yourself to move further... then to keep moving.

These make me happy

Sundays have become my busiest teaching day. I always have a blast but limp home in the late afternoon ready for nothing more than a hot shower and a long nap. Today, when I put my feet up, I will probably be watching these two videos again:

I like this one for several reasons, none of which have to do with the actual clothing being advertised. I love the emphasis on "basic" movements, performed expertly, with fantastic flow. It looks like Sébastien is having a great time which, after all, is kinda the whole point. I am also thrilled to see Sébastien is still out there performing at a high level - the guy is nearly 40. Being closer to 40 than I care to think about, I find this very encouraging. Age doesn't have to be a crutch and, while we inevitably slow down we don't have to stop improving.

Then there's this:

I love the playful exploration of movement. I love the minimalism of the performance. I love basically everything about it. I am already working out how to create drills for Fifth Ape classes using some of these movements.

Have a great rest of your weekend.

A hard look at Paleo

I'll get to writing in a second, but at this very moment I'm watching a nuthatch doing a little jig on a tree trunk. It's the cutest thing ever.

***

Okay, sorry, back. What was I thinking about? Oh, right, socio-economic-political-cultural impact of the paleo community on the rest of the world. Well, that and Batman, but let's focus on the paleo culture thing for the moment.

In case you missed it, a few days ago a blog post came out on The Feminist Wire that attempted to connect the paleo culture at large, and MovNat in particular, with the "traditional values" of the Republican party's Jeudeo-Christian mythology. It was, shall we say, a not very well thought out argument.

The author then learned that our little tribe of cavemen was not-so-little and surprisingly good at using the internet. With varying degrees of civility we pointed out that by "paleo" we do not in fact mean 1955. Numerous women added comments in support of both the paleo community and MovNat in particular. I guess it all became a bit much, because the author eventually pulled the article.

It's disappointing that she chose to pull the plug on what was a great conversation (not counting rude/insulting comments) It seems rather cowardly. But I don't want to dive too deeply into that subject right now. Besides, as one MovNat community member pointed out nothing is ever really deleted from the internet.

Instead, let's employ a technique that has served me well since it was first suggested to me by my elementary school principle, Mr. Buckley: When having an argument/debate, take a step back and try to see things from the other side. It's hard to be objective unless you pull back your perspective.

So, Paleo community, let's pull back and look at ourselves from the outside. Ready? Go!

***

Interesting... you done? I'll go first: I saw a lot of middle/upper-middle class white people riding around on ethical high horses.

I saw a lot of individualism. I saw a bit of aggressiveness and militarism. I was surprised to see a dash of fundamentalism. I saw a depressing amount of overpriced pants.

And, yes, I did see a lot of hyper-masculine behavior.

I don't mean to suggest that any of this invalidates the Paleo movement, but it's important for us to be honest about the values we're representing. I think it's also important to remark that I am a white guy with an MBA who identifies with his masculinity largely through feats of strength and athleticism, so when I point a finger there are three pointed squarely back at myself.

Some thoughts:

• There's nothing wrong with being upper-middle class, and I don't think the paleo community is exclusionary - far from it. However, I think we have a hard time selling "paleo lifestyle values" to communities with more fundamental concerns. It's all well and good to say kids need to get outside and charge around, but tell that to a mom who lives in a poor part of town and she might have some concerns about neighborhood safety. Tell her to eat organic meats and veggies and she might not have the budget for it - or even access to fresh food.
  

• The paleo community spends a lot of time bashing other people's science, but often forgets that there isn't any hard science for our side. There are bits and pieces, and some favorable signs, but we don't really have any hard data. While I, like many in the community, don't believe we need to wait for exhaustive science to tell us all the ways vegetables are good for us before we eat our vegetables, I worry that we too often try to have our cake ("I don't need science to tell me eating real food and running around outside is a good idea!") and eat it too ("Our science is better than your science, vegans!")  And then there's the maddening trend of people who adopt a caricature of the paleo lifestyle without understanding, or even acknowledging the fundamental underpinnings of the theory (Robb Wolf probably agrees with me)

• If what you've taken from paleo lifestyle is "GRAWWR SURVIVALZ OF TEH FITTEST!" then you've missed the point. As the Nguni say, "We are people through other people." There are many versions of this, from Ubuntu to more modern colloquialisms like, "it takes a village." You are your environment and you are your community. Frank Forencich recently wrote a fantastic piece on this subject. You should read it. I should probably say I am not talking about government and politics here, but community. This is not a pro-socialist argument. All I'm saying is there's no such thing as a "self-made man," and I think we should all be worrying less about "me" and more about "we." Paleo is not about being the biggest, baddest chimp in the jungle. It's about your whole tribe.

• Finally, on gender roles. While that Feminist Wire blog above jumped the shark when it tried to link Paleo to the Republican Primaries, there is no denying that an awful lot of paleo activities have a very strong masculine flavor to them. Is this a bad thing? No. Does it disqualify women from doing them? No. Does it turn some women off to the whole thing? Yes, and I think that's a problem. I think we could all benefit from adding a little more yin to the yang of paleo*. What does that look like? I have no idea. More dancing? I think we could all benefit from that.  I'd love your feedback on this point in particular as it was the genesis of the whole brainwave.  

*As a total tangent, gender identity is a fascinating subject and I love looking at how different cultures celebrate it. In the west, we tend to glorify extremes of both ends - look at our superheros, movie stars, etc. For other cultures, a blending of masculine and feminine is considered very powerful. This is why Leon S. Kennedy is so freakin' pretty.

So why does this matter? Well, if we don't want Paleo to be just another fad that comes and goes, we need to figure out how to make it relevant to more people. We need to grow. We need to adapt. We need to evolve. I really believe this is more than just a hot new fitness fad. I believe what we are doing makes the world better. I think we are just starting to make a difference and I want to see us continue. I want us to get better so we can do better work. Sometimes that means taking a breath and being objective and honest.

I would really like your feedback on all of this. I want to hear from the Paleo crowd and I especially want to hear from the non-paleo crowd.