Since I recently turned 40, here’s 40 things I’ve learned over the last 40 years

1. Look after number 1, not at the expense of other, but so you can better serve others
   

1. Breathe out more than you breathe in, physically and psychologically
   

1. Take time alone, really alone, no interruptions
   

1. Minimum standards are more important than maximums unless you’re in a competition phase
   

1. Moving well is a birthright we spend our lives fucking up
   

1. No one has all the answers on any subject. No one.
   

1. The more you learn, the more you become aware of how much you don’t know
   

1. Basics, Basics, Basics (Jack Parker)
   

1. You get good at what you practice the most, even if you’re practising shite (paraphrased from Denzel Washington)
   

1. If a person is moving their lips, they’re telling lies
   

1. Reading non verbal communication is the key to understanding people
   

1. Women are mental, Men are stupid.
   

1. Women are mental because men are stupid
   

1. Rehab and training are just points of view
   

1. Little and often is pretty much the key to any form of success
   

1. More is often just more but better is always better
   

1. Your mind moves your chi, your chi moves your body.
   

1. The old timers knew what they were doing, modern sports science keeps proving most of them right
   

1. walk, run, jump, move on all fours, to climb, to keep balance, to throw, lift, defend yourself and swim. (Georges Herbert)
   

1. Train your legs every damn day
   

1. We are animals first, people second
   

1. “Etre fort pour etre utile” – Georges Herbert, translates to “be strong to be useful”
   

1. You’ll never be the man your Kids and your Dog think you are, but it doesn’t mean you can’t try
   

1. Shoulder stability/mobility is reliant on good breathing patterns
   

1. Stability is not immobility, it has more to do with control during motion
   

1. If a joint is designed to articulate, articulate it regularly

2. If a joint isn’t, don’t
   

1. The bodies ability to compensate is seemingly boundless
   

1. External focus is the key to getting good results in the gym, but in order to transfer that into the outside world, you must learn internal focus
   

1. The concept of “functional training” is utterly nonsensical
   

1. You cannot replicate sporting movements in the gym, so don’t even try
   

1. You can only train as hard as you can recover
   

1. Recovery takes effort
   

1. Everyone knows how they should eat, although the upcoming generation may be the first to lose that knowledge.
   

1. Physical training leads to mental toughness when you focus on the process not the result
   

1. Hands and feet are possibly the hardest working areas on the body, but get completely neglected in training and recovery
   

1. Calling someone a mouth breather used to be an insult, now look around you, look in a mirror
   

1. Nose breathing has far reaching health benefits
   

1. Upper back strength and scapula control are hugely important for performance and longevity
   

1. Specialisation is for insects and athletes (Steve Cotter)