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Principles, Common Denominators and Hero Worship

Can you throw your mind back to maths class in school?


Who am I kidding, WG-Fit sits beside Dublin's financial district, all my guys could school me on maths without trying!

This idea of a lowest common denominator is a crucial to the WG-Fit training method and a big part of our success working with a variety of populations.


I'm just now off a conversation with one of my long term clients who's asking me about a video he found talking about fitness markers needed to be of US Special Forces fitness level.

Now, our conversation went around the houses a wee bit, but the key point raised was about this lowest common denominator idea.


Here's some context. The cult of personality that dominates our current social landscape, particularly the US version, has the Spec Ops soldier up on a pedestal.

Which is fair enough I suppose.

But their fitness requirements are not your fitness requirements. (In fact, high level regular military and the Special Forces military are mostly separated by mental factors, not physical, but that's another blog...) Kipchoge's fitness, is not the fitness you want or need

Eddie Halls fitness, is not the fitness you want, or need

Anthony Joshua's fitness is not the fitness you want, or need

Gordon Ryan's fitness is not the fitness you want, or need.


The trick, I believe is to look at all these guys. What do they do in training that would be useful to you? What do they do in training that isn't useful to you?


What is something that they all do in training?

What is something that non of them do in training?


What attributes make me unique, my own strengths and my own weaknesses? Who have I looked at that has the most similar attribute profile? How do they leverage that profile in their arena?





Different body types across a variety of sports


Alun Wyn Jones is a 6'4, 122kg Rugby second row forward. His attributes are going to be vastly different to the 5'6, 52kg Kipchoge, the greatest distance runner we have ever seen.

But if you look at both, you'll see a common thread in their training

Look into other arena's, see what they do and how the individuals involved leverage their attributes


The more of this you do, the more you'll start to recognise the lowest common denominators and the more you'll break down your own biases, you become less impressed by fads and fashions and reduce the risk of falling into any form of hero worship.

You do need heroes, I certainly have mine. But you must not place them on pedestals, they are as fallible as you and I.

There is no perfect human being. There is no perfect training plan There is no perfect nutrition protocol We can learn as much from these failings as we can from their successes.


We do this by looking for common denominators. Basic principles that every high performer uses.


The more you base your training around these, especially in your general fitness training, then you will build a far higher potential for success. After the foundations are built, then you can shape and sharpen them to your particular attribute profile, your particular profile and your chosen arena.


Look for the lowest common denominators and watch your progress flourish.


Regards

Dave Hedges www.Wg-Fit.com




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