What Nine Years of Strength Coaching Taught Me About Variety
Why doing something different can make you stronger, more capable, and more connected to your body
I don’t get bored easily. Focus may be my superpower. That’s another story.
I like variety for another reason.
Blue Hill Community Rowing
Yesterday, I rowed in a four-person crew on the open ocean. It was an hour-plus out to an island. We had a lovely brunch picnic, then headed back about the same distance.
The wind was sometimes with us and sometimes against us. The waves got choppy; you literally had to find the water with your oar. But the four-person rowing rhythm was consistent, powerful, and effective.
As you may know, I row indoors regularly. I was glad to discover that the hip-hinge motion I use on my indoor rower was identical to what the boat required. The arm movement, of course, was different with an oar.
This bit of variety got me out of the house, onto the water, out with new friends, and moving in unison.
Most of my clients use their strength training to support other activities they love.
Gardening is a common one—and it takes both mobility and strength to haul those bags of mulch around.
One client rides horses. We’ve practiced specific functional movements to help her climb onto her horse.
Golf is another. I use hip stability and mobility work to support the rotation and power a golf swing requires.
Hiking is something I share with many folks. With my arthritic knee, I’m always challenging the muscles above, below, and behind my knee to keep it stable and generate force when I need it.
Most hikers know that coming down a mountain can be harder on the body than going up. My split squats, squats, and front and lateral lunges prepare me for the descent.
You may have seen my indoor rock-climbing pictures. I went into that thinking it would be about my upper-body strength. I quickly learned it was mostly about leg power once again.
I love moving among different activities and my strength sessions. Each informs the other.
I regularly hear the same thing from clients. What they notice while golfing, playing tennis, swimming, biking, gardening, or hiking helps them understand what they’re building in their strength work.
And what they build in their strength work gives them more capacity for the things they love to do.
That, to me, is the point.
Strength training isn’t the whole life.
It helps make more of life possible.
Pickleball is next for me.
What’s next for you?
The truth I’m training for is that strength isn’t the destination; it’s what lets me keep exploring.