The Measure of Success

 What a lot of people don’t realize about those “Before” and “After” photos is that it is not about change over time — but change momentarily. When the entire objective is to build (pump) the body — rather than measure on any other criteria or performance — that can be seen by a tape measure and photos of that enhanced circulation known as the “pump.”

This can be so dramatic that many well-known physiques will not let anybody see them unless they are pumped — and their arm sizes are about 2″ larger than their arms are “cold.” Likewise, they may be fairly fit-looking before a workout, but seem twice as big, and virtually a different person — and that is why a lot of adolescents get hooked on bodybuilding and weight-training — because it does give them that instant gratification and success, particularly if it coincides with their puberty growth spurt. Then these transformations seem nothing short of miraculous — and dramatically affects their psyche and outlook on life thereafter.

As often as not, that is the significance of the “before” and “after” photos and measurements. It could just as well be the measure of change before and after a single workout — rather than the representation of change over time. That is the measure of the effectiveness of a product or practice — more than it is little change over many years — thinking it will miraculously morph into something unforeseen in the present practice and exercise.

Bodybuilding and weight-training is not alone in effecting such transformations. One can see it happen instantly in skin care products — and more familiarly, with the application of make-up, posture, manner, and dress. All this should not come as a secret; it should be obvious — and why astute people cultivate these advantages.

The worst outlook on life, is to feel that one can never change anything — about themselves, or any other happening in the world — no matter how much time, effort and resources one devotes to it. That is distinctly the value of movement, action, and intent: one can change the world, because they can change themselves — and that is the root of all action and intents.

They experience that as a fact — in their workouts — which the tape measure and photos merely confirm enough times initially that shortly, it is not required — but should not be forgotten — for those times in life when what used to work, no longer works. Then they have to go back to those basics, rather than merely presume it is still working — because they may be doing something entirely different now — that doesn’t work. It usually is because they are doing too few repetitions with too much weight — that it actually precludes doing anything productive, restorative or rehabilitative. That’s why there is no measurable change — no matter how long one stays at it.

But actually changing, is easily measurable — and that measure is significant. It is not merely the passage of time — with no change until eventually, one day, everything will have changed — but what exactly caused it, is anybody’s conjecture. Changing weights is the easiest thing to do — but changing the body itself is the greater objective. For that purpose, it doesn’t matter how much the weights have changed — while one has stayed the same.

That’s what most people don’t suspect — that the most consequential change, is what is happening to the body — and not the weight stack. Is the body being super pumped — or is it largely and mostly at rest? If one can sustain an optimal pumping effect, where is it going? — and how can one tell? The tape measure and before and after photos are easily obtainable self-evidence of this. Either it is happening — or it isn’t. Even in the older guys who believe they can no longer achieve a pump (because of age) — if they ever did.

That’s what makes bodybuilders and physique competitors fairly unique; that is their objective — which is not a bad thing for anybody to be able to do somewhat — because that is the rehabilitative process that also makes them grow. That is what is called the recovery ability — and when one loses that, deterioration and decline becomes a way of life. How does one know when that has become the predominant theme in their life? The tape measure and photo — of before and after. The decline is not inevitable. That becomes the measure of success.

Only a rare few improve persistently over time. That is what is significant to measure — and people who make that difference.

What 5% of the Effort -- Provides 95% of the Results

 People knowledgeable of High-intensity exercise have proven in study after study, as well as personal experience — that one such workout a week is sufficient to induce and sustain growth over the course of their lifetime. However, that doesn’t mean they only work out that once a week at that level of intensity. If that’s all they do — and nothing else the rest of the week — they are likely to experience extreme muscle soreness for nearly all that week until it is time for their next high-intensity once a week workout — which is not a pleasant way to go through life — always recovering, and then inflicting that same muscle soreness for another week, etc.

But that does not invalidate the fact that one hard workout a week is about all a body can stand — without prematurely burning out or getting injured in some mysterious way — causing many to give up exercise entirely once they reach the vulnerable, susceptible “older” ages — which of course becomes fatal at that stage of life. So the challenge for everyone, is to find that “pace” that allows them to remain exercising all their lives — rather than overdoing it for a short period of time, and then quitting completely — as is fairly typical. One desires to be the atypical person who wasn’t just active and in good shape 50 years ago in the past, but one at the top of their game until the end of life. That is the survival of the fitness — and not the many others who have fallen off the exercise bandwagon for some reason or another. At that point, it doesn’t matter what the excuse is — only that one is not doing the best they can — presently.

Thus one will see a lot of people giving advice in their later years — of what they claimed worked 50 years ago, but is simply unthinkable in their present condition — which might have gotten them this way. That includes the damaged knees, damaged backs, damaged hearts, drug addictions, personality disorders, etc. That is often the price the former great athletes had to pay for their moments of glory. To a lesser extent, that is also the calculus daily exercisers have to make as well. The question is, what 5% of the effort and expenditure, gets one 95% of the results and effects of beneficial exercise — and not as many people think, that unlimited more is always better — and guarantees favorable outcomes.

That is usually what naive and young people think — and think is sufficient to keep them always young — but a few grow wiser with time and age, and note that recovery ability is not unlimited — but has to be managed to last and optimize a lifetime. Of course, first we have to have a critical mass of people living to those older ages — before we note, that some do it better than others — as is true of most things in life. So increasingly, we see the great divergence of the healthy becoming unprecedentedly healthier — while there seems to be no limit to how dependent the not so fortunate in this respect can be kept merely alive indefinitely.

That gives a new meaning to the concept of “peak physical condition” beyond the past traditional measures and expectations of what that is — because it is being defined as we live it. It is not just whether we can still sprint a 100 yards — or do 10 pullups — but something much more meaningful in our daily living — as we actually require it. It is just as much about knowing one’s present capabilities and limitations — as it is establishing a “new personal best” by more conventional standards or event.

At some point in life, just successfully recovering from a hard (intense) workout, is accomplishment enough — because if one can maintain that “ability,” that is all the encouragement and motivation one needs. What is worrisome, is reaching a point in life at which one feels they can no longer recover — from anything, and just fall further into hopelessness and despair for the rest of their lives. That is what resilience is about — which is recovery ability — to adapt to the many challenges a life will bring — and that is more important than just doing what doesn’t need to be done — no matter how impressive.

Most are familiar that some version of a squat is desirable to maintain joint integrity of the lower body — but are often advised not to allow their knees to move as far forward as possible — which is precisely the requirement for engaging the ligaments and tendons of the ankle — as well as the plantar fascia of the feet. Yet the excuse for that performance is that it does not stress the knee joint — which is not the limitation in most people but the tightness of the ligaments and tendons of the ankle, as well as the tightness of the plantar fascia. Meanwhile, the knee maintained in a nearly upright position is obviously the most stressful to the knee by forcing all the weight only on to that one hinge (axis), rather than allowing all the joints of the leg to handle that load — and disburse it. That should be the whole purpose of that exercise (movement).

And similarly, for the upper body (shoulder girdle), the movement of greatest engagement is to attempt to touch one’s hands behind one’s back, with one arm going above the shoulder and the other going below the shoulder — as the productive calisthenic (freehand) movement that results in a quick muscle pump of those structures — more so than one could get with the jumping jacks. Such a movement engages all the muscles in one — rather than working only one at a time, with the obvious limitation that one simply runs out of time and energy to do such low-productivity workouts.

And the word on diet is simply that one is best off lowering carbohydrate intake as low as possible — because the healthy body has the capacity to create its own fuel (glucose) from its own healthy cells. That is the basis for the wisdom of the ketogenic diet and autophagy. There is no need to store glucose in the body — which results in obesity and diabetes (insulin/metabolic resistance). With these simple guidelines, achieving optimal health and functioning should not be the difficult resistance many make it out to be. Actually, that is how Nature intended it to be — and provided for, but we have to understand, and learn to work with — and not against.

The Most Important Exercise (Few people do anymore)

I like to begin each gym workout by doing light breathing pullovers lying on a bench — which used to be the key exercise in the ’50s and ’60s “Golden Era” of bodybuilding — producing those impressive chest to waist differentials through ribcage expansion — as well as midsection minimization. It was such a key movement, that Arthur Jones made it the prototype to demonstrate his Nautilus principles in action. His second machine, was the hip and back machine, which did not catch on in popularity — even though it was for the hip girdle muscles, as much as the pullover was for the shoulder girdle muscles — in his objective to work the maximum number of muscles as well as the largest of the body — with these two basic movements and machines.

Every other machine and movement was much less effective in its impact — because it was either redundant, or more specialized and isolating. And in the case of the neck, forearms, and calves, he felt that no machines in the Nautilus mode were necessary — because the standard mode of performance and resistance could not be improved on. What he, as well as most gym athletes failed to appreciate, was that those levers of the human body are activated and developed not so much by resistance as they are by the range of movement — inversely related to resistance. Because of that, most people lifting heavy weights, never move at their wrists, hands and neck — and even come to believe as many do, that such joints should not be articulated (moved) — because they cannot move under heavy resistance, or would be injurious to do so.

Such extremities were evolved (designed) optimally for range of motion — rather than lifting heavy loads as their primary purpose. That is the reason that the most impressive development of these muscles at the extremities are usually exhibited by the ballet dancers and gymnasts — who have unparalleled development of such movements and that musculature/functioning. That is usually the difference between the outstanding performer and the novice — who doesn’t exhibit such mastery out to their very fingertips. Those are people obviously born with high body intelligence and are usually recognized very early in life as prodigies of movement — which no amount of training can duplicate. So in many countries that appreciate those qualities, they can spot such talents in a roomful of youngsters and only train those who will greatly benefit by such guidance.

Every other society does that to some extent — because they recognize certain qualities as more desirable than others, and that life is not just a random crapshoot in which the normal have as much chance of winning as the “gifted” in that field or specialty. They don’t start off equal, and they don’t end up equal — which is the proper understanding of life and all its activities and outcomes. But that is not to say that nothing can be done — and those advantages are inevitable and inviolable.

The exercise that seems to make the most difference in leveling the playing field for most — is the breathing exercise which is best exemplified by the pullover done lying on a bench with either a light dumbbell or barbell — with either bent or straight arms — for at least 50 repetitions. That was the transformative movement that turned many puny weaklings into bodybuilding champions — in this golden era in which those taking up exercise with this modality were invariably successful beyond their wildest hopes. That was fairly typical of the results one could expect as a weight trainee of that time — but not so much anymore, when the wrong things are given greater emphasis and importance.

It was the importance and practice of breathing — and not merely the increase and monitoring of the heart rate that produced the greatest difference in exercisers. In fact, the pullover is hardly ever taught anymore as even one of the necessary exercises — while many much less and even unproductive movements are promoted as the must-do exercises — the usual being the bench press, squat and deadlift. And if that were not bad enough, done with dangerously heavy weights.

Meanwhile, the most productive exercise ever performed, is shunned because one cannot lift as heavy weights — or should. But proper deep breathing alone would probably be transformative to most people — for a very good reason. First off, they need to breathe only through the nose, and let the movement of air in and out of their body happen because the volume of the chest capacity is maximized and minimized by the natural action of the pullover movement — with a very nominal weight that serves mainly as a focal point. There is no other exercise or movement that comes close to duplicating that dedication to that objective and effectiveness. It is essentially the “breathing exercise” — and as such, makes all subsequent exercises much more productive — done in that same manner — with that attention to the breathing as the essential muscle contraction powering all the others.

In fact, properly done, every other muscle contraction and effort, merely “rides” the breathing contraction — and that is the proper cadence for sustaining any prolonged effort. That is the “flow” one wants to get into, which becomes conditioned so that one need not give conscious attention to in doing most other things. It should be automatic — because of this essential conditioning. 

The opposite of this are the mouth-breathers who force air in and out of their bodies — and deliberately make a conscious effort of even breathing, which adds to their workload diverting attention from the effortless flow. And so they are desperately trying to catch their breath — even in walking, talking and sleeping.  

It is so basic and essential that it is so easy to overlook -- as the most important thing we have to do in life.  Many ancient wisdoms have made it the foundation of their healthy practices.  This is how we practice better breathing by just the attention to it -- and all subsequent efforts become more productive.

Recovery from Exercise

 Physiologists say there are 600-800 muscles in the human body -- so in order to work every muscle individually would be prohibitive -- and require one to exercise virtually every waking moment -- unless they can find a way to work many muscles at a time, which is an easy thing to do when one realizes that muscles are organized into pathways or meridians in which energy flows.  Some of the ancient adepts called it "chi" or "prana" indicating the vital life force.  Centuries later, it would be called "circulation," which for all practical purposes, are the same thing.

Life is funny in that way: the same thing can be called by different names as though they were different things -- rather than the same thing called and described in different ways -- as it more accurately is.  Such differences are rooted in language itself, and not whether it is a higher or lower understanding of that phenomenon.  But once we are clear on what we are talking about, we can evolve even higher levels of understanding of what we are talking about, otherwise, one opinion (explanation) is as good as any other.

In these discussions, it is possible to go in two different ways: the simpler, or the vastly more complex -- and endless discussion so that one never gets around to acting on it.  Or having the simplest understanding, and immediately acting on it, and being guided by that outcome as to what to do next.  In other words, one does not begin with a conclusion -- but is a discovery of the truth along the way.  Most of life prefers this way -- learning by trial and error, or doing -- rather than thinking one knows what they doing, and finding out at the end, that one had no idea what they were doing.  That is the difference between success and failure -- and of course, disappointment.

"Exercise" has always been the exercise of one's understanding, and not just the mindless repetition of what some higher authority says is good for you -- without rhyme nor reason.  The value of exercise has been to enhance and even optimize the circulatory effect -- to best do what a body needs to do.  For a few, that might be to lift the heaviest weight -- but for most, it is to sustain their effort for as long as it takes -- and not to fail prematurely or unexpectedly.  Under dire circumstances, maybe that is what they would have to do -- but not if they can avoid it, as a last, desperate resort.

Instead, they would prefer to have plenty in reserve at all times -- uncertain as we all are, of exactly where the "finish line" is, or the music stops.  That is true for all the aspects of our lives -- health, finances, jobs, relationships, or contests -- or if we choose to condition ourselves for such extremes, it is done sparingly and under controlled circumstances in which even the recovery is planned for.  It is not enough just to work oneself until utter exhaustion and even death -- thinking that whatever doesn't kill them makes them stronger.  They might not recover -- but go into a lifelong downward spiral to the end.

That is particularly a problem with prolonged modern lives.  Everyone would be perfectly happy to live a hundred years in perfectly good health -- but that is usually not the case.  Thus far, it may even be unprecedented.  So then, who will be the first?  Obviously, recovery and recovery ability plays a big role in that actualization.

As far as I've been able to determine, performing the exercise through the full range of motion from contraction to relaxation -- without a load (resistance) speeds the recovery from the inflammation brought about my overload training.  Such a performance is what used to be called "muscle control," by the pioneers of modern day bodybuilding -- like Eugen Sandow himself -- generally considered the "father of modern bodybuilding."  But he was notably unique in that he trained with heavy weights, light weights, and no weights at all, and attributed each for his outstanding development.  Each in his mind, was equally valid, and allowed everyone to self-select the course of instruction that suited them best.

It is only in recent times that most are convinced that lifting the most weight is the most productive -- and the exercises in which one can lift the most weight, have become the most popular -- even though they are largely unproductive for most.  They can simply lift the most weight in the deadlift, squat and bench press -- but whether they are the most productive exercises for bodybuilding and health, is another matter entirely.  And particularly worth pondering because they are likely to be the most injurious exercises to perform because of the heavy weights.  

That is in distinct contrast to achieving a superior muscular contraction and relaxation -- with no weight at all -- because there is no resistance to prevent it.  That would be similar to the peak muscle contractions achieved by competitive bodybuilders -- whose downside is that they never learn to master the muscular relaxation phase of it -- and thus are always hypertense.  Hypertension is a big problem in the population at large -- and doesn't need to be exacerbated by maintaining that state all the time.  That is in fact the major occupational hazard of being a competitive bodybuilder -- as opposed to the bodybuilders who do it purely to achieve their best health -- which includes the ability to relax as well.

But the critical factor in such movements is not the weight or resistance -- but the attainment of the fullest contraction and the fullest relaxation that produces the pumping effect that reduces the inflammation (swelling) by enhancing this flow -- that can be achieved and effected by just knowing in what position the articulation must be.  That is how easy, effective, productive exercise can be -- at all times, and under any conditions, and especially in recovering from more strenuous exercise that produces extreme muscle soreness that gets worse without this active recovery process.

Intensity and Resistance

 Usually when we speak of resistance, that is referring to a mass outside the body, which can be moved measurably — including the body mass itself. In fact, many people’s idea of exercise is to move the body itself — before adding further resistance. However, the really important part of movement, is the movement happening within the body itself — which is the circulation, or circulatory effect that enables one to perform a movement, and more importantly, sustain such effort to accomplish some task.

It’s rarely the case that one accomplishes anything with one burst of power — and then no further effort. Those incidents are largely involved in the destruction of something — rather than the making of it. Building something requires time and effort — while great things can be destroyed in a millisecond. But then all one has is a lot of broken pieces, while the objective of most work and effort, is to build something out of nothing — over time. That is the work of man — whether building a structure, or their own bodies, health, and well-being.

Such edifices can last a lifetime — while “one and done” is dependent on how much one started out with — to last very long. If one hasn’t first build up that reserve, then there is no well to go to — and one is constantly in search of a new source, and exhausting oneself each day in that way. Thus the practicality of building up one’s reserves — so that they are readily available at the right opportunities — or the need for survival. But rather than exist only in perpetual survival mode, one wishes to have a little extra, and if possible, a lot extra — to better take advantage of the opportunities presented to them. That begins with one’s health and fitness — or readiness to respond to the challenges of their own existence — as the basic equipment they always have with them.

Naturally, it would make a lot of sense if that did not require a lot of equipment, nutrients and other resources to carry around with them — to access those inner reserves — by the body’s own design. That is the function of the circulatory system and effect. It gets those resources to where they need to be — to be most useful and productive. In primitive times and conditions, the daily movements required for survival ensured people stayed in the best health for what they had to do. But in contemporary life and times, there is little one actually needs to do to ensure that survival, and so a lot of people become unfit — simply because they can.

In earlier and less prosperous times, societies could not support such unproductive individuals, and so it just didn’t happen — not if any individual could help it. But with the growth of societies and civilizations, it became possible to support most people in abundance, and prosperity if they managed that abundance well, and wisely. Life became a little more complex — because it afforded most with that luxury. However, such wealth can be frittered away if not valued and managed properly for optimal results.

One might simply waste as much time, energy and resources as the thing to do — thinking that is all to do in life. And so their exercises and activities will reflect that wasting of capacity rather than the building of those reserves toward a greater life. Predictably, their measure is only how many calories they “burn” — as though that is all — and not the possibility that it is to build the body for greater capacities than it started out with. Most are aware of such possibilities, but think that it is only possible with great sacrifice of time, energy and resources — rather than how the body would prefer to be — and was designed for.

All animals are similarly designed in that way — unless their movements and activities are distorted and constrained. In humans, certain movements naturally produce muscle contractions — which are the triggers for blood flow to increase in that way. That is the effect of use, or exercise — specifically to produce a maximal contraction that expels fluids out, and upon relaxation, reload because of the space (vacuum) created by that expansion. — allowing the heart to easily fill those areas with its reliable pumping. All the muscles of the body work in this simple way: There is a position in which it must be fully contracted, and another position in which it must be fully relaxed, and those are the important positions — and NOT the resistance in going from one position to the other.

The body doesn’t care about the resistance in going from one extreme to the other. In that way, it is similar to the operation of a computer. The computer only recognizes if a switch is open or closed — and how it gets from one extreme to the other is irrelevant. But that is what most people concern themselves with — the resistance in getting to the extremes, and so never get there. Getting to those extremes, is what is required in increasing the range of motion (movement). Instead, the tendency is to shorten the range of movement — while adding more resistance — whether that is bodyweight, free weights, machines, angle, difficulty, etc.

The problem is that one selects a resistance that is determined by the most weight one can handle in the pre-contracted position — rather than the proper weight determined by the pre-stretched position — and thus never gets into the super-contracted or super-relaxed positions indicative of the greatest range of that possibility. That can be achieved not by resistance — but in knowing what the extreme ranges of that muscle expression are. That was what I observed when I studied the Nautilus machines that featured “variable resistance throughout the full range of movement.” The range of movement itself, was the greatest resistance — moving in either direction.

This is particularly helpful to note in people with limited range of movement — which is virtually everybody — but obscured with the preoccupation of “resistance” used — while the range of the movement varies greatly from one person to another — so as to be virtually meaningless. That is true of all the exercises usually performed and seen in a gym — further exacerbated by overly long rest intervals, so as to render most workouts predictably unproductive. Some are more obvious than others — such as talking or scrolling on their smart phones for 90% of their gym time. Very rarely does one witness a person actually working out the entirety of their gym session — but if one does, that is usually the best conditioned person in the gym.

But it is not enough just to do a limited range movement like the treadmill or stationary bike — in which there is no articulation of the neck, wrists and ankles — indicative of people only working their heart harder and faster, with the resulting atrophied and emaciated look of “cardio” exercisers throughout the rest of their musculature. Sensibly, they should be doing light resistance weight training without rest as all the cardio they need — while achieving total muscular failure/exhaustion in an hour. I’ve never seen that program fail to produce impressive outcomes with each and every workout — no matter what the level of previous training and experience.

That quality of workout can be done only once a week — while simulating those movements without weights the rest of the week — to obviate the muscle soreness that might linger the rest of the week. What is generally called a “high-intensity” workout uses heavy weights for a small number of repetitions — that produces cardiovascular failure rather than true muscle failure, because the weight restricts the breathing by compressing the chest — while the heart rate exceeds the safe levels under that duress. So everything about that manner of performance and exercise is telling the trainee to stop or they will suffer extreme adverse effects — and not that whatever doesn’t kill them, will make them invulnerable. Life doesn’t work that way.

Rethinking Exercise

 The major difference between high-intensity training (HIT) and low-intensity training (LIT) is that HIT cannot be sustained for very long, which requires a rest (Interval) making it HIIT. Low-intensity exercise does not require one to have to take a rest break at frequent intervals — but is exercise that can be sustained and prolonged indefinitely — like a cross-country bike ride. That person would not require a rest break every ten minutes — or they’d never get anywhere. But the high-intensity effort can usually not be sustained for very long because it usually means holding one’s breath for a maximal effort — which makes it anaerobic — or done without breathing.

The internal pressures involved with such maximal efforts are what causes a lot of damage and premature deaths among such highly-motivated athletes — like the proverbial “John Henry” who thought he could outrace a steam engine. Many of the “World’s Strongest Men,” also succumb to such stresses and retire quite young from such competitions, as well as many bodybuilders — including the Arnolds and the Ronnies. It is not that the spirit is not willing, but the body accumulates all these past traumas — and rather than becoming infinitely stronger, it inevitably takes a toll. That is not likely to be the case with low-intensity training — in which one can go on indefinitely — and so the body is telling you something in that.

However, just because one can sustain an activity indefinitely, is no guarantee that it will be productive enough to produce muscle growth and enhanced functioning. So one is aiming for that sweet spot at which one can sustain muscle growth and improved functioning for the rest of their lives — rather than the brief moment of glory followed by a lifetime in decline — which is the case in many former champions.

It may be that they suffer a few injuries along the way that makes no longer all-out efforts possible, and they’d be happy just to rehabilitate those injuries so they could resume a life without pain and disabilities — and that is the far superior role of lower-intensity but also productive exercise — which almost every highly-competitive athlete comes around to — but unfortunately, know no other way to train and exercise but the all-out to the next injury style.

At this point, many just give up and abandon exercise completely — or come back for high-intensity training that forces a prolonged rest, burnout and/or injury — before becoming completely discouraged. Their conditioning has been that they either have to force themselves beyond their limits each and every workout, or it is a waste of time to do anything less. But the less can be more — if it can be sustained over an entire lifetime, and I thing that is the paradigm people want — but are usually not offered that possibility.

It does require rethinking productive movements — beginning with the notion of the measurement of exercise at the heart — which defines high and low intensity. High intensity exercise is measured by achieving maximal heart rate — which is a danger zone and why that theoretical maximum was formulated — to protect those with heart problems from approaching those thresholds. Thus the concepts or “aerobic” and “cardio” also derive from that focus on heart function alone as the measure of effectiveness. But in the hands of the highly competitive, what was originally designed as maximums that should not be broached, was interpreted by the jocks as minimums that must be exceeded each and every time to be productive.

That is not true. The central focus in exercise is not how hard the heart works, but how effectively the muscle one wishes to develop is working — to increase the blood flow through that area — which is the circulatory effect — that more sensibly, has to be measured at the extremities rather than at the heart — because that is the objective — to pump the blood to the farthest reaches of the body, and not just to the heart itself. The heart always gets all the blood — by design. But the muscles don’t — unless they are activated in the same manner as the heart — in alternately contracting fully and relaxing fully, which makes its an auxillary pump.

That muscle mass is about 30% of the body weight — as opposed to the one pound heart — which people think is erroneously pushing the blood singlehandedly throughout the body as well as lifting hundreds of pounds externally. What the body does, is use favorable leverage to perform such tasks — rather than the naive notion that one simply has to make the heart alone work harder and faster — until it fails completely, and that is not a desirable outcome. Instead, one wants to produce as much results as possible, at a slow and steady pace — which usually makes the difference over time.

Meanwhile, the high-intensity guys are usually resting — which is a hell of a way to get anything done — but that’s what they think they are doing. But as people get older and wiser, they recognize that if they can still move through a great range, they are way ahead of the game, and that more than increasing resistance over a decreasing range, is the quality of life and movement they want.

High and low intensity is inherently the wrong way to think about it — because the focus is on working the heart harder and faster — rather than whether the muscles of the body are working as the heart does — making the entire musculature dedicated to the circulatory effect — which produces the optimal health and all its benefits.

Exercising the Brain

 The brain/head responds to physical exercise in the same way that all the other regions of the body do — and even more so because it is the highest priority of the body because it regulates all the other functions of the body. As such, any thinking person would ensure that all the physical exercise strategies would be directed there — above everything else.

One will note that people with lack of brain function also lack head movement — and it is movement that largely determines blood flow — particularly full range head movement that articulates the fullest contraction with the fullest relaxation of that muscle producing that movement. That is why exercise works to increase muscle functioning and development. By creating that alternation of muscular states — just as the heart works unfailingly — it works as a pump, which produces a flow — by alternating the volume of that muscle, which in turn, increases and decreases the pressure — which is the basic principle of fluid dynamics.

All the oxygen and other nutrients don’t matter if they never flow to the places desired for that health and functioning. And while the heart always does its job, that is its job, and should not be expected to do everything else — like powering a 500 lb deadlift, squat or bench press. For that to happen, one would recruit the greater mass of muscles in the body, often comprising one-third of the bodyweight. The heart is only a one pound muscular organ — and to make it work harder and faster is not what produces better outcomes — but engaging the much greater muscular mass — which in many contemporary people these days, does nothing or very little — and thus the atrophying of those organs for lack of that enhanced circulation caused by those regular (rhythmic) muscular contractions.

Thus one notices that the particular vulnerabilities of the body are at its extremities — which are the feet, hands and head — in which the lack of optimal circulation produces the accumulations we note as inflammation (edema, lymphedema, lipedema, arthritis, neuropathy, etc.) The obvious and simple remedy is simply to effect those rhythmic contractions in some kind of conventional and familiar exercise — but even more effectively, just intentionally effect those alternating muscular states expressly for the purpose of the circulatory effect. That would be a 21st century understanding of the effectiveness of exercise — rather than the muddled understanding most have of it, no matter how fancy the jargon and explanations get — or how costly the wonder supplements are.

It is as simple as understanding the basics of flow — just as in the basics of understanding the functioning of life. Without the proper circulation, there is no health and optimal development, and at its most rudimentary level, there is no life at all, or decreasing functionality. The full range movement of the head, from left to right, and up and down, is the first indication of how well the brain is actually functioning — because of that effectiveness of movement and circulation. Yet that obviousness is almost never tested — and so the lack of proper functioning of the brain and head is not detected until too late. It is also the same with feet and hands that need to be amputated — because that functioning is already cut off as dead tissues threatening remaining tissue.

We know the compromised hand as weakened grip strength, and the weakened foot as the swollen feet, but think there is nothing amiss when the neck muscles obviously atrophy — and beyond that lies the brain. How much effective circulation must it be getting — if the development is caused by the enhanced, optimal flow? And the thing to understand about effective blood flow, is that it is caused by the contraction back towards the heart — rather than the heart forcing blood into already filled volumes — as is the present misunderstanding and why exercise does not work for many people. The understanding (paradigm) is entirely wrong about the heart being the prime mover in human action.

The heart’s role by being reliable, is to provide a constant ambient pressure — just as externally, the atmospheric pressure is a constant, ambient pressure — so that once the breathing compression (contraction) is relaxed, air merely flows into a lower pressure volume. That is also key to understanding the flow (circulation) throughout the body — and why some areas of the body develop and function well — while others languish for that lack of optimal conditions. One sees that immediately when the eyes light up — in response to that difference. Obviously, there is something going on in the brain and head that wasn’t happening in lieu of such movements. That is the brain operating on oxygen — and the other nutrients brought by effective, enhanced, optimal blood flow — which affects all the functioning of the body.

That is the critical path and role of the brain in every body — that is usually taken for granted as being “optimal.” And instead, the focus is misplaced to the functioning and measurement of the heart — with the presumption that it too is operating “optimally.” But wishing it were so, doesn’t make it so. The poor condition of the neck is not the inevitable fate of growing old, but of the atrophying of the neck circulation that affects the circulation to that area and organs. To some extent, it is automatic — but it can be made much more effective and optimal — especially when there is a deficiency or decline in functioning. That is the role and function of proper use and exercise — enhanced by the better understanding of this process. It works on every body part of the body — because that is how life evolved, and continues to improve.