Do you need premium fitness or health

It’s human nature to want to live a premium life and experience a premium level of service, even when it comes to fitness.

Flying Business Class, driving German-made cars, wearing Swiss watches and nowadays, even “premium” supplements and training are part of this picture.

I have been guilty of seeing the latest fancy, high-end fitness products and being sucked into their marketing, thinking that if I buy this supplement, program or [insert product here], I’ll be better-off, achieve better results or be happier.

Much like fitness, there is no end point… There is always a heavier weight or a new pair of Nikes that you can buy.

Pinning your happiness on how you will feel when you make that next purchase or hitting another PB (personal best), won’t satisfy you for long.

Achieving a squat PB might seem more wholesome and less materialistic but trust me it’s never enough.

Once you squat 1.5 times body weight, you start noticing all the people squatting 2 times body weight…

With that being said, that’s what I have learned to love about training and fitness. Each year, I find a new skill or target to set my sights on. This keeps my training fresh and fulfils the human need to grow.

At the moment I’m following the Easy Strength 40-day program by Dan John. Inspired by my interview with him (see here for full interview).

The part of the fitness and health industry that is misleading, is that you can simply buy better health and faster results through premium purchases… And ONLY with THEIR premium services or products.

Thinking you are closer to achieving that flat stomach because you have dropped thousands of dollars on your highly qualified personal trainer, premium supplements and head-to-toe Nike apparel…?

You’re kidding yourself! “All the gear and no idea!”

Yes, you can buy better quality foods, acquire the latest scientific methods and swaddle yourself in lifting belts, knee wraps and body fat assessment tools… But you can’t buy grit and action! See similar article here on “Simple training and nutrition is all you need

At the end of the day, you have to DO the f*#king work!

Eighteen years ago, I joined a primitive local suburban gym in Australia, which was the beginning of my weight training journey.

Wet behind the ears, but full of excitement I hit the weights with gusto. The membership was cheap, the weights were rusted and the carpet had more mould than a funky blue cheese.

I didn’t care and neither did it’s committed members, as long as there was enough heavy iron to go around. No digital displays or intricate pin loaded machines. The simplicity of it all was its greatest strength.

The culture in that gym was second to none. Its members would help one another, offering a spot and strike up a helpful conversation.

Being young and new, there were more experienced lifters that would offer their advice for free and even let me workout with them.

I was like sponge, soaking up all the information and experience I could from that place. And it only cost me a little over $9 AUD a week. At the stage I couldn’t afford much more than that.

Back then, I would knock back cheap protein powders that mixed up like a Clag paste and tasted like chalk.  Not sure it had much benefit other than indigestion and severe flatulence… No high-grade probiotics or digestive enzymes needed…

That specific gym wasn’t premium and most of its members didn’t have a personal trainer, nor were they spending much money at all on their training or supplements, yet they weren’t short of results!

There were some super strong and fit physiques floating around in that gym. An impressive place for an 18-year-old like me to be inspired.

My point is, 18 years ago, people weren’t reliant on these latest scientific trends or premium supplements but were able to get strong, lose weight and do all the things that we think is only possible with the latest premium product or service.

And even well before my time, there were people doing much the same.

Being constrained by finances, time and any sort of resources can actually be a positive.

Rather letting whatever it is [insert excuse here] impede you, it forces you to become resourceful, adapt, learn and grow.

Don’t get me wrong, there have been huge advances in both sport and nutrition sciences, that have helped people make improvements and better applications.

But if you have been waiting to start your diet or program since 1997 because you think science will find a pill or machine that will do it for you, then it’s best to change your approach.

Sure, there can be calculated shortcuts, but if someone is spoon feeding you, it’s never going to work in the long run.

A good coach won’t want to hang around if you’re simply using them as a rep counter. It’s mind numbing and not teaching you the fundamentals of how to self-serve.

How interesting would it be for a school teacher to keep teaching the same group of uninspired kids, the same curriculum year after year? They have grades and levels, which ultimately teach the student to go out into the world and perform.

I’m not saying there has to be an endpoint at which you finish with a coach, because if that coach is “good”, they should be improving themselves and thus always have something to impart upon you. Even if it is a mindset and motivational human connection.

There can also be a level of motivation that you can receive from a coach to inspire and arouse a higher level of performance. The act of committing to someone else and having them in your corner is also something that is critical to obtain for some people.

But blindly showing up paying a high hourly rate to your trainer won’t elicit any sustained long-term results without “buy-in” or commitment from your side.

In summary, don’t think you can simply buy a result with a coach, supplement or program even if it’s expensive and premium. The quicker the result in weight loss or any type of measure, the quicker it can come undone and go back to where you were, plus more.

Be sceptical when being sold “high-end” or “premium” health and fitness products or supplements. Invest in coaches and services that will empower your own development and push fundamentals, not quick fixes.

Play the long game, pin down the basics and stay strong,

Coach Adam

See latest podcast interview below with Hayden Wilson

 

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