Last week and this week I’m breaking down the 10 Principles of Health as we have defined them at RxFIT.

1. Health is synonymous with fitness.
2. Optimal health is achieved by athletes who prioritize sleep, nutrition, exercise, mindset, and connection with others.
3. Go to bed early.
4. Strive for more plants, not supplements.
5. Eat less to lose weight. Eat more to gain weight.
6. Train to improve performance, not aesthetics.
7. Constantly vary workouts with functional movements and high intensity.
8. Dedicate time to think, read, and write without distractions.
9. Loving relationships improve longevity.
10. Doctors are experts in medicine. Coaches are experts in health.

#7 Explained

There are three important components that should be biased in your workouts:

1. Constant variance
2. Functional movements.
3. High Intensity.

Constant Variance: Your body grows when it is exposed to unique stressors. Therefore, the best thing you can do for your workouts is to not fall into a routine.

We are in pursuit of a broad, general, and inclusive fitness. The traditional ways of reserving Monday for “leg day” and Tuesday for “chest and back” day produces inferior results. Vary your workouts consistently, for routine is the enemy.

Functional Movements: Use those movements that require multiple-joints. For example:

1. Back squats > leg presses.
2. Pull-ups > dumbbell curls.
3. Rowing > seated bent-over rows.

Again, the fitness we are in pursuit of requires that we use our entire body. We are not interested in the size of our muscles, but instead, the utility of them.

High Intensity: Aerobic exercise builds cardiovascular endurance. Anaerobic exercise builds stamina, strength, power, speed, and even, endurance.

If anaerobic exercise yields the same benefits as aerobic exercise, why wouldn’t you bias it? There is certainly value in aerobic exercise, but bias the shorter  time domains. Go hard and fast 2-3 times in a row, and then recover the following day with a long and slow workout.

Takeaway

You are in pursuit of a broad, general, and inclusive fitness. Therefore, bias your workouts with constant variance, functional movements, and high-intensity.

If you need help with this, I have over 100 of these workouts that you can perform at home. I’ll send them to you if you just ask.

Tyler