One of the most common questions I get is along the lines of: “What’s the best exercise for …”
I want to talk about how this is not a good approach for overall progress, and offer a better outlook.
I think the blame partly lies with the internet age, where nearly every video has some kind of catchy click-bait title.
5 best ways to improve your x, Top 3 exercises for massive x, are you making these top 3 mistakes…
I understand the reasoning behind it and how it is meant to draw people in.
However, “the best” doesn’t exist. Not in a universal way.
It depends on way too many factors. The best exercise for what? For Who? To achieve what end?
The best exercise for a high school athlete might not be the best exercise for a 50 year old office worker.
The best exercise for me might not be the best exercise for you. In fact, if both of us did exactly the same training it’s very likely our results would be different.
Don’t forget about time: the best exercise for me today might not be the best for me in 6 months.
So there is no best. There are things that work well for a specific individual with a specific need at a certain point in their journey.
Instead of looking for the best, find what works.
Instead of looking for the top 3, find one thing where you can give an honest attempt. If it works, great! Keep doing it until it stops working.
If it doesn’t work, modify it or try something else.
If you’re a beginner, literally try anything. As long as you can do it safely, you are likely to get some results from it.
As you get more experience, you will build a deeper understanding of what you need.
Another thing I recommend is to understand the concept rather than looking for an exercise. When you understand the concept behind what you’re trying to achieve, it’s very easy to come up with exercises and modifications for different scenarios.
Finally, don’t forget about your ratio of creation and consumption. Make sure you’re spending more time training and exploring than you are scrolling through videos.
Don’t get me wrong, I love how easy it is to access information these days. Just remember that information alone is not enough to actually make progress. Action and experience trumps pure knowledge.
Anyway, just a couple thoughts on the matter.
This actually reminds me of one of my favorite quotes from one of my favorite books:
“In all of my universe I have seen no law of nature, unchanging and inexorable. This universe presents only changing relationships which are sometimes seen as laws by short-lived awareness. These fleshy sensoria which we call self are ephemera withering in the blaze of infinity, fleetingly aware of temporary conditions which confine our activities and change as our activities change. If you must label the absolute, use its proper name: Temporary.”
-Frank Herbert, God Emperor of Dune
Stop chasing the best and do what works. Modify as needed. If/when something doesn’t work, do something different.