Real World Strength

What is real world strength you ask?  Real world strength is having the ability to take on any task physical or mental at any time.  At a moment’s instance we need to be able to sprint, jump, crawl, climb, lift, carry, fight, etc.  In the real world there is no set amount of sets or reps with adequate rest in between.  You have to carry out a given task until completed and that could be a few minutes or the whole day.  We have no time warm up in the face of an accident or unseen danger.  You have to be agile and mobile to be able to react and move quickly or suffer the consequences.  At the same time if we have poor agility and mobility then when it comes to moving quickly you will more than likely injure something. 

Real world strength could be something as simple to carrying groceries up a flight of stairs to helping someone from drowning in a freezing lake.  Real world strength is unique to each individual and their daily habits and profession.  Think about your profession and the task it involves and what you need to get through a successful day.  I say successful because you should be striving to get better every day and not just going through the motions.  Now think about those tasks are they more physical or mental.  For most people it is mental as they are constantly sitting all day and having to use their brain a lot.  For others their jobs are more physical as they are more labor intensive. 

Here is something most people don’t know and that is getting stronger physically will also make you stronger mentally.  So by getting stronger the office worker will be to be more productive and have more energy and not be drained at the end of the day.  The laborer will also be more productive and will notice that they do not need as much rest as they once did.  You see when you strength train properly you push yourself into the state of being uncomfortable and a strong urge to quit suddenly appears in your thoughts.  It is that moment when the mental training begins and you can either give up or you can take on this new discomfort and fight through.  This is how we become stronger mentally from strength training by pushing ourselves to do something we once thought in our minds was impossible.  The most successful people in the world are mentally strong as they are able to take on any challenge and risk knowing full well there is going to be a long treacherous road ahead of them.  Some physical benefits the office worker will gain from strength training is going to be improved posture, no more back pain, and they will sleep better at night.  The physical benefits for the laborer is that his joints will feel better, more stamina throughout the day, and no more aches and pains.

This is what real world strength is all about and that it is being able to function and move pain free and while having tons of energy to enjoy and live life.  After isn’t that what it’s all about it?  Having the strength to lift some object off another person or being able to carry your kid for 3 miles if need be is real world strength.  Taking a 5 hour test or being able to concentrate on work in a room full of distractions is real world strength.  So when you train, train to become stronger both physically and mentally.  Make sure incorporate sprinting, crawling, climbing, jumping, carrying odd objects, and mobility into training sessions.  Also make sure you work the basic movements of pushing, pulling, hinging, and squatting.  One thing you should incorporate into training as well is learning how to defend yourself, this is just one thing everyone should know how to do.  You should be able squat, sprint, climb, do push ups, carry an object, and crawl with ease. Remember in life there is no prep time or ideal situations just the fact that you will need to have the strength to be able to react and move quickly.