What to do besides lifting?

[Tommy1507]

As most others here in this forum i am doing strength training and cardio as recommended. But i just feel that some movement qualities are missing there. I just started boxing bc is i think its fun but also bc i think it looks great and you work on some movement qualities that i wish to aquire. Moving more easy and loose and with more fluidity. Feeling less restricted and stiff. I think i also made some progress there.
There are of course people who do strength training and are also very athletic and can move smooth. I think i am not that person. I think i am somone who tended to do everything with too much muscle tension even before i got "serious" about lifting. Maybe lifting just reinforces that. Getting as thight and rigid as possible in the whole body and than lift a weight in one plane. Even though i can do good front squat, i find it more challening to play with my daughter on the ground. I cut down form 4 times per week to a full body 2-3 times per week with a hinge or squat and a push and pull where i am finished in 40-50 minutes and still can make some gains or at least easily hold my strength, which i am fine with.
The general premise for athletes seems to be that lifting should not mimic the sport your doing and that you ust get stronger in the weightroom and get better at your sport or other qualitites doing other activities. But of course you can go down the rabbit hole of functional coaches, sport coaches and different theorieswho all have theier special branded porgramm and demonize traditional lifting.

Static stretching is too boring for me and i don't feel like getting much out of it. Yoga and qi gong also. I do some "active mobility" and i want to incoporate one day of jumps and sprints. Maybe just give boxing some time and do i 2-3 times per week will solve my problem. Or starting BJJ where it all seems about moving and rolling with ease and fluidity would be a good option. Probably anything where you can't muscle through and need to work moren with momentum and swinging

I started doing some of the original stength from tim anderson which dan john recommends. It's things like rolling, crawling, rocking, reaching. It just feels good. I don't buy into any theory behind it and i don't mind. Maybe its just that it is some movement variety.




What do you do besides lifting that makes you feel good? Or is that enough?

After reading my text again it think how stupid my question is. One cannot expect to move smoothly just by lifting some weigths and go for a run 3 times per week.

[psmith]

(srs) can't relate but have you considered dancing?

[mgil]

(srs) can't relate but have you considered dancing?

Most martial arts are just "manly dancing". Typically similar gains in skill between the two.

[Tommy1507]

(srs) can't relate but have you considered dancing?

Yes at some point, but didn't pulled the trigger

[TurtleBear]

(srs) can't relate but have you considered dancing?

Most martial arts are just "manly dancing". Typically similar gains in skill between the two.

Can confirm.


To the OP,
Martial arts in general is a great "yin" to the "yang" of lifting. Boxing,jujitsu, etc will teach you to kinda "flow" with your movements and a good coach will push the emphasis of keeping a relaxed mind and body. When you've worked this for a while, even hard sparring can be a very meditative/zen like experience.

Lifting feeds the other side, and also helps prevent/recover from injuries you will get from fighting humans regularly good luck on your journey man.

[James]

Yard work. Helps to have 1.5 acres and a lot of fast growing vegetation. I could probably spend a half hour every day outside with a machete and a pair of loppers and never finish clearing it.

[CheekiBreekiFitness]

Nothing besides lifting and conditioning. I don't think I've encountered a task that I had to do in my daily life that I was unable to do, so I'm assuming that my body "moves smoothly".

[DanCR]

Nothing besides lifting and conditioning. I don't think I've encountered a task that I had to do in my daily life that I was unable to do, so I'm assuming that my body "moves smoothly".

Yup. Doing a variety of lifts in a full range of motion... has ensured that I retain those ranges of motion. I do enjoy yoga and am sure that focusing on it would unlock further flexibility, but as yet I've not been challenged by any daily task.

[Skid]

Yard work. Helps to have 1.5 acres and a lot of fast growing vegetation. I could probably spend a half hour every day outside with a machete and a pair of loppers and never finish clearing it.

Yup, 10 acres here. The work is never finished. Weird thing (or maybe not so weird) is my injuries come from yard work not lifting.

I've got a heavy bag too. Should probably start using that as I'm getting fat now that the colder weather and shorter days are here.

[hector]

You should try the KneesOverToes stuff. Will make playing on the floor with your daughter much easier. Will also make you more resilient to injuries.

You don’t have to pay for his programming or coaching. If you listen to some podcasts and watch some videos you can put a good deal of it together yourself.

[Tommy1507]

Thanks for the answers. I think i will try some new things and keep my strength training just at maintenance level.

[platypus]

A friend of mine, inspired by a youtube video, decided to just copy whatever his kids did for a workout. Slav squat and play with blocks, run around in circles, jump off the porch, whatever his kids did. At first he could only manage a few minutes at a time, but after a few weeks he could run around barefoot through the woods without getting out of breath or dying. His kids had a blast, too.

(srs) can't relate but have you considered dancing?

I've never thought of it as a "fitness" thing, but I swing dance. It's a lot of fun, especially if you lift since you can do aerial moves much more easily and safely.