The "new" 10 Commandments of exercise.

I didn't think these up, rather, I found them. But wisdom is where you find it and if you are smart enough to pick it up when you find it. I actually have 5 more commandments to find in order to have 10... but, I think it is worth etching the ones I do have in virtual stone.

1. Train like you "play" don't "play" to train.

We are fond of saying that our sport specific movements are so unique that nothing else but the sport prepares us for the sport. Truth is it is possible to find someway to slow things down, to simulate whole or partial movements, and so on -- after all it is still a human body that is playing the sport or living the life, not some sport specific body that has an additional joint that the rest of us don't have.

2. Train movements not muscles.

This is an attempt to break with the body building style of training. Training muscles in isolation does not train like we "play" hence it violates the first commandment. Think for a moment about seated leg extensions -- these are great preperation for a seated ass kicking contest... otherwise they are a waste of time.

3. Never go to the gym alone.

With all those miles of mirrors and shiny chrome you never can tell what is going to happen. Seriously, going to the gym by yourself is a total buzz kill except for the most hardcore. The hint of competition and the helping of cooperation turns exercise into the sport of fitness, rather, than the task of slogging.

4. Stretching is not a warm up.

There is evidence that static stretching done before sport or exercise actually impares the muscles isometric and dynamic strength. So, stretching that looks like, yoga, or dynamic flexibility movements, for examples is important, and might be part of a warm up. However, the old stretch and hold, as we've seen ranks and rows of athletes perform is actually setting them up for injury. There may well be a place for static stretching but it is not as a warm up.

5. Balance is everything.

Sure, I mean balance like standing on one foot and rubbing your tummy and patting your head. But, I also mean muscular and skeletal balance, bilateral symmetry as it were. The vast majority of us are hand dominant and that is an efficiency we need, however, it also sets us up for weakness and injury. Since we are self conscious it is also something we can work to minimize. I also mean balance around a joint. For example when you destroy a knee the Orthopedic surgeon and the PT tell you to strengthen your quadriceps. And you should, but, you should also stabilize the joint with hamstring and calf strength -- after all over strong quadriceps may have caused/antagonized the injury in the first place.