Principles or Methods?

Image courtesy of redorbit.com

"As to methods, there may be a million and then some, but principles are few.  The man who grasps principles can successfully select his own methods.  The man who tries methods, ignoring principles, is sure to have trouble."

--Ralph Waldo Emerson

I love this quote, for a multitude of reasons, but first and foremost is its absolute truth.  You see, not so long ago I had a head full of exercises with specific names for specific body parts that had specific rules which had to be followed in order for each rep of the exercise to be valid.  You could say that I had my entire Exercise Index and then some on file in my head, with exercise variations just a flick of the proverbial Rolodex away.  Better yet, I was, as my RTS123 instructor, Greg Mack, said, a "Pez dispenser" of exercises, spitting out new flavors of exercise whenever the situation called for it.

There was a problem, though.  If I didn't have a flavor of pez that was palatable to a client, I was out of luck.  And even as I tried to expand my flavors, I would often times find myself dispensing the same handful of pez session after session.  I was a man of methods, and while I didn't realize it at the time, those methods were my downfall.

Methods:  How my brain used to work.  Image courtesy of innovativelyorganized.com

Then I started to learn principles.  The more familiar I became with the principles the easier it was for me to prescribe exercises that were appropriate for a specific individual at a specific point in time based on their neuromuscular and structural capabilities at that moment.  I started seeing the different potential lines of force I could create as well as the opportunities to manipulate moment arms to different joints.  Essentially, I went from having my ability to apply a force and conduct a training session dependent on how extensive my mental exercise index was to my ability to assess the current situation and individual and manipulate the physics of each in order to create the exact scenario I wanted.  Instead of having to memorize hundreds of methods to fit a range of possible scenarios I could encounter, I began learning very basic principles that would allow me to design and choose my methods accordingly.

Principles: How my brain is now working. (c)RTS123, Greg Mack, Weekend 2, Day 2

Since I began learning and applying these principles to my clients' training there has been nothing but positive feedback.  Clients are recovering better from their training and seeing greater improvement, as well.  And because I am no longer trying to fit all shapes of pegs into only square holes, people are actually feeling legitimately good after their training instead of beat up and drained.  Additionally, I am able to train specific tissues without stressing out and further degrading problem areas, such as injured backs, shoulders, and soft tissue.  It is not longer a matter of, "Let's see if this exercise (a.k.a. a complete guess) feels any better for you," but rather has become a scenario in which I can see potential correct answers and it is just a matter of me choosing which one is appropriate for them at this moment.

Since I am no longer subjected to the constraint of certain methodologies, I am able to apply whatever tool or movement is appropriate for the individual based on their abilities and goals without reservation or bias.  Do I still have exercises that I personally enjoy performing more than others?  Absolutely, but that is no longer an influence in what I feel others should do.

Almost all of us start any endeavor or practice from a methods-based approach as this is usually the easiest to learn in addition to being the most readily available information.  As discussed in RTS classes, most of us are short-order cooks before we are chefs, which is fine if all you want to do is cook foods that are on the short-order menu.  But if you have any desire to consistently create amazing dishes of all different types, you have to learn the principles of cooking and preparing food.

Many of us have things in our lives in which we desire to achieve a certain level of mastery, proficiency, excellence, or greatness.  While the methods will provide an introduction into the area, to reach where you are wanting to go you will have to learn the principles.  That will be the only way to truly start creating for yourself instead of living off the ideas that others, who (allegedly) understand the principles, have created.

Your Body.  Your Training.

Charlie Cates, MATs, CSCS
Self Made_®, Owner and Founder

Charlie Cates is a Muscle Activation Techniques_® specialist and a strength and conditioning specialist.  He is the owner and founder of Self Made_® (http://selfmadefitness.com/) in Chicago, IL.  He has worked with competitive athletes and everyday people of all ages and ability levels, from 9-year-old kids to NFL MVP’s to 85-year-old retirees.  He can be reached via e-mail at charlie@selfmadefitness.com.

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