Versus Series #2: Optimal Vs. Striving Toward Optimal
To be honest, I am not even sure this is a true “Versus”. Will your training ever be optimal? Likely not. Why? Because life gets in the way. But can you and should you be striving toward optimal? Yes.
If you are working two jobs as a single mom, will you be able to hit the gym 4 times per week and take walks every evening? Again, likely not. But you can be striving toward that. Also, in the mean time, you can accept the reality of your current circumstances and define what is optimal for your current situation.
What about if you ARE hitting the gym 4 times per week and taking daily walks? Then one might ask if your nutrition is in order. Or your sleep. Are you getting enough protein and fiber? Are you sleeping 7 to 8 hours per night?
If someone is new to training, their diet will likely be far from optimal. However, the “optimal” diet for them may involve such drastic changes that they fall flat on their faces trying to implement it. Habits are best formed in small increments. Attempting a complete overhaul for most people will result in failure.
When a trainee first starts training their squat form may be an abomination to good squatters around the world. But much like trying to overhaul a diet, trying to get the new squatter to think about 14 things at once will likely not work. Initial focus for me is simply to get knees and hips to work together in such a way to avoid knee and back pain. Even that can be a struggle, so why would I worry if their neck is slightly hyperextended when their knees are buckling in and their back is rounded over like Quasimodo? Granted, a hyperextended neck is not optimal, but it can be part of a continuum of squatting as we progress toward optimal.
What if you feel your diet, training and sleep are all perfect? First, there are likely not many people who would say that at all and even fewer who could say it honestly. But if your diet, training and sleep ARE all in order, then you’d want to ask about your family life and mental life. Are you spending quality time with family? Are you finding time to read books and enrich yourself? Or has your training derailed relationships in your life? If it has, then I need to tell you that your training is NOT optimal.
To Recap:
Optimal – two definitions, both useful.
The state of training, diet, sleep, family life and mental health that you are aiming towards
The best possible training, diet, sleep, family life and mental health given your present circumstance
Striving Towards Optimal
You are currently not at your best even considering your circumstances (#2 above), but you have a plan to achieve your best. Very few of us will meet #1 above and I do not suggest we lose our minds doing so. If you do lose your mind attempting to reach optimal #1, then you failed because you forgot that mental health is an important part of overall fitness.
