Fundamentals

Did you play sports growing up? Even if you only made it to tee ball, you probably remember your coach harping on fundamentals. In little league, I had a coach who would cheer from the dugout, FUN-DA-MEN-TALS, while my teammates and I were up to bat. Playing hockey, fundamentals were brought up in each and every practice from mites all the way through college.

This post was inspired by a podcast I heard, a guitar player was explaining that it’s all fundamentals. You need to practice the fundamentals for a period of time everyday in order to get good. He went on to explain if you want to play like Hendrix or Santana, that you need to first master the fundamentals so well that you know how to break the rules.

Working out is the same thing. We all need to develop, and continue to work on, the fundamentals. Squatting well, nailing a push up, stabilizing our spine, opening up our hips. These are all fundamental positions and shapes we all need to get in for us to be effective humans - to navigate the world without limitations.

Simple training works. Period. Most of the time, we get bored with something and move on too soon, before we even really understand the fundamentals of it. I have some good news for you, now more than ever, the fundamentals are what we should be working on.

Bodyweight squats, hip hinges, planks, hollow holds and push ups are the foundation to build a strong, stable and capable body. Take this chance to master these movements, learn to understand them in a new way. Right now, more than ever, we have no excuse to be bad at the fundamentals.

Justin Miner

@justinminergain