A Few Words on Fitness

With Epic and Yogic Warrior Conditioning, you take exercise vertical with depth and meaning, inquiry and transformation. Yet the fitness world is also changing horizontally, meaning that the techniques, methods and processes are being rearranged, improved, and evolved. Despite the idea that there new rules, I suggest instead that we are returning to the essence of our lives with new distinctions. Where are we going? What needs to be included in today’s fitness program, exercise plan, or yoga practice?

Mobility and Movement Preparation: There are techniques and methods that dramatically surpass ’stretching’ to optimally prepare your body for the movement you choose to train. Flip your mind and Tune In / Tune Up before your training, yoga asana and even meditation.

Corrective Exercise: Injuries of all shapes and size come as a consequence of our lifestyles and training patterns. More of the same is rarely the path out of pain, while noticing your experience often is. You can make the body resilient through intentional, purposeful movement that has the power to improve the way your body works at a deeper level.

Speed, power and elasticity: Remember that power has to do with time, and is not the same is strength. Consider power and strength with speed. Power is lost faster than strength, as easily demonstrated by a long-time yogi returning to a high-impact kickboxing class. Yet for all populations, there is the need for the ability to move and react quickly, and power is critical for getting through life effortlessly.

Core Training: Ab crunches are definitely out, and functional core work is in as we focus on training a body to respond and be active in the world. Whether the lessons come from athletics, martial arts, somatics or yoga, the truth about core is the same.

Resistance Training: A foundational aspect of every practice, we need to focus on function, linked system strength and real world strength. Isolated strength is an illusion, and the key is to practice with appropriate frequency. Strength is about full body connection and coordination towards a purpose. Strength comes from within, and should be trained with the end in mind.

Metabolic Training: Evolutionary cardio - Intensity vs volume is the name of the game, so the the ability to do higher levels of work and maintain output over time will take you where you want to go. Riding the edge of effort and ease will get you there faster.

Recovery & Regeneration: No matter your training modality or the features of your practice, recovery and nourishment - physical and emotional - is a must. This can be done at the gym, on the mat, or at home, and should not be ignored.

Thanks to Alwyn Cosgrove, who framed these concepts, then adapted by Epic Workout for a yogic perspective on exercise and transformation.

Fitness has many levels. Do we address them all with each training session? With our entire movement practice? The mainstream fitness industry address many sides of fitness, and at Epic, we’re interested in going even deeper. Let’s briefly look at the Four Faces, or Perspectives, of physical fitness.

First Face of Fitness

We are motivated by feelings, emotions, self image and enthusiasm. Any physical activity we practice serves to bring you enjoyment, emotions, and experiences ranging from brutal or challenging to refreshing and wonderful. Relative to this perspective, why do you exercise?

Second Face of Fitness

We are motivated by the science and story of how our body’s biology, chemistry, function, strength, power, and capacity. We think about muscles, fat, weight, range of motion, and other external factors. Relative to this perspective, why do you exercise?

Third Face of Fitness

We are motivated by the interplay between the body’s systems, or the relationships between, for example, two fighters, members of a team, teams in competition, and so on. The rules of the game, the systems we follow, the protocols we experiment with and results we achieve are all very important. Relative to this perspective, why do you exercise?

Fourth Face of Fitness

We are motivated by the commaraderie of teamwork, the thrill of competition, the shared community of a yoga class. How the relationships feel and the meaning they provide are crucial to us.Relative to this perspective, why do you exercise?

Now that you’ve looked into the faces of fitness and gained a new understanding that there is more to exercise than exercise, what will you do next?

We are thrilled to announce that Epic is now available in Park City and Salt Lake City, Utah. There is something special happening here with many conscious people and businesses thriving and offering great and creative services. We will be offering a number of ongoing Epic Workouts each week and look forward to working with the Park City’s and Salt Lake City’s leaders in yoga, fitness, and adventure. If you are a coach, trainer, yogi, teacher, mover, dancer, gymnast, trekker, climber, runner, or any other kind of life-enthusiast, we would love to hear from you.

Epic trainers are huge fans of yoga. In fact, Epic is about bringing the lessons an inspired Yoga practice offers the world to a new order of movement. In fact, conscious movement is critical for personal and collective transformation and when we get past much of the mainstream fitness marketing, we find that in order to make a real change in our body and mind, it helps when we really pay attention to what we are doing and why we are doing it. Yoga teaches about intention for movement and the skills for really noticing to our experience. In a nutshell, this means that as we learn to honor our bodies, nurture our spirits, and deepen our relationship with our self and everything we’re connected to, we help to heal the world as well as ourselves.

Yogis of all kinds see something for themselves in The Epic Workout that radically compliments their Yoga practice. Some appreciate the mindful anaerobic activity that highlights a new form of breath to focus on. Some appreciate exploring infinite variations of human movement. Others comment on the aspect of Epic that asks each participant to own their body, mind, and life through the practice. We invite you to join in their story and enhance your practice as well. As you explore, write to us and let us know how you’re doing.

Namaste.