Coordination vs Capacity

We live in the time of smart watches, smart data, sleep rings, Strava, Super Shoes, Hyrox, and $25,000 road bikes.

We love to measure capacity.

• Max Deadlift

• 40-yard Dash

• Mile time

• Marathon Time

• mmol of Lactate at Threshold

• VO2 Max

• Time on Feet

• Team GPS Training Loads

• Watts per kilogram

• Plank Hold Time

• Shooting %

On the other hand we have hardly contemplated coordination. Things like timing, rhythm, balance, and adaptability.

I am not alone in the realization that the most unathletic I have ever felt is when my movement variability was myopic. I have powerlifted and trained for marathons. I have done conjugate and Smolov. And I have done Linear and Reverse periodization. I have measured my Hungarian Oak Squat Program as well as my Fartlek progressions.

In both cases I felt like my adaptability was terrible. I could coordinate the movement of the squat, but absolutely do not ask me to play a game of pick-up basketball. I could place one foot in front of the other for hours and keep a low heart rate...but my broad jump was only competitive at the local Assisted Living Facility. And don't even ask me to dance or play like a 10-year-old.

I am all for loving a thing. Obsessing over your running pace, your max lift, or your split progressions can be amazing and give energy and focus to your life and hobbies.

But if we share a Trappiste in the city square of Antwerp together...I am going to tell you that true movement beauty follows from the freedom to move. It emerges from the ability to coordinate the body and adapt to a variety of actions. This is athleticism without a sport. To confidently participate in any activity that is set before you...is true athleticism.

Furthermore...this is the answer to most pain and dysfunction. Whereupon my rehab clinic would only consist of acute injuries (Think ACL tear), and the majority of chronic niggles would simply be nonexistent.

The takeaway? Train for that marathon. Set a new bench press PR. Achieve the Iron Cross hold if you will. Just remember to also play on the floor. To dance. To sing in the shower. To try a totally new sport. Learn an instrument. To coordinate yourself in as many ways as you have time for...

TAOT