January 2010

Who Chose Wisely?

by Bruce Hymanson, Creator of Bodyblade

With the holiday season comes shopping for presents to give to those we care about. The pleasure of giving is far more satisfying than the pleasure of receiving. So, in the spirit of giving, I am offering you an imaginary gift. I am going to wave my magic wand and give you the gift of either infinite strength or infinite speed. To develop this for a moment, I am talking strength like no other human being on this planet possesses. The strength to lift a skyscraper off its foundation and hurl it miles away into another state! Get the picture? Now, for speed, I’m not talking about driving at 200 mph or running an incredible two-minute mile, I’m talking about moving at speeds that simply can not be tracked or seen with the naked eye. Speed moving forward, back, side to side and rotational speed beyond your wildest dreams. So ask yourself, strongest person on the planet or fastest person on the face of this earth? What will your answer be?

Interestingly enough, I was part of a talk radio show in Los Angeles a couple of years ago and I asked this same question of the host. He thought for a moment and stated without a doubt: “strength!” Do you remember the scene in the third Indiana Jones movie where Harrison Ford is searching for the Holy Grail and finds himself in a room with the bad guys who are about to choose the cup that Christ used to drink from? The bad guy picked up the elaborate jeweled cup, scooped some water and drank from it. The keeper of the goblet, who has been standing guard for a thousand years, turns to the bad guy and says, “You have chosen poorly.” At that second, the bad guy aged very quickly, turned to dust and blew away. Well, that’s what I felt like saying to the radio talk show host who chose strength, because he too chose poorly. How many of you are still with me and how many of you turned to dust?

Back to our imaginary gift of power. With strength, you would never have to worry about being overpowered or getting tired lifting objects and moving them around the room. Your bones would be protected from the outside world as your muscular system would provide adequate support. In sports, you would be unstoppable on the football field. Hitting home runs out of the park would become somewhat common place, or would they? Does having strength really protect you from injuring the bones and ligaments in the primary restraint system of your body? Does strength solely insure that someone faster than you won’t knock you down on the football field before you can react? Does having strength on the tennis court ensure you will reach the baseline in time to make the difficult shot?

Strength alone does not relate to speed, nor does it protect you from injury due to increased or decreased acceleration. The speed of your nervous system creates the ability for muscle to respond with exquisite balance of contraction, precise metering of force production, refining of movement and injury prevention. Possession of strength does not ensure you can swing the bat fast enough to hit a 100 mpr fast ball. If you have speed, you have everything! According to Sir Isaac Newton, force combined with velocity translates to speed, which equates to power. A “powerful person” really refers to a person with great speed and control of their body. The ability to move quickly and to accelerate or decelerate balances the body to perform with greater accuracy and with greater control. Many people focus on building more massive bodies rather than faster more controlled, coordinated and balanced bodies. Strength is always important, but speed is key.

Make sure your personal fitness program includes exercise and training that focuses on both strength and speed of movement.

Has Bodyblade® helped you transform your body? Send your story and before and after photos to info@bodyblade.com.

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