Exercise is dangerous. That’s not even a joke. I, a “fitness guy” and such, am confirming for you that exercise is indeed dangerous. Everything that we do in the gym, every exercise we love so dearly, is dangerous.
Those heavy squats? Dangerous.
All those pull-ups? Dangerous.
Running? Dangerous.
Stretching? Dangerous.

The point here isn’t to deter you from exercise, though. Quite the opposite, I think most people in this world are in need of more exercise, more purposeful movement. The point is that everything needs context. Exercise can be dangerous, but lack of movement is deadly. The error here is in binary thinking. With binary thinking, something must either be dangerous or safe, good or bad, healthy or unhealthy. But reality isn't that simple and definitive. Everything is shades of grey, and everything needs context.

One of the fastest ways to lose credibility in my book is to dogmatically insist that “X is good” or “Y is bad.” Of course, for the sake of brevity and conversation, it is sometimes necessary to frame something as “good” or “bad” without getting into every single underlying caveat. But decisions ought to be made with context.

We’re inundated daily with proclamations about what’s good and what’s bad. Time Magazine tells you that eggs are good, your doctor tells you that squats are bad, an online fitness article tells you that interval training is good, your coach tells you that crunches are bad. In a sense, all of this is true and none of this is true. Squats are probably not a good idea if you’re two weeks post-op for double knee replacement, but squats can be a great tool if load and range of motion are properly applied for your individual needs. Absolutism satisfies a deep-seated human desire for THE answer, and absolutism sells. But it doesn’t get us any closer to the truth. Remember that you’re human, and being human means that you’re a beautiful, weird, unique creature, not a robot that operates in binary.

Also, you should exercise.

- Preston Sprimont

10/19/16 WOD

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  Box squat - take 15 minutes to work up to a heavy double

  
  

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  16 min AMRAP

  
  




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  400m run

  
  


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  8 handstand push-ups

  
  


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  24 jumping lunges (12/leg)