Part of being a fitness professional, or any professional for that matter, is to “acquire knowledge” to help us better serve the populations that we work with. This, for most health and fitness professionals, comes in the form of certifications, licensing, DVDs, books, college courses, etc. However, there comes a problem when we try to “know” too much.

Not to discount knowledge, as it is our raw material, or pool from which we draw from. Knowledge is the tool we use to enable our clients to build upon the goals they wish to achieve. Some only have a hammer for which everything in front of them is a nail. So, more tools are better, right? What if we imagined a scenario on the opposite end of the spectrum, whereabouts another trainer, for example, uses a hammer, screwdriver, powersaw, kitchen blender, sewing needles, and a physioball to hammer the nail home? The nail might get where it needs to go, but how much time was wasted? Could it have been done more efficiently? Tons of folks fall into the latter category, unleashing a plethora of functional assessments coulpled with a laundry list of esoteric exercises that leaves the client more confused than when they walked in. Many times, it also confuses the trainer…some have coined this “Paralysis by Analysis”.

Therefore, we should throw “knowledge” back into the pot and stir until out boils a new understanding of what we actually know. It is these deductions of reason, these a priori assumptions will help cultivate an awareness of how to use knowledge properly.

“Knowing” is not a stagnant, fixed entity. Knowledge is contextual and requires our attention based on the time the knowledge is being applied. To say that a hammer works on a nail all the time would make sense based on “Theory”, however, what if that nail, at a certain point in the future, is made of wood and will shatter when struck by a steel hammer? Conventional wisdom might say to use a different hammer. But what if you didn’t have another hammer? How about Macgyver-ing it by wrapping the hammer in a towel and gently pounding it into place. Much of working with the human body is art, not just science. Creative solutions for problems is part of what makes this industry so dynamic.

What we should be training ourselves to do is not to look for fixed systems, rule-based approaches, or algorithms to dealing with the human body. We should be training ourselves to be problem-solvers, to look at things objectively, and skillfully come up with creative solutions to solve those problems when they present themselves. Systems and rule-based approaches are a great start, but moving towards free-thinking and creative problem-solving will ultimately provide better ammunition for times that leave us all baffled as to how to solve those particular conundrums.

To become good, follow the rules. To become great, follow the rules better than anyone else. What about becoming the best at what you do? Could it be a matter of innovation and creativity; the ability to solve problems creatively that no one may have seen before on the fly?

Charlie Reid Uncategorized