One of the most prevalent and pervasive issues in fitness is short-sightedness. All too many trainees view fitness as an end, not an ongoing process. The logic is thus: “If I just work hard for a little while, THEN I’ll be in shape.” This is a short term goal, viewed as a destination instead of a continuing journey, as opposed to a series of long-term goals. The unfortunate truth (for those looking for a shortcut, at least) is that fitness/strength/improved body composition is not something that can be simply acquired once and for all. It requires dedication, continual progression and variation in order to be maintained. Whether your goal is aesthetic or practical in aim, you must constantly progress and push yourself – even if you do reach your goal once, you can’t stop there – not because I make my living helping people reach their goals and I’m telling you that to keep you coming back, but because fitness is lost rapidly once training has ceased. Furthermore, what may have worked once is unlikely to work again with similar loading and progression – why?

It is undeniable that we live in an age of boundless information: the internet allows us access to resources beyond our imagination and we are assaulted by a seemingly infinite amount of data on a daily basis. Unfortunately, this plethora of information leaves us with mountains of garbage to search through before we find anything of value. There are scores of fantastic sources, for sure, but the combination of the vast, wholly unregulated wasteland of the internet with the stunning pseudo-science and falsities of the mainstream fitness industry creates an arduous journey to discover any manner of truth about fitness. This week's column will address a few of what I consider to be a few of the most heinous of fitness falsities:

The primary misconception regarding warming up truly is its purpose. Is it to prepare the muscles, the mind, the nervous system, the heart and lungs? And how is this to be accomplished? Do a few swings of the arms and a couple hops do the trick? Or how about five minutes on the treadmill – is that sufficient? The intent of the trainee when warming up is, first and foremost, preparation for the activity at hand. If the task is grappling, then movements that simulate the movement patterns of grappling are ideal. The same thing stands for kickboxing, weight training, running, etc. This article will focus primarily on warming up for strength/cardio training. The best warm-up for a sport is an activity-specific one. The body needs to activate (body parts) in a fashion similar to that of the pertinent activity. A properly functioning body fires muscles in a certain order, and, although there is an overall similarity, firing orders depend on the activity at hand.

The issue of writing on fitness for combat sports is a complex one: I could wow you with cutting edge techniques, boggle your mind with science and biomechanics, champion lost methods of yore, or just latch on to the current fad.

It’s easy to say “Well, this works for my team,” or “He’s the champ, so his method is obviously the best.” That doesn’t necessarily translate into success for you, the reader, though. Unfortunately, if you or me had the genetic predisposition to be “The Champ” you’d probably already be there.