Your Most Important Muscle

The American College of Sports Medicine–the "Gold Standard" in fitness trainer certification–would assert that your most important muscle is your heart. Cardiologists would agree. Strength athletes–power lifters, body builders and the like might say something like, "sure you'll live to 90 without weight training but you won't be able to tie your shoes". So, striated muscle is the most important. A died-in-the-wool hedonist would probably cite another muscle that reigns supreme and while I agree that all of these muscles are especially important, in reality it's the mind that's preeminent. Strange choice for a former musclehead and newbie triathlete, eh? Or, maybe not.

Notice I said "mind" instead of "brain". Your brain is an important "muscle" to be sure. When conditioned it is capable of miraculous recall, calculation, organization, and the like. But essentially it's a distribution center. Commands are issued from the brain, and travel to specific tissues via the central nervous system. Your mind though is mental force. This mental force orchestrates effect within and onto the physical world.

Let's say your objective is to complete an Ironman triathlon–2.4 mile swim, 112 mile bike ride followed by a marathon run, 26.2 miles. Maybe, though your goal is to become sufficiently developed to step ontstage in a national level bodybuilding contest by gaining 30 pounds of muscle and dropping 10% bodyfat. Or, you might just want to again fit into jeans you wore in college or do a single pull up. For every one of us all of these challenges are possible. Yet for any of us our mind rather than our bodies determines the outcome well before we put on training clothes.

It's as simple as "if you think you can or think you can't, you're probably right". And it's as complex as those mysterious voices you hear without fail that originated from the encouragement your mother provided or withheld when you were trying to climb the big tree in the yard. Can you see where I'm going with this?

To meet any physical challenge successfully you must be able to see, hear, feel and taste yourself doing it: Flanked by hundreds of cheering spectators you imagine yourself running across the finish line after 8 to 12 hours of Ironman effort. You sense your invincibility, as superman or superwoman, rippling with dense, championship muscle beneath contest lights deservedly taking the sweet trophy of victory. You perceive the tactual gratification of that pair of Levi's you wore to numerous frat parties years prior to your having the wherewithal to live the good life now easily slipping over and caressing your contoured, toned thighs and hips. Or, you clearly picture your lean and defined arms forcefully, purposefully moving your body up and down, repeatedly, piston-like on the chinning bar. It all happens in the mind first.

So how does this benefit all of us? First, sit down with your trainer and discuss your fitness fantasies. From there, decide on a goal–make it realistic and attainable within the context of your lifestyle and volition. Write it down and commit to it three times each day. Believe it's within your power to accomplish–there's that "mind" muscle again. Look to those who have already accomplished their goals as inspiration. Do the physical work that makes it real.

Just So You Know

This was originally to be published in Brentwood News in October of 1999 (apparently there are some changes taking place within the magazine's production that have not yet been conveyed to me) and was an ongoing column providing a hopefully fresh, interesting and useful take on health and fitness. Though the "Pete" articles have been discontinued the content is as always drawn largely from personal training experiences over the last 15 years.