Not necessarily an archived post of mine, rather a question that is worth repeating/asking oneself or others.

I am currently reading a book, finishing up actually, by Robert Heinlein called Beyond This Horizon, which deals with a Utopian society, gene selection in offsprings and creating perfect lines. Scary science fiction and the direction of eugenics, trying to get people back to being “natural” through a revolution against the “eugenic” establishment. Without digressing because this is not a topic related to fitness, there is a quote in the book that makes sense when it comes to our training; the paraphrased quote is that we humans, conceptually and practically, have no specialization like most animals do, and by contrast, it’s this general adaptability that places us on top of the food chain.

In that train of thought, I couldn’t help noticing a direct link to Hébért’s Natural Method because in his ideal to help develop a well-rounded athlete through walking, running, swimming, jumping, lifting, climbing, fighting techniques, rescue techniques and general manual labor as well as games, Hébert and Heinlein are dealing with the same topic. Hébert mentions his method as the foundation for all activities and minimum requirements to be an all-around responsible citizen. He doesn’t cover specialization on purposes because that becomes the choice of the individual. It’s also like going to college, where the majority of the units necessary to obtain a degree are actually general education, then personal choices lead the direction for classes geared at one’s major.

I could go on with more details with Heinlein’s storyline, but this is another post, if there is interest. Or you can read his book. This circumventing of the question with this thought process is only aimed at having you answer why you train? Do you train just to go to the gym or do you have an actual end game, goal or testing ground? Remember enjoyment too, not just the hard work without the payoff of the skill.

In my case, I just spent nearly 4 days surfing a cumulative 14-16 hours and feel perfectly fine, not exhausted, not sore, just pleasantly rejuvenated and overhauled. My body looks actually better, fuller, more developed because of everything surfing provided me, as well as the perfect environment (good friends, a warm locale and no work, without any real concern for nutrition other than light day eating and evening fueling for the next day). So, yes, I train myself to be a well-rounded athlete so I can be primed for activity when called upon.