No… just no. Stop
Let’s define fitness first, then function, and talk about both.
Fitness, as a general term, is actually pretty boring. Your yearly physical can tell you more than your trainer ever will: blood pressure, resting heart rate, exertional heart rate, body fat, stress levels, certain labs like cholesterol. Usually, your doctor just recommends exercise as one way to keep these variables in a healthy range. That’s it! That’s all fitness ever was—very real, but very boring.
What most people mean when they say “fitness” is really work volume or capacity. And that’s totally subjective. Does a coal miner need the same work volume as a web designer? Of course not.
This brings us to function. With baseline fitness being just medical health markers, function becomes a matter of personal choice. Want to play baseball? Then train specifically for baseball. Trust me—you’ll be “fit” enough after a summer of beer-league ball, even if that’s all you do.
In other words, outside a very narrow range of specific needs, fitness is really boring. Beyond that, function is highly subjective to the individual’s goals. All this crazy talk about “training for life” is just another way modern society tries to keep everyone in the same cage and make it seem kinda sorta “moral.” No one sticks out too much, no one really excels or fails. Everyone gets a C for effort, and the crazy ones get shouted down.
None for me, thanks. I’ll stay out in the wilds.
With the pretensions of generic “fitness” safely out of the way, we can address function… Ronin Fitness style.
As I mentioned in my last article, my baseline for fitness is simple: “If my client encountered street violence in the next 90 days, would they be in condition to defend themselves and escape?”
Short of a client becoming a full-time MMA fighter or doing a stint in the army, I’ve distilled the “best of” standards into a baseline PT protocol. It can serve as a stand-alone training method or as a way to “tune” your current program.
Bonus upside: If you just follow the SIMPLE AF diet we set you up with, you end up looking sexy anyway. You’re welcome!
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Call or Text (817) 668-3592 to schedule your FREE consultation.
We’ll discuss your goals, training history, schedule, and any injuries or limitations you may be dealing with. No pressure. No obligation. Just a chance to see if Ronin Fitness is the right fit for you.
About Lex Ronin
Lex Ronin is the owner of Ronin Fitness of Richardson, a private 1-on-1 personal training studio serving Richardson, Plano, Garland, and the surrounding North Dallas area.
A former U.S. Army (Active and Guard) serviceman, EMT-Paramedic (SWAT Medic Certified), martial arts instructor, and strength coach with more than 20 years of experience, Lex specializes in helping adults 35 and older build strength, lose fat, improve health, and train safely around injuries.
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Ronin Fitness of Richardson
800 E Arapaho Rd Suite 112B
Richardson, TX 75081
Call or Text: (817) 668-3592
Email: contact@roninfitnessofrichardson.com