BasicSkill, BasicsKill is a little saying we’ve coined around here. It’s representative of a simple philosophy: get great at the basic exercises and keep doing them because they produce results.
That’s why, at BSP NOVA, we focus on getting good at things like squatting, hinging, pushing with our upper-bodies, pulling with our upper-bodies, crawling, and carrying things. These simple, maybe seemingly mundane, exercises, when done consistently, will help a person kill their goals. So, we laid out a few reasons why you should still be doing the simple stuff, even though there’s a world out there telling you about all the coolest fads that promise results.
1) They’re Going to Keep Working
No matter what a stripper tells you, there’s no sex in the champagne room. And, no matter what any unfortunately popular,and equally unfortunately uninformed, fitness coach tells you, the basic exercises will serve you well for the rest of your life. There’s no need for fancy equipment. A barbell, some kettlebells, and a few dumbbells will always serve you well. And kettlebell swings, deadlifts, and squats will always do more to build your backside than a ridiculous booty-blasting workout developed by an ignorant 25-year old Instagram model.
That got dark for a second—sorry about that. But seriously, no one evolves beyond the basics. Learn the basics of how to move well. Learn the basics of how to squat, deadlift, press, and pull well. Then, learn from a qualified coach how to put all of those into a sane and simple program that meets your current needs and helps direct you toward where you want to be. Then train consistently. You’ll find those basics are exactly what you needed.
2) It’s Good to Get Good at Things
Bravery can be extrapolated. We love that idea—mostly because it’s true. When people learn to stand more fully in themselves in one environment, it’s easier for them to learn how to do it in another environment. The same is true for mastery.
Now, everyone is going to have their natural gifts—talents are inevitably skewed. But, if we can learn how to get good at one thing, or in one setting, it’s easier for us to learn how to get good at other things, or in other settings. Bravery can be extrapolated.
So, if you learn how to get really good at a basic exercise like a goblet squat, chances are it will be easier for you to learn how to get good at something else—whether in the gym or not. And, believe us, progression through the basics isn’t an overnight process. You can keep getting better at them throughout your lifetime. They have this great little trick—they teach you something new every time you do them, if you’re willing to pay attention.
3) They Apply to Any Goal
Want a bigger butt? Cool. Basic squat and deadlift variations will provide you with bigger, well-formed cheeks. Want to get stronger? Word. Those same squat and deadlift variations will do that for you, too. It’s all in the application.
See, that’s the thing—we don’t have to get fancy. We just have to learn how to apply the basics in different settings and to meet different ends. No matter if your goal is to be the strongest dad at soccer practice or the leanest lady at book club—the basics, when applied correctly to you, will help you meet your goals.
4) You Can Train with Them More Consistently
Your body loves the basics—it’s evolved to do them well. So, your body loves you back when you train with the basics because it knows how to handle them. Using basic exercises, at varying levels of difficulty, from day to day allows you to train more frequently and consistently. And, if you have some serious goals, frequency is important. But, as you’ll see in our next point, consistency is super important, maybe the most important, fitness variable.
5) Momentum and Consistency are The Most Important Variables
We kind of gave it away at the end of the last paragraph—momentum and consistency are the ingredients blended to create the secret sauce that, when slathered on your training, produces lasting results. So, no matter what a gym, ad, or trainer, tells you about their super-secret method, or innovative new approach to fitness, nothing trumps momentum and consistency. If you want results, and you want them to last, you need to do things consistently, so they build momentum, and then everything bakes together in this sweet, biological oven called your body, and you evolve into something new. The basics, when done consistently, provide the heat for that oven that produces your results casserole. If you don’t like casserole’s just insert whatever you dig instead. Consistently perform the basics. Build momentum. Change your body and your life.
BasicSkill, BasicsKill
Build basic skill and let the basics kill your goals. They’ll keep working for you through a life time of fitness, and they’ll help you build the consistency and momentum that changes you for good.
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