TRAINING SMART

My name is Ethan Gendron, and I am a long-course triathlete. Training as a competitive athlete, I learned that simply training hard is neither enough nor sustainable. Everybody needs a balanced approach to achieving strength and mobility in a way that prioritizes longevity and movement quality.

There is a tremendous difference between movement volume and movement quality. Movement volume describes things like how far you walked, how many sets you did, and so on. Movement quality on the other hand describes things like: how well can you squat and to what depth? How well can you balance on one leg? Or how well can you do push and pull movements? One is a quantitative metric, while the other is a qualitative metric. We must make sure we do both well.

Creating a solid foundation will both prevent injury and optimize performance. Professional athletes are most commonly known to undergo extensive strength and conditioning programs for the purpose of injury prevention. While everyone may not consider themselves an “athlete”, we should all train like one. The sport we all play is called “life", and we need to be prepared to take on the movement challenges it throws at us. Much like how exercise should build us up instead of breaking us down, life should not be full of aches and pains.

As a Level 2 W.I.T.S. Certified Personal Trainer, IRONMAN Triathlete, and perpetual student of the human body, I challenge you to re-think your limits. My defining principle is bridging theory with practicality to give you the best of best practices.