Taking nothing away from the years of practice it probably takes to be able to hold difficult positions, comparing different modes of training with strength training is disingenuous.
First off, all movement takes control and contractions. Some are simpler to learn. Others take more time, energy and effort. Doesn’t matter what anyone calls the pattern. The gymnasts do planches. Yoga calls it mayurasana. Strength training has its dragon flags and anti-extension. Every category of training has its box of advanced tools that are athletic feats. All of them require lots of experience to perform.
You are learning to balance your weight and hold an incredibly hard, coordinated isometric contraction across the entire body.
Does that skill interest you? Great! Start practising it and scale it slowly. Does doing it mean you don’t need to work on dips, push ups, pull ups, hanging, carrying, squatting? Hell no. Each of these patterns does something very distinct and different for your body.
None of those acts are strictly comparable. And they don’t need to be compared either. You can deconstruct each of those moves down to what muscles are being used, what kind of contraction is happening in the muscle and how useful those adaptations are in your everyday life. Most importantly do you have the time, energy, inclination and interest to achieve said skill.
You can philosophise and market the crap out of any position, product or service. Just do it by Nike comes to mind. It really means nothing. It’s meant to amp you up with visuals and athletic achievement that you probably will never be capable of, in the hope that you buy a pair of shoes or a Federer-branded tee shirt. The feelings while crucial to nudge you into a transaction are really irrelevant to the product being purchased.
The value of a skill, adaptation or exercise is as follows:
1. Do you want to learn it?
2. Can you sustain the practice of it?
3. Is it the most useful way to spend your time without compromising your ability to address every joint and muscle systematically?
4. Does the skill you are pursuing improve the quality of your life and ensure strength is not an obstacle to a life well lived?
5. Does the skill you are pursuing make you happy?
First off, all movement takes control and contractions. Some are simpler to learn. Others take more time, energy and effort. Doesn’t matter what anyone calls the pattern. The gymnasts do planches. Yoga calls it mayurasana. Strength training has its dragon flags and anti-extension. Every category of training has its box of advanced tools that are athletic feats. All of them require lots of experience to perform.
You are learning to balance your weight and hold an incredibly hard, coordinated isometric contraction across the entire body.
Does that skill interest you? Great! Start practising it and scale it slowly. Does doing it mean you don’t need to work on dips, push ups, pull ups, hanging, carrying, squatting? Hell no. Each of these patterns does something very distinct and different for your body.
None of those acts are strictly comparable. And they don’t need to be compared either. You can deconstruct each of those moves down to what muscles are being used, what kind of contraction is happening in the muscle and how useful those adaptations are in your everyday life. Most importantly do you have the time, energy, inclination and interest to achieve said skill.
You can philosophise and market the crap out of any position, product or service. Just do it by Nike comes to mind. It really means nothing. It’s meant to amp you up with visuals and athletic achievement that you probably will never be capable of, in the hope that you buy a pair of shoes or a Federer-branded tee shirt. The feelings while crucial to nudge you into a transaction are really irrelevant to the product being purchased.
The value of a skill, adaptation or exercise is as follows:
1. Do you want to learn it?
2. Can you sustain the practice of it?
3. Is it the most useful way to spend your time without compromising your ability to address every joint and muscle systematically?
4. Does the skill you are pursuing improve the quality of your life and ensure strength is not an obstacle to a life well lived?
5. Does the skill you are pursuing make you happy?