“If you just focus on the smallest details, you never get the big picture right.”—Leroy Hood
I came across an article this morning on the best body weight exercises for bigger biceps that suggested the “every man wants bigger biceps.” Perhaps, but bigger biceps without a bigger overall physique…? Indeed, most young men will immediately gravitate to bicep curls and the bench press when they go to the gym. In my humble opinion? A huge waste of time. I prefer focusing on the big lifts that tax the whole body (e.g., squat and deadlift variations) and subsequently build the smaller muscles (e.g., the biceps). I tell the athletes I work with that, if they double their biceps, they might add a few pounds of muscle mass. I then ask them what it looks like to double their quadriceps. If you want to get bigger, why focus on the small muscles? If you want to get better (Spiritually, Physically, Intellectually, Emotionally, and/or Socially), why focus (only) on the little things? Focus on what will be the most impactive.
Sometimes (dare I say “often”?) we spend a considerable amount of effort on a single detail among the dimensions of our well-centered fitness (the dimensions of SPIES, to use the acronym my friend, Jay, recently pointed out to me) and ignore the big picture (i.e., our overall well-centeredness or even the broader growth of the singular dimension. We might, for example, be so focused on one relationship that we fail at all the others. We easily lose sight of the big picture. The “big picture”, I believe, is the greater Purpose. “Be your best today” is a statement of wholeness, not of an isolated detail.
We all want “bigger biceps” but imagine what those “bigger biceps” will look like without developing the “whole body.” Work on the whole self. Be patient. The “biceps” will grow along with the rest.
Be your best today; be better tomorrow.
Carpe momento!