Something To Think About

In Enter the Kettlebell, Pavel talks about a Russian man going to get coffee somewhere. There are two ways his scenario can go: "we have coffee" or, most likely, "we don't have coffee". Think about it. If he wanted coffee, he only had two possibilities to deal with. Less choice made his decision easier. If they had coffee, he would drink it. It doesn't matter to him what kind of bean it was or what flavor it was. Now, look at America. People are stressed because they don't know what flavor coffee to get or what size or what level of caffeine they want...
The coffee is of course a figure of speech. When we are left with less choice we are more likely to take what we can get and make the best of it. This goes for all areas of life. Don't get me wrong, this country is wonderful, as is the fact that we have choices. I certainly would not have it any other way. However, sometimes too much choice can bite you in the ass. You spend more time choosing than you spend doing, and you don't ever get anywhere. Apply this to the gym: "Do I work my front delts today, or my lower pec? Inside of my thigh or my lower abs?"...#@&*! What?! I have a better idea: Press, or Pull, or Squat...then let your body figure out where it wants to put the load. Use your body as a unit, and stick to the basics. I can think of at least a dozen "perfect pairs" of exercises that would work your entire body and make you a mutant. People go into a gym and see a plethora of machines and pulleys and plates and yadda yadda..."What the hell do I do?" Is the typical response. Learn to move your body the way that it was meant to move, with the movement patterns that are most natural. Here's some ideas:

Deadlift and Side Press
Snatch and Military Press
Turkish Get-Up and Pullup
Overhead Squat and Bench Press
Front Squat and One Arm Pushup
Swing and Handstand Pushup
Snatch and Bent Press
Swing and Bent Press
Swing and Turkish Get-Up
Deadlift and Turkish Get-Up
Clean and Press and Swing
Snatch and Clean and Jerk
Pistol and One Arm Pushup
Weighted Pullup and Clean and Press