Unsolicited: Corp Fitness Charities: WTF?!

This one may be more “unsolicited kvetching” than “unsolicited advice,” but…

“To take someone who is sedentary, deconditioned, and/or has active injuries, and put them through conditioning/volume training regimens - this is a recipe for Injury! Oftentimes the person “helping,” ends up being worse off than if they’d not done the charity at all. 

But that’s what we do when we encourage deconditioned people to participate in most corporate fitness events. 

I’m not trying to be a downer here; These events raise badly needed funds for research and treatment, allow important intra- and inter-community bonding and fellowship. These events and the lead-ups give patients suffering with these diseases deep feelings of fellowship with the larger community. Corporate Fitness Charity needs to be promoting these things. I just wish it wasn’t at the expense of participants' wellness.

Especially the “couch to marathons.” Don’t get me started. The idea that we should encourage people to hurt themselves in solidarity with our sick family seems - ancient - to me. Marathoning is an extreme sport developed by an arbitrary greek myth. By the way, it’s not lost on me that many people forget the part of the myth at the end where the runner dies! He was a martyr, not a champion. This training is wholly unsuited for anyone who’s deconditioned. 

Sports performance training modalities like marathon training or HIIT-style sports are probably not designed for you.

For starters, they’re designed for people who are already in great shape. They’re designed for athletes who are near the top of the fitness; at this level, they put in huge amounts of work for very small improvements. 

Two athletes competing against each other are evenly matched throughout the season. The one who did a bunch of extra work to improve just 1 or 2%, will often be the one who wins. 

But that’s not the average corporate charity participant. That’s not your average mother or grandmother or uncle. They don’t need 2% improvement, they need 50%, 70% improvement (remember, they’re on the “couch”). Improvements in fitness that large, by definition, aren’t sports performance training. 

Please, donate your time, prayers and money to any corporate charity you please. It’s almost always a good time celebrating life with lovely, loving crowds. But if you’re unsure of your ability to safely complete the physical demands of the charity, you have my permission to skip the marathon-y parts!

I’m just saying….