A remarkable feature of intelligence is differentiation (from the Latin differentia — “distinction”). It means the ability to break down a process or phenomenon into its components. This is how we uncover how things work.
Now we can fix something, create something new, or improve the highlighted element. For example, in sports, specific exercises can develop a targeted group of muscles.
But there’s a temptation to get carried away with the process of differentiation, forgetting about the original whole from which the research began.
Yet everyday tasks often demand an integrated approach. Pulling a 20-inch tire out of a car trunk is not the same as lifting weights at the gym. The awkward trajectory and shape of the object multiply the complexity—and the risk—many times over.
Life challenges the organism as a whole, not just its individual parts.
That’s why it’s important to do exercises that engage as many muscles as possible at once. Take, for example, the “farmer's walk,” which activates:
Forearms
Shoulders
Back
Trapezius muscle
Rectus, transverse, and oblique abdominal muscles
Hamstrings
Quadriceps
Glutes
Calves
These exercises require integrated efforts, not just in terms of muscles, but also over time. In other words, you need to train not for a week but for many years to achieve significant results.
Want to gauge your overall body strength? Here’s a test from Dr. Peter Attia:
“Doing what's called farmer's carry is such an important form of activity. Say a woman in her 40s should be able to carry 75% of her body weight in her hands for a minute. And if she can do that it means we are very confident that by the time she is in her last decade she will have the strength to open a jar for example. And for a man? It's your body weight for a minute.”
This is a literal illustration that our health is in our hands.
Sincerely yours,
-Alexander
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