Strength You Can Still Use Tomorrow

The DSY Principle Explained

DSY stands for Don’t Strain Yourself (though the original has a four-letter word that rhymes with “hit” 😜). Here is how it applies to your life.

Let me tell you a story from my hometown. A news item caught my eye the other day. A runner in one of the sketchy neighbourhoods got beaten up by local hoodlums. His running irked and offended them somehow. They chased him, he could not outrun them, he barricaded himself in a little kiosk, but they dragged him out and beat him severely. Maybe he even got stabbed. He survived though, so we can laugh. Like my friend Bartek, a big-time runner himself, who burst out laughing and said: “Damn, they must have caught him at the end of his run, when he had nothing left!”

A lot of people train like this. They burn through everything they have until there is nothing left. That is what our culture teaches us to do. Give it your all. Train to failure. No pain no gain. Push yourself. It is nonsense, and it is harmful.

It has also killed countless people. Not only in fitness, but on Mount Everest too. More people die on the way down than on the way up. You could say they reached their goal, but what use is that if they fail to return home to their loved ones?

Giving it your all sounds noble, but it is madness. Some people, especially runners, react badly to this idea. Yet cardiologists have been sounding the alarm for a while now. You can damage an older heart by pushing it too hard with endurance training. I will let you decide for yourself whether you believe the doctors, or the companies trying to sell you performance gear and new shoes every season. If you are curious how I train based on DSY, check out this article: Why I Avoid Moderate Workouts Like the Plague.

Now, back to that runner in the bad neighbourhood. What if he had been slow jogging? By definition, slow jogging is the speed at which you can carry on a conversation. It leaves something in the tank. I dare say he would have had enough wind left to pick up speed.

Doesn’t it make sense to train so you are strong for the rest of your day, instead of exhausted for the rest of your week? Does it not make sense to train so you are ready for unexpected challenges when they appear? Does it not make sense to train for what will be useful for the rest of your life? To lift groceries, crawl around with grandkids, or get under the sink when something breaks?

What good are personal records in the gym if they leave your body wrecked? If you are borrowing from a future filled with pain and immobility?

The only acceptable time to push yourself to the absolute limit is when you are outrunning hoodlums (or Nazis) to literally save your life.

The DSY principle is simple. You do what you need to keep your body in good shape. Not less, but not more. More belongs to other areas of life. Your body is the greatest tool you have ever had access to. It can give you so much joy. Treat it with respect, listen to it, and it will serve you for many years to come, no matter your age.

Haven’t moved much lately and not sure where to start? Try the 3-minute Radio Taiso stretches. Here’s how to do them, and here’s a follow-along. Do this for a week and see what happens. But be careful, they’re sneaky little gateway stretches that might just make you want to move more and get fit.

An Obligatory Plug for Myself 😜

If what I write resonates with you, and you want to build strength and flexibility without surrendering your life to the gym, I am building a course to help you do exactly that. Support me on Buy Me a Coffee for $10 a month (less if you support me yearly), and you will get access to early material already live: the 4-part Weeks Zero prep course and Weeks One through Three, with more on the way.

Later, when the full program is ready, it will be something you can buy. Right now, your support helps me build it.

Leave a comment. Let me know if you have ever trained yourself into exhaustion, and if you’re willing to repent 😁.