temet nosce

The Latin phrase (more formally nosce te ipsum) is roughly translated “Know thyself” in the Movie “The Matrix” when Neo is visiting the Oracle for the first time. In the movie, Neo must begin to understand his own purpose and abilities in order to do what he needs to do to rescue humankind.

While you may never need to conquer an artificial intelligence that has enslaved the human race, it is worth pausing to reflect on what it means to know yourself.

If you’re familiar with opera – or even, like me – if you don’t follow that form of theater whatsoever – you may have heard of the baritone Nathan Gunn. This beefy stud muffin is known for displaying his chiseled pecs on stage during many of his performances. And, as the image here shows, with good reason. At age 39, Gunn has an amazing physique (insert man crush joke here).

A recent Wall Street Journal article details his secrets to fitness. While his dietary habit of eating just one meal a day (dinner) would not work for me, what struck me most was two key aspects of his fitness routine.

One, he shies away from free weights, preferring body weight exercises like pushups and pullups. This is partly because he doesn’t want to get a lot of bulk (like low-rep, high-weight exercises tend to do). But, more importantly, it’s because his traveling schedule often forces him to work out in hotel rooms without special equipment. Having subscribed to the P90X fitness regimen for some time now, I can attest to the effectiveness of bodyweight exercises as a punishing start to most of my mornings. The routines are also portable, meaning I can (but often do not) do them when visiting family and I’m away from my free weights.

The second key was a recognition of his own physical limitations:

Mr. Gunn’s knees have weakened over the years, so he will do short sprints instead of long-distance running about twice a week. He will sprint in short intervals for 30 minutes at a time. If he doesn’t run, he will do a 45-minute stint on a stationary bicycle.

Personally, I’ve railed against my own weak joints for years, believing I could punish them enough to become stronger. Now that I’m in my mid-30s, however, I realize that doing so actually works against my goals, as I end up being more tired or injured, extending the time between my workouts. Accepting the limitations of my body could help me focus on those areas of fitness for which I’m best designed and bring a greater sense of peace about where I’m at (i.e., not looking like Nathan Gunn).

Of course, laying off the extra slice of cake wouldn’t hurt either.