In this article our athlete Coach Dean Hammond will discus in his words Aesthetics Vs Performance.
Before you continue perhaps it’s worthwhile understanding where YOU fit into this bracket & what your personal goals are?
Can both be attainable & sustainable despite being bracketed as 2 separate components?
Personally, I absolutely believe they can be but both are very subjective to the individual & task…
Let’s start with aesthetics…
Aesthetics rely on your personal belief systems as to whether they meet the predetermined criteria you set as “aesthetic”
It may even be criteria set by a competitive or sporting organisation!
But given the current climate & hyper connectivity we are all subject too through social media, aesthetics is often born from what we consume on a daily basis
But more often than not aesthetics are branded as someone’s physical appearance in musculature & leanness & invites a number of narratives that direct people’s attention to how you “look” physically!
Now for many this component takes a high priority on their list of outcome-based goals & forms the very basis of how people eat, train & socialise
But are aesthetic goals bad?
No, not necessarily!
But they can be detrimental if they haven’t been orchestrated from someone’s identity first?
Now what the f**k do I mean by that?
In its basic form it needs to align to what that person truly values & if they DO NOT value their physique it’s highly unlikely they’ll achieve the aesthetics that a bodybuilder desires
For example, a professional bodybuilder will value their aesthetics far more than an amateur rugby player perhaps, & this will often form the basis of how they shape their lifestyles
That’s not to say the rugby player couldn’t give a s**t about said aesthetics – it just means that their personal identities value very different aspects of aesthetics entirely
On the 1 hand the pro bodybuilder has to achieve a certain aesthetic to compete in their federation & class, which comes with many different categories & disciplines
On the other hand, the rugby player places aesthetics far lower on their priorities & identities list
Although some physical stature will be necessary for the rugby player their physique doesn’t predetermine their success in their sport
This is where performance becomes an identity that is valued far more for that individual
A bodybuilder doesn’t need to run headfirst into a f**king 110kg male at speed, get up & then repeat 20 seconds later & endure for 80 minutes
(Not unless they plan on tackling everyone on a stacked stage including the audience cause they didn’t get first callouts!!)
Plus cover upwards of 5km in an all-out physical contest that requires a combination of speed, agility, aerobic capacity, strength, power & pretty much every other physical component of athletic performance you can think of
So, is it a question of “this versus that”?
Or is it a question of “this & that”?
Like I said at the start of this article (if you’ve made it this far)…
I absolutely believe both can be achieved simultaneously in a generalist and hobbiest fashion!
How?
F**king great question!
It’s a question that millions of people seek out every damn day!
Does that mean a professional bodybuilder should start prioritising performance components so said they can jump on a rugby field?
Of course not because they value their ability to be stage ready or compete in bodybuilding
But that’s not to say they can’t
So here comes the next issue…
What the f**k is performance?
Performance is also very subjective but the pillars that shape this are transferable across every single person on every single journey
These include
- Sleep Hygiene
- Daily Water Intake
- Digestive Health
- Energy Levels
- Dietary Lifestyle
- Mental & Emotional Stress
- Ladies let’s not forget your Menstrual Cycle
- Physical Attributes
Check out this post for more details: Click Here
But most will know performance as how fast you can run, how much can you lift, how far you can throw & how long you can go for…
Whilst these may be important none of those things would work without considering the list I just mentioned
That list is far from f**king sexy…
In fact, it’s quite the opposite & it nearly always falls on death ears because we’d rather exchange the size of our d**ks in an all-out battle of the egos in the gym
Good for you if that’s your thing
And if it is your thing, chances are you’re not going to get very far before it all comes tumbling down!
I will say unequivocally that both Aesthetics & Performance can be achieved in unison & if you’re goal is to achieve this, I suggest you hire someone that can show you how it’s done.
Article by: Dean Hammond Combat Fuel Athlete
