Technical mastery vs. good enough (plus numerous upcoming events!)

Last week I explained how I dial in my attention prior to every set during training and where I focus when snatching a kettlebell.

An expected follow-up line of questioning might be: "Do I really need to pay attention to all that stuff when training? Can't I just show up and move?"

To which I'll answer: Yes and no (to the first question). And, no and yes (to the second).

Let's dig a little deeper.

Why technique is important

To answer the first question, we need to understand why technique is important in the first place.

Here are my top four reasons:

Better technique reduces the risk of injury

While there's no single cause for all lifting injuries, perhaps the most common cause is the intersection of lifting too much weight and using a misaligned movement pattern. In other words, using suboptimal technique.

This doesn't mean that using amazing technique is a foolproof way to avoid injury. It's not.

Or that using suboptimal technique guarantees an injury. It doesn't (fortunately, since we all have to be bad at something before we can be good at it).

Or that developing perfect technique is either necessary or achievable. More on this in a minute.

Still, it should be obvious that we're less likely to experience accidents (i.e. injuries) when we use technique at or above a minimum standard and more likely when we fall below that standard.

As the funny/not-so-funny Internet meme says, "Every exercise is a lower back exercise if you do it wrong enough."

Better technique enables the use of heavier weights

Improving technique not only reduces the risk of injury but also increases the amount of weight that we're able to safely lift.

And lifting weights that are heavy enough to challenge our muscles is what produces progress. At least, that's what happens when we also apply a couple other basic training principles.

Intentionally improving technique cultivates a mastery mindset

Life is too short to become exceptional at everything. Still, we can become relatively good at a variety of skills if we're deliberate about trying to improve, if even a miniscule amount, whenever we practice.

Do that long enough, and eventually our modus operandi becomes continuous improvement in whatever skill we direct our focus. Obviously that carries over into every aspect of our lives.

So if exercise is a regular part of our day—which it should be if we want to lead long and healthy lives—then focusing on improving technical expertise during our training sessions can regularly serve as an opportunity to cultivate an attitude of mastery.

Focusing on technique is fun

In this context I don't exactly mean fun as "the type of experience we have when we play a game or attend an exciting event", but rather "an experience that captures our attention and provides a sense of intrinsic motivation".

No matter how you feel about exercise (but especially if you generally dislike it), focusing on technique provides a much more positive receptacle for our attention than does focusing on how fatigued or uncomfortable we might be feeling.

And that is effectively "fun".

When is "good enough" good enough?

Ultimately, the reason that technique is important is because it (i.e. better technique) leads to faster all-around progress. Which is why we do need to "pay attention during our training" and can't just "show up and move".

That said and as with anything, there comes a point of diminishing returns which depends on the size of our goals. The lower our goals, the sooner we'll reach that point. Conversely, the higher our goals, the more effort we can and need to put into improving technique.

This is where my second answer to each of our two initial questions comes into play.

As long as you're using safe technique (to avoid injury) and are able to lift heavy-for-you weights (to see progress that's important to you), then you don't necessarily need to pay as much attention to all the minor details and can potentially just show up and move.

The important point here is to keep the goal the goal.

Improving technique will never hurt anything. But we also need to remember that exercise technique is the means, not the end (unless, of course, you're doing gymnastics or synchronized swimming).

So if you're satisfied with where you've been ending up, then you've probably reached the "good enough" stage. It's only when you're less-than-satisfied that revisiting the means might be in order.

Putting It Into Practice

Now is a perfect time to revisit this tip about your reasons for training (or doing just about anything else in life) and possibly this tip about scientifically-backed goal setting. Spending some time with the recommendations from the Putting It Into Practice sections will help you decide how much effort to put into advancing your technical expertise.

And if you decide that you want to learn more, check out the upcoming Kettlebell 101 and Kettlebell 201 courses at the gym or virtually. Current TNT members can use code "TNTMEMBER" after logging in for a discount on either or both courses. (A couple body weight and barbell courses will also be added soon. So bookmark that page and check back occasionally or keep an eye on the events section at the bottom of every weekly tip!)