Could you be a Renaissance Athlete?

Leonardo da Vinci never stuck to one discipline, so why should you stick to one form of exercise? 

If your approach to exercise has started to feel suspiciously like hard flipping work, it might be time to change the brief. Somewhere between fitness trackers, training plans, and the rise of the very serious running club, exercise has become something we're expected to be good at.  

It's easy to end up with one form of exercise that you do repeatedly because you've decided it's your thing. I mean, if you like, then keep doing it. But before long, something you started doing because you enjoyed it has become another metric to maintain. We are either a runner, or doing yoga, or a cyclist, or a swimmer, or a weekly Pilates attendee. Why can’t we give everything a go? Be kind of a Renaissance athlete, if you will? 

The idea, which is starting to crop up in fitness conversations, is fairly simple: rather than specialising in one sport, be interested in lots of different movement. And the best part is, you don’t even have to be that good at any of them! 

It's less about becoming a multi-sport athlete and more about permitting yourself to be a beginner. That is increasingly appealing in a fitness culture where everything seems to have an endpoint. Even recreational exercise can quickly become performance-driven, particularly when technology makes it so easy to track every part of it. 

Trying something new gives you a way out of that loop. You probably won't be very good at tennis the first time you play, or you might get a blister (or five) on that first climbing lesson. But hey, that's fine. The activity doesn't have to become a new identity. 

There are good physical reasons to mix things up, too. Different forms of exercise place different demands on the body. Running and cycling are useful for cardiovascular fitness, while resistance training helps maintain muscle and bone strength. Swimming can build endurance with less impact on the joints, while sports such as tennis and climbing bring coordination, balance, and agility into the equation. 

Variety can also make exercise more sustainable. If you're only running, a niggle or a bad week can make it tempting to stop altogether. If running is one part of a broader routine, there are other things you can do. You can swim while your legs recover or lift when the weather is a bit drizzly. 

Perhaps the biggest benefit, though, is psychological. We spend a lot of time being told to optimise ourselves, which can make movement feel surprisingly complicated. Being a Renaissance Athlete is a much less demanding proposition. Keep the things you enjoy, and build that rich routine of different sports. 

And there's something quite useful about building a body that can do lots of things, rather than one that is exceptionally good at just one. Being able to run five kilometres is great. Being able to run five kilometres, carry your shopping, swim a few lengths, climb a hill, and join a casual game of tennis is a different kind of fitness altogether. And I think I know which one sounds a lot more fun… 

So if your current workout routine has started to feel a little stale, you don't necessarily need a new goal; try a new activity instead. You might find you're the next Serena Williams, Cristiano Ronaldo, or Simone Biles. Or you might be a bit rubbish. Either way, you’re building that fitness portfolio.