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Okay, so it’s your designated time to go to the gym and work out. How are you going to spend your time?
What is the short term and long term goal you are trying to accomplish?
Lose weight? Get stronger? Get faster? Get in better condition for a sport? Overall Health? Flexibility?
If you arrive at the gym and find that you don’t know what your short and long term goals are, then stop and go home. Don’t come back until you know.
The movements you choose in the weight room should serve to accomplish YOUR goals.
If you do know what you’re trying to accomplish, then you need to ask yourself at every exercise station the following three questions:
- Is this exercise directly bringing me closer to my goals?
- Is this exercise indirectly bringing me closer to my goals by improving an inefficiency or serving as a progression to a movement that would bring me closer to my goals?
- Is there an exercise other than this one that would be a better use of my time?
If you don’t know the answers to these questions or if you have not even thought about them, you really need to. I see FAR too many people (of all ages) in the weight room that look like they’re there just so they can tell their friends that they worked out.
- Why are you choosing the leg extension if you’re 80 pounds overweight?
- Why are you doing 7 sets of Smith Machine inclines presses?
- Why are you spending 3/4 of your time doing ab exercises on the stability ball?
- Why are you balancing on a Bosu ball?
I guarantee if I went up to some of these people and asked them why exactly they chose that particular exercise, they couldn’t tell me the answer. And if they did, I bet they couldn’t justify their answer with anything that makes any sense with regard to training.
Your time is valuable–why wouldn’t this include the time you spend in the weight room. Everything you do should be bringing you closer to your goals–otherwise it’s a waste of time.
Wouldn’t you agree?
You really have to look at whether what you’re doing is in line with your goals and if it’s actually working.
I hate to burst anyone’s bubble but in most cases:
7 sets of Smith Machine incline presses is NOT the best way to increase upper body strength and get huge.
Walking on the treadmill for long periods of time or using a leg machine is NOT the best way to lose weight.
Spending excess time in the ab station is NOT going to melt away your belly fat.
Balancing on the Bosu ball is only going to teach you how to balance on a Bosu ball. Are you planning on joining the circus?
Do yourself a favor and start BEING AWARE of everything you’re doing. Find out if there’s a better way–your time is valuable and there could (and probably is) a more efficient and SAFE use of your time.
Find it and DO IT.
(HINT: It may be something that’s actually hard to do and that you’re not particularly good at.)
Topics: Program Design |
July 15th, 2008 at 7:10 pm
Very very very GOOD!!