Hello everyone! I hope you are all doing well and enjoying your regular exercise. You are exercising, aren’t you?
Anyway, this week I wanted to talk about some things I’ve been seeing in the gym lately.
There are a lot of people who work very hard. They go to the gym four times a week and are doing the best they can, but nothing is happening. They aren’t losing weight. They’re not getting stronger or more muscular. They’re not seeing results. I wanted to point out some things you can do to avoid this being you.
1. Get off the machines! I could write a book about this alone, but for now, I’ll just give you one (of many) reasons to avoid these evil hunks of metal. You simply don’t work the same amount of muscle when you use a machine. For example, when you do a standing barbell curl not only are you working your biceps, but you are working your core which is keeping you upright against the resistance of the moving barbell, you are working your grip strength because holding an object that is moving freely is much more difficult than holding an object moving along a fixed path and, since you are standing, you are also working your balance and lower body stability. When you do a machine curl, you are working your biceps and that’s it. What do you think is more effective?
2. Stop the mindless cardio! Sure, doing cardio is an important part of a good exercise program, but there are much better ways to do cardio than vacantly trudging along on a treadmill.
For example, compare that to this: do ten jump squats (a full squat with a big jump at the end) and then ten pushups. Then do nine jumps squats and nine pushups. Eight jump squats, eight pushups, all the way down to one and one. Do the whole sequence as fast as you can with no rest then tell me which one is a more effective cardio workout. This kind of work boosts your metabolism after you’re done which the usual type of “steady-state cardio” doesn’t do. That equals better fat loss and conditioning.
3. Have a plan! Have a reason for everything you do. Don’t just jump on a machine because it’s there. Have a purpose. This means having a goal and doing the things that will take you towards that goal. If you don’t know how to get there, pick up a book or hire a knowledgeable trainer. A good plan will include how to begin and, just as important, how to progress.
Let me know if you have any questions or comments and please consult your physician before starting any exercise program.
from the Castro Valley Forum – September 9, 2009 Mitchell Rothbardt MitchRothbardtTraining@yahoo.com 510-754-7113 Discover Your Strength!
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