Just to be clear, you won’t be an expert, but you can exercise like an expert if you keep these ten steps in mind.
Can something be both complex and simple? Can it taste great and yet be less filling? Hot and cold? Where am I going with this? Hang on, I’ll tell you.
Working out can be simple – not easy. However, over the past 30+ years as exercising has become more popular, conflicting information and bad information has made things confusing.
There are 10 easy steps you can follow to make your workouts as efficient and as effective as possible. Here in part 1 of the story, I will give you the first 5 steps.
1) Concentrate on body weight exercises – One of the biggest mistakes people make, including many personal trainers, is to emphasize lifting weights. Bad idea. The vast majority of people move poorly and lifting weights with poor mechanics is counter-productive. If you can’t do 4 sets of 20 body weight lunges with proper form, you shouldn’t try to lunge with weights. If you can do 4 sets of push-ups with proper form, you shouldn’t be bench pressing. You get the idea…
2) Push, pull, squat, lunge, bend, reach, rotate and brace in every workout – These 8 moves are the key to human performance. If you perform all of these moves in every workout, even just one set of each, you will be making the most of your workout time. Keep in mind step 1: Push-ups, pull-ups (or any variation), squats, lunges, squat thrusts (and other calisthenics) and planks fill this prescription, as do many dynamic flexibility moves.
3) Quality over quantity – Waaaaaay too many people make the mistake of doing more instead of doing better, spending extra unnecessary hours in the gym. Forty-five minutes of focused exercise is better than ninety minutes of fitness busy work. Someone who exercises every day isn’t getting quality exercise and is wasting time and effort.
4) Buy mini-bands – Mini-bands are elastic bands that are used when performing a series of exercises that will improve your overall fitness level in an efficient and effective manner. Go to PerformBetter.com and search for mini-bands and order a pack of green bands. Included with your order – it’ll only set you back around $20 – you’ll receive an instructional DVD that will show you how to get the most out of the bands.
5) Recovery is key – If you don’t give yourself enough rest in between workouts you won’t derive all the benefits of exercising, and can actually impede your progress. In addition to resting in between workout, you need to change intensities of your workouts, as well. This means that if you hit it hard on Monday, not only should you take Tuesday off, but you should gear it down on Wednesday. Check back later this week for the second half of the list.
