If just doing exercises was all it took to get into shape, we’d have a lot of fit people in this world. Sadly, we don’t.
As a fitness coach, it’s my job to make sure my clients are doing the right things in order to get into shape. That includes everything from nutrition, sleep, lifestyle choices, and of course, training.
Other than proper nutrition, which is by far the biggest struggle most of you face, the quality of your workouts is a huge obstacle to getting fit.
What do I mean?
Well here are 5 things that keep you from getting the results you are looking for:
- Intensity. You aren’t training hard enough to get results continuously.
- Exercise selection. You are doing the wrong types of exercises.
- Ineffective exercises. You are doing ineffective or even harmful exercises
- No plan. You have no workout plan and just do whatever you feel like on any given day.
- Cardio sucks. You waste time doing traditional cardio.
Now there is nothing wrong with training just for the sake of training and you will get results if you do it, but for how long and at what cost?
Intensity
Intensity is absolutely critical when it comes to training. Most people will push themselves just hard enough to feel like they’re doing something, but not nearly hard enough to get the best results.
I’m not advocating pushing yourself to muscle failure over and over (especially guys over 40), but I will tell you that pushing well beyond your comfort zone is where the most growth lies.
Exercise Selection
Just throwing together a bunch of exercises that look good is not a program. Doing this leads to a number of issues including muscle imbalances (think about how many guys just train arms and chest), poor posture, and overuse injuries.
While there are a million ways to write out an effective exercise program, it still makes to sense to have a program.
As an example, a guy who is struggling to add 15 pounds of muscle to his frame will have a very tough time if he focuses on exercises like bicep curls, triceps pushdowns, leg curls or extensions, etc.
Instead, he should focus on heavy, compound movements that will recruit WAY more muscle fibers and muscle groups that isolation exercises.
Ineffective and/or Harmful Exercises
Along the lines of what I stated above, doing certain exercises is pretty much a waste of your time and can even hurt you.
Here are a few of my favorite exercise to hate on:
- Hamstring curls. Why use this machine when you can deadlift or do step ups??
- Leg extensions. Unless you are very careful with the load and the positioning of this machine, it can fuck your knees up. Using it unilaterally is OK, but an assisted pistol squat beats this every day of the week.
- Anything on the Smith machine. Your hips and legs don’t move in a fixed line, so why are you training them in one?
- Leg press. (see above)
The problem with using machines is that they are really best suited for rehabbing injuries or for old people. The use of your body weight, dumbbells, or barbells is so much more efficient (and safer).
I’m also a big believer in using compound lifts over isolation ones. Why do bicep curls when you can do chin ups? Why do pec dec flys when you can do bar dips? Don’t waste time on exercises that use one muscle when you can get a much greater benefit from choosing an exercise that uses many.
No Plan
Having no workout plan is a bad idea. It’s bad because if you are working out whatever body part you feel like, you will most likely train the same muscle groups continuously (see repetitive overuse injury).
Shit, nobody likes to train legs and because of that, very few do.
It also leads to a lack of progress because if you don’t track it, how do you really know if you are progressing? And progressing is the key to getting results.
There is also a lot to be said for incorporating different kinds of exercises, using the entire body, and rotating them every 6-8 weeks or so.
Cardio Sucks
Traditional steady state cardio sucks. It sucks for anyone interested in adding lean muscle, losing body fat, and looking fucking awesome. It’s great for those who are training for runs or endurance events, but for the vast majority of you, it’s a waste of your time and energy.
Instead, spend your “cardio” sessions doing some form of HIIT or interval training where you use short bursts of all out energy coupled with short rest periods.
This is the best way to boost your metabolism and to start shedding that fat.
Your Custom Training Plan
Because so many of you are not trainers and don’t necessarily have the tools to write out a workout plan that works for your goals, needs, abilities, and resources, I’ve created something that will.
It’s been three months in the making but my 12-Week Custom Training Program is officially live.
My goal is to help as many dads as I can get into the best shape of their lives and this is a very cost effective way to do just that. For $197, you’ll get a strength and cardiovascular training program customized just for you, based on a number of variables specific for you.
Click here to find out more and to start training the right way today! I also offer a money back guarantee, so if you follow my program, you have nothing to lose.
Except that gut…
Leave A Comment