Exercise Routines

Ok, here we go....

What's your favorite workout system? Come on, everyone has one. Is it the first one you ever learned and just thought that's how you do it? I go to the YMCA where I live and STILL see most people doing bodybuilding workouts. Old people, kids, weight loss hopefuls, etc. It blows my mind.

Everyone has the best routine. Crossfitters talk trash about soul cycle, soul cycle is better than yoga, and yoga is better overall than HIIT training.

In over a decade of training, learning, college, certifications, and mentoring I subscribed to two methods that I thought were the best. One was my mentor's creation and it is a very good program, probably the most fun I've ever had in fitness, and the other was one I created which was also good.

Here's the catch: IT DOESN'T MATTER, what matters is consistency.

Whatever program you do is fine as long as you love it. If you have a specific goal then we can get nerdy with your program but if you are just training to look and feel good then do anything damn thing you want but do it every day.

You must either enjoy your workouts or be intrinsically motivated by the reason why you are working, otherwise, you'll quit and regress. Like I always say, I have had some amazing clients that achieved amazing results, but even they fell off after a while and I am almost certain it was because there comes a time when the brain isn't engaged anymore. They needed a change to stay interested. THAT'S OK! Keep your brain engaged by keeping current with your interests. I have done long-distance training when I was young, MMA training, powerlifting, and mountaineering-specific training, and now I am just interested in being strong, healthy, and sexy. I even throw in a little strongman training for fun. I HAVE NO PLAN. That is an important phrase for you to really understand. I was a CSCS and I used to love to feel smart because I could breakdown everything about fitness but I am telling you... IT ISN'T NECESSARY for most of you.

Here's the thing folks, I am most likely going to get push-back on these things I am saying. Fitness people, like evreryone else, want to feel smart. The science-based people want to spew endless knowledge on serotonin and all that crap but there are only a couple certainties you should be aware of. At some point, you will probably suffer nagging injuries (physically but mentally too). Even the most careful programs, based on injury prevention, will still hurt people and you will get depressed or stressed at some point as well. You will need to change it up and vary the modes of resistance to combat this. Also, progressive overload is a real thing that cannot be ignored.

So... let me break down my keys to a successful "program" for the everyday person who isn't concerned about being a professional exerciser (yeah I am making fun of those people who think they are cool because they track their macros and write down their deadlift numbers but only in a playful way).

Keys:

1. Train daily. We touched on this already. This is absolutely imperative for motivational continuity and your habit-building brain. Also, you can't achieve results without doing the thing you're aiming at. It really doesn't matter in the long run what you do, run in a damn circle for an hour. Whatever. Just train. (To be fair, you can't do the same things every day. See below).

2. Change it up. The everyday person gets bored. I get bored and I'm an expert. Run in a circle day 1, full body strength day 2, bike day 3, HIIT day 4, stretch day 5, etc. If you are kind of interested in fitness but not a total geek about it then do a specific routine for 3 months and then change it up. It's cool to do the old-school lifting for a 6-8 week program and then run for a few weeks and then HIIT. Do you see where I'm going with this? Keep it interesting. And of course, if you have a specific event or thing you're training for then this won't apply. In that case you'll actually want to hire a professional to at least give you an overview of your program to get the results you need, but this is geared towards the everyday person.

3. The one thing I will caution is to make sure you stretch and do injury prevention stuff weekly no matter what training you're doing. This is like buying insurance; you may not feel bad now but it comes quickly. I have a bad right hip and a bad left shoulder from years o neglecting this aspect.

4. Progressive overload. This might be the most technical term I say on this blog. Most trainer lingo is bullshit to the everyday person but this is one to keep in mind. You can train how you want to but you must continue to safely increase the intensity to see results. If I am training for a mountain and I only do bodyweight step-ups then I won't be prepared when I wear a 60lbs pack. I must do body weight step-ups for a week, add 10 lbs the next week, and build up to 60 lbs. The same goes for any goal. If you run 1 mile then work up to 1.5 miles and keep going until you get bored. We need to stay engaged and keep our body guessing to continually see results both mentally and physically.

All programs are the best, as long as you like it and can stay consistent. To recap: monitor your body for injuries and change it up if need be. Doesn't matter what you do, just do it daily. Make it a little harder each week/month to keep seeing results.