That's right,
I said it. And I'm not sorry. But before you gather up the
pitchforks and torches or make a call to "Shady Acres" to see if they
have an opening for me, hear me out first.
Recently, a friend shared this story with us:
He was at the
gym, when an "older guy" came up and asked if he could work in. The
man was chatty, said he wished we could get some younger guys to do the lifting
for us. Our friend told him that's why he was lifting, to be younger again.
The gentleman
said, "I've been lifting for 50 years; started when I was 12. My mother
said it would get easier. She lied. It just hurts more. It's not really
possible to get in shape."
I hate to
think how many hours of his life this man frittered away, all the while utterly
missing the point. Those are hours he will never get back. And
he'll never see the rewards that were right there for the taking either.
Another conversation Michelle had with a young
novice lifter:
The young
woman was frustrated. She hasn't been losing any weight and she hasn't
seen any improvments in strength either. Michelle looked into her workout
log and saw that she has been doing the same weight for the same number of reps
for as far as she cared to scroll back. Except for one day. On that
day, she increased the weight a couple of pounds. Her comments were,
"this is definitely harder. Help!" After that, she went right
back down again.
Michelle
explained to her that she had to push herself. That the only way she
would grow or see improvment was to increase the weights. The young woman
said she couldn't do any heavier weights; she only "ended up gritting her
teeth and pulling something".
That
conversation ended with Michelle just shaking her head.
By now, I'm sure you're seeing my point. But I'll
spell it out anyway.
If you don't
have a goal, you're wasting time at the gym.
If you don't
have a program that is designed to reach your goal, you're wasting time at
the gym.
If you aren't pushing
yourself when you're at the gym, making every day a little better
than the last, you're wasting time at the gym.
If you go home
and throw it all away with poor nutrition, you're wasting time at
the gym.
You pay good
money for your membership. You put in good, valuable hours of your life
when you go. For most of us, this isn't spare time or spare change you
couldn't find anything else to do with. It's a squeeze. So, why would
you commit precious time and money to activity with no purpose and no results?
"But I just want to be generally fit and healthy; what's wrong with that?"
Here's a
secret: there is no such thing as a maintenance work out. Let
that sink in for a moment.
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| There's your problem right there! |
Your body
adapts very quickly in response to exercise. Your ability
to perform - strength, endurance, power - are measurably improved after one
session. Go back a day or two later and you'll be able to do a
little more than before. It may not be much. Hell, it may not feel like
anything, but it's a fact.
A
"maintenance" routine is truly nothing more than getting stronger,
faster, better, and then, without progression, deconditioning until the same
routine becomes challenging again. This is akin to having an oil leak in
your car and never fixing it, just continually adding a quart.
Five things you can do to make your workouts count.
1. Be present. We've written before about the value of getting your head in the game, not just in the gym, but in anything that matters to you. It seems obvious, but in our multitasking world, I think most of us are accustomed to dividing our attention out of habit.
2. Have a goal. Again, it seems obvious, and it is written about regularly, but even within your individual workouts, you should have a goal. "Today I'm going to do one more 'X'." or "Today, I'm going to increase my speed by .5mph for the first five minutes."
3. Don't sell yourself short. You are capable of more than you think. Don't you want to find out how much more?
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| Now - HE - is done! |
4. Compete with yourself and keep score! This goes along with #3, but bears calling out. If you are doing the same weight for the same reps, or hitting the same speed on the treadmill for the same distance, you are leaving your gains on the table. Not to mention, as you condition, you burn fewer calories doing the same workout. A five-rep set isn't over because you hit five. It's over when you push up your last rep with good form. (Michelle and I call this "the world's longest rep")
5. Don't be afraid to suck. Okay, once again, let me explain before you hit the "close window" button. We gravitate to things we are good at. It feels good to be good at something. But, in the gym (as with many places in life), the places where we feel least competent are the places we can grow the fastest. And there's only one way to improve a weakness: challenge it. Again and again. Make your weakness your new strength.
Wrapping up, I'd like to make sure we end on a positive note. You've already committed your time and your money to getting to the gym. That's a huge step. Make those hours count. Think about how you will remember those hours years from now. You're welcome.
