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Working out vs Training (or why you’re killing yourself and getting poor results)

I recently saw a comment on a social media page that got me thinking, the conversation went a bit like this:

X: I’m not able to do heavy squats at my current gym.

Y: I know, it sucks not being able to do your big lifts bro!

Z: Why don’t you guys just modify your workout, it’s not such a big deal!

I’m happy to report that X and Y got to do their big lifts, but it got me thinking about ‘Z’s’ response. When two big strong dudes (and I know both have heavier than 2 x bodyweight high bar back squats and +2.5 x bodyweight deadlifts) like these talk about ‘training’ you tend to listen, especially if your idea of a heavy weight is vinyl and comes in varying shades of pink.

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Prioritising

One of the things that really irritates me in the fitness industry is when a ripped fitness coach who is in their twenties or thirties, who has no children, no ‘other half’, no mortgage, no savings plan, no ‘real life stressors’, etcetera,  says something along the lines of:

“Anyone can find 15 minutes in their day to workout.”

Blanket statement, no shades of grey. If you can’t find 15 mins to workout you are either crap or lazy.

“If it is important to you, you will find a way.”

Again, if you fail then it clearly wasn’t that important to you, or you didn’t care enough.

Now whilst I agree it the motivations sentiments behind these statements, they leave no scope for the things that can happen in real life. What project management geeks might refer to as ‘mission creep’, or the timeline sliding to the right (that’s one for real PM geeks!). Read more

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Jogging is a big ‘waist’ of time

Running for fat loss is a big waist of time (get it?). Let’s clarify that statement a bit. Sprinting is a fantastic tool to be used in the arsenal of the intermediate to advanced practitioner, who want to use it to either ditch some excess bodyfat or to build a V8 engine that can dole out some powerful athleticism. But what happens when someone who doesn’t run regularly decides that they want ‘to lose some weight’? The common practice is to start putting some miles in on the roads around their house or work. But is going from zero miles to pounding the pavement, to lose bodyfat, a good idea? The answer is no. Increased bodyfat percentage, shin splints, sore ankles, knee trauma and low back pain are just a few of the prizes you can win if you decide that you’re going to use running as your initial fat loss strategy. Read more

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The Sunday Routine

My kitchen tends to freak people out. On the front of the fridge is a laminated printed sheet with a four week menu. It tells me what meal I’m eating every night. On the front of my freezer is another laminated card. This one has written on it in non-permanent marker how many tubs of each, slow cooker prepared, frozen meals I have in it. I have a whiteboard on the wall, divided into two columns. One side is a ‘to do list’ and the other is a ‘to buy’ list. Whenever I get down to the last one or two apples, put away an almost empty packet of quinoa or even put the second last loo roll on the holder, I write on the board that I need to buy it at my next ‘big shop’. Read more

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Changing routines and why you are still fat…

Warning: Rant Alert!

Let me tell you a story…

aerobics

Teaching quite a lot of kettlebell classes for a fair number of gyms, my classes have to be accessable to anyone who decides to ‘just drop in and try it’. The kettlebell swing (a hip hinge) is at the same time a very simple and natural movement AND a hideously complex and alien one for people who’ve forgotten how to move. So I need to be able to provide a session similtaneously for amatuer athletes and complete beginners, which CAN be slightly problematic. Let me share a tale… Read more

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