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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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Sit down less, lie down more

I was recently drawn into a discussion with another fit-pro about the whole ‘weight machines vs free weights’ discussion. For those who don’t know in the 50’s/60’s commercial gyms expanded in number and were looking for a way to save the time and space that free weights took up. This led to the development of ‘weight machines’ and was the beginning of the destruction of human physical culture. I may be exaggerating, but I covered this previously in my blog ‘I hate functional training‘. 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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Rules of the Pull (Up)

Functional strength could also be considered ‘skill strength’, or the ability to easily apply your strength to a specific task. And what is ‘functional’ if not the ability to move your own bodyweight around?

Now, whilst there are many guys walking around most gyms who have the ability to pull a barbell with over twice their bodyweight off of the floor, there seems to be a shortage of guys who have the ability to perform five strict deadhang pull ups. Which is just weird, because unless they weigh over 16 stone they ‘should’ be strong enough to do it. So why are ‘good’ pull ups a rarity in most gyms?

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Leg Press and the Spanish Inquisition

A few weeks ago I was grilled over a Facebook post I’d made regarding the leg press machines found in most gyms. To spoil the ending… I’m not very fond of them. I think they take up space on the floor that would be better used for people to lie down on. The metal that they are made of would be better used in the construction of some kettlebells or a suspension rig.
Avoid-the-leg-press

So why is it that I would never consider putting a client on the leg press machine? Here’s the reasons I gave on Facebook fleshed out a bit, plus a few extra ones. Read more

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