I work full time, and for the rest of the hours, I am full time. Needless to say, between all of this activity, it doesn’t leave a lot of time for the gym.
Can you afford any of those…hours…upon….hours… in the gym??
Aside from aspiring towards a career as a professional fitness model, the dollar signs…just. don’t compute.
dear fitness babe, if you're smiling while working out, then ITS WAY TOO EASY!
Your time is valuable!
To me, I feel that the greatest benefits come from pure proficiency. These are called skills, my friend.
Maximum Benefit = Highest Effort
In other words…
there’s no need, at all…to spend TOO MUCH time in the gym!
Have you ever seen that one guy in the gym? He spends 10 hours hitting the weights, BUT he neglects his body by working out only his arms, and then just blames his genetics for not making progress…
Instead, a more proficient solution…
KEY: Perform exercises with the greatest benefit.
Guess where I am?
I spend more time in the shower than I do the gym. Perhaps that’s just a lifestyle choice, or the state of my affairs, because I know that proficiency is the foundation of fitness.
In the weightlifting world, we equate risk to benefit for exercise selection. For example, placing 200+ pounds of iron on my shoulders maybe isn’t the safest thing in the world. And for each rep, I embrace this reality because I really feel a mind-body connection that improves all other physicality’s of my life.
Rule of thumb: The harder the exercise, the more potential benefits.
Lets return to our fitness babe who innocently sells a product she probably doesn’t even perform when the cameras aren’t around.
Yep, it's STILL, too easy.
Exercise X:
Leg Curl
Muscles worked: Quadriceps
Real Life Value: Slim-to-none, except for certain people.
Who should use it, ideally? Usually it is best used for physical rehabilitation, (weaker than average) beginners, and experienced bodybuilders.
Instead, I present an alternative. This is not only for guys who want to get fit, but for people who are serious about fitness. Do the exercises that give you LOTS OF BENEFITS, because you don’t need to be an athlete in order to perform…like one.
Exercises Y, Z:
- Bulgarian Split Squat
- Front Squat
Muscles worked: Quadriceps, hamstrings, glutes, abdominals (entire core),
Additional muscles worked: During front squats, the upper back must help support the weight. As a result, posture improves.
During the split squat, your ability to balance is really taxed, which means you can improve balance substantially. Balance and coordination are the top ways to prevent ankle and knee sprains.
Real Life Value: Increased lower back health, greater mobility and flexibility, promotes healthy knees (don’t forget to Warm-Up), and improves balance and coordination.
Fat Loss?: YES, fat loss certified exercises.
Who should use these exercises: Healthy people over 16 in order to burn fat and build lean tissue. In addition, these exercises assist injury prevention in sport (safeguard vs ACL tear).
This is just another day in the gym, part of a 35 minute workout.
Even though I carry quite a bit more muscle than most people, I can assure you has LITTLE to do with time investment.
If you’re going to do something, you might as well Do It Right!
How to Select an Exercise
- Does it work several muscles at multiple joints?
- Describe the ways it is functional in real life.
- You should be too tired to do more after 45 minutes of it. Go drink a protein shake.
- Freeweights are some of the best, the cable pulley machines are good, bands have uses, and regular machines generally aren’t worth the time.
Now, you have the time, but do you have the drive?
Be proficient, friend, and the RESULTS…SHALL…COME!
dude, always a pleasure to read your posts. and you hit the nail right on the head. anytime a girl is complaining of being fat, or a guys is complaining that he’s not strong, i tell them to do squats. it works.