Happy Holidays! It is a time of year that brings about a lot of self reflection and also looking to the future. For many of us, it’s a time to assess our health and make a resolution to be healthier. Statistically, most of us will fail. Here are two general principles that will help you to see good results in your training to keep you reaching for your goals.
Minimize the risk and maximize the reward
Working out is a stress on the body, a kind of stress that can bring about desirable adaptations and benefits if certain dietary and lifestyle factors are met. With that said, even the best and most appropriate exercises come at a cost, in other words there is always a risk/reward tightrope to walk. One of the worst risk to reward exercises that people do frequently is running. While I generally am an advocate of running, there are many conditions that must be met to make it a beneficial exercise like decent flexibility and posture. Likewise, doing max weight on a bench press is not something that you do for the sake of health, the risk is much too great and the reward is nothing more than locker room banter.
Train directly for your goal
Keep your eyes on the prize going into this new year and train for your goal. Running dozens of miles might make you better at running but it isn’t likely to help you lean down and tone up, not for very long anyway. It is also time consuming and high impact with a strong likelihood of injury. Allow your training to energize you and avoid working out to the point of complete exhaustion. Remember that the food you eat is going to be responsible for 80% of your weight loss goals so there is no need to try and burn thousands of calories on an elliptical machine. Consistently practicing kettlebell swings, turkish get ups and squats will give you a solid foundation in your training, do lots of them and go from there. Unless your only goal is to bulk up, avoid muscle isolation exercises because they can make you tight, are time consuming and have a higher likelihood of injury than compound lifts.
Remember not to put too much pressure on yourself. I have a gym at my house that even if I feel low energy I can just go into and “see how it goes”. Sometimes not much happens, but usually I have a great time, great workout and feel amazing afterward. Having simple equipment in your home is huge when it comes to staying on track; knowing how to use it is just as important! Keep it simple going into the New Year, but stay consistent and do the things that are going to give you great results with less wasted effort.
Happy New Year!
Peter Hirsh
