Going Through The Motions

Going Through The Motions – How NOT To Improve


What Men Say “I Think I’ll Do Upper Body Today”

What Women Say “I Think I’ll Just Run or Do Cardio Today”

Interesting fact: Most people go to the gym and immediately do the exercises they like. If you’re a man, that means bench press and curls. If you’re a woman it means hopping on the treadmill for a long slow walk or a long slow run. I know not everyone does this but stick with me for a little bit. This is one of the main reason some people feel they are working hard but not getting the results they want. They are always going to work on the stuff they can’t see or don’t like to do tomorrow but, tomorrow never comes.

We work with many athletes and workout enthusiasts to make Monday a lower body day. This was done for one simple reason. Every day I was forced to do battle with human nature. Athletes are no different than the average gym-goer. They want to do what they like. I was like the parent who needed to say, “no TV until your homework is done”. When we first began developing training programs for athletes, our athletes were just like the folks described above. Athletes who were not on a program would wander into the weight room, do a couple of sets of bench presses and then wander over to the curl bar for a few sets. After this, they would simply leave. My solution to this problem was simple…

The first day of every week was always a lower body day. This meant that athletes would return the next day to do the stuff they really wanted to do – a simple but effective solution. If you work with us in the clinic you may hear me talk about the fact that most people work what they see in the mirror (chest, abs, and quads – the front of the thighs) and then in sports physical therapy we work what you can’t see (your upper back, glutes, and hamstrings).

The solution for a fitness routine is even simpler. Perform a full body workout every time you go to the gym. Do your lower body and pulling exercises (like chin-ups) first. Save the bench press and curls for last. If you just did a squat or squat variation, a pull-up variation and then benched and curled, the result will be a vast improvement in your physique. The average person’s work ethic in the gym is the equivalent to going to a restaurant, ordering dessert, getting too full from dessert and skipping the meal. Lots of empty calories and none of the stuff you need.

The truth is that training is much like nutrition. Ever notice that everything that is good for you doesn’t taste very good. In addition, all the stuff that tastes great is fattening. Exercise is the same way. Most of the exercises that are best for you are the ones that are least popular and seem to be the most challenging. Have you ever noticed the popularity of exercises where you sit or lie down? The whole machine concept is based on appealing to the lowest common denominator of human nature. You can exercise while seated on a padded chair. Just remember, if it seems too good to be true, it probably is.

In summary, do resistance training each time you go to the gym, work the posterior chain each workout as well (upper back, glutes, and/or hams), If you work what is hard first you will be rewarded. If you have any questions about what you should do don’t hesitate to contact us.