4 Things I Wish I Had Known About Fitness Programs

Looking over many websites and discussion forums, you can see that America is on the search for the perfect exercise program. And with so many to choose from, the task is rather difficult. Or perhaps you should create your own... Or go to a personal trainer as well as have her or him design one specifically for you. Even then, how do you know it's going to really work out for you? Many routines are simply much too intense. They might be fine for the very first a few weeks or so, but for a great deal of men and women, doing a ton of exercise and not getting the proper rest and recuperation in between sessions may bring about what's called "overtraining". To put it differently, overtraining is your enemy in exercise.

There are many articles already written about overtraining, its symptoms, and how to recover from it, so I will not go into detail here. Suffice to say, when you will be in an "overtrained state", you lose your motivation for working out, you in turn become susceptible to injury and sickness, as well as your results hit a brick wall or worse, reverse.

So as you go on the look for "your perfect exercise program", don't be lead into the belief that "the more, the higher!", because regularly, the opposite is true. Actually, for the regular person, which is going to be a "groundbreaking revelation" for many because you simply don't hear this ANYWHERE, but I'm going to give you among the core truths: you should aim to do the very least quantity of exercise that you could still make gains with.

What does this mean? Well, to begin with, lets claim that its your first week within the gym. The majority of people will jump right in on a program that has them doing "3 sets per bodypart", eg. 3 sets of bench press (for chest), 3 sets of lat pulldowns (for back), 3 sets of curls (for biceps), etc.

The truth is, while you're a novice, you can actually be getting the same results from just ONE group of each one of these exercises! Why do more if all you are doing is increasing your recovery time, muscle soreness, and energy output?

Or lets say you're doing a "group cardio class", and it lasts for one hour. If its your first-class, you are going to be maxed out after 20 minutes, as well as the rest of the time you're going to simply be pushing your body past what it has the ability to recover from.

So far this has been "theoretical", since several people are not doing their first workout or taking their first-rate. Nonetheless, you may need to keep this principle in your mind. You must not be doing more work than you may recover from properly (unless you simply LOVE exercise, and can not get enough of it, AND you're taking in plenty of nutrition, AND getting adequate rest). As such, how can you use this advice? Well, 3 ways come to mind:

When you are only starting out, or switching to something new, G O S L O W . Take your time building up your capacity due to this new endeavor. Exercise should be a habit you're building into your lifestyle, not only a "6-week hurry up and acquire fit blitz!" Pushing yourself too far, too fast, too soon will ultimately possess the negative effects of injury, sickness, overtraining, or loss of energy and desire for exercise. You want to avoid this.

When your choosing your exercise modality, e.g. "what your gonna do", do not just ask around willy nilly for via everybody's advice and what they "like". Many people have no idea what is going to be appropriate for you. You will need to be your own "exercise director" in your life. If you don't know much, take the time for you to learn a thing or two from respected experts who are not simply trying to get rich off of your desire for a better body. Watch out for all those who promise outlandish and quick results. Look for something that will probably "respect your body" and not push you too hard too soon. Guru's like to have their egos stroked by having the "hardest program". Big deal! You're not searching for the "hardest", you're searching for what is going to keep you healthy and fit for the rest of your life. Beware of quick fixes.

Listen to your body. How do you feel from then on exercise you just did: completely worn out or "energized"? Should the former, then maybe you need to taper back just a bit. Have your results stagnated? Then maybe you are pushing yourself too hard and too frequently. You should find the right "workload" for yourself. This gets adjusted two ways: training less many times, or doing "less work" (fewer sets, less weight, less time, less "volume" (range of exercises performed). Do not just keep pushing and pushing to hammer your body into submission. Try and do the least amount of work necessary to accomplish your goals. This way you are working efficiently, scientifically, and retaining your enthusiasm to ensure that your program can endure for quite some time.

Well, this article has only served to "set the stage" so to talk because certainly Far more may be said. And even more WILL, so stay tuned for future articles. And please come by my website which is linked below to read other articles, check out my kickboxing program (that utilizes a heavy bag), as well as possibly find out if this style of instruction might be suitable for you.