Fitness Training... a rant...
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psyknife
Posts: 487 Member
Ok, I've stepped up on the soap box in the nutrition area already, and now it's time to step onto it in the Fitness area... why? Because I want to make sure people are informed, that they make the right choices, and that the same questions don't get asked over and over again.
I'll start by saying this... there is no such thing as a magic pill, or even a magical piece of exercise equipment. We've all seen those ads that say, "Just do this for this many minutes a day and you'll look like this..." Well, guess what... WRONG! If you get a device that only trains the thighs and you do it for 10 minutes a day it is NOT going to get you an overly well-rounded fit looking body.
THERE IS NO SUCH THING AS SPOT BURNINIG FAT. We got over this time and time again... and many people are falsely lead into believeing that it's possible thanks to the lots of advertising lyers out there. Even health and fitness magazines are known for misleading. I can't tell you how many times I see a magazine that'll read, "Do this exercise for 6 minutes a day to get a flat tummy." Well, flat tummies don't come from a single exercise. Flat tummies come from a combination of strength and cardiovascular training... oh yeah, not to mention what we put in our mouths.
FOR BEST RESULTS USE A COMBINATION OF STRENGTH TRAINING AND CARDIO. If you do only cardio you can lose weight and burn fat, sure, but you won't really be shaping the body all that much (unless you are doing intense boot-camp style interval training... etc.). It's also very important, when strength training, to train your entire body. Muscle imbalance is a big problem and lots of people are doing it to themselves because they don't realize how important it is to train all of the muscles in the body. Muscle imbalance can cause all sorts of problems... from back pain (or pain in other areas), to an increased risk of injury, to an abnormally curved spine... What do I mean by muscular imbalance? Well, a lot of people will train their abdominals and ignore their back muscles... then they'll go to pick that box up off the floor (and likely use their back to lift instead of their legs) and "OUCH!"... there it goes! We need to train opposing muscles... biceps/triceps, abs/back, hamstrings/quads, hip flexors/glutes... and likewise, we need to really STRETCH those groups as well to avoid unwanted muscle tightness.
That being said... there is lots of talk on here about fitness videos. I recommend buying a video set that comes as a program. You want a series that covers all angles... from strength, to cardio, to stretching. This is why I LOVE Beachbody programs and have had lots of success... they are well designed. They covers all angles of fitness and also provide nutrition information... it's laid right out there for you. So, as long as you follow it, you'll get results.
That being said...
DO NOT WORRY ABOUT GETTING BULKY IF LIFTING WEIGHTS, LADIES. Many women are afraid that lifting weights will make them bulky... but we are not genetically designed to become bulky. Most that do are taking supplements to try and promote that. So, unless you have abnormally high amounts of testosterone, for a lady, you won't get bulky. You WILL get shapely and lean and you WILL be doing yourself a HUGE favor! Why!? Because women are prone to the breaking down of bones as we age... well, lifting weights also increased our bone density. So, if you want to save your bones and keep your metabolism going into old age, then keep lifting those weights!
IF YOU KEEP DOING THE SAME THING OVER AND OVER YOUR RESULTS WILL STALL. We all have something that we love to do. For some it's walking, for others it's swimming... you know what I mean. However, if we keep doing the same activities at the same intensities, then our results will stall. We won't get any stronger, we won't improve our cardiovascular system, you won't increase muscle mass, and you'll stop losing weight... aka, the dreaded PLATEAU. Oh no! How do we avoid this? Change things up! By increasing the FREQUENCY (amount of days per week you exercise), INTENSITY (level of difficulty you work out at and/or how heavy of weights you are lifting), TIME (amount of time spent in a given day doing exercise) and/or TYPE (type of exercise) you will start seeing changes again... and it may not happen immediately. Sometimes it takes a little while for the body to get movin' again... so don't give up. Chances are, there is always something you can do to move forward again. The only way to not succeed is to give up.
LOVE WHAT YOU DO. If you tell yourself over and over again that you hate something, you are eventually going to stop doing it. Don't view exercise as punishment... view it as a reward. View it as something you are doing for yourself, for your body, and for your future. Our bodies are the only things we have that are truly ours... and we need to take care of them. So, always remember to try new things... if you hate doing something, then find an alternative... but also keep in mind that something you hate now may turn into something you love. I used to hate yoga, but I recognized all of the benefits it had for my body, and I loved how I felt when I was done... so, in the end, I learned to love the whole experience of it. So, don't close doors too soon.
DO THIS FOR A GOOD REASON. For a lot of people, exercise for vanity is not enough. It's best to find deeper reasons to keep ourselves fit... because sometimes that smaller pair of jeans doesn't make it worth it enough. Do you do this for your kids? As a role model? Do you do this because of illnesses that are prone to your family blood line? Do you do this because you love how it makes you feel? Does it make you sleep better? Find lots of good reasons to keep it up... because eventually these reasons will outweight the reasons not to do it... and you'll become a fitness junkie!
STRETTTTTTCH IT OUT. Lots of people exclude stretching from their programs, but flexibility is an important part to all fitness programs. When doing your stretches, make sure you are doing them with warm muscles... hold each stretch for at least 20-30 seconds... and relax into them. Stretches should take you to a point of slight discomfort, but not to pain... so if you are gritting your teeth, then back off. I totally recommend yoga at least once per week, because it'll do things for your body you never thought possible... and you may suck at it at first (I sure did)... but with persistance you'll become flexible! Flexibility is not only important for piece of mind, but MORE importantly... it helps in the prevention of injuries. So, stretch it out!
DON'T COMPARE YOURSELF TO OTHERS. We constantly look at other people and say, "I wish I had her tummy," or "I wish I had those arms," but stop doing that. Sure, it's nice to use other people for motivation, but don't use them as a means of envy. When we do this we are more likely to get discouraged if we don't start seeing our bodies changing in those ways. We are all genetically designed a little different... we are pre-programmed to store fat in certains areas more than others, or build muscle faster in some areas quicker than others... etc. So, that being said, you need to learn to love YOUR body and realize that you are working to get YOUR best body, and not the person next to you.
Ok, I'm gonna step down now. I've already written a novel. But that being said, feel free to post questions and/or add comments. I am a former couch potato turned fitness junkie... I teach group fitness classes and am currently studying to earn my certification in personal training.
So, I will say up front that I don't have all of the answers... but I LOVE getting questions that allow me a change to research... as it's always a learning process, and these are things I love learning about.
I'll start by saying this... there is no such thing as a magic pill, or even a magical piece of exercise equipment. We've all seen those ads that say, "Just do this for this many minutes a day and you'll look like this..." Well, guess what... WRONG! If you get a device that only trains the thighs and you do it for 10 minutes a day it is NOT going to get you an overly well-rounded fit looking body.
THERE IS NO SUCH THING AS SPOT BURNINIG FAT. We got over this time and time again... and many people are falsely lead into believeing that it's possible thanks to the lots of advertising lyers out there. Even health and fitness magazines are known for misleading. I can't tell you how many times I see a magazine that'll read, "Do this exercise for 6 minutes a day to get a flat tummy." Well, flat tummies don't come from a single exercise. Flat tummies come from a combination of strength and cardiovascular training... oh yeah, not to mention what we put in our mouths.
FOR BEST RESULTS USE A COMBINATION OF STRENGTH TRAINING AND CARDIO. If you do only cardio you can lose weight and burn fat, sure, but you won't really be shaping the body all that much (unless you are doing intense boot-camp style interval training... etc.). It's also very important, when strength training, to train your entire body. Muscle imbalance is a big problem and lots of people are doing it to themselves because they don't realize how important it is to train all of the muscles in the body. Muscle imbalance can cause all sorts of problems... from back pain (or pain in other areas), to an increased risk of injury, to an abnormally curved spine... What do I mean by muscular imbalance? Well, a lot of people will train their abdominals and ignore their back muscles... then they'll go to pick that box up off the floor (and likely use their back to lift instead of their legs) and "OUCH!"... there it goes! We need to train opposing muscles... biceps/triceps, abs/back, hamstrings/quads, hip flexors/glutes... and likewise, we need to really STRETCH those groups as well to avoid unwanted muscle tightness.
That being said... there is lots of talk on here about fitness videos. I recommend buying a video set that comes as a program. You want a series that covers all angles... from strength, to cardio, to stretching. This is why I LOVE Beachbody programs and have had lots of success... they are well designed. They covers all angles of fitness and also provide nutrition information... it's laid right out there for you. So, as long as you follow it, you'll get results.
That being said...
DO NOT WORRY ABOUT GETTING BULKY IF LIFTING WEIGHTS, LADIES. Many women are afraid that lifting weights will make them bulky... but we are not genetically designed to become bulky. Most that do are taking supplements to try and promote that. So, unless you have abnormally high amounts of testosterone, for a lady, you won't get bulky. You WILL get shapely and lean and you WILL be doing yourself a HUGE favor! Why!? Because women are prone to the breaking down of bones as we age... well, lifting weights also increased our bone density. So, if you want to save your bones and keep your metabolism going into old age, then keep lifting those weights!
IF YOU KEEP DOING THE SAME THING OVER AND OVER YOUR RESULTS WILL STALL. We all have something that we love to do. For some it's walking, for others it's swimming... you know what I mean. However, if we keep doing the same activities at the same intensities, then our results will stall. We won't get any stronger, we won't improve our cardiovascular system, you won't increase muscle mass, and you'll stop losing weight... aka, the dreaded PLATEAU. Oh no! How do we avoid this? Change things up! By increasing the FREQUENCY (amount of days per week you exercise), INTENSITY (level of difficulty you work out at and/or how heavy of weights you are lifting), TIME (amount of time spent in a given day doing exercise) and/or TYPE (type of exercise) you will start seeing changes again... and it may not happen immediately. Sometimes it takes a little while for the body to get movin' again... so don't give up. Chances are, there is always something you can do to move forward again. The only way to not succeed is to give up.
LOVE WHAT YOU DO. If you tell yourself over and over again that you hate something, you are eventually going to stop doing it. Don't view exercise as punishment... view it as a reward. View it as something you are doing for yourself, for your body, and for your future. Our bodies are the only things we have that are truly ours... and we need to take care of them. So, always remember to try new things... if you hate doing something, then find an alternative... but also keep in mind that something you hate now may turn into something you love. I used to hate yoga, but I recognized all of the benefits it had for my body, and I loved how I felt when I was done... so, in the end, I learned to love the whole experience of it. So, don't close doors too soon.
DO THIS FOR A GOOD REASON. For a lot of people, exercise for vanity is not enough. It's best to find deeper reasons to keep ourselves fit... because sometimes that smaller pair of jeans doesn't make it worth it enough. Do you do this for your kids? As a role model? Do you do this because of illnesses that are prone to your family blood line? Do you do this because you love how it makes you feel? Does it make you sleep better? Find lots of good reasons to keep it up... because eventually these reasons will outweight the reasons not to do it... and you'll become a fitness junkie!
STRETTTTTTCH IT OUT. Lots of people exclude stretching from their programs, but flexibility is an important part to all fitness programs. When doing your stretches, make sure you are doing them with warm muscles... hold each stretch for at least 20-30 seconds... and relax into them. Stretches should take you to a point of slight discomfort, but not to pain... so if you are gritting your teeth, then back off. I totally recommend yoga at least once per week, because it'll do things for your body you never thought possible... and you may suck at it at first (I sure did)... but with persistance you'll become flexible! Flexibility is not only important for piece of mind, but MORE importantly... it helps in the prevention of injuries. So, stretch it out!
DON'T COMPARE YOURSELF TO OTHERS. We constantly look at other people and say, "I wish I had her tummy," or "I wish I had those arms," but stop doing that. Sure, it's nice to use other people for motivation, but don't use them as a means of envy. When we do this we are more likely to get discouraged if we don't start seeing our bodies changing in those ways. We are all genetically designed a little different... we are pre-programmed to store fat in certains areas more than others, or build muscle faster in some areas quicker than others... etc. So, that being said, you need to learn to love YOUR body and realize that you are working to get YOUR best body, and not the person next to you.
Ok, I'm gonna step down now. I've already written a novel. But that being said, feel free to post questions and/or add comments. I am a former couch potato turned fitness junkie... I teach group fitness classes and am currently studying to earn my certification in personal training.
So, I will say up front that I don't have all of the answers... but I LOVE getting questions that allow me a change to research... as it's always a learning process, and these are things I love learning about.
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Replies
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Ok, I've stepped up on the soap box in the nutrition area already, and now it's time to step onto it in the Fitness area... why? Because I want to make sure people are informed, that they make the right choices, and that the same questions don't get asked over and over again.
I'll start by saying this... there is no such thing as a magic pill, or even a magical piece of exercise equipment. We've all seen those ads that say, "Just do this for this many minutes a day and you'll look like this..." Well, guess what... WRONG! If you get a device that only trains the thighs and you do it for 10 minutes a day it is NOT going to get you an overly well-rounded fit looking body.
THERE IS NO SUCH THING AS SPOT BURNINIG FAT. We got over this time and time again... and many people are falsely lead into believeing that it's possible thanks to the lots of advertising lyers out there. Even health and fitness magazines are known for misleading. I can't tell you how many times I see a magazine that'll read, "Do this exercise for 6 minutes a day to get a flat tummy." Well, flat tummies don't come from a single exercise. Flat tummies come from a combination of strength and cardiovascular training... oh yeah, not to mention what we put in our mouths.
FOR BEST RESULTS USE A COMBINATION OF STRENGTH TRAINING AND CARDIO. If you do only cardio you can lose weight and burn fat, sure, but you won't really be shaping the body all that much (unless you are doing intense boot-camp style interval training... etc.). It's also very important, when strength training, to train your entire body. Muscle imbalance is a big problem and lots of people are doing it to themselves because they don't realize how important it is to train all of the muscles in the body. Muscle imbalance can cause all sorts of problems... from back pain (or pain in other areas), to an increased risk of injury, to an abnormally curved spine... What do I mean by muscular imbalance? Well, a lot of people will train their abdominals and ignore their back muscles... then they'll go to pick that box up off the floor (and likely use their back to lift instead of their legs) and "OUCH!"... there it goes! We need to train opposing muscles... biceps/triceps, abs/back, hamstrings/quads, hip flexors/glutes... and likewise, we need to really STRETCH those groups as well to avoid unwanted muscle tightness.
That being said... there is lots of talk on here about fitness videos. I recommend buying a video set that comes as a program. You want a series that covers all angles... from strength, to cardio, to stretching. This is why I LOVE Beachbody programs and have had lots of success... they are well designed. They covers all angles of fitness and also provide nutrition information... it's laid right out there for you. So, as long as you follow it, you'll get results.
That being said...
DO NOT WORRY ABOUT GETTING BULKY IF LIFTING WEIGHTS, LADIES. Many women are afraid that lifting weights will make them bulky... but we are not genetically designed to become bulky. Most that do are taking supplements to try and promote that. So, unless you have abnormally high amounts of testosterone, for a lady, you won't get bulky. You WILL get shapely and lean and you WILL be doing yourself a HUGE favor! Why!? Because women are prone to the breaking down of bones as we age... well, lifting weights also increased our bone density. So, if you want to save your bones and keep your metabolism going into old age, then keep lifting those weights!
IF YOU KEEP DOING THE SAME THING OVER AND OVER YOUR RESULTS WILL STALL. We all have something that we love to do. For some it's walking, for others it's swimming... you know what I mean. However, if we keep doing the same activities at the same intensities, then our results will stall. We won't get any stronger, we won't improve our cardiovascular system, you won't increase muscle mass, and you'll stop losing weight... aka, the dreaded PLATEAU. Oh no! How do we avoid this? Change things up! By increasing the FREQUENCY (amount of days per week you exercise), INTENSITY (level of difficulty you work out at and/or how heavy of weights you are lifting), TIME (amount of time spent in a given day doing exercise) and/or TYPE (type of exercise) you will start seeing changes again... and it may not happen immediately. Sometimes it takes a little while for the body to get movin' again... so don't give up. Chances are, there is always something you can do to move forward again. The only way to not succeed is to give up.
LOVE WHAT YOU DO. If you tell yourself over and over again that you hate something, you are eventually going to stop doing it. Don't view exercise as punishment... view it as a reward. View it as something you are doing for yourself, for your body, and for your future. Our bodies are the only things we have that are truly ours... and we need to take care of them. So, always remember to try new things... if you hate doing something, then find an alternative... but also keep in mind that something you hate now may turn into something you love. I used to hate yoga, but I recognized all of the benefits it had for my body, and I loved how I felt when I was done... so, in the end, I learned to love the whole experience of it. So, don't close doors too soon.
DO THIS FOR A GOOD REASON. For a lot of people, exercise for vanity is not enough. It's best to find deeper reasons to keep ourselves fit... because sometimes that smaller pair of jeans doesn't make it worth it enough. Do you do this for your kids? As a role model? Do you do this because of illnesses that are prone to your family blood line? Do you do this because you love how it makes you feel? Does it make you sleep better? Find lots of good reasons to keep it up... because eventually these reasons will outweight the reasons not to do it... and you'll become a fitness junkie!
STRETTTTTTCH IT OUT. Lots of people exclude stretching from their programs, but flexibility is an important part to all fitness programs. When doing your stretches, make sure you are doing them with warm muscles... hold each stretch for at least 20-30 seconds... and relax into them. Stretches should take you to a point of slight discomfort, but not to pain... so if you are gritting your teeth, then back off. I totally recommend yoga at least once per week, because it'll do things for your body you never thought possible... and you may suck at it at first (I sure did)... but with persistance you'll become flexible! Flexibility is not only important for piece of mind, but MORE importantly... it helps in the prevention of injuries. So, stretch it out!
DON'T COMPARE YOURSELF TO OTHERS. We constantly look at other people and say, "I wish I had her tummy," or "I wish I had those arms," but stop doing that. Sure, it's nice to use other people for motivation, but don't use them as a means of envy. When we do this we are more likely to get discouraged if we don't start seeing our bodies changing in those ways. We are all genetically designed a little different... we are pre-programmed to store fat in certains areas more than others, or build muscle faster in some areas quicker than others... etc. So, that being said, you need to learn to love YOUR body and realize that you are working to get YOUR best body, and not the person next to you.
Ok, I'm gonna step down now. I've already written a novel. But that being said, feel free to post questions and/or add comments. I am a former couch potato turned fitness junkie... I teach group fitness classes and am currently studying to earn my certification in personal training.
So, I will say up front that I don't have all of the answers... but I LOVE getting questions that allow me a change to research... as it's always a learning process, and these are things I love learning about.0 -
Excellent post! :flowerforyou:0
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my personal trainer just told me the same things. very interesting stuff.
thanks....0 -
Thanks! Congrats smoke free person I have been smoke free for 60 days0
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Bravo! Well said and worth being repeated over and over.
Until one realizes that a fit body doesn't come without hard work and sacrifice...they will pretty much stay where they are at.
My new favorite quote is "There are no shortcuts to anywhere worth going"--Beverly Sills. If this doesn't sum up what you've said, I don't know what does.....0 -
well said.0
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Great post!!!!!!!0
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Wow! VERY well said psyknife:flowerforyou: :flowerforyou: :flowerforyou:
I will be referring back to this for a long time to come!
Thank you for your insight and best of luck to you in your journey to become a personal trainer! Sounds like your gonna be a great one!!:drinker:
~Roni0 -
It's like you're in my BRAIN.
:laugh:
Great post!!0 -
Bump for me to read when I'm awake:yawn:...It's been a long day and I don't want to miss what looks like good info:bigsmile:0
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Awesome post! It took me some convincing to get past the "i dont want to get bulky" thing. I was very stubborn! Very well put though!0
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My new favorite quote is "There are no shortcuts to anywhere worth going"--Beverly Sills. If this doesn't sum up what you've said, I don't know what does.....
Oh just saw that as a quote on the wall at my gym....love that one!:flowerforyou:0 -
Definitely one to be bumped often
:happy:
You come up with the BEST rants..always so informative:drinker: .... psyknife you ROCK
Thanks:flowerforyou:0 -
thanks for the post psyknife
I would like to know what type of exercise I can do for my lower back.
I do crunches, dead weights to each side for obliques, and use a band over my shoulders to do standing crunches.....I am worried about balance on the lower back.
Thanks for any input!!0 -
I do crunches, dead weights to each side for obliques, and use a band over my shoulders to do standing crunches.....I am worried about balance on the lower back.
Those three exercises aren't addressing the lower back and a prime mover... what you want to do is get some exercises in your agenda that will target the lower back, mostly in the prone position (face down). So by doing these are you strengthing mostly your rectus abdominus and obliques (though I'm not quite sure what you mean by "dead weights to each side" when it comes to those). Also, when doing standing crunches be careful, because you can actually compromise your lower back if you aren't properly engaging it.
Some exercises that you may want to try would include:
Pilates moves...
1.) Plank (http://pilates.about.com/od/pilatesmat/ss/Plank.htm) - plank is also a yoga pose
2.) Swan (http://pilates.about.com/od/pilatesmat/ht/Swan.htm)
3.) Swimming (http://pilates.about.com/od/pilatesmat/ss/Swimming.htm)
Yoga moves...
1.) Dolphin Plank Pose (http://www.yogajournal.com/poses/2463)
2.) Boat (http://www.yogajournal.com/poses/489)... this is one that needs to be built up to.
3.) Bridge (http://www.yogajournal.com/poses/472)
It's, of course, really good to stretch it out too!
1.) Downward-facing Dog (http://www.yogajournal.com/poses/491)
2.) Cow pose (http://www.yogajournal.com/poses/2467)
3.) Cat pose (http://www.yogajournal.com/poses/2468)
4.) Child's pose (http://www.yjevents.com/poses/475.cfm)
These are, of course, just a tip of a very large ice berg.
There are also lots of moving exercises for the back... if going to a gym to do your workouts you may consider trying rowing machines, or back extension machines as well.
Just take great care when working the back, take it slow and controlled... and if something is painful then back off.0 -
Thank you all!
Sometimes I just need to get on the soapbox... mainly because I used to be one of the uninformed... so I like to pass along all that I'm learning
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time to bump her:laugh:0
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oops duped again:bigsmile:0
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I do crunches, dead weights to each side for obliques, and use a band over my shoulders to do standing crunches.....I am worried about balance on the lower back.
Those three exercises aren't addressing the lower back and a prime mover... what you want to do is get some exercises in your agenda that will target the lower back, mostly in the prone position (face down). So by doing these are you strengthing mostly your rectus abdominus and obliques (though I'm not quite sure what you mean by "dead weights to each side" when it comes to those). Also, when doing standing crunches be careful, because you can actually compromise your lower back if you aren't properly engaging it.
Some exercises that you may want to try would include:
Pilates moves...
1.) Plank (http://pilates.about.com/od/pilatesmat/ss/Plank.htm) - plank is also a yoga pose
2.) Swan (http://pilates.about.com/od/pilatesmat/ht/Swan.htm)
3.) Swimming (http://pilates.about.com/od/pilatesmat/ss/Swimming.htm)
Yoga moves...
1.) Dolphin Plank Pose (http://www.yogajournal.com/poses/2463)
2.) Boat (http://www.yogajournal.com/poses/489)... this is one that needs to be built up to.
3.) Bridge (http://www.yogajournal.com/poses/472)
It's, of course, really good to stretch it out too!
1.) Downward-facing Dog (http://www.yogajournal.com/poses/491)
2.) Cow pose (http://www.yogajournal.com/poses/2467)
3.) Cat pose (http://www.yogajournal.com/poses/2468)
4.) Child's pose (http://www.yjevents.com/poses/475.cfm)
These are, of course, just a tip of a very large ice berg.
There are also lots of moving exercises for the back... if going to a gym to do your workouts you may consider trying rowing machines, or back extension machines as well.
Just take great care when working the back, take it slow and controlled... and if something is painful then back off.
Thanks a million. I will look these up later and print them out! I am very careful with my back. The only one I know is the superman, which I do each nite.
I really appreciate the time you took to post this!:flowerforyou:0 -
Great post....
:flowerforyou:0
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