Help Me With My Thoughts On This...

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donicagalek
donicagalek Posts: 526
in Fitness and Exercise
I *think* I have the right idea - help me out (without taking offense please!).

I'm thinking that anyone that looks elegant during a workout is probably not doing it right. Like, at the gym, if you see someone just effortlessly running at top speed on the tread or someone carrying a conversation on the phone (rude!) while using their elliptical of choice that they're not even getting half the burn of the obese person that's falling over panting from jumping jacks.

I know a lot of people that have their workout of choice and they stick to that one workout routine for months and wonder why they aren't losing. Well, if they're eating back the same workout cals that they burned a year ago when the routine was still hard, they're probably eating too much, right? :-/

I noticed myself slipping into this a week ago when I stopped sweating during a workout that had me pouring sweat a few days earlier. So I stopped doing that, switched to something else for a couple of days and then went back. Low and behold - sweat...and LOSS!

Is there anything scientific to back this?

Replies

  • LyonInLondon
    LyonInLondon Posts: 41 Member
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    It's called muscle confusion. Once your body gets used to do the same workout, it adjusts to become the most efficient it can be at it (hence why practice really does make perfect!). So to make your muscles work harder, you need to "confuse" them by making them do something that is new to them. It also means that you'll be using muscles that aren't necessarily used to being worked that hard and you'll have to engage your core muscles more to help with balance and all that.

    It's why the 30 day shred and exercise programs like that probably work so well for many people.
  • Niceven
    Niceven Posts: 25 Member
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    You're absolutely right! I'm not an expert (not even a quasi-expert) but everything I've read says if you can talk and you're not sweating then you're not pushing yourself enough. I've even read that you shouldn't read or listen to music because you're zoning-out instead of in. The music part, eh, I like background noise when I'm amping it up but I agree with the reading. It's distracting, I'm not focused on pushing myself and I tend to get bored quicker (lord knows why.)

    By the way, holy crow! You've lost 184 lbs? Awesome job! Any secrets you want to share? :wink:
  • taso42_DELETED
    taso42_DELETED Posts: 3,394 Member
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    Your thinking is correct.

    I don't fully buy into the "muscle confusion" concept, but I we do need to at least step up our workouts as our performance increases.
  • LyonInLondon
    LyonInLondon Posts: 41 Member
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    Just to clarify - I think the muscle confusion only applies to yourself and your workout ... Those people who don't break a sweat in the gym are just there to pose. :P And girls, take your make-up off before you workout! (Seriously, what's the point of make-up when you're at the gym??!!!)
  • ofccat
    ofccat Posts: 284 Member
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    You sound right in your thinking. They either need to do something else or kick it up a notch as they are not getting anything out of it anymore.

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