Today is a bit of a rant so bear with me. I can’t tell you how many times people have complained about not being able to reach their health and fitness goals. My next question after establishing their goals and motivation is “what have you been doing?” The answer is typically unclear as the person’s consistency has been lacking (typically one of the biggest reasons people come see us at the gym).
It’s tough love time. Coming in to the gym every once in awhile and performing random acts of variety won’t help you reach your goals. The key to getting results is consistency. People get tired of hearing it, but it’s the plain and simple truth. If you don’t commit to a program with progression, you’re not going to get anywhere. You’ll spin your wheels for years and make no progress. Stop hindering your success and start holding yourself accountable. Stop bouncing around the gym doing exercises just because you saw someone on Instagram and it looked cool or because it’s what you “feel like doing that day.”
The other common hindrance is coming to the gym and doing the exact same thing every day. While this is fantastic for building a habit and there is obviously consistency, it will do nothing to get you closer to your goals. The SAID principe (specific adaptation to imposed demands) essentially means that your body will adapt to the stresses of training to meet those demands. Unless your’e progressing (increasing sets, weights, reps, etc…) this process grinds to a screeching halt. In addition, the same repetitive movements can lead to musculoskeletal imbalances, especially if what you’re doing doesn’t include all of the foundational movement pattens (push, pull, row, carry, lunge, hinge, etc…).
Stop wasting your time, get on a program and get results. If you have absolutely no idea what to do and/or need guidance, find an exceptional coach like I did. I’ll be honest with you, I’m extremely lazy when it comes to my own programming. I hired Sean because he simply tells me what to do, no thinking or decision-making required!
To your lifelong health and success,
-Demarco Crum, CPT
