Intelligent versus unintelligent exercising

We actually love to gym on weekends or while we're on holiday! Some would say we're crazy;) But, the nice thing about gymming on a public holiday is that it's so quiet. I actually love it! That's the same reason that gymming in winter is always far easier for me than in summer. Yes, it's cold. But you warm up within about 5 minutes of getting there AND it's so quiet that you can have a proper workout without having to adjust your programme because there is a queue for every cardio machine in the gym and all the free weights are being used. But what do you do if ALL the machines are being used and you are at a loss for something to actually DO; something that will make your gym visit more worthwhile than just getting a few vitality points! (I know all about those of you who do the boomerang move. Swipe your card, go through the turnstile and then straight back out of the other turnstile! The only person you are cheating is yourself there, but you know that;) But I digress... All of your favourite machines are being used and you have NO idea what to do... what then?

To be honest, I'm not a fan of the machines in a health club. They serve their purpose for those who are inexperienced, and, in that regard, they are probably a good starting point. But if you stick with those for the rest of your gymming days, you will start to see fewer results as time goes by. As I said in my previous exercise post, if you don't challenge your body, it will become accustomed to what you are doing and it will respond by plateauing. You won't see or experience any changes in your shape or size after a few weeks. What usually happens then is that you become frustrated because you feel like you are doing all this work and getting no reward. You also get bored! So you start slacking off, finding it easier to just stay home, under a blanket on the couch and you do the boomerang move twice a month to ensure your gym contract stays active.

Of course, as you've probably read in a magazine, ANY activity is better than no activity at all. So why shouldn't you just do the usual thing every time you go to the gym? At least you don't look stupid because you KNOW what you're doing, AND it's easier than having to try and figure out a new workout. You don't really know what you would do if you changed your routine because you don't know what exercise works which muscle, so it's best to just stick with what you know. But, as I said, if you have no choice BUT to change it, because the gym is busy and everything is being used, what then? I've actually figured out some of my best exercises by being forced to try something new. I go to a gym to work out and I get really frustrated if I get there and everything I planned, has gone awry because of all the people! What that makes me do, is try harder! So I find something new, and probably even MORE challenging to do;) I'm a glutton for punishment, what can I say?

There is intelligent training, and there is unintelligent training:

Which would you say is which here? Personally, I think the body on the right looks far healthier than the body on the left. Granted, the woman on the right is big, but look how BALANCED everything is as opposed to the woman on the left who has almost NO thighs to speak of. Her shoulders are way bigger than her biceps and triceps and she just looks unhealthy to me. Some of you, I know, think that skinny is better. Firstly, I just think it's unappealing, and secondly, it's not healthy. How is a body supposed to maintain itself? She looks like a strong breeze would snap her! The woman on the right exercises intelligently. She will maintain her sporting career for a lot longer, and with less injury, than the woman on the left. But how does she do it? She cross trains, she does exercises that mimic natural movement, and she does compound exercises that work her whole body.

I'm a real fan of crossfit-training and compound exercises. What does that mean? Well, I don't believe that you should go to a gym and JUST do isolation exercises like bicep curls and leg extensions. I believe in doing exercises that work several muscles groups at the same time, in fact, in most cases, they work your WHOLE body at the same time, WHILE working you aerobically as well. Most of the machines at the gym are designed for isolation exercises. Isolation exercises are used when you focus only on biceps, or triceps, or stomach, or calves etc. Unless you are religious about your gym visits, you are going to end up missing days, and body parts, and it's really difficult to get the balance right and work all your muscles equally. How many times have you seen guys at the gym who have massive upper bodies, and upper legs, and TEENY TINY little calf muscles?

Erm, I don't even know WHAT to say...

This is the problem with working your muscles separately. This is not intelligent exercising! A lot of people get a bit obsessed with working certain muscles. I love to work biceps and triceps.  When I first started doing weights, that's all I did, really, because I didn't know what else to do and because it made me feel good and I thought it would give my arms a nice shape. The downside is that the rest of my body was neglected. Biceps and triceps won't look like anything special unless your shoulders are ALSO developed but I didn't know that at the time. Granted, I was never going to get huge biceps and triceps doing things the way I was doing! But what's the point of exercising only 2 muscle groups?! Don't tell me you don't do the same thing... I know some of you are guilty;)

Another point is that exercise should mimic natural movement. How natural are some of the movements you make when you're working the machines at gym? I'd say little to none of them! They aren't making your body strong, really. They might give it a bit of shape, but you'll only be stronger with THAT particular movement. If you had to defend yourself, those bicep curls you do daily, won't get you very far. You know those big, beefy guys you see at the gym? They look strong, don't they? Well, I'd love to see one of them take on a karate champ with a black belt. Have you seen the body of an elite athlete with a black belt in karate? It's pretty much perfectly formed. Every muscle is defined and everything is in perfect proportion. They may be smaller than the big guys you see at gym, but I guarantee they will be stronger, and faster. They do exercises that work their WHOLE body, they use their own body weight, and they do movements that you would make naturally, if, for example, you needed to defend yourself. Their exercising incorporates movement that takes power and power is FAR more useful in life, combined with strength, than just having strength on its own. Most of you watched Karate Kid;)

Who is going to get there faster? No question really.

So, if you go to gym and it's packed, and you need to make a plan to do a workout, what are your options? Well, there are several actually. If you have some knowledge of a few cross training exercise options, you can have a comprehensive and effective workout. We pretty much do this kind of workout every day, no matter what machines are available, simply because it's better to exercise smart, and get more bang for our buck! GLM often says, "Are we ever going to do a normal gym session again?" and my answer is, this IS a normal gym session. What we were doing before was based on my limited knowledge of exercise. Now that I've studied exercise and anatomy, I am better equipped to design effective exercise programmes and I have a better idea of what we should be doing and I don't see the point in working on certain muscles exclusively, when you can work your entire body at the same time and get better results. Crossfit is the new buzzword in the training industry but, honestly, people have been doing it in different forms for years. It just didn't have a copyrighted name to label it with;)

With the following workout, the most important thing is getting your form right. It's pointless doing an exercise if you are going to do it wrong. For one thing, it won't do what it's meant to do, for another, you will likely end up hurting yourself or pulling a muscle.

In the bicep curl above on the left, she is doing it right. She is only using her biceps to pull the weight up. On the right, she is basically using her back to pull the weight up so she is exercising the wrong muscle and could potentially hurt her back. It would be better to not do the exercise at all then to do it the way she is doing it. Spend some time watching the videos below BEFORE you try this workout. Do the moves in the privacy of your home a few times to get some confidence. Once you are ready, start with VERY light weights until you feel confident that you have got all the moves down.

All-over Cross Training Workout

(A word of advice: If you are a complete novice, I wouldn't recommend trying this just yet. You will need to start with those gym machines and build up a bit of strength and fitness first!)

You will need:

An aerobic step

A rocket bag (weight will be dependent on your abilities. Start light and work your way up as your strength increases) You can also use a barbell for this exercise.

A kettlebell (again weight will be dependent on your abilities. Start light and work your way up as your strength increases)

A heart rate monitor would be preferable but it's not essential. You need to keep track of how you are feeling though. If you are struggling, take a break. The more you do this workout, the better you will become at  it, the lower your heart rate will be.

Because you are a newbie at this workout, you will start with 6 repetitions of each exercise, all in a row. Once you've completed a round of 6 of EACH exercise, you will then do 5 of each exercise, then 4, 3, 2 and finally 1 with as little rest in between as possible.

Kettlebell swings

(This video has really loud music so turn down the volume if you are going to watch it in your office!!)

Watch the video and practice it a few times to get your form right. This exercise is FANTASTIC for an all-over body workout. You can see how it works her muscles in her arms when she removes her pullover. It works your core, it works your legs, it's overall really good for balance and stability and, provided you do it right, it will strengthen your back and probably get rid of any backache you may be experiencing when you run. (It fixed mine up!)

Once you've done 6 of those in a row, immediately go into the next exercise.

Plyometric Jumps

These you'll start with a normal height aerobic step but, over time, you will need to make them higher to keep challenging yourself. 

Once you've done 6 of those in a row, immediately go into the next exercise.

Jump Squats

These you will eventually do with the rocket bag on your shoulders, but for starters, do them without any extra weight added. Be sure to get your form right. When you squat, always focus on keeping your weight on your heels, your butt out, your chest out and your head upright and facing forward. Watch the video carefully to see the proper form for a squat.

If you watch to the end of this video you will see how his form changes as the exercise gets harder to do. At that point he could do himself some damage and that's why form is so important. It's better to use a lighter weight, or stop, if you find yourself not managing to do it right.

Once you have completed all of these exercises, go back and do 5 of each of them, then 4, then 3, all the way down to 1. The whole workout shouldn't take you longer than 20 minutes. If it is, you are resting too long. Allow yourself no more than 30 seconds rest after you complete a round of all the 3 different exercises.

All of these exercises are compound exercises. You are working several muscles at once, even though it seems like it's mostly your legs! Your legs WILL feel wobbly after this;) But you are also working pretty much every muscle in your body AND you are getting a cardio workout at the same time. They are all GREAT for your core. You will achieve a six pack far quicker with a workout like this than you will doing endless stomach crunches! The key to ALL of these exercises is to keep your stomach muscles nice and tight. No wobbling around while doing everything. Focus on keeping your body centred and balanced to make your workout more effective and to prevent injury. As you get better at this workout, increase the amount of repetitions until you can do 10 repetitions all the way down to 1, with very little rest. You must also increase the height of your aerobic step as you get better at it, and increase the kettle bell and rocket bag weight as well.

Always start any workout with a warm up. For this workout I recommend getting on a treadmill and walking at an easy pace for about 2 minutes, then up your incline to about 6 and walk at the same pace for another 2 minutes, then up your incline one more time to about 8 and do another 2 minutes. Go immediately into your workout while your heart rate is still up so you don't rest too long. It's also really important to cool down afterwards as well. I'll go a bit more into why tomorrow! A gentle 10 minute walk on the treadmill, or a cycle, or on the cross trainer will be good for that. Finally, remember to stretch. I will go into more detail tomorrow about why this is all so important.

Good luck and I'd love to hear any feedback about how things went!