Why Do You Exercise?

Hello!

Recently due to the ever growing fitness field, I have been asked numerous times about different styles of training such as: bodybuilding, crossfit, kettlebells, TRX and others.  I get the same two questions every time; what style and how much?  I thought I would hit a few common points that I come across in the field.

In my first two posts (Here) and (Here) I discussed a simple philosophy and began to try to discuss what training style is the "right" one for a particular person.  Although I stand by my post, I do feel that asking yourself these questions can help:

Why am I exercising?

The biggest question to ask yourself is why are you actually beginning a program in the first place?  You'd be surprised to find out that many people really don't know why they work out, other than the fact that it's accessible or it's something they think they should be doing.  Ask yourself things like:

• What goals do I want to reach by using exercise (weight/figure/strength/sport)?

• What disabilities/ailments/medical condition can I improve through exercise? 

•  Am I using exercise for a means to an end or an end to the means?

•  What do I expect from exercising?  

These are a few common questions, but they can really help you started int he right direction or at least help you realize why you are going to the gym.  After all if you can't convince yourself why you are heading to the gym, why would you go for a prolonged period of time (you should go!)

Choosing what type of exercise is the first step to reaching your goals.

What specific goals do I wish to accomplish?

Similar to the first question,  most people I talk to and I mean most, have no goals what so ever other than: to get in shape or lose weight or get stronger etc.  It's the equivalent to asking a kid "what do you want to eat?" and you get; "whatever or I don't care" over and over. How infuriating, because it would make things a lot easier if the kid would just tell you what they wanted, that way you knew what and how to get it.  The same applies to people exercising.  Many people know that exercising is a good idea due to it's vast health and medical benefits, but they either use that very broad answer or they simply do not know what they want out of exercise. Read this post about another experience I encountered about this very subject (Old Post)   Here are the big three I run into the most that could easily have more explanation than the face value shows:

The most common goal in the fitness world, but often the most broad and open ended as well.

1. Exercise has Many Health Benefits

• Do you have a family history of a health condition? Rather than keeping your reason so broad, focus on using exercise to help combat that history.
• Do you know someone who suffers from a medical condition or is "unhealthy"? Use that specific image as a deciding factor as your goal of exercising.
• Which medical/health issues seem to concern you the most?  Are you worried about heart disease or loss of functional freedom?  Try focusing on a few specific issues and keep them in mind as to why you exercise.

    2. I'm Trying to Lose Weight

• Why?  Why are you losing weight? Is it to meet a personal goal? Trying to fit into a new dress?  Are overweight and feel the need or have been recommended to lose weight?
• How much weight are you trying to lose?  I wouldn't tell a surgeon to perform surgery, without a specific area they needed to work on.  If they didn't know where to work, how would they know if they achieved the task or not?  The same thing goes for losing weight.  Pick a goal, maybe a number, maybe a dress size it could be anything that you can focus on and monitor it to make sure things are on the right track.

    3. I'm Trying to Jacked, Ripped, Huge, Strong etc.

• Again, why? Are you trying to look like a magazine model? Are you competing in a show or tournament or some type? Are you preparing for a class reunion and want to impress?
• How big and strong are you trying to be.  Do you ant to paint yourself green and be the hulk?  Would you like to have washboard abs? Maybe you just want to see some simple definition.

Which outcome do you want from exercise? Both are achieved with similar routes, but with different results.

Once you Have a Goal, how to you Intend to Accomplish it?

Knowing why and what you want from exercise is the first step. The next part is figuring out how to get to that goal.  Should you take aerobic classes, work with a trainer, take yoga, or use kettlebells? Do I diet, do I need supplements, how much of this and that?  Perhaps the hardest part of the exercise plan, determining how to achieve your goals can be very frustrating, but keep this in mind:

• Once you have determined a goal oriented task/idea or a target range, specific training is needed.  Sprinters generally do not run marathons for training, but that doesn't mean they don't perform aerobic exercises. If you are going to be training for a bodybuilding show, chances are you will mostly be training like a body builder, not a figure skater.

• Many goals and achievements crisscross, as I said you may be training for a sprint, but some long distance running can help in your goal.  If someone was trying to lose weight, cardio and healthier eating habits would be a major focus, but strength, power and  the use of "bodybuilder" movements can help in a multitude of way toward, not just the obvious strength increase, but with weight loss.

• Realizing what you need is harder than you think.  How many times have you seen the big guy at the gym working with his smaller friend doing the same exact workout?  It works for one, but not the other, even though they have the same goal, they shouldn't be following the same program. Not only do you need specific goals and training, the process and set up of both need to have specifics within the specific plan.

• Lebron James, Tom Brady, Micheal Phelps, Usain Bolt, Sidney Crosby, just to name a few, are all the  best athletes in their respected sports.  They are at peak physical conditioning and naturally gifted with an exceptional amount of strength, speed and finesse.  Here's the thing; you'd think they all know how to exercise and I'm sure they do, but they all have personal trainers, strength coaches, sport specific coaches, nutrition coaches etc.  They may be the best and they also may have great bodies and surely know how to exercise, but they don't know what is always best for them and how to continue to specifically design programs to meet their specific needs.  Even personal trainers use trainers when they are getting ready for a special event, because a third party, non-biased approach tends to produce the best results.

Even the Pros use trainers and coaches to help them become better at what they do best.

You now have a specific goal, an appropriate approach to obtaining it, and optimal program design, where should you go from there?

Even if you had all of the above things can still trip you up.  How do you know if what you are doing is actually working?  If it's not working, what should you do to correct this?  How do I know if I'm happy with my goal?  Rather than list a slew of possible road blocks let me make a few points on the more common issues I see.  Let me first say that monitoring your progress is a as important as setting up the initial goal.

• Having a specific goal like a target weight is easy to monitor. If the number is going down then you are good, if it's going up things need to change right?  But, what if you goal is not based on a number, but rather a achievement/activity related goal? You have to be able to determine if the exercises you have laid out are actually helping you towards your goal, or are holding you back.

• Self viewing your own progress can be very biased and unhelpful.  Sometimes we don't want to admit that what we are doing is not helping us or even potentially harming us and it can hold you back from your goals.  Have you ever seen the guy at the gym, who's been there for two years and has not made any progress on his appearance, but he's always looking in the mirror and thinks he looks great?  I see it all the time, because if they realized that they have not made and progress they would have to admit they did something wrong, and most people don't like to be wrong.

• Even if you do sense something is amiss do you have the resources to change things?  The scale is going up, how do I stop that?  I'm still not able to run the 5k without taking multiple breaks, what gives?  Eating less and running more would be the first suggestions to pop in our heads, but that's not always the case.  There could be many issues that have gone unnoticed and/or a different approach to training is needed, something you may not even realize could be what you need.

                                                                         

Figuring out how to reach your goal can be confusing, even for professionals. Everyone needs help at some point in their journey.

Finally, knowing when you've reached your goal is somewhat complex, but knowing when it's time to set new goals can be even harder.  Stepping on the scale and see XXX, knowing that you have reached your goal is very rewarding.  Completing your race without delay is great. And fitting into that dress was out of this world, but now what?  Are you going to put all that weight back on? Is that the last race you will ever run?  A common issue people face is determining the next step.  Maybe now you'd like to see a particular body fat percentage,  or run the race in a faster time? Continuously looking toward new goals or even improving ones you've already achieved is the best thing you can do for yourself.  You may have achieved one goal, but you can't just stop there.  Life is full of goals for us to conquer and exercise is one big tool towards achieving those goals.  Look forward to improving  and set new challenges or new tasks and conditions to conquer and I promise the exercising itself will become more exciting and fulfilling in general.  One of the reasons why I got into this field is that I love helping people go through this process, because once they do not have to worry about all the specifics that tend to cause people to quit, they can focus on just training and then they see the results come rolling in.

Thanks for Reading!


"I can do things you cannot, you can do things I cannot; together we can do great things" - Mother Teresa

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*I am not a doctor or a licensed physician.  I am in no way diagnosing anything and recommend that you speak to your physician before making any medical/supplemental/nutritional decisions.

*I am not a registered nutritionist or dietitian. The information presented is for education purposes only.