Answer To Your Fitness Questions" />Are You Really Getting The Results You Want From Your Workout Program?
February 22, 2007
There are several reasons why strength training may not be producing the results you want or may be causing your body pain in specific areas due to your exercises.
You actually may be wondering why it is happening. If this is the case, here are a few suggestions within a simple checklist that may assist you in progressing more toward your goals and help you in the meantime avoid injury. Ouch!!! In fact, you may want to access this very point every 4-5 months.
CeDric X. Bryant., Ph.D., chief exercise physiologist for the American Council on Exercise says, “ It’s easy , over time, to develop workout habits that can lead to injury, it’s important to update your program periodically in light of new information. Continuing research in biomechanics often shows that the conventional wisdom for some exercises is wrong. It pays to be up on the latest.” So everyone let’s make sure we do this so we can have and perform the safest and most effective exercises for our current fitness level and age.
Our fitness program should be planned around our body changes, such as age, fitness level, health issues and time issues. The workout we had when we were in college will definitely be structured differently than when we are 35 to 40 years of age. Certainly we want to avoid setting ourselves up for any problems down the line, and believe me they do and will come. So listen carefully to your body. That, by the way, is body awareness.
Oh, a side note, the Cooper Institute in Dallas showed that one-third of people dropped out of their exercise programs due to musculoskeletal problems. Let’s not be one of the one-third everyone.
Here is a simple checklist to avoid those common mistakes we make:
1) Have a balanced workout. Men have a tendency to work those muscles in front because they can see them visually, for instance, they work the quad, but the hamstrings are neglected and become weak which in turn will cause muscular impairment. So hence, if you work the quads, work the hamstrings, if you work the biceps, then you need to work the triceps, and if you’re working the abs, don’t forget the back.
2) Never sacrifice technique for weight. This is a case of letting go of the pride and
Truly listening to your body, it will speak to you. You may be able to get away with this for some time, but eventually it will catch up with you and your frame will suffer. So ask yourself questions, “What am I trying to accomplish? Am I here to build strength or just demonstrate it?”
3) Balance your exercise components. This is a really big deal. While men may spend too much time on strength training and forgo the flexibility or the cardiovascular exercise, women will do just the opposite. They will spend too much time on the cardiovascular and flexibility component and neglect the strength. The best or most ideal is to get the combination of those components in our training program. However it is often very difficult to pull off.
4) Make sure you have your adequate rest between workouts. The general guidelines are workouts 2-3 times per week with a 48 hour rest between them. If not, you will most likely end up with training losses. Sure want the gains, don’t we?
When taking a look at your strength training program, follow these simple, helpful points and your workout will work for you and your body will react positively to the workout because of your sensitivity to it. Remember, ask not what your body can do for you, but what you can do for your body!!!! Great Job, everyone!
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