I can’t tell you how many times I hear people exclaim that they have tried every kind of workout, exercise and diet plan, but still can’t lose weight. BULLSHIT! There is no person out there I can’t take and instruct on proper exercise and eating techniques and not show results. I guarantee it. And when I say results, I mean get them down to a healthy body composition, make them stronger, have more energy, even feel 10 years younger.
In the gym I pay a lot of attention to the way people work out. I can’t help it, I’m a trainer. It’s just what we do. Much of the time I see people moving weights back and forth in very passive and almost relaxed ways. I even saw a lady recently reading a book while she was doing leg presses. Even worse is the very sloppy form that people usually exhibit. It’s truly sad that people haven’t really bothered to do any real research on the proper ways to exercise and get healthy. I can see them getting frustrated and spinning their wheels. Especially the ladies who seem to think doing bench presses with 5 pound dumbbells is going to do anything for them and that if they go any heavier their muscles will suddenly get huge and bulky as if Harry Potter just waves his magic wand.
The real tragedy here is that women can benefit from proper weight training much more so than men. Women are naturally carrying much more fat and less muscle to begin with. Strong heavy intense weight training can really give a woman those fat burning results they so desire yet are too afraid to go after due to fear. They can also put muscle in the bank as they age so the fat storage systems in their body are much less effective when they get older. I guess most of them are out looking for quick fix surgery or the latest magic skin cream to give them their miracle results. It’s truly a shame so many of them can’t see what is right in front of them.
So the sad fact is that too many people don’t bother to think about what they are doing when they step up to a resistance machine or free weights. They don’t bother to focus on the lift. They don’t bother to learn about WHY they are dong a particular exercise. And they don’t really learn to bring any degree of intensity to their workouts. It’s no wonder so many people think that working out doesn’t work at losing weight.
Hi Todd……Wonderful comments on exercise. I wish you lived closer so you could help me with gym workouts. I am joining one in Kihei soon, and hope they have a trainer who can help me. My weight has remained steady for almost five years now (168). That means I’m almost half of what I used to be. Now I’m ready to build some muscle to fill up the saggy baggy skin that is left here and there.
At work, they had a health day with demonstrations of yoga, massage, vitals, health tips, etc. My BMI was normal, but my body fat was higher than it should be. Seems strange since I’m almost skinny appearing. Getting older makes it harder to exercise, but I KNOW that doing so would make me feel more fit, more strong, and more adventurous.
Thanks again, Todd, for your words of wisdom.
OXOX
Mom