Happy New Year! “And te tide and te time þat tu iboren were, schal beon iblescet”, St. Marher gets the credit for this famous quote. The English translation is that the tide and time stand still for no man. As I enter my 32nd year of being a personal trainer, each January I am flooded with inquiries and questions on how people can get the most out of their training. A large part of exercise boils down to discipline and being held accountable. Outside of putting in the work, in this era of receiving 1,000 daily emails and the never-ending ping notifications from our phones, another problem is decision fatigue. If we can narrow our focus, we have a higher likelihood of experiencing success. This was my inspiration for creating my Ten Commandments for training. I wish I could boast that my ten commandments are on par with Moses coming down from Mount Sinai with the two tablets. My goal is to provide solid principals as a guide and eliminate some of the friction you may encounter with your workouts.
Commandment One: Exchange the word “workout” for “practice”.
As people have understood the value and effectiveness of movement based training, they must also grasp that training in this manner is a process. Learning how to properly hip-hinge which allows you to load your gluteal muscles, hamstrings, and lumbar spine synergistically takes time. There’s a reason 8 of 10 people will experience back pain in their lifetime. As society has evolved with the aid of technology, it has come at a cost. We’ve forgotten how to properly squat, hip-hinge, push, pull, and carry load without injury. In forgetting how to get into these positions, we have lost the strength, motor control, and mobility. The good news is that you can gain it back. Just give it time. Master the movement first and then gradually add load. Over time, practice will make it permanent.
Commandment Two: You will not look stupid if you ask a question from your coach.
Semi-private and small group training has grown as an alternative to private one-on-one training. Many people enjoy the comaraderie of training in a small group and the smaller price point improves the frequency of workouts. It doesn’t take rocket science to understand that if you exercise more frequently, you have a probable chance of making more gains. The downside is that people tend not to ask as many questions in semi-private training out of fear of looking “stupid” in front of others. Realize that your coach would like to see you perform the drill correctly, and looking at the person next to you may not be the best option. They may be doing the exercise wrong (blind leading the blind) or the coach may have made adjustments to the exercise specifically for them. If you’re confused on what to do in your workout, simply ask. Your coach will be happy you did.
Commandment Three: Warm-ups are boring, just do them.
It’s not uncommon for someone to arrive at the studio late for their training session and voice that we can skip the warm-up to make up time. In training, there is a lot of grey. Not everything is white and black. Regarding the warm-up, without exception, everyone needs to complete a warm-up before they train. The purpose of the warm-up is to prepare your body (muscles, connective tissues, nervous system) for the workout. Add to the equation that many people have minimal physical demands placed upon their body throughout the day. A common example is the person who walks in and has been sitting for most of the day. They by-pass foam rolling and a few mobility drills. They then proceed to perform a few reps of deadlifts or kettlebell swings. They feel pain in their lower back. Their immediate thought is that kettlebells swings hurt their back, but they didn’t prepare their body properly for the swings. A well thought out warm-up is one of the most important parts of the workout. It can prevent injury. Just do it.
Commandment Four: Train your whole body.
We have finally moved away from the days of split routines. Split routines became popular in the eighties and nineties within the bodybuilding community. They have their place in training for bodybuilding. It’s common for people to train five days a week and, possibly, twice a day. To avoid over-training, you split your body into 2-3 separate workouts. This is also done to maximize hypertrophy and muscle size. Unless you can devote that amount of time to your workouts, train your whole body in every session. You should squat, hip-hinge, lunge, push, pull, and brace (core work) in every session. This is efficient, safe, and helps avoid the risk of over-training.
Commandment Five: Focus on the outcome goal and not entertainment in your workout.
We tend to want to keep up with the Jones’, even in our workouts. If we hear about an exercise or workout our co-worker is doing, we immediately feel we should do it. You must consider goals, your current level of mobility, and strength when creating a program. If you’ve followed my writings, you know I’m a big fan of kettlebell swings. Not everyone is a candidate for swings. You must possess adequate pelvic stability and hamstring mobility, if you wish to perform them without risk of injury. Social media has magnified the problem of doing what may be popular. Don’t use social media as a vetting process on what you should do in your workouts. Don’t allow entertainment to select the agenda of your workout. Keep your focus on your goals and the process that they require.
Stay tuned for my next post where I will share the other five commandments of training.