About Exercise Programs - Part I

I won't be exaggerating if I say I've read and downloaded TONS of articles, documents, e-books, programs in every format and also videos in all the known extensions, all of them related to the famous and controversial topic "How-To-Exercise-If-You-Want-To-Get-In-Shape".

All their intellectual authors, starring figures and performers, claim - while looking straight at you (I mean, at the lens of the camera) - "Do what I do, and I personally guarantee you'll get the results you're craving for. You won't be able to believe it!" Shameless creatures, undoubtedly.

Dumbbells, barbells, powerblocks, kettlebells, resistance bands, medicine balls, Swiss balls, yoga mat, step - name it, either I know at least a few things about it or I've even tried it; I might even be able to do a whole workout with it! Oh, I've even danced hip hop to tighten my abs! 

And so far, has it worked?

Well, this is the painful truth:

• EVERY exercise program works during the first month, after you've been eating crap and not working out for ages;

• MOST exercise programs work for at least three weeks, unless they're rudimentary and you're advanced.

How about working out in a Gym?


Gyms are great places... to find smart guys showing off their muscles. Definitely. You want to enjoy the sight? You'll find a beautiful menagerie at any Gym, full of testosterone, always walking around, standing or bending their bodies in the most suggestive poses. Wow, isn't it a great show to watch! I love huge muscular guys, I can't help staring at them... Oh, but we were talking about exercise here... Well, in my point of view, Gyms have only one little problem: Gym instructors. Most of them are overloaded with newbies who want to try every single machine their eyes can see. Many of them are frustrated bodybuilders and seem to be fond of staying close to the menagerie, they take part in the circus shows of these muscular beasts as their assistants, spotting for them and sharing the excitement. So they can really look unfriendly when a beginner gets in the middle and interrupts the fun. Furthermore, Gym instructors, even if they're well qualified, never ask what your goals are, and if they do, they interpret them their way. All the Gym instructors I've met have given me indications on what machine to use or what exercise to do, and how to do it, on my first session at the Gym; then, if I didn't ask again, they've never bothered to add anything else, so I would keep doing the same routine for ages without their intervention. So if you're training at the Gym, most probably you're working your a$$ off for too little, you don't know what you're doing and you're likely to be doing more or less the right thing with the wrong form, weight, intensity or number of reps-sets. UNLESS you're a good PE teacher / Gym instructor / PT yourself.

So, my conclusion is - it may be unwise to work out at the GYM without a personal trainer.

And as regards fitness videos, working out with them it's a great idea at beginning of your own journey to fitness.

I'll be analysing some training methods briefly in my next post.

Now... it's high time we had some fun with our home fitness equipment!!!

THANDRON - Train Hard AND Rock On!