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7
things people should not be doing in the gym
The
gym is a health hazard for a lot of people.
Daily, I see people giving their all on cardio equipment in an
effort to lose a few kilos, or heaving weights back and forth
in an effort to ‘get big’. These are the same people who, a year
later have nothing to show for their three-one-hour-per-week-sessions
except for perhaps a sore back, an injured knee and a good deal
of disillusionment.
Here’s a list of seven things people should not be doing in the
gym and some exercise alternatives:
1. Avoid fixed resistance machines. I use this metaphor for
performers: using machines is like learning a role by deciding
exactly what you will do before you even begin rehearsing, and
patterning it for every performance.
In the same way machines allow no freedom for the muscles, literally
boring them senseless with the same pattern and decreasing neuromuscular
awareness.
They also take away the role of the important stabilising (core)
muscles which is where all real-life movements begin and is where
our power comes from.
--> So choose free-weights or cables instead and try incorporating
Swiss Balls to increase the neuromuscular demands. Most qualified
fitness instructors will be able to show you how to get the most
out of such equipment.
2. Don’t overdo cardio. Many people still believe you just
need to do lots of cardio to reduce body fat. This is false.
Too much cardio can actually result in your body producing hormones
that encourage fat storage in the body. You are also possibly
sacrificing vital calorie-burning muscle tissue as a fuel source
if you do more aerobic exercise than your ingested fuel allows
for. Aerobic exercise is important as it allows nutrients to be
transported to cells via the bloodstream when fat is released
from the adipose cells. The bloodstream is the vehicle that transports
it to be burned.
--> Do your cardio after a weight training session to promote
fat loss or try circuits which are excellent vehicles for reducing
body fat and increasing cardiovascular fitness.
3. Think laterally (literally!).
Muscles work as force couples – they play together like teams.
Training in isolation can cause an imbalance, leading to injury
and an unsymmetrical looking body. Also don’t overemphasise movements
in one plane of motion (particularly front to back) as our bodies
naturally twist and move from side to side as well.
--> Think training “movements” not “muscles”; pushing, pulling,
squatting, lunging, bending, twisting are the basic movements
of day-to-day life. Finally if you train slowly you will play
slowly, so vary the speed.
4. Posture is key. It’s not just an aesthetic thing, it can
also lead to injuries and regular bouts of associated pain. The
details can be complex but it’s important to know that there
are muscles in your body that naturally become short and tight
and others that get long and weak by nature.
--> The required response to correct this is to stretch the
shorter, tighter muscles and strengthen the longer, weaker muscles.
For example when someone has a posture that makes them look like
the Pink Panther – protruding head and rounded shoulders – the
chest is one muscle that needs a good stretch. Only stretch what
is tight, as stretching the long and weak muscles will lead to
further imbalances.
5. Crunch after crunch. There is no such thing as a spot
reduction. 100 sit-ups a day will not flatten that tummy and it
will only lead to poor posture by over-strengthening the upper
abdominals and the powerful and greedy hip flexor muscles. The
energy to do the crunch may actually come from fat stored somewhere
else in the body.
--> So choose exercises that engage lots of muscles. A squat,
for example involves over 14 major muscles.
6. Have a plan. Having no plan will decrease your chances
of success.
--> You need to clarify your goals and determine the best way
to achieve them or you may be wasting a lot of time (not to mention
money).
7. Leave the books at home. Don’t take books or other distracters
into the gym.
--> Do exercises that require you to focus on each task as
though it’s a meditation and treat every session as a chance to
increase your awareness of how your body moves.
Your
3d Coach
Craig
Burton
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