Hang with G

     At the conclusion of my last post, I mentioned providing some tips on designing a workout plan to help you accomplish your goal.  Here are three quick tips to steer you in the right direction.

     Tip #1.  Before you even start your workout plan, list your goal or goals and try to be as specific as possible.  Are you trying to lose 15lbs in 2 months?  Write that down as your goal.  If you’re hoping to increase your max bench press by 20lbs in six months, that should be listed.  It doesn’t matter what the goal is.  You should have a constant reminder of what you are trying to accomplish.  Goals such “losing weight” and “getting stronger” are too general and may lead to some not putting the necessary effort.  “Losing 20lbs” creates a sense of urgency that “losing weight” lacks.  One of the first actions you should take when creating a workout plan is deciding and listing/writing your goal. 

     Tip #2.  List/understand your barriers.  Before designing the workout, understand what you’re up against.  Do you have access to a gym?  A track?  How much time do you have per week?  Do you have an accountability partner? Will your work schedule occasionally prevent you from working out?  Every year, around New Year, you see droves of people decide to embark on this great goal of “losing weight for real this time”.  Invariably, most don’t last past the first month.  For many, it is one of those barriers that keep them from continuing.  If you understand your challenges, the path to success and coming up with realistic goals become less challenging.  For example, understanding that you will only work out in January will help you create a more realistic weight loss goal of 8lbs instead of a 50lb weight loss goal. 

     Tip #3.  The third and final tip for today’s post is to design/select a workout that’s specific to your goal.  All workouts are not created the same.  Therefore, you should design one that will help you with your own goals and not copy one that your friends are using and definitely not the cool workout you saw on television that your favorite celebrity was using.  If you are trying to tone up, lifting 5 reps of heavy weights with  2-minute breaks may not be as effective as a 12-15 reps of lighter (but challenging ) weights with 30-second breaks.  If your goal is to sprint faster, running 5 miles daily may not help you reach that goal though it may still serve as a good cardio workout.  Select a workout that is customized to help you reach your goal.

     Workout plans are valuable!   It keeps us on a clearer path to achieve a goal.  While there are hundreds of tips to help with a workout plan, the three listed should only serve as a guide to get you started and avoid some early mistakes.  Stay tune for my next post November 4th as I will list some of my fitness goals/barriers.

Does it exist? “The perfect workout” or “the best workout”? You’ve heard it before!! Maybe it was from the biggest/fittest looking guy at the gym lifting the heaviest weights. You wanted to lift half as much as he was lifting and you just knew anything he said had to have been true. His workouts had to be “the perfect workout”. Any suggestion or tip he provided, you were ready to incorporate it into your workout immediately. Sounds familiar?

How about you ladies? You have heard it as well. Maybe it was from that woman with the perfect abs and slimed/toned arms running the treadmill effortlessly. While she glided and floated when she ran, you could only seem to waddle while walking. Obviously, she had “the best workout”. Right? Some secret plan that only a select few had access to.

Here’s a secret…perhaps a nightmare for some. THERE IS NO “Perfect Workout”! There is no one workout plan that will be effective for everyone who tries it. You ever worked out with a group of friends with each of you doing the same 2-mile run or each on that same weight lifting plan? What typically happens? Some lose the weight quickly while some may not lose weight at all. Same thing with the weight lifting plan. Some will gain muscle while others may not. Why is that?

While the human body is amazing, it can be puzzling as well in getting the fitness results you want. “The perfect workout” or “the best workout” isn’t the one that has worked well for that well-sculpted guy at the gym or the perfectly toned woman floating across that treadmill. Your age, gender, genetic makeup, schedule, sleep, diet, and more play a role in how your body will respond to a specific workout. The perfect workout is the one (or several) that is effective for your body type and your goals. That workout may be different from one person to the next.

Please stay tune for my next post on October 28th as I will provide some tips on creating a plan to help you accomplish your goals.

Hello all!  It is October 14, 2019.  On this day, I’ve decided to start my journey of sharing with the world my perspective of all things related to fitness for an almost-40-year-old guy.  I would like to encourage and inspire and debate fitness with you.  If I can motivate a few into becoming a healthier and/or fitter version of themselves, I would consider it quite an accomplishment.  Over seven billion people to learn from and to also help guide.  Come “Hang with G” and help me inspire the world into becoming more engaged in fitness.  Comment and let me know what inspires you to become a fitter you and stay tune for my next post titled “The Perfect Workout” October 21, 2019.