15 Lessons From 15 Years in Fitness Part 3

11. All exercises have value.

There is constant debate in the fitness industry about what exercises are best. The real answer to this debate is it depends on your goals and individual needs. For every exercise you come across, there are many variations to make them harder or easier. 

For example: someone comes in to train but they recently had a knee replacement. I most likely would not put a bar on their back and make them squat deep. I may have them do goblet squats, band assisted squats, or leg presses. 

I used to stick to a few specific movements, the barbell squat, bench press, deadlift, and overhead press. I avoided using too much variety in people’s programs as it takes away from building strength and skill. While these movements were essential to do regularly, it was an incomplete system. 

Research has recently shown us that young athletes should avoid specializing in one sport too early. It can lead to worse performance and more injuries in the future. Instead they should participate in a variety of activities for a wider skill set until later in high-school or college. 

I believe this is a lesson that should be applied to adult training. Even if you have a specific goal like running a marathon or increasing your bench press, include some variety in your training. There should be some exercises that remain constant (squat, deadlift etc.) to build skill and strength, but others that keep you from becoming overly specialized and injury resistant. 

12. More is not better, it’s just more.

This lesson came from Pavel Tsatouline, a Russian kettlebell expert. One of the great mistakes is thinking we need to go all out every workout. If we were to rate the difficulty of your workout on a scale of 1-10, the vast majority of them would be between six and seven. 

As I said in lesson 10, play the long game. Doing nine or ten level workouts for a couple of months is far less effective in the long run than years of moderate intensity. There is a time and place for more weight, mileage, or lifting volume, but even the highest level of athlete can’t sustain those efforts for long. 

On the other end, some days will need to be a level three due to sleep deprivation, injury, or poor nutrition. These workouts are just as important as any other and should be done despite how pointless it may seem. It keeps the habit of staying active strong, they can be used as a recovery tool for injuries and soreness, and your technique on running or lifts will stay sharp. 

Marathon training varies the distance and pace of each run to manage stress. Each week there will be one short run, one long run, and several in between. As the weeks progress toward an event, the total mileage per week will increase. Then mileage will be tapered down the last few weeks to decrease fatigue for a strong race. 

An approach like this will keep you from burning out or suffering from a major injury. Focus on being consistent over how much you can punish yourself.

13. Be willing to pivot!

Don’t quit, pivot! If the approach you’re taking is causing pain or too much to manage with your other responsibilities, change the plan! This could come in the form of swapping out an exercise that causes you pain, reducing the time commitment to exercise, or joining a small group program for support. 

Plans look great on paper, but when you start to implement them they can fall apart. This is one reason many quit after just six weeks into the new year. They feel like if they can’t commit 100% to the plan they had, it’s not worth doing at all. This isn’t a time to quit, it’s an opportunity. 

Go for a walk or build a small home gym if you can’t get to the gym as often. Bike three miles if 10 leaves you sore for days. Try small group training instead of one on one to cut costs. There are many ways to pivot. Get creative and don’t quit!

14. Don’t major in the minor things.

We put a lot of stock in supplements, eating organic, or flashy exercises. While methods such as these could be useful for some, they do little to move the needle in terms of your health. 

Focus on the “boring” but effective basics. These include lifting weights, getting more steps, eating higher protein & fiber, and sleeping seven to nine hours a night. These approaches will get you far closer to your goals than ice baths, greens powders, and pre workout supplements. 

Doing a squat does more for your health than a balance exercise on a BOSU ball. A good night’s sleep will help you recover better than a cold plunge. If you find you’re investing in minor things, you’re wasting your time and money. 

Master the basics, do them for several years, and watch your life change for the better!

15. Take your kids to the gym

When my first daughter was born, I was still teaching one class on the weekends. This was my one day alone with her every week. It was a lot of extra work chasing around a nine month old who was determined to explore every dangerous part of the gym. It is well worth the effort so her and her sister grow up being comfortable in the gym.

When I was growing up, few people owned cell phones, Facebook didn’t exist, and kids still played outside. We used our bodies. We spent a lot of time outside playing games and building forts. This is what I want for my girls. 

In school there were always a couple of kids uncomfortable in gym class. I believe some of them grow up to be the same people scared of entering a gym. If we can start our kids young with sports, outdoor activities, or going to the gym, they will be comfortable in these settings. 

We need to normalize physical activity and good nutrition again. With adult and childhood obesity on the rise, many are dying from preventable conditions. It is on us as parents to be the example for a long, healthy life for our children.