This Is Why You Don't Go to the Gym
theatlantic.com
theatlantic.com
"Shaul’s guys out in Wyoming get massively strong and powerful on precisely three gym sessions a week, each lasting an hour and no more. Louie Simmons, the single biggest name in gorilla-style competitive power lifting, will tell you that 45 minutes is the max length of any smart training session.
But you can’t spend the first 15 minutes watching CNN from the treadmill and the last 15 “warming down.” Every second has to count, and it all starts with understanding the four basic muscular aptitudes: strength, power, muscle mass, and muscular endurance. [...]
The whole trick to athletic training — and this is true for everybody from bodybuilders to marathoners to noncompetitive athletes just in it for health, or even vanity — is timing each subsequent workout so it hits the middle of that so-called supercompensation peak, when a muscle has already bounced back even stronger than before but hasn’t yet returned to baseline. [...]
It can be hard to believe a true strength coach the first time he tells you that by pressing and dead-lifting on even days, squatting and doing chin-ups on odd days, avoiding all other exercises, and adding a little to the bar each time, you’ll be stronger than you’ve ever been in only a month’s time. Thanks to the fitness industry, we’re so conditioned to equate sophistication with complexity — and to think we’ve got to “work each body part” — that our gut just says, No way; that can’t work. But it works like magic, and the entire body hardens up in unison.
Finally, keep it simple; understand that variety is overrated. Variety does stave off boredom — it’s fun to mix in new exercises all the time — but a guy who hasn’t trained in a long time, if ever, will get stronger faster on the simplest program of squats, dead lifts, and presses, three times a week."
[1] http://www.mensjournal.com/everything-you-know-about-fitness...
I knew most everything in the article, but I thought it would be an excellent piece to show any of my gym "fuckaround-itis" friends.
The original "Fuckarounditis" article on Leangains: http://www.leangains.com/2011/09/fuckarounditis.html
Using this program and nothing else, between November 1 and December 23 of this year, my squat went from 180 to 270, my deadlift from 180 to 305, and my bench press from 120 to 165.
You do not need to be an expert, or know how to lift to do the program. It is (for me) almost exactly one hour a day, three days a week.
Make working out a habit, not a question of willpower. It needs to "just be", or else you, if you're at all like me, won't do it. That's why I don't care much about variety; I don't need variety in brushing my teeth either.
edit: Also, the /r/fitness FAQ is quite good: http://www.reddit.com/help/faqs/Fitness
The hour workout touches on some studies that I have read that going over an hour often doesn't get you much with respect to strength training.
Another good book is "The New Rules of Lifting."
There's something so basic and satisfying about picking up something really heavy.
It seems (from my reading) that once you reach weights like yours, progression gets much harder. There's lots of tricky assistance work you need to figure out, you need to eat like a friggin animal, and you need to work just hard enough to not overtrain.
In other words, good luck!
And yeah, progression slows and waivers depending on current bodyweight, current emotional state, time of day, etc... It can take months to add another 5lbs onto the bar.
It's much more useful for lifters than /r/fitness is. http://www.reddit.com/r/weightroom
You are much like myself in that we both seem to have strong lower bodies and relatively weaker upper bodies :P
>You do not need to be an expert, or know how to lift to do the program.
You don't have to be an expert, but it's crucial to have regular form checks on the lifts. Nothing is more depressing than being sidelined for several weeks because of bad squat form leading to an injury!
I just mean to say that I used to think you couldn't do these sorts of lifts without some sort of trainer that could teach me how to do them, and that since I didn't know one, I couldn't.
Rather, these days, you can read starting strength, watch videos online, film your own lifts and get people to help you pretty easily.
Plus, I solve most of my bugs while lifting!
Which is to say: both the referenced article and Rippetoe's books are excellent references.
I've tried gym memberships in the past, so it's hard for me to put my finger on exactly why I've been able to stay motivated this time around. Having hard, quantifiable gains may be the biggest factor, and perhaps even more than that, having quantifiable losses when I skip a workout. When I missed a week at the beginning of november (I was out of town), I had to knock 10 pounds off my squats in order to get through them. That is not a good feeling. Definitely worse than being charged five dollars.
Edit: ok, I looked it up -- http://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=2287213
I'd also like to add, reading Rippetoe and Kilgore flipped a switch for me. If you can write 60 pages about how to do a squat, then weightlifting can be a geeky activity.
About 5 years ago I set a goal for myself of both understanding as much as I could about strength training, and accomplishing as much as I could. Rippetoe is indeed a true geek of iron. I've managed to hit a 500# deadlift and mid-300s for squat, trying to get both of them up above that, but it's tough to make progress now.
Another great resource for the squat fanatics is Boris "Squat Rx" Bachmann's "Squat Rx" YouTube series: http://www.youtube.com/view_play_list?p=C03D688F10C4DE1F
The fastest way to get started on this kind of program imho, is to look up youtube videos of the exercises, and pick up a smartphone tracker. I use Strength by Airlock Software on Android. (Lite version URI https://market.android.com/details?id=com.airlocksoftware.st... and the creator also recently released an excellent HN reader on Android)
There's no point doing a program like this without keeping logs, and a smartphone is the easiest way to do that. That particular app is also very newbie friendly.
Finally, once your weights increase, please spend more time learning technique. Look up Squat RX, "So you think you can Squat" etc. Videos imho are best, though if you want to really geek out, read Rippetoe, Verstegen, McRobert, Kilgore etc too.
Combining this principle with a time-limited offer can be staggeringly effective, I imagine by enhancing the sense of impending loss. I've seen orders-of-magnitude difference in revenue from such "new customer only" discounts.
Now if you'll excuse me, I'm going to have a bath in acetone to sluice off the shame.
I will never, ever use them again for doing that to me.
Really, vI know I can trick that part of myself. Trying to swallow a bitter pill whole is difficult and can be counterproductive to positive reinforcement that will get you to go again. Break down that commitment into pieces and the initial energy threshold is a hell of a lot lower. You'll see the positive results more easily and expect them less because you've broken down your "I should be getting in shape" personal investment into smaller pieces, so it seems smaller overall. It stops being a matter of "I better see some results for all my trouble."
Without the self-guilt trip you'll be reinforcing a positive feedback loop, which is the only sustainable way you're going to get in shape--if you enjoy doing it.
That's a great suggestion. Also, if you exercise at home instead of at a gym, you can tell yourself you're just going to do a 10 minute set. Once you're done with that one, your heartbeat will be up and you'll have enough energy to keep up for a few more.
Bribes/rewards are also good motivators. If you promise yourself a minute of reading HN for every minute you work out, you have something to look forward to. (Make sure you don't let yourself take the reward before you do the work, that's a BIG trap.)
So let's say you join a gym, but don't know very much about working out. You walk into a room with hundreds of machines, and are expected to know how to structure a work-out, how each machine works, be familiar with all the muscle groups and exercises, and also really care about planning out and recording every exercise you do to track your progress on the gyms website. It's the biggest turn-off.
Why can't a gym hold your hand and treat you like somebody who wants to start working out but doesn't know anything yet? "Express tracks" are a good start, where 10 machines are set up in a row, and if you do 3 sets on each one, you have a good work-out session. That's easy to understand and do. And maybe later, once people have created their habits, they are more likely to learn the finer details. But expecting every new member to care about putting a ton of effort into learning everything about working out is a killer.
However, I can guess why it isn't common. What you suggest would be labor-intensive, and thus expensive. Some people don't want to pay for the hand-holding. So the gym would have to offer multiple plans: cheap do-it-yourself and expensive hand-holding. My guess is that this has been tried, and the number of customers for the high-end plan is not enough to justify offering it. Alas.
Also, all the machines have little informative placards on them explaining which muscles they work and how to use them. I think they're also laid out in a way such that by going from one end to the other they'll give you a fairly decent all-over workout.
The one moderate exception was at a managed on-site gym at a workplace when I first started out. I got a training program that I followed with some success for the next nine months, losing 50# of bodyfat and gaining 12# of muscle in the process (verified by hydrostatic testing).
Today I'd have done a rather different route, but, hey, it worked. That of course is the novice's advantage: virtually any crap program is better than sitting on your ass. The question is: what is going to work best.
For most otherwise healthy people these days I'd say a 5x5 strength program with 2-3x weekly HIIT cardio sessions (Tabata anything after a month or two).
Working out is, well, work. If you're out of shape it's not fun and if you don't have the motivation to get in shape it's not going to work. To be perfectly honest, I think that's what a good (read: effective) trainer does more than anything else - instill motivation. There's plenty of info on how to work out, and barring that, you can quickly observe how people use the equipment and their form. You can watch trainers instructing others. It's really not that hard. I started at 13 years old, years before the world wide web existed, and basically learned everything I needed from a subscription to a couple muscle mags. Aside from that, the only people I learned from initially were other friends my age that were also beginning to work out because we certainly didn't have the $$ for trainers. I went from 90 lbs. to 130 lbs. in that first year. Basically I was just really sick of of being 90 lbs. That's it.
I'd almost equate it with coding, expecting some hand holding will get you only so far. The internal motivation will have to be there sooner or later or it won't stick.
Nowadays I don't do it nearly as much, but I can't take more than 3 or so days off because I begin to feel like crap, and I'm addicted to not feeling like crap.
Amen. It has little to do with user experience. Even when I was in shape and going regularly, there were days it was hard to get myself there- you are constantly, slowly adding weight, so it is always hard.
Driving out of a deep squat is always the hardest part for me. I find it just requires so much more willpower than a press or the like.
It probably also requires recruiting more muscles at the same time and coordinating them all, and more effort to keep your balance (recruiting even more small muscles), which adds to the complexity of the exercise.
I don't know about the US, but almost all gyms in the UK do exactly that - as part of your induction, a personal trainer assesses your fitness, discusses your goals and designs a workout program for you.
It's a big business win as it's an excellent opportunity to upsell to a personal coaching program, but it doesn't seem to have any impact on people actually using the gym.
As the article points out, the gym wants you to come once (not have fun) and then not come back - but continue to pay the monthly membership fee.
If the gym was fun, and every member came in regularly, the gym would go out of business. Their goal is to make the gym seem like something you should have a membership for (lots of high-tech looking machines and posters about health and attractive staff), but actually not fun enough for you to come more than a few times a month.
This is why there is a rise in the small group-focused workout clubs (that emphasize fun).
I can never bring myself to just "go to the gym" for the reasons you suggest. But give me something organized, and I'm hooked.
What's there to really know? The average person just looking to be healthy doesn't need a gym or any instruction. Buy a $3 jump rope. Jump over it 4,000 times every couple days. Do some pushups, pullups, and situps on the other days. 20 minutes (at most) and done.
"The Gym" as used by most people is a way to create the illusion of effort. "Hey, I'm spending six hours a week there and using big expensive machines, so I must be getting something done." It's just a waste for most people, who'd be better served by a jump rope in their driveway.
I use a gym because I lift and have no space, but if I had a garage I'd set up my own power-rack. All the machines at "the gym" are idiotic. You only need a barbell, a bench, and a rack.
The principles are pretty simple, but it's not so much as "get a jump rope and jump 4000x a day".
The basic parameters I'd tell someone:
- Cover the bases. Do strength training. Do cardio. Do flexibility, motor control, and p/rehab (flexibility, soft-tissue work). You can still cover most of this in 20-90 minutes/day (45-60 is preferable, less is OK in a tight spot).
- Do strength first, then cardio. It has to do with glycogen availability and training stimulus, look it up.
- Make sure your strength program is whole-body, whether you do that in 1 day or as a split. Your basic muscle groups are legs, glutes, back, chest, arms, and abs. Your basic movements are squats, lunges, deadlifts, rows & chins (back/biceps), presses (chest/triceps), and twists/bends (core/abs). These can be done with freeweights (preferred), machines, bands, cables, or bodyweight, though you'll get best results with freeweights if available and you can use them.
- Emphasize compound movements over isolation, for strength.
- Understand that intensity matters for cardio. You'll do much better getting an intense 4-minute workout (Google "Tabata intervals") than plodding lazily on a treadmill for 40 minutes. No, Tabatas aren't easy.
If you want to lose weight, eat less. If you want to gain weight, eat more. Eat real, whole, unprocessed foods, not too much, mostly plants. Eliminate harmful noxious stuff (processed carbs, trans fats). Get an appropriate balance of carbs, proteins, and fats (40/30/30 or 30/40/30 are good starting points).
If you're concerned with body weight, toss BMI out the window (it's completely bogus), and understand the basics of BMR and your estimated daily expenditure.
Agree on bar, bench, and rack. Though the bench is optional -- you can press off the floor. I'd add (or ensure the rack had) a chinning bar. And plates might also be useful ;-)
Why doesn't a gym hold your hand? Because there's no percentage in it for them (or at least that's the naive calculus). There are exceptions, but they're rare and hard to find. A gym wants you to either 1) sign up and not go (free money) or 2) sign up and go and sign up for a bunch of additional services (personal training, massage) and products (supplements), which have rediculous markups.
What they don't want you to do is become knowledgeable yourself on what works to accomplish your goals. But ... you can do this.
For a couple of nutshell basics: Beginners' Health & Fitness Guide: http://liamrosen.com/fitness.html Hierarchy of Fat Loss: http://alwyncosgrove.com/2010/01/hierarchy-of-fat-loss/ Everything You Know About Fitness is a Lie: http://www.mensjournal.com/everything-you-know-about-fitness...
For a great beginner's book, The New Rules of Lifting (Schuler and Cosgrove) distills a lot of good knowledge, and Starting Strength (Rippetoe and Kilgore) has one of the most brutally effective novice strength programs bar none.
It helps to understand basic physiological response to stimulus:
- If you eat more food than you need, you'll gain weight. Whether that's fat or muscle depends on:
- If you overload your muscles periodically (more weight or reps than they're used to), and provide sufficient rest/recovery and fuel, you'll build muscle. How you lift (sets, reps, rest) focuses the adaptation (strength, size, endurance) somewhat. What lifts you do affect what muscles get developed (curls do nothing for your glutes).
- Doing cardio of varying modalities (2-bit word for "types") will maintain/increase your abilities here. Tabata intervals, hill sprints, and HIIT training are great for short, intense work. Doing periodic (1-2x weekly) longer-duration stuff will help your endurance system training (mostly making your body more efficient and effective at burning fat for long periods of time). Which is not the same as losing weight.
- If you're interested in skill-specific activities (skiing, gymnastics, juggling, whatever), do that. Training is highly activity-specific in this regard, though cardio in one are translates well to other areas. Your specific motor skills may not.
There are a few other bits: you need rest and recovery. You can't target fat loss. Too much cardio is catabolic (wastes muscle mass), though most weekend warriors don't need to worry about this. Men and women in their 30s onward are losing muscle mass at the rate of about 1/2# per year, unless they're strength training. And benefits of exercise (strength and cardio) accrue throughout life, even to those in their 100s.
It's something you've got to do regularly, 1-2x weekly if you want to maintain, more often (3-5x weekly) if you plan on progressing.
That's it in a nutshell.
1. I keep in mind that I have never regretted going for a run.
2. A few times a week, I run with friends in a training group. When someone expects to see me there, I am much more likely to go.
3. I keep a training log. I mark completed days with a green dot (even rest days), and missed workouts with a red dot.
4. I read about running. It's inspiring to hear others' stories.
5. I sign up for races. If a race is coming up, I know I can't brush off workouts.
I started running again a couple years ago after about 8 years of not working out. It was difficult and painful for a couple months, but it got easier and more fun. I do have to sacrifice some family time, but I want my son to see me having a fit lifestyle. Sometimes, I'll bring him along in a stoller.
I started running 5 years ago, and once I've got the habit to put on running clothes every morning, it's really quite easy.
The reason I don't go to the gym isn't because I gave up, it's just I don't like that "all" gym environment, plus the fact that I have to drive there, wait for people to let me use a specific machine etc...
with the money I'd spent on a gym, I'm building my own little private gym.
I can't recommend enough for all of us geeks to workout. I used to drink sugar drinks, eat fat food, all that crap. Even though I wasn't fat I was starting to gain weight and man, I was embarrassed of how out of shape I was.
Look it as hacking your own body ;) make it better, each week you will se improvements, get in shape. Just because we are geeks doesn't mean we can't have a great body for ladies ;P
"Don't curl in the squat rack!"
I mean, you just go the first time. Then when it is "tomorrow". You just go again. Then the next day ... again. It's not that difficult a concept, the only thing you must take care of is that you don't break the cycle.
When I was still going to a gym I was there two hours every evening, at the same time, no matter what. When I suddenly couldn't afford it anymore it was horrible ... all that free time and nothing to do with it. Sure, eventually new habits formed, but it was hard as hell.[1]
Really the only thing it takes is a bit of stubbornness, all these silly tricks into making yourself more stubborn are just that ... silly. You don't need them.
There's nothing easier in the world than making the same default decision every day. Doesn't even require much thought.
[1] this was a few years ago, got into boxing when I had the money again, then became broke and am finally getting back to boxing this week ... money's a bitch like that, luxury-ish expenses are the first to go
edit: why all the downvotes? Picking a habit and making sure you don't break it is one of the most effective ways of sticking to something ... http://theclosetentrepreneur.com/seinfelds-secret-motivation...
Bodybuilders don't work out that much, you know.
Furthermore, exercise doesn't take up your time, it actually increases it. Not just in the years in your life and how much less time you spend in those years being sick; that's obvious. But every single day.
Tim Ferriss tells this story about how Richard Branson was once asked the single biggest thing most people could do to increase productivity. Due to the fact that he's one of the busiest men on the planet, every single person in the audience leaned forward with bated breath. His answer? Exercise daily. It improves the quality of your sleep, so you need less. It makes you more emotionally stable, so you're more motivated. And most importantly, it increases mental clarity, so you're more focused through-out the day. Branson said that it gives him multiple hours more productivity every day. It's bull to say you don't have enough time every day to exercise; if you're that busy then in fact you don't have enough time to NOT exercise.
Finally, just thought it was worth mentioning that half hour of exercise doesn't even have to be strenuous. In the study I mentioned before they recommended walking, because it's the best overall for your body (too many people run on concrete these days). Swimming is also very good. Neither of these have to be exhausting. Hence why I take the 30-35 minute walk to work every day. My other exercise is a bonus.
So much exercise advice is disingenuous: 30 minutes exercise != 30 minutes out of one's day
Change cloths, warm up, exercise, cool down, shower, change clothes: there's significant overhead even if one doesn't have to travel to the gym.
Except they also put in another hour in the morning.
Doing enough repetitions with the proper rest in between takes time. Out of the two hours you're there you probably spend less than 90 minutes actively exercising. Especially taking into account the gym being packed and having to wait for stuff.
Just getting strong or fit can be done in much less time, though it may leave you without the beach muscles, if that's what you're after.
So you're looking at (4x1.5+4x1)x4x2 = 80 minutes == 1 hour 20 minutes minimum. Without counting the time to move from one exercise to another, without changing your clothes, without falling into a conversation with a fellow gym member, without waiting for anyone to free up a machine/weight-set/whatever.
Face it, if you're bodybuilding you're spending 2 hours a day at the gym.
In a previous post I already lauded the book "The Happiness Advantage: The Seven Principles of Positive Psychology That Fuel Success and Performance at Work"[1].
The book is based on scientific results.
In the chapter "The 20 second rule" the author talks about the "activation energy" required to start a task and recommends reducing it as much as possible. Every 20 seconds (hence the title of the chapter) removed between you sitting on the couch and starting what you wanted to start makes a difference.
I have a nice pullup bar hanging from the wall that's staring at me and every other day I follow the simplefit[2] program. Have been following it for weeks now. "Activition energy" being so low... even when I dread doing sport (yes, there are such days) I tell myself it's at most 20 minutes and I can start right away so the pullup bar is looking at me with a face and I shrug and do it. My energy and endurance has increased noticably.
Gotta run now (not to the gym hyuk hyuk), I'll be happy to answer any questions tomorrow.
[1] http://www.amazon.com/Happiness-Advantage-Principles-Psychol... [2] http://simplefit.org
I could go to a gym in theory, but it's at least 20 minutes away, there would be a whole ritual to dress up, go there, workout, cool off, come back. It would take an extra hour and I imagine many gym goers are paying extra in time to work out. It wears on your motivation.
I know I'd skip many more days, the results would be even less apparent which would undermine my motivation.
Most important exercises can be done with a barbell and 2-300 lbs of plates. At home, without a rack, you could safely squat 150 after getting there with powercleans and overhead prss. Then you could go to a gym once a week for its racks, leg press, etc.
The only thing I regret is buying standard plates, barbells and dumbbells instead of olympics. Standard barbells can't handle more than 230 lbs safely. It would be nice to deadlift and bench 300 lbs at home. Pain in the ass to sell the old set. So if you go this route, I'd recommend spending more and getting olympics. And don't worry about sucky olympic dumbbells, do Starting Strength, it's fine without them.
Did you get a hollow bar or something? I regularly deadlift 350# on my 6 foot standard bar with no problems. And I haven't seen any claims about safety issues elsewhere. If you actually look at the bars, the central section when the maximum loading is is the same diameter on standard and Olympic bars.
I googled up standard barbell weight capacity and most responses on forums and articles say that standards are only rated for ~230 lbs. This one says 300 http://www.building-muscle101.com/weight-lifting-equipment.h... this guy says ~200 http://forum.bodybuilding.com/showthread.php?t=945996&pa...
Here it says 200 for 5ft http://www.bigfitness.com/noname8.html and 250 for 6ft http://www.bigfitness.com/weigbarbr6st1.html
It's a nightmare trying to find out the specs. I prefer a 5ft bar. Say I get more plates and this bar can't handle them, then I have to try other bars. I wish I could sell this weight set and get olympics. No worries about capacities there.
Hmm, this site does this for many years already: http://www.stickk.com/
Tried it once with some friends and it worked perfect, even without a financial penalty.
It certainly works - there has been many a cold, rainy morning this winter that it's been the deciding factor in getting me out the door...
A hard workout takes a while, but then you're done, and you feel great. Not eating the donut takes a while, but an hour later, you aren't done not eating the donut. Oh no, not at all. It still beckons.
It basically turns fitness from a long feedback cycle to basically daily. I would probably cover up to 1k per month in employee fitness related costs; it is a huge boost to health, motivation, and productivity.
Last year I decided two times a week was good enough for me and it's worked. I'm in fantastic shape.
Being a global and pretty standardised thing there are gyms all around the world you can attend. Despite the language barrier you still know what to do. For instance I am in Tokyo currently and about to go here: http://chikaracrossfit.com/ If I were in Denmark then I’d love to drop in here: http://butcherslab.dk/
Just as being a developer allows you to network globally, crossfit does too.
People go to college and invest years in an education that they grind out day in and day out because they feel (not think! it's not a logical process) there is value in the long term effort. When the same people don't exercise and eat right over a long term period, they are demonstrating that they don't value their health. Sure they might think and say they do, but obviously they aren't taking the appropriate steps. They just don't care.
Many go to college simply because their lives will not feel complete until they can study certain subjects at the hands of masters. Much like how entrepreneurs feel their life will not be complete until they try to build that product; even knowing the odds are against them seeing it become a success.
I would argue that the rest go because they've been pressured to do so, not because they see a real long-term benefit in their actions. There is a lot of negativity towards those who do not have degrees. Getting a degree is needed to fit in and not become a social outcast.
People who make poor lifestyle choices do have their own fair share of pressure and negativity, but, unlike those without degrees, we generally accept them in our society.
Nobody is going to pass up the world's best programmer because he has a few extra pounds on his person. Lots of people would pass over the world's best programmer because he doesn't have a degree.
I'm a bit worried about this theory becoming a self-fulfilling prophecy. Ever since first reading about it, my thoughts sometimes go along these lines:
- I should do X now.
- But wait, I've already done A, B, and D. Man, I feel like I have depleted my willpower on those three tasks! So, I'm leaving it till tomorrow.
And so I'm confused because I suspect I would be better off if I never found out about the theory, but there's no way to 'unread' it and make myself a control for checking the limits of my own willpower.
It seems to tie into the decision fatigue theory. Instead trying to figure out if I can based on meetings/workload/other things in my schedule, I've already made my decision to go on certain days (in my case, every other day) and I just need to make sure my schedule works.
I've arranged things so that when my kids have swim lessons, I go to the gym. It doesn't matter if I track progress or not, because I'm not looking to "make progress". I want to be in better shape. Going regularly is the key. Just as a photographer will tell you that the best camera is the one you have with you, the best workout is the one you actually do.
As a side effect, I lift 150% - 250% of the weight that I did when I started, and I can do many, many more reps. I no longer get backaches, and I can't remember the last time I was out of breath from a normal activity.
Another thing that trips many people up is they are unsure what to do. Having a written plan when they show up removes that hurdle. Much like having a TODO list helps many people complete them, having a written TODO list of exercises helps people to show up.
It doesn't matter if I track progress or not, because I'm not looking to "make progress". I want to be in better shape.
BTW, be in better shape is called progress. Although be in better shape isn't a very good SMART goal. While it is measurable it's not specific enough or time bound.
1 Round is 2-3 minutes
* Burpees(pushup variation) x 30 seconds
* Shadow box x 30 seconds -- This isn't rest. Treat it like a fight. Add kicks, knees, elbows, etc.
* Rest 1 minute between rounds.
Make rounds longer, try to beat your reps, or add a weighted vest if you really want to challenge yourself.
You can tell people a hundred times they won't keep their promise and the reason and whatever, they will still think they can keep it because their motivation is still high because they haven't done anything yet.
Gyms here have trials.
So what can we say for the minority that pay the 30(+) silver pieces and actually make it happen? I say good show! To those who pay and drop off I say keep on; don't give up, go back and try again! Tomorrow is another day. Don't Judas yourself.
anyone know how big the parallels are between the economic models used by gyms and many online services?
Every Netflix subscriber that has a red envelope sitting on a table somewhere for weeks at a time.
Comcast internet service comes with 1GB of storage for a personal website. They don't have 22,000 terabytes in hard drives allocated to that, I'm sure.
Paying for a gym membership is a goal in itself in that you can say 'I go to the gym'. Having a paid account at $SERVICE doesn't have the same meaning since you can always switch and there is social pressure.
But certainly no hosting company actually has thousands of GB laying around.
But hey, if it works for you.
Congress doesn't have the proper incentives to reduce the deficit. People do have good incentives to go to the gym. (Coincidentally, I just got back from the gym. It feels really good.)
Now that I don't have the hookup, Red Bull on sale seems to work pretty well for a low cost energy drink.
Each person is different and needs to find that balance to just enough energy to go 110%, but not so much that you lose focus.
And then they tell that people are more likely to do gym workouts if they will be taxed. But isn't subscribing to plan already form of financial incentive?
I have quite different idea of gyms. Gyms are for people who build their body, not for someone who need to fix health. For someone who need to fix health - they need to change their routine to introduce physical work somewhere. This is more complicated than buying membership, I agree. But this is what will not use your willpower and give you long term results.
You can't always argue logic with the way our brains work.
But, if you get taxed if you don't go, then your choice of being lazy right now will cost you money.
It fails to take into account what you eat. That is properly also a big part of it.
Just the number of times you go doesn't necessarily matter - it is also about how hard you work out, etc, etc.
Anyway you should properly find some other way to make it nice to be there since otherwise you will lose the female part of the equation.
It's inherently boring. Walking is fun. Hiking is fun. Chopping lumber is fun. Swimming in rivers and lakes is fun (pools - less so). You see new things and move yourself around.
In gym, nothing really changes, you just do some repetitive things in a big room without windows. Sitting in cubicle is probably more fun because you've got web access at least.
I don't know if the problem is inherently solvable or not.
Doing a bodybuilding routine is incredibly boring, but finding something you like at the gym can be very rewarding. Like anything else though, you have to work a bit to find out the good stuff amongst the crap.
Reframing is a useful strategy in general, increasing physical activity and improving nutrition don't carry all the baggage of exercise and diet carry for many people.
Personally, most of my gym time is spent mentally engaged in what's coming into my ears. A year in, I'm making fairly consistent gains, so it's working.