Finding the Right Workout For You

On our initial approach to working out, three of us decided to attack the workout more as that...working out. For me, I love the NFL. I watched HBO's "Hard Knocks" religiously. For my workout partner Brad, he had already done some strongman workouts. For Mike, he seemed to come from a boxing standpoint. Explosive MMA style fighting. We had another guy who wanted to get into it, but...his only contribution was a kettlebell he let us "borrow" and then he simply disappeared.

The NFL is an amazing sport. There is so much chaotic grace. And it all happens in seconds. I was amazed at the sheer force a player would put their bodies thru to get in shape for such a harsh sport. The thought of making it to that level of physicality is a wonder. Watching the combines, I realized they're constantly dealing with just the hard facts. Seconds. Pounds. Distances. All logged and processed by a huge brain trust and worth billions. Something stuck with me as I was watching these training camps...what is the drive to keep to that level of fitness? Money is a huge factor...but what about the players who don't make the 1st, 2nd or even 118th draft pick. They'd be making the same amount of money with less injuries doing anything else. I have to believe it is the sport and glory that drives these players. Why else is Tiki Barber returning to the sport?

Getting back to the conditioning portion of it...I know whenever people hear of conditioning, it was for a higher purpose. People condition to do other things. For instance, I do wind sprints so that I can play soccer better. Or I do pull ups to rock climb better. I remember In high school, we used conditioning to get fit for track. However, in our day to day lives, is the word "condition" even a factor? I mean, most of us have jobs that don't require we run the 40 in 4.4 seconds. Nor that we can push a Buick on an incline. The idea of "work" now wasn't pushing, pulling or plowing. It's now sitting behind a computer and making people in a different country move things. I think that mindset is why pure workouts seems to be the most overlooked. We don't need to forage for survival. The sad fact is that we may never get back to that mindset and the species will die a fat lazy death.

I wondered about the way I had been doing weight training. I did very heavy weights. The type of weights that even astounded bodybuilders (for my size anyway). You are validated and considered their equal when that tribe gives you that knowing nod and recognizes you as one of their own. If you got the nod, you knew they respected you. It just fueled the need to get bigger and stronger. Yeah, I spent a LOT of time at the gym...but again, I never considered myself a gym rat. I don't play pro-football, but when I was able to bench 12 reps at 225lbs. it may have put up red flags. But I just used the flags to wipe down the machines. Oh, that reminds me too...up until now, I've never sweat at a workout (prior to the one I'm doing now). Weight training didn't exhaust me that way for some reason.

So when choosing what type of workout, I suggest a few things:
1) find a mentor - even if it's a celebrity that you'd like to emulate their physique and study them. Find videos of their workouts. Military style workouts are my favorite. Especially SeAL training. They shred so much fat.

2) Don't fall into fads. I mean, it's okay to do certain things, but mix them up. When I say choose the right workout for you, it means looking for new and interesting ways to push yourself. People who read books at the gym sadden me.

3) Ask yourself what is the motivation for this workout. If it's a beach body and you want to shred fast, your barking up the wrong workout tree. Mindset wise. I think most people allow this to go the quickest because as long as they have that idea in their head, the minute one exercise doesn't yield a quick result they abandon and try something different. Work outs aren't about quick results but lifestyle changes.

4) Study your own physique and know your body type. And be honest with your gains and losses. I overlooked this one and most people don't do this either. We sometimes are blind to what others see. We are too focused on the goals we lose perspective of what would suit our NEEDS. And overshoot it sometimes.

5) It's gotta be challenging. There is no way around this one. You either want this or you don't. And the commitment you need to shred is one where you'll be pushing yourself to a limit. You can cheat sets all you want but you aren't going to cheat your body.

So, that's it for choosing a workout. I'm with you guys on this one. I've built a new workout away from my usual heavy weight training. In my next episode...enter THE LUDUS.

170lbs @ 5'6"