MORE TO IT THAN JUST DO IT

Lift weights to build muscles, BIG ONES if you want to get BIG and LITTLE ones if you want to “TONE UP”

RUN to lose FAT. DONE!

A couple of months ago, I WROTE a post called “THE HYBRID ATHLETE”,

I went on to describe WHAT a “HYBRID ATHLETE” is and talked briefly about how a workout for this style of training might look.

A lot of people looking to get started with a healthier lifestyle, TURN to things like WALKING, RUNNING and BIKING.

There is nothing wrong with these activities.?They are cheap and easily accessible and staying ACTIVE is always a good thing.

However, while ALL exercise is GOOD, not every exercise is GOOD for everything.

Furthermore, running won’t necessarily help you get LEAN.?LOSE weight? YES.?However, not necessarily a ripped body.

Lifting weights won’t necessarily make you big and muscular.

You can be like me and lift weights to get strong without getting overly BIG.

You can lift weights to get BIG or you can train to get BIG and STRONG.

I once heard about a Figure Skater who would do Step-ups with several hundred pounds on her back.

I think most people would AGREE that figure skaters are not BULKY bodybuilding types.

Therefore, there is MORE to getting big muscles than SIMPLY lifting heavy weights AND more to getting toned than doing HIGH reps.

I often talk about SYNERGY i.e. that a given result is achieved through the COORDINATION of numerous factors.

For example, you can be eating plenty of protein and training HARD in the GYM but if you are not MANAGING your STRESS or getting QUALITY SLEEP your progress will be LIMITED.

Sure, you can still make progress.?

The MAJORITY of my adult life I have continued to train under less than ideal circumstances.?

This is ACTUALLY one of the KEY reasons I decided to call my business FUNCTIONAL AESTHETICS.

TRUE, when it comes to WORKOUT STYLE I prefer a HYBRID/FUNCTIONAL BODYBUILDING approach but the FUNCTIONAL is referring more to the ABILITY to get the most out of whatever situation you find yourself in and whatever life throws at you.

Have a KID keeping you up all night??Get in some calisthenics before climbing back into bed.

Working LONG HOURS so that you FEEL too drained in the evening to TRAIN??Train before work AND/OR fast or eat low STARCH/SUGAR during the day.

Working late and have a hard time falling asleep because you are WIRED??Use that alertness to get in a workout.?You are up anyway.?GOOD LUCK dragging yourself out of bed early to train.?I used to do this in my TWENTIES when I struggled with INSOMNIA.

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These are just a couple of examples.?Ultimately, where there is a WILL, there is a WAY.

OK, so back to the MAIN POINT ??

Just because you CAN DO IT doesn’t mean it is IDEAL.?

In my experience, MOST PEOPLE, including myself won’t make a CHANGE until it becomes TOO PAINFUL not to change.

This is WHY a lot of YOUNG GUYS shrug off advice to

? Take rest days

? Stop drinking so much

? Do less caffeine

? Get more sleep

? Work more on your technique?

For a WHILE, you can get away with doing things the WRONG WAY.

Eventually it will catch up with you.?When guys get into their 40’s, 50’s and beyond they begin BLAMING weight gain, achy joints etc. on AGE.

Sure, there is some truth to that, but MORE OFTEN than NOT, poor lifestyle choices are just as much if not more to BLAME.

Going back to the topic of “WHAT YOU DO MATTERS”, While there is nothing wrong with running, biking or lifting heavy weights, you need to take into consideration what your intended goal is for doing these forms of EXERCISE.

If you are training to be a COMPETITIVE endurance athlete, putting in a lot of miles is ESSENTIAL.

By the SAME token, if you want to COMPETE in the sport of POWER LIFTING, you will need to focus the MAJORITY of your time on moving heavy weight.

However, for the average person wanting to LOOK and FEEL better a MORE BALANCED approach is in order.

In my experience, MOST people do a lot of running, not because that want to be COMPETITIVE, but because they are trying to BURN off that extra BEER, PIZZA or a piece of CHEESE CAKE.

By the SAME TOKEN, a lot of guys LIFTING HEAVY WEIGHTS do so because they are already BIG GUYS and that is what FEELS GOOD to do.

Nothing WRONG with the latter.?In fact, it can be SMART to gravitate towards sports where your GENETICS can help you excel, nevertheless regardless or BUILD, you should still take time to train in a SENSABLE, HOLISTIC manner.

While running may BURN a lot of calories, it also sets in motion a CASCADE of physiological adaptations predisposing one to DECREASED MUSCLE, increased CORTISOL and ultimately the need to DO MORE and more of the SAME to maintain a given body fat percentage.

Lifting HEAVY all the time may FEEL GOOD short term but will ultimately lead to ACHY joints, and STALLED PROGRESS.

Be STRATEGIC.

FIGURE OUT what you are trying to achieve and then FIGURE OUT the best way to go about ACHIEVING that objective.

Your body will thank you.