First, I am finally back into the blogosphere after having taking some time to catch up on some continuing education. It feels good to get back to writing!
Second, I had this thought yesterday during my own workout. I have heard coaches and trainers talk about having to get out of one’s comfort zone in order to see continued fitness improvements. While I do agree with this since the overload principle must be followed within a fitness program, there is a spectrum of what this could mean for people who fall under different fitness categories. Let’s see a few examples.
- The cardio junkie
You already know this person- the person who just has to run everyday because they think that their fitness level will drop if they didn’t. First, this person must realize that aerobic fitness is just one of five different fitness parameters. Once they do that, they will see that adding some sort of cross-training isn’t just necessary, but it takes them out of their aerobic comfort zone. For this person, incorporating some basic strength exercises along with higher intensity, lower duration runs will improve endurance. Remember, all aerobic exercise is “cardio” but not all “cardio” is aerobic! Thanks to Rachel Cosgrove for printing that quote.
- The weight lifting addict
This person is the exact opposite of the above mentioned example. More often than not, people who strength train still use outdated bodybuilding style workout splits, having “back and bi” days, or “leg” days. The only compound lifts you would see in their program are the bench press or the leg press. First, getting out of this comfort zone will have to include a functional training approach. I think the “functional training” term is still equated with exercises seen primarily in a rehab setting. This is short-sighted. The term functional training really comes down to training movements, not muscles as coach Vern Gambetta has said. Exercises like front squats, chinups, lunges, and pushups form the foundation. Functional training is not easy when progressed appropriately. Isolation exercises are rarely used, but results are noticed much faster than a bodybuilding approach to exercise. Second, this person will benefit from some sort of long-term workout plan, rather than just going to the gym and doing the same things over and over. For example, there could be a 3 week cycle of changing the set and rep schemes on certain lifts, like the bench press.
- Week one- 4 sets of 8 reps
- Week two- 2 sets of 20 reps
- Week three- 3 sets of 12 reps
Make sure to pick an appropriate weight for the prescribed reps!
Again, alot of people who exercise really get stuck doing what they find comfortable, myself included. But by changing one, maybe two variables in your training, you can be sure to see continued progress.
NP 2010
