May 2, 2017

5 reasons why you don't look like you're working out

5 Gründe dafür, dass Sie nicht aussehen, als ob Sie trainieren

5 reasons you don't look like you're working out

By Dan John | 09/02/14

Source: https://www.t-nation.com/training/5-reasons-you-dont-look-like-you-lift

Here's what you need to know...

Some people spend so much time doing fancy warm-ups that they forget to move something heavy and break a sweat.
Start an exercise program and finish it. Stop jumping back and forth between different workout programs.
The basics will get you there the fastest. Do deep squats, bench presses without lifting your butt off the bench and deadlifts with (at least) twice your body weight.
Don't let your diet undo all the work you put in at the gym. You can't make up for a modest diet by doing more cardio.
Use your breaks between sets for something more productive than chatting or finding a new song.

There are a lot of things you can do wrong when working out, but if we could get people to fix the following problems, our world would be a stronger and fitter place.

1 - You actually forget to exercise

The moment you walk into the gym, a timer starts ticking. Think of it as one of those countdown timers on a bomb in an action movie. Each of us has a different total time programmed, but regardless, the time starts running as soon as you enter the gym.

What you will do during the first ten minutes of your workout will tell me pretty much everything I need to know to tell you what you are doing right and what you are doing wrong. I've always told people to do front squats first. This is still good advice, but I was hoping that a touch of urgency would get some people thinking about the importance of getting to the gym and getting to work.

During this new era of corrective exercise, I see people curling their spines against the walls with lacross balls, flailing around on the floor with foam rollers, and following a program that will realign your zodiac sign against their ascendant. This is followed by 20 minutes of easy walking on the treadmill, some dynamic flexibility training and finally some stability training or whatever.

An hour after entering the gym, they can proudly acknowledge that they've done practically nothing. And then it's time to go.

In addition to the countdown clock, think of your time at the gym as a punching bag. When we enter the gym, we cut a small hole in our ability to exercise and the sand starts to trickle out. When the bag is empty, we have nothing left. In other words, if we waste all that "sand" doing stupid stuff, then there's no sand left for the stuff that makes us stronger, fitter and a better athlete. This is not to say that some of these tools can't be useful, but do you need all of them, at once, before every training session?

Many of us trick ourselves into thinking we are exercising when in reality we are just strolling down the street wasting time. Stop doing that.

2 - You suffer from exercise ADHD

The solution to problem number 1 is to follow a program. I have a rule about programs: I don't care what program you use, but finish it. Start it and finish it.

I have a program called Mass Made Simple. Fourteen workouts over six weeks. I challenge you to spend two to three hours each week lifting, pressing and doing squats until you can do 50 repetitions of squats with your body weight. Start the program, finish it.

Maybe mass isn't your priority right now, but what is? And don't say "fat loss" right now, because the majority of people who work out will give that answer. The problem is that even if these people are supposedly focusing on fat loss, they are making little progress in this regard.

Why not focus on something else and just see if the body fat goes down while you improve another quality? Most programs are about six weeks long - even if such a program is a disaster, that's only six weeks of your life. If you've been training for ten years, how many six-week phases are there in your training history? I'll answer that question for you: about 86.

Do you want to build a better butt with hip thrusts and squats? Do you want to improve on an exercise that is your weak point - usually squats or deadlifts? There are dozens of programs posted on the internet every day. Just choose one and follow it.

Come to the gym with your training program. Print out your training plan and put it in your training diary. Follow the program and finish it.

3 - You don't master the basic exercises

Strive to master the exercises as you work out. I know, you think you're impressing the girls when you load up the leg press and fling the weights up over and over again. Want to know what they really think of this? I asked them. They think you're an asshole.

Learn to train correctly. Master deep and correctly executed squats. These days it's easy to find workshops from the best and brightest that will show you how to live and move better.

Your job is to perform deep squats, bench presses without lifting your butt and deadlifts with (at least) twice your bodyweight. The basics will get you there the fastest. And as a reward, you'll be more muscular, leaner and stronger.

4 - Your diet cancels out your training

You can't make up for countless amounts of low-quality carbohydrates with cardio training. I know vegetables, fruits and high quality protein are more expensive than wheat and corn products, but cows get fat when they eat grains. Don't be a cow.

Every week has 168 hours. If you exercise for 5 of those hours, that leaves 163 hours to potentially undo everything you've accomplished in the gym. So how about nodding in agreement when it comes to eating right? I would suggest that you learn the basics of cooking - which is as simple as using a knife, a steamer and a grill combined with some proactive shopping. This will do as much for you as the next excellent "secret" workout program.

5 - You are wasting your break times

Rethink your definition of "break". I personally never time rest periods and try to use the time between exercises for my flexibility training, stretching and corrective exercise.

One of the problems with gyms today is that there are TVs on the walls. Add to this your magical super smartphone and the dozens of other things that distract us from working out.... If you're at the gym, you're supposed to be working out.

And please don't put together a mix of your favorite songs. Years ago, I was told that the Soviets discovered that "toxic" music increases the ability to exercise. Hey, maybe that was a lie too, but I think it's a great idea. If you hate country music, then listen to country music. I hate pop music and listening to it over the speakers at the gym makes me work out harder. Hate and extreme anger are great motivators

Rather than rewinding your 'intensity mix', maybe get down on the floor and work on the stretching you need. Or do what great bodybuilders used to do - perform most of your training as supersets so that you never really rest. I'm a big fan of supersets for any athletic goal. Obviously you should avoid this for Olympic weightlifting and powerlifting exercises, but try the following:

One-arm presses with TRX pulls
Curls (of any kind) with tricep presses
Bench presses or push-ups with rowing

Squats and swings also work well together and are a great conditioning workout. I like to do 10 to 15 swings and then move the barbell up for 5 goblet squats. Try to do this for a total of 100 to 150 swings while listening to the latest crappy pop song.

Bonus suggestions

Take the towel off your neck, Rocky.
There's never a reason for a headband or a pirate scarf.
Wipe down every bench and cushion after use.
Pack the weights back - even if you didn't leave them there.
Do squats on the squat rack - and nothing else.
Don't yell if something causes a burn...unless you're really on fire.
If you're wearing a muscle shirt, remember that it's not the piece of fabric that makes the difference between an undershirt and a muscle shirt.
Be nice to the staff.
Learn to perform deep squats. Nothing will get you more recognition than deep, cleanly executed squats.