Exercise is an end in itself, but training has a goal.
The mistake a lot of people make is choosing the wrong goal — aesthetics. Everyone wants to have visible abs, the bikini or beach body, etc., and there’s nothing wrong with that. But unless you’re a physique competitor of some sort, you should be training (and eating) for strength and overall health rather than looks.
What’s the difference? Glad you asked.
- Too many exercises.
People who train for aesthetics often become convinced that they have to do several exercises for each individual body part every week or even every workout. This is because they’ve been told by a thousand “gurus” that a particular exercise hits the biceps this way and another hits the triceps that way, etc. There’s nothing wrong with a little variety, but there is very little the basic compound movements don’t cover. - Too much frequency/volume.
This is a direct result of #1. Trying to squeeze all these “essential” exercises into a week pretty much demands several days of training, thus limiting recovery and growth time. When you don’t allow for recovery and growth (especially if you’re no longer 20 years old or on PEDs), you actually limit your progress and slow down the results you’re striving for. - Too much isolation work.
People going after looks tend to over-emphasize specific body parts. Guys will do extra sets of several biceps curl variations, for example, and I see a lot of women spend half an hour just targeting their glutes. Try getting strong on rows and deadlifts first. Better yet, work on getting to your desired body-fat percentage. You might find that the proportions you’re looking for are already there.
With a simple and efficient strength-oriented training program — not to mention a proper diet — you’ll save time, spare your joints, and wind up with a beach body anyway.
In other news, I have a new eBook coming soon, as well as a newsletter in the works, so stay tuned.
Thanks for reading,
Dan
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