Who, What, How?

Occasionally, I get questions from friends and gym patrons who come up to me and show me a copy of a some workouts from a magazine or newspaper. They would ask me, "Is this good for my thighs or trim down my waistline?"



When I look at the pictures, the copy often depicts the same type of fad exercises that we often see at the gym. Only these pictures have a different model with different equipment and a different name. In other words, same exercises, different package.



I often reply, "Well, what are your goals? How would these exercises help you?"




When choosing exercises and strategies, always ask the following questions to yourself:




1. For whom is this exercise for?


2. What are my goals?


3. How would this help me achieve my goals?




Many exercises depicted in "fitness" magazines may not be suitable for certain populations who have low back pain (LBP), knee pain, poor posture, and weak core. In fact, they do not address much of the common problem associating to these aforementioned issues which plague more than 74% of the American population. However, if you are already physically fit and have no pain and good overall performance, then these exercises may be incorporated into your existing regiment. Otherwise, you must go back to the basics and build a strong foundation before progressing to higher levels of training.



What are these foundations?



Details will be posted in the next article under: What Type of Athlete Are You?

Ask yourself those three questions the next you determine what exercise and strategies are best for you. It will help you avoid mindless wanderings at the gym.