Finding the Advice Worth Following

With the New Year having just passed, the January rush at gyms and fitness centers has commenced. It’s always a wonder why, come February, these new gymgoers empty back out even though their credit cards are still being charged $19.99 per month, month after month after month…

What I am about to tell you may hurt a little bit: Unfortunately, there is NO QUICK FIX for getting into better shape. Whether you want to lose 20 pounds of fat or gain 20 pounds of muscle, you have to have patience and dedication. It’s a life change to do either of these two things. Flashy advertisements online, in newspapers, in magazines, on billboards, and on TV may try to convince you that gaining or losing a significant amount of weight can be accomplished in no time, but they are simply misleading you if they don’t emphasize how much of a sustained effort is required for long-term change.

Which brings me to the main point of today’s blog: DO NOT believe everything that you see and read. In fact, do not believe most, if not all, of what you read on exercise in magazines and on the Internet.

I’ll give examples related to both weight loss and weight gain:

Weight Loss

As a trainer, fewer things frustrate me more than when someone comes to me and says, “Look, this skinny pill makes you jacked in only 30 days! Why don’t I look like this when I’ve been working out for six months?” Or “I need to be doing sit-ups to get a six pack and slim down my mid section.” The truth is that, in all likelihood, that pill probably will NOT work, and, instead, it most likely will help you develop heart issues (thermogenics are proven to cause heart attacks). Also, as I’ve stated before, spot training does not work, and sit-ups will only cause your belly to get bigger if you’re carrying extra body fat.

The best way to sustain weight loss on a long-term basis is to eat healthy (not to diet, but to change your eating habits); to exercise at least 3 times a week with weights, doing full-body circuits; and to do cardio workouts on your non-lifting days. While the emphasis and order may be different from person to person, these are the only things that can help. Developing proper eating and proper exercise habits will take time. Remember, you can’t get out of shape overnight, just like you cannot get into shape overnight either.

Weight Gain

Now some of you may be sitting here saying, “Why would anyone actually want to gain weight at the gym?” Well, for our athletes here, putting weight on is essential for getting to the next step in their athletic careers. Whether an athlete is at the Varsity, Junior, Collegiate, or Professional level, more muscle is usually needed to progress. And sometimes, for certain athletes and body types, putting weight on can be just as frustrating as taking weight off can be for others.

I have had athletes bring in sample workouts from different fitness magazines saying, “These guys are doing these workouts and they are jacked, so I should be too!” or “I saw this article online that said, if I did squats every single day, I would put on muscle at a faster rate than most other people working out.”

It is always wise to use caution when following advice from random sources, especially if the people supplying that advice lack the degrees, certifications, or fieldwork necessary to make it credible. You can’t always believe claims that this workout or that workout will make you “pack on muscle…and FAST!” They are oftentimes written by people with no actual exercise knowledge. Would you take law advice from the actors on Law and Order: SVU? Of course not! Along the same lines, you should not take advice from sources that are not credible. Being a professional athlete or being in good shape is far different from being an exercise professional. You need to make sure that the article you are reading on specific workouts is more than just a simple summary of the athlete’s favorite 3-6 exercises in his or her routine.

When reading articles of that nature, it is always important to pay attention to how many reps are being used. Unfortunately, exercises can be misrepresented (i.e. if they incorrectly note how many reps should be done or in what order to do them). Performing too few reps won’t build muscle; the same thing applies if the number of reps is too high. It should be a red flag if, in the article, the number of reps does not change, as failing to change the number of reps will make you plateau faster.

Don’t just eat 140 grams of protein a day and expect to gain muscle. (Consuming over 40 grams at a time will just store as fat anyway.) The same concept applies with weight loss clients—proper diet for building muscle is needed, along with proper exercise programming. The big lifts are the ones that will pack muscle onto your frame: squats, deadlifts, rows, and bench. They are best in adding muscle—when done with barbells, in proper programming, and with proper nutrition. Again this takes time, so be patient, find a fit for you, and give it all that you can.

Want to help fight the misinformation out there, while at the same time educate yourself about how your workouts and diet affect your life? Pick up Fitness or Fiction: The Truth about Diet and Exercise by Brent Brookbush. It’s an easy (and at times comical) read, written by one of the best exercise professionals out there.

Please keep emailing me your feedback! Bill@nextlevelnj.com

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