Do apparently complicated workouts put you off training, or are you one of those people who love exercising the brain as well as the body?
I was working out with a good friend recently and explaining a routine that combined exercising the legs and shoulders at the same time using kettle weights. The point of the exercise is to challenge the brain when going through the motions of the routine, as well as the body (in this case, the upper and lower body) and to alert the person undertaking the exercise.
It took a certain amount of time to explain the routine and for my friend to master the coordination it required between the top and bottom halves of his body. The routine itself, once mastered, is simple enough, but taking the time to so master it is required at the outset to deliver the routine effectively (I will post a video showing what I am talking about here, so check that out when I do so!).
Once my friend had so mastered the routine however he was away and motoring. But that opening orientation foxed him a little and when I asked him why, his response was that when in the gym he likes to attack his workout and deliver it with as much attention and energy as possible, which is great of course.
It is also important to challenge the brain when exercising and not to fall into the trap of automating workouts and relying on physical repetition to ensure they deliver what is required.
In this vein, it is possible to create exercises that combine techniques to suit individual fitness objectives and body types. There are, of course, set routines that can be undertaken on the gym floor (and elsewhere!) which deliver. But that does not mean that every time we workout we have to use such off the peg workouts.
Combining techniques in new combinations takes a certain knowledge and skill, but both are available on the gym floor in the form of personal trainers and experienced gym-goers, as well as online. It is also possible to create and safely test combined techniques before undertaking them on the gym floor to ensure they are safe to use and effective.
What is important, is to own your workout, to develop it to your specific requirements and abilities and to drive it over time to objectives that work for you as an individual. If your drive is cardio’ focused, then build a routine and use techniques which deliver on your cardio’ requirements, with the same for mass-building, or whole-body fitness.
Once you get into the latter category there is more scope for developing your own exercise routines and techniques, as the focus in terms of requirements is wider, but the principles above can be applied across the other workout types as well, if to a lesser degree.
So, don’t feel cautious in terms of combining techniques to challenge and build your fitness.
It is your body and workout.
So own it.
Julien
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