Monkey see Monkey DON’T do
I was once told to do the opposite of what you see others do in the gym. This statement holds a lot of truth to it, and in today’s world of fancy machines, and advanced technology it is wise advice. Think about it…what do you typically see on a normal day at a commercial gym? People walking on treadmills? (My favorite is walking at an incline with hands on the rail) Circuit training on machines? Cycling classes? How about fancy exercises on the bosu ball? Let me tell you something, the shortest distance between two points is hard WORK, there is no “perfect” program no matter how individualized it is, and if you want results you have to put in the effort for a considerable amount of time. Most of these statements do not coincide with what you see on a normal day at a gym. This is why I say do the opposite of what others do…..
-You see people walking on a treadmill….run
-You see people holding on to the treadmill….let go
-You see people on a bike…get off your butt and move
-You see people lifting weights on machines….get off the machines and lift something (moving the machine will probably do more for your workout then being on it)
-You see people working their chest….work your back
-You see people working their arms…work your legs
-You see people doing floor based core…stand up and work your core
-You rarely see people stretch or foam roll….foam roll and stretch…everyday
Try running or biking to the gym. There is just something about the fresh air and open environment you can mix in with your day to day workouts. We are not hamsters and are able to control when/where we work out.
I could go on and on but the point is... Do the opposite of what others are doing. Do something that you’re not good at or have not done before. We want to burn as many calories as possible in the shortest amount of time right? Take your hands off the rails and run, get up and move and burn off that fat! Stop doing only what your good at and get comfortable being uncomfortable. It is usually those things your bad at that you need to work on to get better. If you have a C in math, how do you get better? By doing math! If you’re bad at pull ups how do you get better? By doing pull ups! Most people can do a lot more than what they think, it is just a mental game to get them the confidence. It is empowering to accomplish something and to say you put in the work to do it. So take control of your workouts and do the opposite!
