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How to pick the right exercises and programs for your body
Posted by: Chris
Think about gardening for a minute. When you plant tomato seeds what do expect to grow? Totatoes. Stupid question, I know, but it makes a very good point about exercise. People in gyms all over the world are planting the wrong training "seeds" for the results they'd like to see. Of course, they blame the training rather than themselves. It's similar to the person who plants sun flower seeds, gets upset when he doesn't get tomatoes and then denounces gardening as a stupid and useless activity. You planted the wrong seeds dummy!
So, in your training decide what results you are after and choose the right exercise "seeds" to get you to those results. Here are the exercise seeds and what they grow. Here are the categories: Cardiovascular fitness (CVF), Fat Loss (FL), Muscle Size (MSz), Muscle Strength (MSt), Muscle Endurance (ME), Bone Density (BD)
Seed: Cardio/Aerobics
Grows: CVF - Very Good, FL - Fair, MSz - Poor, MSt - Poor, ME - Fair/Poor, BD - Fair (high impact only)
Seed: Circuit Training
Grows: CVF - Good, FL - Fair, MSz - Fair, MSt - Fair, ME - Fair, BD - Fair (depending on weight used)
Seed: Strength Training (Moderate weight, 8-12 reps, 1-2 minutes rest between sets)
Grows: CVF - Poor, FL - Fair, MSz - Very Good, MSt - Good, ME - Fair, BD - Good
Seed: Strength Training (Heavy Weight, 1-6 reps, 3-5 minutes rest between sets)
Grows: CVF - Poor, FL - Fair, MSz - Fair, MSt - Very Good, ME - Fair, BD - Very Good
Seed: Strength Training (Moderate-Light weght, 8-15 reps, 1 minute or less between sets)
Grows: CVF - Poor, FL - Good, MSz - Good, MSt - Fair, ME - Good, BD - Good
Seed: Strength Training (Light weights, 15+ reps, 1 minute or less between sets)
Grows: CVF - Fair, FL - Fair, MSz - Poor, MSt - Poor, ME - Very Good, BD - Fair
Seed: Interval Training
Grows: CVF - Good, FL - Very Good, MSz - Poor, MSt - Poor, ME - Very Good, BD - Fair
A note on Fat Loss: Fat loss is mostly a function of diet. If I eat 6 super-sized Big Mac Meals with regular coke every day and chase them with Ben & Jerry's it's unlikely that I'm going to lose any weight. So the fat loss rating for these exercise methods is mainly for how much will it help in addition to a fat loss diet.
A note on Injury Risk: There is always a certain level of risk assumed with any exercise program. Most injuries come from stupid people doing stupid things. In my experience, none of these activities are any more dangerous than any others WHEN DONE PROPERLY. Sloppy form, not using spotters, etc. creates a perfect environment for injuries.
Re: How to pick the right exercises and programs for your body
Posted by: Jeff
Nice Job Chris! You should have gotten this published before you posted it! If people would set realistic, attainable goals, your post can help them reach those goals. It might even help those women who think that if they do less than 15 reps they will get too big. It might even help them understand that IT JUST AINT SO!
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