Monday 10 May 2010

Up the INTENSITY


As a trainer and being in the gym pretty much all the time I see one thing that lacks from a lot of peoples training programs. I see people lying around on the stretch mats, not doing a lot, wasting time chatting to a friend while they hop along on the x-trainer for an hour. So many people just don't seem to push themselves in the gym or during any exercise really.

I have had clients say to me, that if I wasn't with them, they would have stopped as they wouldn't push themselves that hard. So why is it that people don't push themselves to their full potential? Well thats for another blog. I am here to talk about intensity.

One of the services I do for people is to write training program for them. This is just one tool to achieving the goals you require. Have a good training program in place and you're on the right path. It is just that though, a tool in the box. If it is not used properly, it won't reap the rewards that it designed to do.

I wrote a leg program for a guy to do, it had 3 exercises in it. I gave it to him and he looked at me and said 'is that it'. I said go away and have a go at it. He duly went away and did the program and came back to me saying there was not enough exercises in it and that it was too easy. I said to him to book in a session with me and we'll go through it 'my way'.

The program involved Back Squats, Bulgarian Split Squats and Romanian Deadlifts. It involved squats in the rep ranges of 3-4 reps, split squats in the range of 6-8 and romanians in the range of 10-12. We did the session, well my client did, I looked on at him with a wry smile on my face as he grimaced and sweated through the weights session. I said he could do more exercises if he wanted, with him following that up saying 'its alright, I think I will give them a miss'.

My point is this, you can have the best program in the world, but if you are not willing to push yourself and up the intensity, it is complete bullshit. I know I talk between sets to training partners, but when it comes to lifting the weight or sprinting the hill, I will put 110% effort into it.

Cut the crap and get on and do it, if you're lying around, chatting to mates in the stretch area or have enough breath to muster more than a few words or any words at all on the x-trainer then you are wasting your time and in some instances, my time. Get in the gym, kick the shit out of your program and yourself and get out so you can start the repair process to a better you.

Harry

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