Understanding
A proverb in the Old Testament says “Above all get understanding”. This cannot be truer when pursuing a fitness life style. You must strive for the necessary knowledge for fitness. There are so many voices in the commercial fitness world that insist their product and theirs alone will give a “world-class” body. The higher the price the greater your results will be with almost no effort or time seems to be their emphatic assertions.
The human body has been around without significant change for thousands of years. You can research any century and find examples of great athletic bodies. As a man would you not be content with the body of Michelangelo’s sculptured David? The principles of muscular development have been around for ages. Advances in nutritional supplements, vitamins and even drugs has given rise to bigger & more muscular bodies, but not even muscle enhancing drugs will work without a consistent exercise and diet regiment.
Maintenance
It seems common place for people to be on the fitness “kick” at some time in their life or in the year. Most fitness companies sell more products per month in December and January.
Advertisers understand this so they promise a transformed body in as few days that they dare promise. From as little as 6 days to 90 days you will be kicking Navy Seals butts or some such wild promise. Not only is it highly doubtful this will occur but the results fade in just as many days. Do not start something that disrupts your body and schedule that you will not be able to sustain for any reasonable length of time. This is why home equipment that is compact makes sense in the long haul for a “new” body. What good is a body that you have to show off by reaching into your wallet for a picture taken years ago when you were fit?
I remember speaking with a fellow who had to be 20 years younger than me about body development. His comments went something like this “Yes I used to have pectoral development like you, that fullness and definite separation right to the upper pectorals. “He even had pictures which he usually carried but did not have at the time. He spoke like a man who stopped living in the present to one speaking only of years gone past. You have your body for a life time! Once your daily exercise becomes a habit, it becomes easy.
Improvement
I started my fitness quest later in life, in my forties. Conventional wisdom seemed to dictate that I should expect limited improvement, particularly in developing any new muscle growth. That is not what happened! Every year for over a decade I have gained new muscle while becoming leaner. Judicious application of time proven body developing principles, with monitoring for tailoring, to maximize effectiveness is responsible for continued improvement.
I have followed many popular fitness programs. These programs seem to yield some promising result in about 3 months. What seems to be the case with all who continue to follow these programs for several years is a lack of any improvement from year to year. It is not because these people do not invest much time and effort. Quite the contrary, these programs are well over an hour of daily intense effort. What all this sweat seems to accomplish is maintenance of the first few months of gain. If what you are doing is not working would you not look for a change? What I believe is the problem with most programs and this includes expensive health club membership is that they are built on a faulty premise.
Affordability
This is not to be confused with the cheapest product on the market. Pursuing fitness has a cost associated with its acquisition. You will need to purchase equipment or rent its use by the form of gym membership. On any piece of equipment you can purchase the cost can vary by a factor of 5 times, from the cheapest to the most expensive. My personal fitness goals are of the highest that I know can be attained, therefore the equipment needs to be of equal quality.
One person phoned me about purchasing a new doorway pull up bar. She wanted it for her 6-year-old daughter who has just started gymnastics. I told her she needed a $20.00 department store pull up bar not the $70.00 bar that I sell. Money alone cannot buy fitness but the value of your equipment purchases without fail reflect your true fitness goals. Are your fitness goals that of a 6-year-old girl or that of an athletic eye turning adult? Is your priority to make do or to excel? Buy the best equipment that you can afford.
The foundation of many programs may be summarized in following:
#1 Cheapest in cost, always on sale.
#2 Quickest in achieving results, “In only so many days”
#3 Limited in scope, “this is all you will ever need, so throw everything else out.”
#4 High dollar cost with minimal time or physical effort required.
#5 Moderate dollar cost with extreme time and intensity required.
#6 Built around an emotional appeal, e.g. guilt, promise of friendship, a sense of belonging.
#7 Elitism. This foundation is selling a world-class, Olympic, celebrity, military, or Navy Seal type status.
Listen to me carefully, no home exercise regiment will make you a Navy Seal, a celebrity, an Olympic or world-class athlete. We can expect this salesmanship from companies that spend millions in advertising a month, but we should not, dare not lie to ourselves. No program is without some merit and no program can fit all our varying needs as we pursue a fitness life style.