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A session with a client
the other day motivated me to write about the commonly asked question,
"What is the best exercise for __________"? While I
don’t believe there is any "best" exercise for
a given body part, there are certainly plenty of good ones. Most
of the various machines found in a gym don’t actually vary
much from one gym to another, and although they may look different,
the same general concepts usually apply. For an example, in order
to isolate the quadriceps muscle (located on the front of the
upper thigh) during a resistance exercise, you must begin from
a bent knee position and move to an extended position while pushing
against a resisting force. However, any exercise done repeatedly
without change will become less and less effective over time,
no matter how good it is.
While there are many variations of the same basic exercises out
there, it is extremely important to vary within those from time
to time in order to shock the body and continue achieving results.
When a new exercise is undertaken, the body will progress on that
exercise anywhere from four to twelve weeks continuously, varying
from individual to individual. However, after that time the body
will plateau and become stagnant, unless it is shocked into continuing
its progress by undertaking new exercises. That is why an excellent
exercise (and there are many), is only as good as an individual’s
progression period lasts.
I can’t stress enough how important it is to change up your
exercises. Pay close attention to your body and how you feel during
and after exercise. This will allow you the insight to know when
to change things up in order to shock your system. For example,
when you first began walking on a treadmill you may have noticed
that you lost body fat in your midsection over the course of three
months, and went from a size eleven down to a size nine. But while
you adamantly followed your regime of treadmill walking for three
more months following that, you remained the same. Most likely
your body plateaued and needs to be shocked into continuing its
progress.
One way to shock it is to incorporate walking at an incline instead
of walking flat, or even jogging rather than walking. However,
a better way is to undertake a new type of cardiovascular exercise,
like bicycling or jumping rope. You body should respond to the
shock by continuing its progress, ultimately resulting in burning
more body fat. Of course, other factors do play a big part; like
the intensity at which you are exercising, as well as the amount
of time and frequency of your workouts. The same applies to resistance
exercises, like back rows and squats. They all need to be changed
up periodically in order to shock your system into continuing
its progress.
Here is an outline of the main points covered:
• While exercises vary, basic concepts usually apply throughout
• Progress should continue using the same routine for four
to twelve weeks
• After twelve weeks (or sooner depending on the individual),
change your routine around to shock your body
• Incorporate variety in order to avoid stagnation
Hopefully this has helped to shed some light onto the way the
human body responds to exercise and how to go about making the
most of your exercise regime and achieving the results you want.
Incorporating variety into your workouts also serves another purpose—it
keeps them interesting, ultimately resulting in better adherence
to your fitness program!
Melissa Allen is a certified
personal trainer, Blackbelt & fitness consultant, as well
as the owner of Optimum Condition— personal fitness training
and kickboxing instruction. She is a regular columnist with various
newspapers and welcomes input from her readers. Please contact
her with any questions or comments that you may have by calling
(619) 252-4993, email her at Opticondit@aol.com, or visit her
website at www.optimumcondition.com. |
