Health and fitness results are difficult to achieve if you don’t have a targeted as specific plan from the start. A properly guided exercise program involves goal setting, correct methodology, and a large variety of exercises from which to choose. Below, you will find guidelines to help you in each one of the above categories.
Goal setting and goal achievement are two completely different topics. Setting goals is important before beginning any exercise program, but achieving goals requires frequency of thought, objective measurements and analysis of progress, and diligence to carry out the desired activity necessitated to achieve your goal. For best results, I recommend you think through your goals at least five times a day, using the power of affirmations to help you accomplish them in your mind before you do physically.
Objective measurement of progress depends on your goal, whether it is body fat, weight loss, or strengthening. Keeping track of your progress is essential for reinforcement as well as modification. Finally, it’s important to point out that no one will achieve a goal if they do not have the diligence they need to pursue it. Many times, if motivation is what’s missing, I recommend finding a partner or teammate to help you through difficult times.
Correct exercise methodology is vital to health and fitness success with exercise. Methodology should be based upon your goals listed above. For example, if you desire to gain muscle, you may have a very different plan than if you desire to lose weight or train for competition. Be sure to research your exercise program ahead of time and follow a proven model before choosing which exercises you intend to do. For this reason, it’s not wise to simply watch another person exercise and then imitate, especially if you have no idea what s/he is trying to accomplish.
Having a large variety of exercises from which to choose allows you to ‘shock your body,’ by constantly placing different demands upon it. Through this unique approach, which is sometimes referred to as ‘muscle confusion,’ you will reap much better results, for much longer. Normal exercise programs that consist of ten to twenty exercises yield great results for a temporary time frame until they reach a ‘ceiling point.’ Ceiling points refer to the time during an exercise program when results plateau and exercises become less effective.
By considering each one of the above factors while designing your health and fitness exercise program, you will dramatically improve your results in the gym. Increased results in the gym directly correlate to decreased body fat, increased strength, increased endurance, decreased risk of cardiac disease, and improved health for a lifetime.