The Work in Workouts

It has come to my attention lately that some folks just don’t want to put in the effort required for a great workout. They just want to go through the motions; spend some time at the gym, and say they worked out. Unfortunately, it doesn’t work that way.

A workout consists of two parts; physical and mental. I am not going to delve into the physical side, but I want to write a few lines about the mental aspect.

Folks, your head has got to be in the game. It takes focus and concentration during each step of an exercise to complete it properly. If you’re thinking about work, or the fight you had with your spouse, or your kid getting a C in Algebra, than you can not possibly be putting in the mental power it takes to complete a great workout.

Exercise is a process. Each phase of each individual exercise needs to be performed correctly to avoid injury and ensure maximum results. A good trainer will help with this but during a group class or while you are doing this on your own the trainer will not be around so you need to police yourself. At each phase, stop and ask yourself if you are in the right position, is your speed good, are you stabilized, are you using the appropriate weight. The bottom line is that you MUST pay attention to what you are doing.