Friday, March 23, 2007

3 workouts a week and lose your time

“You have to do your exercise program 3 times a week”: this statement has been told for years by personal trainers and doctors.
But is it really effective? It supposes you train at least 45 minutes to one hour: this is the average time you need for a complete workout.
I see 3 major problems with this plan:

1- The impact of this plan, even with very well designed workouts, will be very low and it’s going to take weeks and weeks before you see some results.
2- These workouts are time consuming and it could be a problem with many people: are you going to stick with this plan for at least 6 months without to miss one single workout? Not sure!
3- Not seeing quick results is not good for motivation: many people stop to exercise because body transformation takes a too long time.

The solution is the strategy many athletes use for peak performance:
- The workouts have to be intense: intensity is a key; be progressive and you’ll see major results.
- The workouts have to be short: I think it’s good news for many people. Did you know you can get a total body workout in just 15 minutes!
- You have to train more often: 5 or 6 times a week. Elite athletes train 2 or 3 times a day: you can use this strategy to train twice a day for a 3 week cycle plan and you’ll see your results skyrocket.

Bottom line: 3 workouts a week will always be beneficial for long term benefits.
But it is not efficient for fast results, and people want fast results. My advice: cut right now your long and traditional workout and boost intensity and frequency.

Resources for short workouts and quick results: Gladiator-Fitness.com

No comments: