Fit Tips #14: Wasting Time...

Because you cannot get it back.

You can earn back that money you lost in Vegas or on that bad investment.

You can get another job if you lose yours. 

What you cannot do however is
get TIME back.

TIME is the most valuable thing in world.  I mean when we think back on our lives don't we wish we didn't waste time on trivial things or situations?

Once it is gone, it is gone forever!

This message is inspired by masses of people I see in the gym/track who are wasting time.  It has gotten to a point where it is absolutely ridiculous.  Wasting time on ellipiticals and treadmills.  Wasting time with lame machine workouts.  Wasting time with a bad diet.  Wasting time with a bad, uneducated trainer.  When you waste time, you waste effort.  When you waste effort, you build frustration.  And frustrated people are not happy.  (No study needed to back that, Ha) 

Last Saturday I did my Fit Camp.  While training the group, I noticed a woman jogging.  She was obviously there before I arrived.  She left after my group session who by the way performed at a very high level.  From there I then went home, had my pre-workout nutrition, and went to go finish my training week with a Bench Press session (chest and arms for you meatheads).  In between a set of dips, I looked over at the pitiful wasteland that is the "cardio" section and who do I see?  The SAME woman...are you trying to sell me that you jogged for 90 minutes outside to come inside to hop on the elliptical for 90 more minutes at the same lame intensity?  Excessive cardio is one the of WORST things you can do for your your physique whether it be high or low intensity.  A better served session would have been lifting heavy weight for 25-35 minutes followed by 15 minutes of a sprint workout.  Yet 180 minutes of her training were wasted on that tomfoolery.  C'mon man!

So how can we NOT waste our workouts...

1:  Train 3-5 days week

2:  Train with a progressive plan and a purpose, NOT just going to the gym/track to go

3:  Use mainly compound movements...Full Barbell Squat, Barbell Deadlift, Chin/Pull Ups, Presses, Rows, Power Cleans, Lunges, Dips, Barbell Hip Thrust.

4.  Use real cardio...Sprints, Bodyweight Conditioning, Jump Rope

5.  Eat for results.  Listen, losing or gaining weight is a numbers game.  If you want a crazy body composition, you must monitor your macros.  Anyone who tells you "a calorie is a calorie" is full of malarkey.  I think there may be just a slight difference between 2500 cals of high sugar/high fat/low protein vs high protein/moderate carbs/moderate fat.  If the macro numbers do not add up, you cannot expect to lose/gain.  Remember junk food equals a junk body.

If you are not doing the above things, then you are wasting time and effort in building your best physique and maximizing your athleticism.  Just showing up and hopping on a treadmill to "train" is not good enough.