I’ve done a fair few workouts, and seen even more, but these things are always included in the best…
Quick and to the point
I have a short attention span and i don’t like things that drag on for too long. Also, the longer a workout lasts, the slower and less intense it has to be and the more rough and raggedy it gets towards the end. This means I’m spending ages practicing how to be average speed, average intensity and dodgy in quality (or “half arsed” as a great man once said). By keeping my training to an hour maximum, I am practicing being fast, intense and having good quality technique.
No inefficient exercises that waste time.
With short workouts, i don’t want to waste time doing 5-10 exercises when 1 will do. eg I won’t do 3 sets of bicep curls, reverse flies, wrist flexers, situps and some cardio….when i can just do a bunch of pullups instead!
Moves that help me live my life better in the real world.
I avoid very abstract moves with limited practical use. I can see how being able to bend, twist, move and lift my own body or other objects can help me live my life better. On the other hand, i can’t think of how “isolating the long head of my biceps” will figure in my life at all! My body (and yours) does not move in isolation. It moves as 1 coordinated unit. So that is how we should train.
Movement and variety.
Did i mention i love movement and variety? Making sure there is plenty of each means:
- lots of different muscles have to work in lots of different ways, intensities and durations.
- lots of different joints have to move at lots of different angles, directions and ranges.
- lots of different nerves have to fire in lots of different ways, paths and orders. They also have to deal with lots of different stimuli.
A target/goal to aim for and beat.
This is down to my personality again. But i always work harder if i have a time/distance/speed to beat. Otherwise i get lazy and just “go through the motions”. This is not the way to improve your health/fitness/performance.
Bloody good fun.
If i don’t enjoy it, i won’t do it, no matter how “worthy” it is. And if i don’t phyically do it, then i don’t get any of the benefits. Don’t just talk the talk, you got to walk the walk.