Athletes and people that are committed train. As a result, they get stronger, faster, jump higher, and their bodies get bigger or leaner. Their coach gives them a plan that includes only one or two goals so the objective is clear.  The person training values their training so much that they complete every session as requested (barring injuries or minor adjustments). Training time is considered a job, so they show up like most people do with their 9 to 5’s. They have to do it.

Then you have your gym rats.  Most of them “work out”.  They have no idea what they are doing; however they blindly amble through an hour or so at a time in the gym with the misguided belief they are doing themselves some good. They don’t really know what they want or how to get there; they are just ‘working out’ (even that is often questionable).

A typical “workout” looks something like this:

•    5-minute warm-up on the treadmill.

This does not warm up all the muscles in the body and the gym rat gives no consideration to the following:

➢    Mobility issues - which nearly all of us have

➢    Flexibility issues - which make certain exercises not only ineffective but dangerous

•    5 minutes thinking about what they would like to do, not what they need to.

•    1 minute deciding they don’t want to do leg training because the last time they did it (4 weeks ago) it hurt a bit and it didn’t attract enough attention.

•    Several minutes checking which TV has the best program on.

•    Then 15-20 bicep curls

➢    They think this will give them nice toned arms but it won’t because they have no idea how to get rid of the body fat covering their muscles.

➢    Also, such high reps are a waste of time unless you are entering a bicep curling competition – they won’t build the muscle to give it the shape you desire.

•    Now on to some of those tricep thingies to get rid of the bingo wings. No it won’t - see above.

•     The guys meanwhile have gone straight for the bench press.

➢    Look around your gym…there are probably more benches than anything else. This makes no sense because our bodies are designed to stand and move! Our muscles demand high-energy movement!

•    So they’ve now done lots of “work” on the mirror muscles and are feeling the pump. “The pump” alone won’t make your body any bigger, leaner, or stronger. It is just an increase of blood flow to the muscles. Gym rats disregard this because the magazines say “get the pump on so do some work on the machines…”

We hate gym machines. They are just toys for lazy people and bodybuilders who have no regard for functional movement but want to isolate individual muscles for maximum growth. While this is a waste of time for those looking to roast body fat, at least these bodybuilders generally are training for a specific purpose and not just “working out”.

These workouts will continue in such fashion, barely challenging the gym rat and certainly not doing anything for fat loss. They aren’t achieving anything except giving minimal stimulation to small muscle groups and/or only those they like to exercise while watching the TV in the corner. Why not just stand in your kitchen and do some cleaning while watching the TV? Since cost is so important to some people, it can be just as effective and a lot cheaper!

•    Once this pathetic excuse for a weights session is finished, it’s on to the treadmill or elliptical to hit that “fat burning zone”. This is one of the worst myths ever created in the fitness world. It has led to, or maybe originated from, the desire to complete endless hours of  “cardio” and aerobics.

We’ve all seen Charlie Four-chins plodding along everyday on the treadmill or elliptical for a month until he gets frustrated that he’s not losing weight or his knees start hurting because his joints can’t sustain the weight of his belly. As an Underground Functional Fitness member, you get a whole section on why low-intensity cardio is a waste of time for fat loss so we won’t get worked up about it just yet!

•    After 30 minutes with a bit of a sweat on, it’s on to do 397 crunches to beat last weeks 396. (This is what the government told me to do, which is why most military policemen are stressed and overweight).  Again, it’s all a waste of time. High reps don’t build muscles that give you 6-packs. Plus, layers of fat will always cover up any hint of a mid-section below anyway.

Take power lifters for example. They train to get strong and powerful. Due to their breathing techniques, most of them have rock-solid abdominal muscles but no one can see them because of the layers of fat. Power lifters aren’t interested in their body fat because such training would detract from the training time necessary to achieve their goals of lifting a particular massive weight.  This is not something I necessarily agree with from a general health point of view but at least they are training and not working out.

In summary, our gym rats have ramped up their metabolism, they haven’t increased their EPOC levels, (as a member you will learn about this most critical element of fat loss) and they haven’t broken down muscle fibers to give them visible “big guns” or a nice curvy figure. They also showed no regard for a balanced program that works all muscles equally.

Most importantly, they haven’t trained. They didn’t set a goal or worked out what they need to do over a matter of weeks and months to achieve it. They’ve had a workout and a poor one at that.

You must learn to have specific goals in mind and know the behaviors required both in and out of the gym if you want to see your goals become a reality.  The people who train rather than work out know exactly what they are doing.  They understand the progression from one workout to the next and how this will help them achieve their goals.  They note everything they do so they can track their progress.  This applies to fat loss, bodybuilding, power lifting, running a marathon, increasing sprint speed for sport, sport preparation, or any other fitness goal.

So get your pen out and start planning!  Apply or try out to be a member of Underground Functional Fitness. Now!