It's Not Gonna Be Easy

The problem I have with a lot of online/magazine fitness workouts is that they label it as the "fastest, easiest way to get results". Plain and simple, if you're truly going to reach your goal and make a change in your life it won't be either of the two. A "15 Minute Ab Blast" or "4 Weeks To Bigger Bench Press" is appealing only for the reason that it sounds easy, and makes the reader think there's some secret that won't require effort in the long term.

If it was easy everyone would be doing it, any everyone would look great.

I'm saying this because i just read an article about a form of "butt workout" that can be completed in around 10 minutes that will get you in shape for the summer. In the article the woman doing the exercises was incredible looking (toned arms, a solid back, and great legs). Now the exercises she was doing required absolutely no resistance at all, they were just moving her legs around in different directions, sometimes while lying prone sometimes standing up.

The article used her as an example of what you can look like in just a few months.

Bullshit. Pure bullshit.

While I can spend hours writing how many different ways this is wrong, I'll just try to point out a few main points I have issues with.

• Judging by her physique she's been in the gym for a while. You haven't. Comparing your results over the course of a few months to what she's accomplished over is unfair, and in my opinion it's setting yourself up for failure. It's nice to have something to strive for but the article giving false hope just to get some traffic puts all of it's readers at a disadvantage. 
• Another part of my issue with using her as an example relates to what I mentioned before; her whole body is made of muscle with minimal bodyfat. The article outright forgets, no, neglects to tell the reader that in order to obtain that physique every muscle in the body must be trained, not just one. This means back, arms, abs, and yes she even has a chest/shoulders workout that she does. And these workouts aren't just quick workouts that make you feel good, they're tough training sessions that are mentally and physically draining. Nobody with a great body got there from doing easy workouts. This leads me to my next point.
• The exercise selection sucks. Included in the workout were prone leg raises, step ups on a 3" box, and a few other accessory exercises. I use the term accessory because that's what they are. There wasn't one mention of a squat or a deadlift throughout the whole thing, and if you're want to improve your lower body these two lifts must be included. Period. You know that girl in the gym that every guy looks at through the mirrors? The same one you're jealous of? Guess what exercises she does to have that body. She didn't find some cookie-cutter program online, she picked up a barbell and put in the effort. Your zumba class may make you feel good because you sweat a little bit, but do a set of 20 ATG squats and tell me if you feel the difference already. Weighted lunges will be your best friend (or worst enemy depending on your pain threshold) as well as romanian deadlifts, front squats, glute ham raises etc. Notice how nothing I mentioned involves a machine or some random leg air movements? Unless you have an injury preventing you from touching free weights that's what the majority of your training should be. Those instagram models don't get thousands of likes of their ass shots because of some leg presses, they get it from squats. Not on a smith machine, too.

Now I didn't intend for this post to be mainly targeting females but I feel as if the fitness industry is doing nothing but a disservice to girls by posting these articles directed at them. Also the majority of my clients are woman who are terrified when I say "ok so let's do some deadlifts" and usually bring up something they read online claiming it's a more effective workout than free weights because of some stupid reason. 

If you're going to take away anything from my post, let it be this: If any article says a workout can be completed in "x" amount of time, close the page. If it uses the words "quick", "easy" or anything similar to the two, close the page. And finally, if it doesn't involve a lot of free weight compound moments, close the motherf*cking page. Changing your body will take time but it will be worth it in the end. Also never directly follow someone else's program. What may have worked for them probably won't work for you, everyone's body is different. Find what gets you results while making you want to go to the gym. Training should be hard but it should also be enjoyable (nothing says fun like max distance walking lunges). 

I'm sure there are a few points that I missed, such as the importance of diet, but I was already scatterbrained enough while writing this. I just started watching True Detective so I'm sure you can understand. Have any questions regarding training or comments on my writing? Let me know! Want to talk about a specific program for you? Contact me, I'm always willing to help in any way, as long as the effort is being put in.