You know what I think is crazy. The "more is better" phenomenon. I had a conversation with some clients of mine that thought if one workout a day is good, then two workouts a day is even better. It just makes sense right? Absolutely not!
This is one of the most common things I see in the gym every day. Most people are overwhelmed with the concept that “more is better” when it comes to exercise.
The thinking tends to go somewhat like this: If strength training is getting me results then if I combine it with cardio then I will double my results.
As a result, many people end up spending hours in the gym several days a week. And if that doesn’t work, they do even more in an effort to get their body to respond.
And do you know what usually happens? They get so burned out after a while that they disappear all together. They wonder why all that work hasn’t paid off. I mean, they have been working out for hours a week!
Then all the doubts set in.
"I have bad genetics."
"My body likes to hold weight."
"I'm stuck at this weight forever."
The correct answer is you are doing too much. The focus should be on working out harder and smarter.
I have trained people who used to strength train five or more days every week, and they did hours worth of cardio on top of that. When they come to train with me, they only strength train three days per week with some slight twist to their workouts. We greatly reduced the amount of cardio they performed and used different methods to elevate heart rate.
They end up doing half the work they used to do but are much more productive.
At first, they are incredibly skeptical and worried they are going to gain weight or not get results. However, the exact opposite happens.
They start losing weight. Their body responds to the workouts. They have more energy throughout the day. They have a lot more free time to invest in other activities.
It’s not about how long you workout, but the quality and intensity of your workouts.
If you work hard doing basic compound exercises for 30-45 minutes three times per week, you are going to get great results.
Transforming your body is not complicated, and it doesn’t take near the amount of time that people think.