I was going to hit up the boxing gym on Tuesday night but the all-day grey sky and rain sapped my motivation to make the 30 minute streetcar ride over.
Rain, rain. Go away…
So I decided to stop in to Toronto Kickboxing and Muay Thai (TKMT) for a drop-in class instead, which is a quick 7 minute walk from my place.
I’ve never been there before but it turned out to be a good call. I had a great workout, met a dude who’s on my email list (what’s up Mark), ran into a friend from Uni (hey Lisa) and gave my body something different, as I haven’t kicked or thrown a knee in a long-time since I’ve been focusing on being a pugilist.
In fact, I’ve shied away from Kickboxing/MT because my hips *were* in really rough shape and kicking irritated the hell out of them.
But I got some deep myofascial work done that ended in February this year (about $1600 worth… ouch) and now they’re feeling a heck of a lot better and the kicking didn’t irritate them like it used to.
So it looks like I may have to start training Kickboxing/MT more now. Yeeee-haw!
Over this past week, I’ve noticed some terrible things happening in the gym…
One of my biggest pet peeves is trainers that do nothing more than count reps.
Is it really worth $60 per hour to have someone count from 1 to 10 out loud?
Yeeesh.
I actually witnessed a trainer count a set of horrible-form pushups from one to TWENTY, without uttering a single coaching cue.
Shoulders were going up into the ears, hips and stomach were sagging, the client was holding their breath – all basic form cues but none of that was passed on to this paying client.
So sad.
Anyway, there are 3 things that I’m about to share with your right now that I’ve seen people do to KILL their workouts.
Do these 3 things and you’re guaranteed to be in the same shape, year after year.
Here they are, avoid them like the plague, then leave some of your tips/suggestions that sap the effectiveness of workouts in the Comments section.
Results KILLER #1 – Answering/Talking/Texting On Your Cell Phone
There are a couple of exceptions to this rule:
- Your wife is pregnant and you’re waiting for ‘the call’
- There was a birth control failure and you’re waiting for the other ‘call’
Other than these 2 reasons, I can’t think of anything else that would warrant answering, talking or texting on your cell phone.
Sometimes I picture ripping the phone out of their hand and beating them with it.
It’s for their own good. I would get no pleasure out of it.
Leave the damn thing in your locker, or if you use it to listen to music, put it on Airplane mode and your workout will be 100x more effective.
It’s not only the time interruption, but the mental interruption.
Studies have shown that focusing and visualizing during training improves strength by helping you recruit more muscle fibres.
It’s just common sense too – you’re always better at something when you’re focused. Training, work, sex…
But if your mind is somewhere else, you lose this power.
Here’s another common thing I see that absolutely murders results…
Results KILLER #2 – Talking During a Set
If you’re talking in the middle of a set, that means:
- You’re training at an intensity level that’s way too low
- The exercise you’re doing offers you absolutely no challenge, either physically or mentally
I overheard a girl tell her trainer all about her date the night before.
They should both be spanked.
I’ve been lifting weights since I was 16 and I still don’t have the capacity to perform exercises properly while having a conversation.
Sometimes, people (newbies) will ask me a question or say something to me in the middle of a set:
“How long are you going to be?” Billy asks while I’m squatting 275 lbs.
After my set is finished I reply politely, “Please don’t talk to anyone when they’re in the middle of a set.”
No need to be rude. Politely educate and the world will be a much better place. I recommend you do the same.
The first two are just general advice to all gym-goers… But the last one is a mistake I see MMA guys making that may be counter-intuitive but is very, very important.
Results KILLER #3 – Not Taking Enough Rest Between Sets
Circuit training is one of the most popular methods for fighters these days.
It’s a super effective method when used properly and at the right time in a fight prep plan.
But I’ve been seeing a lot of people applying this concept to every type of training including 2 places where it absolutely does not belong: max strength and power.
If you’re not taking sufficient rest between max strength or true power sets, your nervous system will not be recovered enough to get the most out of the set.
Your muscles will likely feel fine, but your nervous system takes longer to recover.
By starting the next set before your nervous system is recovered, your output will be lower and you won’t get the adaptation you need to improve your max strength or power.
By definition, working in a fatigued state trains endurance.
So if you’re training max strength or power, make sure you’re taking enough rest between sets and you’re focusing more on quality, not quantity.
You can do a bit of light joint mobility stuff in between, but I prefer to just chill out and wait for my next set.
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There you have it, 3 Results KILLERS to avoid…
Now, it’s your turn – what do you see happening in the gym that’s keeping people stuck?
Share your advice below and hit ‘Like’ to increase your Karma points or ‘Send’ it to anyone you think needs some help:
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