Two Day Bodies
November 18th 2006 15:39
Here is the scene. Its Monday after work. The gym. The weight machines are filled and the aerobics floor is packed. The exercises bike area looks like the peloton of the Tour of France and the treadmills fill the air with their hum. Now compare Friday after work. The gym floor is populated by a few stragglers. There isn't an aerobics class. You can pick your favorite piece of equipment. The reason for this contrast is obvious. The herd has bought into the three days a week myth.
The myth begins with standard trainer advice."Three days a week is a good system. You don't want to overtrain."This is 100% true for the "lose a few pounders" that constitute the vast majority of a gym's population. The not very serious will never train more than three days a week. In fact the blight on Fridays demonstrates that the half-hearted will never work out consistently for more than 2 days a week. That is precisely why the three day a week approach is for the not-so-serious. If you buy into the three day system, you"ll be lucky to get two real days of training in a given week. Friday isn't going to happen. The bon vivant in you will easily vanquish the Spartan most weeks. Plus, if you work in the day you'll be in the gym at the wrong time. The mob will make it hard to train.
Ask yourself, is fitness important to me? If the answer is yes, then go ahead and consider yourself serious and make a commitment to darken the door of the gym on Tuesday, Thursday, and even Saturday. Don't spend an two hours on Monday and Wednesday. Spend 30 minutes five days a week. If you work out five days a week for 30 minutes you will build muscle and stamina no three (really two) days a weeker can ever dream of. Remember your body will become what you ask it to be . It will just as readily become a five day body as it will a two. Five day bodies soon develop muscles and fitness, two day bodies don't.
The myth begins with standard trainer advice."Three days a week is a good system. You don't want to overtrain."This is 100% true for the "lose a few pounders" that constitute the vast majority of a gym's population. The not very serious will never train more than three days a week. In fact the blight on Fridays demonstrates that the half-hearted will never work out consistently for more than 2 days a week. That is precisely why the three day a week approach is for the not-so-serious. If you buy into the three day system, you"ll be lucky to get two real days of training in a given week. Friday isn't going to happen. The bon vivant in you will easily vanquish the Spartan most weeks. Plus, if you work in the day you'll be in the gym at the wrong time. The mob will make it hard to train.
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