There isn’t a day go by that there isn’t some new gadget or piece of fitness equipment being hustled on TV. Now, I don’t spend a lot of time watching the Shopping Channel, but everyone once in a while if channel surfing, I will come across something that I just have to stay and watch. It never ceases to amaze me what latest fitness gimmick is out there. There always seems to be the latest fad for losing weight, trimming the fat, shaping the body.
The question always comes up – well do they work? In a word with most of them – no! A lot of the latest gimmicks on TV have no basis in muscle physiology or function. They are all offering the same thing – a quick fix with no real effort. Unfortunately life just doesn’t happen that way. Staying fit and trim takes hard work and dedication.
With all these latest fads hitting the market, I thought it was time to talk about the old classics. The old faithful stand bys in every sound strength training program. It doesn’t matter what your fitness goals are, there are some constants that need to be there in order for any program to be successful. A couple are consistency and intensity. You need to be consistent in your workouts to notice any results or progress and you also need to be working out with the right intensity to make a difference to your body.
One of the ways to remain consistent and keep the intensity high is to stick the old time weight lifting exercises. Some of these would be:
- Squats and all its variations – dumbbell squats, sumo squats, single leg squats, Bulgarian squats, back or front squats
- Deadlifts and all its variations – sumo deadlifts, Romanian deadlifts, single leg deadlifts, hex or trap bar deadlifts
- Pushing movements – bench presses, dumbbell presses, push ups
- Pulling movements – all the rowing movements (dumbbell rows, cable rows, bent over bar rows), lat pulldowns
- Lunging movements – forward lunges, rear lunges, rotating lunges, side lunges
With these compound exercises you are engaging more muscles to work, burning more calories while workout out and if done with the right combination and right intensity, creating an EPOC effect (post exercise oxygen consumption). It is this calorie burning that occurs post exercise that is responsible for weight loss and fat burning.
Incorporating these compound movements in your exercise sessions with in essence give you a bigger bank for your buck. Forget all the latest gadgets you see on TV. Most of them are a waste of your hard earned money and most of the time after purchased, tend to sit and collect dust. Invest your money in a fitness professional who can design a strength program based on the old standbys and you will not only be healthier but you will be getting excellent value for your money, and you won’t have something sitting in the corner of your living room collecting dust or clothes.
Till next time,
Narina
