What is the Most Revolutionary Idea in Fitness?

Simple—the idea that you get something for nothing.

Is that realistic?

In a word, No.

The truth of the matter is that it takes work to accomplish ANY goal, whether that goal is weight loss, shape and toning, or becoming president of the United States.

And the harder you work, the better your results.

Sure, people will tell you that you need to work smarter, not harder, and there is some truth to that. However, a well-planned training program incorporates hard workouts interspersed with easier ones or even periods of rests. But you need those hard workouts because they are key to ultimate success.

You also need to think in terms of a total workout, incorporating training, exercises, and drills that improve stamina and endurance, stress the cardiovascular system, strengthen all muscles of the body including those of the core, improve balance and coordination, improve reaction time, make you faster, and increase your flexibility. In addition, individuals who are training for a specific sport or event must also include sport-specific conditioning into their fitness routines.

This is the basis behind the National Academy of Sports Medicine’s (NASM) Optimum Performance Training (OPT) Model and also the American Council on Exercise’s (ACE) Integrated Fitness Training (IFT) Model.

~Lori Dotson, CPT, CPFT, PES, BA, MS
President, DotsoFit, LLC

Copyright © 2012