We live in a world that is becoming obsessed with exercise—almost to the point of addiction. We rave about the number of reps we completed, splat points earned, miles run, or consecutive days spent working out. On the surface, this is a very good thing in that people are becoming healthier, living longer more fulfilling lives, and pushing out the ever-looming expiration date. However, when we dive just a little deeper, we quickly find out that our mindset and approach to exercise is fundamentally flawed. The following serves to outline our philosophy and approach to exercise at Train Right Fitness. This approach is not anecdotal, as majority of exercise is today, but rather factual as it is founded in peer reviewed, evidence-based, research.
Hard – There is simply no avoiding the fact that if we want to create change within the human organism, we must force it to change. This means overloading the organism to the point in which it is no longer able to withstand the stimulus, thus forcing it to adapt. When applied to resistance exercise this translates to carrying out a set to the point of muscular failure—literally the point at which the weight can no longer be lifted (also known as intensity). This is the very foundation to which any properly designed exercise program should be built upon.
Brief – The time intensity continuum dictates that as time increases, intensity must decrease. A marathon for example cannot be classified as intense as it is requires a long period of time, whereas a sprint is intense as it cannot be performed for a long period of time. As illustrated above (hard section), resistance exercise must be intense in order to be beneficial. Thus, resistance exercise must be brief. Ideally a set lasts between 60 and 90 seconds with an entire workout not exceeding 45 minutes. If workouts are exceeding this time frame, the stimulus is likely not intense enough to reap the desired benefit.
Right – It is a polarizing statement to tell someone when they are doing something wrong. Due to this, it is very easy to avoid when presented with this very opportunity. In the exercise community, this is particularly challenging as we have been inundated with the fallacy of “something is better than nothing” and as a result we have confused simple activity or sport with productive exercise. Peer reviewed research has been providing us with the correct template for proper exercise for decades, yet we continue to employ unproductive, dangerous, and downright comical activity in our “exercise” regimen. From a practitioner’s perspective, this is an embarrassment and from a consumer perspective a calamity. It simply must change. At Train Right Fitness we study, critique, and apply the peer reviewed research to your exercise prescription. When you train with us you can be confident that you are training the right way!
Every new client receives a Free Introductory Session.
