We get better at what we practice. Thanks, Captain Obvious! I had no idea!
Yeah, I know. We all know that, but sometimes we forget that it applies to fitness.
This means that if we always spend half an hour on the cardio machines, we will get good at doing half an hour of cardio, but we are not getting better at doing anything longer. And, unless we are actively choosing to vary the speed and incline and resistance levels on the machines, we are not getting better at adapting to varied environments.
When we stick to our old favorite weight training routines, we get stronger at those specific exercises. Depending on what those favorites are, we may be building endurance or strength or muscle size or power, but if we don’t switch things up, we’re not building the other ones.
The implications are twofold. First, we need to know what we want to get out of working out and then choose exercises that help us practice for those outcomes. Marathoners need different workouts than sprinters and power lifters are going to choose different exercises than folks just figuring out the difference between dumbbells and barbells.
Second, variety is good for us. Even when we choose a workout in line with our goals, we will need to mix things up so we can practice adapting to different circumstances. Adaptability is a basic skill that underlies all our movement in the world, fitness and regular.
I’m here to help anyone who needs to sort out the best kinds of workouts.