Want to know the single biggest mistake everyone makes when trying to lose weight?
THEY TRY TOO HARD
What?
Yep they think ramping up the intensity and “SMASHING “ the gym will get them results quicker…
Here’s why it doesn’t work…
- It’s Not Sustainable
Have you ever ran a 5k, 10k or even a 1/2 marathon?
Did you try and sprint the whole way round?
Didn’t think so, because it’s impossible to keep up that level of intensity.
What would most likely happen is you would drop out the race and never finish, kinda like what happens with the January gym goers.
I’ll give most of them till the end of February and they will have burnt out.
They go hard at the diet and the exercise, and it’s just a matter of time before their mind tells them to stop.
When you restrict calories and increase exercise your body is running on empty, it’s a short term strategy.
You are basically setting yourself up to fail, and there’s only ever 1 outcome.
- Intensity Hides Poor Technique
Beginners need to focus on learning and getting better, not on how many reps they can do or how much weight they can lift.
Every time you do poor repetitions of an exercise you’re reinforcing poor motor control and dangerous movement patterns that WILL lead to injury.
Trying to push yourself before you have mastered the basics is a recipe for disaster.
Would you learn to ride a bike without the stabilisers?
If you put in the time to get better, not only will it help prevent injury but you will be laying stronger foundations to build on.
Basically it means you will move better, be injury free, pain free, have a larger movement and strength capacity which will improve your results.
- It puts you back in the binge / quick fix cycle.
Do you want results that last a few weeks or a lifetime?
Constantly dipping your toe into diets followed by binge eating has a price to pay on your health and body.
Not only is your weight going up and down but your moods and mindset is being battered from pillar to post.
Your confidence and self belief will be shot because you think that nothing works and your experience of exercise and food will be negative.
Now rinse and repeat for 10 years (most people do this for longer).
How do you think you will feel?
Is it any wonder you hope and pray that this time will be different or that this (insert magic product) is the answer.
So you’re probably thinking ok smart arse what should I do instead?
Let me ask you this what do you think is better 2 easy workouts a week for a year…
OR
5 High Intensity Interval (HITT) Sessions for 6 weeks (if you can even last 6 weeks)…
What about nutrition and diets, which is better?
Eating like a rabbit for 6 weeks…
OR
Eating reasonably healthy Mon-Thur for a year?
Lets do some maths :p
2 easy workouts a week for year with 4 weeks holiday = 96 workouts
5 HITT sessions x 6 weeks = 30 workouts
Eating like a rabbit = 42 good days
Being reasonable with 4 weeks holiday = 192 good days
As you can see starting sensibly and making it easy encourages consistency and gives you a base to build on.
After you have been consistent for a year then increase the intensity, but you have to start walking before you EARN the right to RUN.
It’s easy to think that the more you do and the harder you try will get you results quicker, unfortunately the only thing that will happen quicker is failure.
Failure to stick to your plan, failure to maintain the intensity and the loss of all your hard work when you spend the following weeks binging, feeling like shit and hating life.
It really doesn’t have to so hard, focus on small changes that are done consistently and build your foundations ;)
The bigger the foundations the taller the peak ;)
Robert