Hey guys, i am sure that you have seen videos or instructions on "the best exercises for abs, butts and thighs" or something similar to that. And a lot of these teach you exercises lying on the ground on your back or on your tummy. Some of these exercises have names like sit ups, crunches, superman etc.
Ever heard of Pilates? I suppose you do. Do you know that it was originally created for bedridden people? Now do you know why there are so many lying down exercises in it. Are you bedridden? Why in the world would you want to exercise the bedridden way?
I am not criticizing the system of Pilates. There is nothing wrong with these, considering that it was meant for bedridden people. And some of the advanced variations can be really tough.
But what i want to bring to your attention is: we don't work on our backs or on our tummies. Humans are made to work on their feet. How many percent of real life movements are performed lying down (not counting sleeping)?
I am not criticizing exercising on your back at all. There are applications for these. But for the rest of us, how do you progress to real life movements beyond that?
I bet you have never asked yourself that, haven't you? Most people exercise just for the sake of the exercise. They don't think of functionality. What this means is how applicable this exercise is to your real life movements. We should try make strength and conditioning training harder than your sport so that your sport movements feel easier. Now your life is your "sport" and there is no need to downgrade your skills to make them easier.
Make your training harder so that your real life movements feel easier and better.
Let's take the example of a wall squat. You squat with your back flat against the wall. Now compare this to a freestanding squat. Which is harder? Any person with a right mind would tell you that a freestanding squat is harder. But why is the wall squat routinely prescribed to people wanting to tone their "abs butts and thighs"?
It does not make sense if the person can do a freestanding squat already. If this is the most difficult variation they can do then i say it is a rational way to exercise.
Why do an exercise that does not improve your sport (or life, if you are not into sport)?
Can't do full squat? Don't do wall squats. Don't do partial squats. Learn exercises leading to the full squat.
I can list you many variations of squats and lunges that are many times harder than these and guaranteed to make you feel your abs, butts and thighs burn in no time. You see, these exercises require much more stabilization and strength in their execution than the wall squat (see below). No need to downgrade your skills through exercise. Upgrade your skills through exercise.
Your mind and body craves sophistication. This means seeking more complex movement patterns. Ever wondered by there are so many boring exercise programs out there? One reason is they don't allow for more complex movement patterns. They would add weight or resistance (which is nothing wrong btw), but they don't teach you more complex variation of the exercises.
Your body is already capable of complex movements. Increase your movement vocabulary through exercise, not decrease it. Exercise should be a playful activity, like a child playing in a playground. Ever seen a breakdance routine or a capoeira game? That is real playfulness. That is what your body is capable of doing. If exercise is not fun, you won't do it. If it is fun, you would crave it.
Ok, here are some variations of squats and lunges that you can do to hit those abs, butts and thighs. Please don't think that only sit ups and crunches work your abs. These exercises due to their stability requirements, require you to involve your core much more than the wall squat.
-Squat (all the way down)
-Forward lunge
-Cossack lunge
-Backward lunge
-Bulgarian squat
-One legged lunge
-Pistol (one legged squat)
There are many ways to make them easier or harder, but i won't go into them this time.
If you need any help sifting out the real deal about fitness or learning these exercises and putting them into a program, please do not hesitate to get me for personal training.
No comments:
Post a Comment