The Ultimate Gym Tick List!

 

Do you wish to be be inspired towards some new training goals in your gym routine?

This last 2 weeks has been a surprisingly amazing world sporting spectacle. 

The Tokyo Olympics 2020 set in the future in which many predicted would not even eventuate.

Fortunately the games went ahead and we have seen the worlds best athletes come together and show us the ultimate human movement potential. I think there is a lot to learn from such events. 

They are the .01% talent in the fitness arena, which we should not use as a reason to discourage ourselves from being daily physical moving everyday athletes. 

Instead appreciate the passion, the dedication, the discipline, the goal focused life striving for success. 

This can also be your life!

Let me make similarities of an Olympic athlete to us everyday movers:

- You must look after your body if you wish to function without injury

- You must have daily practice and discipline to perform as you say you desire

- You must set regular goals to stay in touch with your desires and track progress

- You must consult coaches to help with your journey of life in all areas

- You must stress your body just enough to create resilience to all life has to throw at you

- Holistic health is essential ; Nutrition, Exercise, Mental/ Emotional, and even spiritual training

- You must be a constant student; Always keep learning

If you are learning, you are truly living, you are made to evolve. Stagnation and apathy are very common in all health issues people have. 

Even if you are not a super sporting fan, I guarantee you still require a physical project to sink your teeth into!

I always ask people: "if you could compete in any sport and had the talent, what would be your sport of choice?"

This leads you to start thinking about what creates fun and inspiration.

Do you have the physique that would suit running? What distance?

Do you have a strong build that would throw objects?

Do you like working in a team?

Are you more of an individual player?

Land, water, animals, implements?

Another one of the questions we ask people regularly is about your body frame:

My body shape is closest to:

            A. Long and lean like a rower or triathlete or round shaped and respond better

                 to endurance athletics.

            B. V shaped, like a wrestler, gymnast or weight lifter, or round shaped and

                 quite strong and enjoy fast agile sport.

 We all have affinities towards various movement for good reasons. You may have a genetic history that gives you certain advantages and weaknesses.

This may help with what you do outside the gym for fun fitness and also how you think about the orientation of your gym programs.

Now I will bring your mind back into the gym and stir the pot.

We hear people have thoughts that are just not substantiated in real science. 

Things like "I don't want lots of muscle so lifting heavy is not a goal"

The famous line from Arnold Schwarzenegger when someone stated they would never want to look like him. He retorted with his strong accent and brilliant humour "don't worry you won't".

Putting on too much muscle is difficult and nobody should be afraid of getting strong in the gym. 

Getting strong is the number bio-marker for great health and longevity!

What about the old cardio discussion?

"I need to do my gym cardio-- Treadmill, bike, rower, elliptical!

Sure, there is nothing wrong with lower intensity training, but I have a really good idea for you:

Get most of your aerobic exercise done with walking, running, swimming, random sporting exercise, family time and not in the gym.

There is no science to back up the 10,000 step theory by the way, we just want to get people moving more and in my language get people moving better!

All movement burns calories and there are so many stupid debates over which is better for burning fat.

My advice is to just do what you like and create lots of variety between lower and higher intensity training.

Today I do have a few challenges to stir your gym experience. We all need what is called a Dopamine response in the gym. A reason to get that high, that win based on a challenge and something that creates a motivation to get better.

Think of this as the basic Warrant of Fitness to be an all around everyday athlete.

(I believe everyone is an everyday athlete)

The ultimate list to work towards ticking off.

( I must state that creating a plan, a management system, a progressive safe goal orientated plan is essential to success). Just ask your gym coach.

1) 1 perfect full pushup 

Starting from the ground and ascending to the top with perfect posture

2) 1 perfect pullup

Starting from a full hang and ascending to chin over the bar height

3) 1 perfect deadlift with your bodyweight equivalent on the bar

4) 60 second straight hang from a high bar 

5) Back extension isometric hold for 3 minutes

Upper body hanging horizontal off the edge of the Glute ham bench

6) Lower abdominal strength test, 1 repetition 

On ground, legs straight up facing ceiling, lowering to ground with back flat and return

7) Farmers walk with 1/2 bodyweight in each hand

Walking 30 meters with good posture

8) Bodyweight air squat isometric hold

3 minute hold challenge in a deep hips to knee level

9) 100 skips

No stopping, single jump technique, in good posture

10) 1 perfect Turkish getup per side

Holding 10% of your bodyweight in one hand

11) Kneeling balance on swiss ball for 60s

This is quite a fun list and has a mix of precision strength, posture endurance, variant movement patterns and all have good carry over to everyday life strength.

This list will be put up in the gym and you can start having a go at ticking off each movement task.

Safety is of the utmost importance, so please ask your gym coaches how to trial the top 10 list.

Many of these will require a specific plan to work towards achieving over a set period of time.

All of these can be progressed further as required for your specific needs. Some of them will seem near impossible, but can give you a good challenge to work towards.

Some of these have a big nutrition component as part of the plan for success, so make sure to enquire about this aspect. 

I have found over the last 25 years, the closer you get to achieving such a list, the more resilient and productive you become in your body and physical life.

A great side effect of better function is also looking pretty good. I know most of you would enjoy a physique that fits into your favourite clothes. And I guarantee a good mix of strength, endurance cardiovascular fitness and mobility will get you heading in the right direction.

I also know that physical all around athletic abilities have a huge impact on mental health and life resilience.

Please feel free to offer more challenges to the top 10 list and we can have some fun!

Tony Small

Health Coach