Keep It SIMPLE!

For the love of fitness, PLEASE, keep it simple!

The rise of #fitspo and the #fitfam is twisting fitness into this weird animal that it never needed to become. Every time I am in the gym I watch people doing weird exercises that are totally unnecessary and usually very ineffective, making them a complete waste or time...save for the calories burned.

All over social media you have fitness accounts displaying strange looking exercises that are said to get you into the shape of the bikini model demonstrating the exercise. And in gyms all over the world, you've got fitness enthusiasts and physique competitors mimicking these exercises.

First of all, it's great that they're doing any kind of exercise. That is always first and foremost. Anything that gets you to move is great. But many of these people are coming up with these weird exercises and then "selling" them through their online coaching programs. And the problem with that - they are not results based exercises.

The other problem is that these strange, and usually complex, exercises can be discouraging because

people don't know if they're doing it properly or they're worried about looking strange in the gym. After awhile they may give up in frustration and quit altogether.

The thing about fitness is this: It's SIMPLE. It's really simple. Don't overthink it. Don't overcomplicate it.

When you're doing cardio, you don't need to do weird little kick backs on the step mill or lunge on the treadmill or carry hand weights while you walk. I mean, you can, but it's not all that effective so it's entirely up to you. Some people get bored if they're not "cardio multi tasking"...so do what you gotta do.

When it comes to sculpting/shaping your body, that's what the weight room is for. Strength training exercises are often rather simple and there are a variety of reliable databases that can demonstrate proper execution of most exercises. My favorite site for this is bodybuilding.com. Focus on working big muscle groups and working multiple muscles with one exercise. The squat & press is my favorite example of this as it works almost every muscle in the body and can be done with bands, dumbbells, barbells...or soup cans.

The main point I want to drive home is that you don't need some complicated program to get results. You need a program that is manageable and fits into your lifestyle. You need to move and focus on big muscle groups. A simple strength training program with cardiovascular conditioning added in will get you great results. Don't fall for the latest "fitness gimmick."