Hi guys, Kris from Custom Fitness here, your personal trainer in Amarillo. Quality versus quantity which one yields faster results? It never fails that at least once a month someone comes in and boasts to me that they can do 300 crunches or they can do 5 minutes worth of such-and-such exercise. While that’s neat for their ego, I wonder if they getting the most out of each exercise? My suspicion is no. Today we are digging into why and what you can do to get the most out of your routine. Give us a call: 806-322-3188 if you have questions or would like further information about how to amplify your workout results.
Raise your hand if you’ve ever started a workout program where you wanted more reps in less time and went as fast as you possibly could so you could didn’t have to wait for you results to show up. Been there done that; we all have. A majority of the time, however, if you want to get real results that are efficient, effective, and quick, you want to use great form (aka great quality) rather than only repetitions (quantity).
Let’s break down why. If you are just there, going through the motions your body doesn’t contract the muscles appropriately. This means there is a lot of stored potential you could be harnessing to get you quick results, but it is sacrificed for quantity over quality. Take for example working on a Friday. Do you show up and get as much work done on the last day of the work week as you do on Tuesday or Wednesday? Some people do, but most people I know start their weekends around 12 p.m. by scrolling through Facebook, staring at their inbox, watching the clock tick down until it is time to leave. They don’t really make the most out of their time there that day. They were there, but the quality of their work was lacking. Similarly, if you go to your workout without giving a full one hundred percent on form and technique, to unleash that potential for each repetition, then you are just going through the motions. You’ll see a small physical change, but it wouldn’t compare to what you could see if quality was your priority.
Let’s think about this in terms of cardio. When you get on the treadmill or the elliptical and you just run. Your mind starts to wander or you get lost in watching the clock tick down. Eventually you lose focus of what you’re doing. You are biding your time by going through the motions. If you were to put your full effort into this challenge you might put more pressure in certain places, incline or decline the angle of the run, tryout reversing the movement on the elliptical, etc. You can achieve a quality workout when you bring your brain back into the game when you exercise.
I’ve been a personal trainer in Amarillo for a while now and I’m not huge on having my clients doing cardio on bulky machines. However, if I do have people doing cardio on machines, I encourage them to change machines every 10 minutes. I want them to continue to be mentally engaged. Making your brain work to keep your balance, keep your breath, and keep your pace by switching things up often will make for a quality workout.
Suppose you’re doing weight training, how do you incorporate quality? Remember that crunch scenario earlier? The people who can “do 300 crunches” are only getting a quarter to a half of the movement that they should. Meaning their muscles are only contracting a quarter to a half of what they should. This results in…anyone? A quarter to a half of the change that they should be seeing. If these ultra fast crunchers could slow it down and focus on form rather than speed they would be in less pain and look even better. People don’t realize when you do a crunch you are not lifting only your shoulders, arms, and head. You should be squeezing your core so tight it lifts your mid-back off the ground causing your upper body to rise. I am not sure how someone squeezing their core fully could get in 300 rounds and live to tell the tale the next day. Focusing on form for maximum effect can apply to lunges, to the bench press, to push-ups, to your squats. You name it, you can apply it.
Challenge yourself by taking a day to do your workout at half pace. If you normally do 300 crunches, then in the same time limit do 150. You may feel like time is fleeting, but see how much more contraction you can have/feel. If you are easily swayed to “keep up” with others in the gym or compete with that guy/girl who is out pacing you, take a step back. Time is going to pass no matter what we are doing. If you are keeping up with the 300 crunch person, you are not going to be getting out of there faster with better results; you will be having the same ineffective workout. Competing isn’t the point of you going to the gym. You are trying (hopefully) to focus on your body. You are determining how much tension your body can create and what is the right level of tension for each exercise. Keeping this in the forefront rather than speed or competition will keep your workouts at top-notch quality. Your muscles will get more benefit from this.
Are you ready to learn about working out in a way that is more efficient, more effective, more beneficial than what you have tried before? This may go against everything you think you know about challenging your body, but the results are worth it when you join Downsize. If you want to lose 15 inches in the 6 week time frame, you get a 100% refund. We have two tracks for this program:
- Basic package: Small group training with a highly certified trainer, nutritional support, accountability, measurements, and real results.
- VIP Package: Basic package + 6 private training sessions (for the price of one!) with your trainer.
We are only accepting 20 participants for this program because we like to keep our groups small enough that we can know everyone. We want to know you, your goals, and what your life is like to help get you to your goals in a way that works for you. We would love to help you. We offer the VIP upgrade because in the 17 years Custom Fitness has been around we have seen our clients flourish when they have customized, one on one training with our team of professionals. If you’re curious about the Downsize program, get in contact with us at 806-322-3188 or info@customfitness.biz.
Remember to give your all every time you step foot in a gym. Maximize your quality to a maintainable level before you think about bumping up the quantity. For more information or if you have any questions about other services we provide, please get in touch. We’d love to hear the plans you have for your body. At Custom Fitness, we are YOUR personal trainer in Amarillo. Have a great day.