Have some patience and slow down! Start slower than you think you have to start! Build a foundation. The reason most of you fail to get results is not because you did not work hard enough. It's because you did nothing, over an extended period of time. Those 21 extreme workouts you did in a month are doing nothing, if you are too burned out/injured to train for 3 months after it.
You have to work towards those more intense workouts. Have a progression scheme in place. Keep the goal , the goal. If your goal is to improve health and lose a few pounds try being consistent with something realistic! If you can do this, you will end up reaching your goals much faster than all of the people who start and stop, over and over again, due to burnout and injury. Find a professional who can assess your starting point, and help you
take the next step.
What is your favorite exercise? Favorite piece of equipment?
This is like asking a parent, who is your favorite child? Let me dance around this question in a way that will allow me to include at least 49 of my favorites.
Between the ages of 18 and 26 my favorites exercises were squats, deadlifts, and bench press using the barbell. I also love pull-ups, and still do. I enjoy exercises that work the arms like curls and triceps extensions, but I realize they are doing next to nothing without the foundational movements.
Too many people have days for arms and abs, and do a ton of machine exercises. Maybe because they don't know how to execute the basics? Or Maybe it's because they can "feel the burn" on the isolation exercises, and think it's doing something? Or Maybe it's because they go right for the "problem area" thinking it will solve the problem. It will not. I can guarantee adding an arm or ab day will not solve your problems, if you have not built a
foundation.
There was a period at about age 27 where I failed to take my own advice. I kept trying to force those barbell exercises on my body. What used to work, did not work anymore. Adding extra weight to the barbell was not worth it. Everyone who has been training for a while, or wants to, will get to that point. The point where they have to train smart, in addition to training hard. The smart allows you to train hard, over time. Results always happen over
time.
At the age of 37, I prioritize joint friendly variations of those foundational movements. I have seen a lot since I started training people back in 2001. The people who ignore joint pain and push through it always end up worse. To the point of not being able to train at all.
My favorite exercises are the ones that allow me to train hard without pain. I also like to have a little fun and enjoy training! I have found that I can make progress without adding a lot more weight to certain exercises. Do not take the last statement and apply it to you. It might apply, It might not. We are all different. If you build a strong foundation it will last, with some effort! You must have patience in order to build that foundation. Most
people quit during the figuring it out phase.
