Are Your Workouts Giving You What You Want?

Here at Elite Health and Fitness in Stoughton and Elite Sports Performance & Physical Therapy in Foxboro, we’re committed to making sure that your workout is not only the BEST part of your day, but also safe, effective and efficient. How much thought have you put into the exercises you’re going to perform at your next workout? Did you choose them yourself, did you find them on the internet or in a magazine, or were they recommended and instructed by a licensed Physical Therapist or certified Personal Trainer? What’s your workout designed for? And do those goals match yours? Are the exercises even safe for you?

Using the wrong program or performing exercises with poor technique can lead to wasting time in the gym, frustration, plateaus in progress, and worst of all, injury. Let’s take a closer look at what goes into fitness program design and the potential cost of getting it wrong.

Exercise Selection

There are many things to think about when choosing specific exercises. Machine vs. free weights, isolation vs. compound lifts, number of reps and sets, etc. Each one of these factors affects the results, so making the wrong choices for your goals could lead to wasting time working on the wrong things, limit your results or even lead to injury.

Technique

What if you choose the right exercises but don’t know how to perform them properly? Poor technique leads to inefficient movement and limits the power and force your muscles can produce. It also changes the load on your muscles, joints, and ligaments which can lead to overload and eventual injury.

Volume

Volume is a way of thinking about how much work you’re doing during a workout. Doing a few reps with a heavy weight or a lot of reps with a light weight could end up being the same volume but will have different effects on your results. The same goes for running a shorter distance quickly uphill versus a longer run at a slower pace on flat terrain. If your volume is too great, you may not allow for adequate recovery between workouts and increase the possibility of injury. Too little volume and you won’t see results or gains you’re looking for.

Progression

If you’ve been doing the same exercises with the same weight and the same number of reps and sets, you’re not progressing. The same goes if you jump on the treadmill for the same amount of time with the same settings each time. To make progress, you need to change things up and the program that works for your first 6 months may not work for a year or two down the road. Designing an effective, evidence-based exercise program is a complex challenge with a lot of factors to consider. Most people have a history of injuries and don’t have perfect movement or mobility in every joint which can further complicate things.

We’re Here to Help!

If you’re not making progress or just want to make sure your workouts are as effective, safe and fun as they can be, Elite Health and Fitness in Stoughton and Elite Sports Performance & Physical Therapy in Foxboro has an expert team of certified Personal Trainers and Strength and Conditioning Specialists who can work with you to make sure your program is well designed and you’re getting the most of every workout. We can design and coach you through a personalized program to help you reach your goals while keeping you motivated, progressing and injury free. Interested in learning more about how we can help make your workout the best and most effective part of your day? Email us at info@EliteFitCenter.com (Stoughton) or info@EliteSportsandPT.com (Foxboro) or swing by the front desk today!