While scrolling through the gram (Instagram for anyone over 50) I regularly see fitness posts that make me want to pluck my own eyes out with a spoon. This in and of itself is nothing new. Whether it be a post by a “fitness expert” or the well meaning but misguided soccer mom who has taken fitness on as her new religion, there is no shortage of extreme rhetoric and even more extreme programs that promise a new you if you want it bad enough.
We’re really going to pick on a fad workout
What I want to pick on today though is the fad of extreme fitness programs and extreme diets. I have one in mind that is kinda both in one and I’m sure if you haven’t heard of it yourself, then your neighbor probably has.
The dreaded culprit
Above are the basic rules for the fad of the year called 75 Hard. As you can see it is fairly straight-forward and may not even look too crazy at first glance.
I want to de-construct this plan for you and reveal the problems inherent with it and suggest something much more simplistic for you at the end.
Problem 1: There is no measurable goal
For any plan to succeed there should be a way to measure and track progress. Otherwise there is obviously no way of knowing if your plan is actually working or not (pretty simple right?). With this 75 Hard the only goal I can see is making it through the 75 days. Important things like: your energy levels, your strength and endurance, your measurements, your weight and BF%, are not considered or tracked.
The only thing “tracked” is a daily photo of yourself. Everything else is just something to check off a daily list. This is a poor idea for two reasons. 1, your physique will not change noticeably from day to day. If you dont know this it will be very discouraging to take a photo each day only for it to look the same as yesterday. This is also why I am not a fan of weighing yourself every day. A better idea is to pick a time once weekly and weigh yourself or take your picture then. That way you have given yourself enough time to actually cause noticeable change and encourage rather than discourage yourself.
2. Although many of us start working out for a vain reason (we want to look better) this way of thinking can be very discouraging to people when they find out that getting that great body that they want takes a much longer time then they initially thought. Focusing on your increased energy, your increased strength, your improved stamina, and your new mental sharpness will move your self talk about working out from, “this sucks but I want a six pack” which will get you through a month maybe to, “I workout for a healthier and happier me” which will make you an exerciser for life. Which in turn will probably get you that six pack you are after.
Problem 2: Aint Nobody Got Time For That!
You know I had to
So let me get this straight. You gotta do two 45 min workouts each day, and one has to be outside? I hope you have enough tren (steroids) to get you through this thing because if you are over 30 you are gonna need it. I’m a (reasonably) jacked guy and I dont work out that much in a day. Why? Because the older you get, the more you need to take care of your joints and the less funny business you can get away with in the gym. It also takes longer to recover from your workout sessions with age. After a week of this you are going to feel like a bag of crap, beat up and tired.
Then there’s the elephant in the room. I mean who has the time to actually do that everyday? Between running my business, working on my house, spending time with my family, cooking real meals, and watching the occasional nerdy show, I dont have the time or desire to workout 90 minutes a day. Let alone workout outside where (as I type this) it is currently a snow covered 19 degrees outside. My wife would probably leave me if I spent that much time working out.
My clients and I get fantastic results just working out 2-3x a week for 30 min to 1 hour at a time. I myself workout anywhere from 3-4x a week for an hour. Years ago before my son was born I lifted for hours at a time but ironically my muscles are bigger and my conditioning is better now even though I workout for less time.
Problem 3: Its set up for you to fail
The last line is the big give-away. If you slip up you go back to day one. This is a recipe for disaster. When you mess up (and if you are not the most try-hard gym rat, you probably will) you will feel defeated and deflated. With each failure you will feel worse and worse about yourself until you give up completely.
As a coach I want to encourage everyone to a lifetime of fitness. Managing expectations, willpower, and motivation is key in creating the habits in someone to make them successful lifelong exercisers. Therefore I will never SET SOMEONE UP TO FAIL AND FEEL BAD ABOUT IT like this program does.
“So genious,” I hear you say, “if I dont crush myself into obvivion with 75 Hard, what should I do?” Great question!
Just Stay Consistent………..That’s It!
The un-sexy, no sales generating, no supplements needed secret plan to become the best fit and confident version of you is consistency.
Ask someone that you know exercises and looks great how long they have been training. They will almost assuredly tell you that they have been at it for years. You see its the hours, weeks, months, and years of training that yield real results. A fad diet or exercise plan cannot replace what hard work over time can do for you. The fad will only leave you feeling defeated and looking for the next fad because “it will be the one that finally works!” but it too will probably not be effective for you and thus the cycle continues.
Hell, the bright side is that with consistency on your side you dont even need the best workout program in the world. Ive seen for years that even a mediocre training program will yield results if it is done consistently and with enough time in-between sessions for recovery.
This simple message of consistency is just lost in the sea of “get lean fast” fads and magic supplements being sold that people dont believe that it can really be that simple. We as a society are so marketed to constantly that we have trouble distinguishing sales copy for real helpful truth.
I myself workout less now than I did years ago and yet I am bigger and leaner than I was. That’s because I train smart and am consistent, not missing workouts. And the clients that are most consistent with me see the same results.
So go forth, schedule those workouts and stick to them! If you keep showing up and putting in the work good things happen, no fad workout plan needed.