Wave that magic wand and see what you can make disappear. No, seriously… have you ever seen something and thought, “man, things would be so much better if this wasn’t a thing!”
Here are some of the fitness trends we’d love to see disappear from Omaha (and in general).
1. One Size Fits All
Scroll through social media for long enough and you will find the magic “one size fits all” approaches to losing weight, getting strong, gaining muscle, or getting rid of your back pain. If there’s anything you’ve probably realized along the way is that one size does not fit all.
The Keto wagon might work for your friend but it might have made you lethargic and foggy.
Lots of running might have meant a bunch of weight loss for your sister [and she’s never felt better], but for you this might mean aches, pains, and chronic injury.
These types of “one size fits all” fitness trends could very well lead you down the path of disappointment and setback. On the journey to self-improvement, better health, and weight loss, this is the opposite of what you’re looking for.
2. LSD – No, Not Acid
LSD, in this case, is Long Slow Distance and is referring to doing cardiovascular movements/training for a long duration (ex: 30 minute runs, 1 hour bikes, 10k’s, half marathons, etc). What you will hear is that lower heart rate work burns a higher amount of fat.
This is not exactly true. At least not in the way you’re thinking.
What’s actually being referred to, because this is true, is that at these lower working heart rates, you are burning more fat for fuel. This does not mean, however, you are burning the body fat off of your body.
In the grand scope of things, long slow distance work is absolutely vital but is only one piece of the whole puzzle. Add that to your strength training, yoga, HIIT, etc. and you’ve got yourself a more complete and worthwhile program.
3. Working Your “Core”
While sit ups do have function in the sense that people do “sit up” off the floor, these are not a great “core” exercise. Just because something makes your abs burn does not mean it’s beneficial for your back, for your function, and for your health.
For the record, your core is not simply just your abs. Your core is pretty much everything connected to your pelvis. In that sense farmer’s carries, planks of various types, rack holds, single arm suitcase carries, and overhead carries are really great things for building actual core strength. Any compound movement you do is therefor working your core!
4. Just Do More
For my CrossFitters in Omaha [though this could apply to all training modalities]— more volume is not the key to success. What is? Intensity. People avoid it because intensity is not comfortable but appropriate intensity is where results lie.
So if a workout is supposed to be done in less than 5min, it should take less than 5 minutes.
If a workout is supposed to be heavy with lots of rest. Go heavy and take lots of rest.
If a workout is supposed to be 40 minutes of constant movement, guess where your focus needs to be.
For those of you who don’t CrossFit, don’t do junk volume. In other words, don’t add more sets and reps to your bench press because it’s feeling good and you feel like doing more. Stick to the training plan and match the intended intensity.
5. The KISS Principle
Keep it simple, stupid.
Overcomplicating your workouts for complication sake. Or overcomplicating a movement for novelty sake. Of all the current fitness trends, this one could be the most concerning for acute pathways to injury.
For example: Bosu ball single leg squat with a contralateral cable row to medicine ball throw blah blah blah. But why, though? And if you’re looking at that and thinking, “umm… what?”
Exactly! This is like having a giant ingredient list on food products. It is not necessary and is probably detrimental.
The KISS principle has yet to fail me and also yields some amazing things for our amazing clients. If simple works, why make things complicated?
All In All
While there is something to be said for making things exciting and fun… simplicity, intensity, and function are among the most beneficial [and efficacious] training principles to keep in mind. The main thing I like to always ask myself is, “why.”
If you spot something on social media and have the notion to try it, ask yourself why. Or, even better, slide into their DMs and ask them why. If your trainer, fitness influencer, or friend cannot provide you with a legitimate why, maybe you shouldn’t do it.
Want simplicity and effectiveness? Reach out to us and we will be happy to send you down a better path!
