For the purpose of this blog I’d like to highlight the benefits of having a structured exercise program to follow, when compared to either doing no training or training without any purpose or direction.
Firstly, there are many reasons or perceived benefits that are associated with ongoing structured exercise programs, but something that is often overlooked is the ability to deal with external stressors and increased workloads. Hamberg-van Reenen et al. (2009) discuss how a worker with a higher muscle mass and greater strength levels is able to better deal with external exposure to high demands and better cope with the physical loads within the work place; when compared to a control group who present as relatively weaker and less physically capable. The author’s state that those who are not as strong are at increased risk of musculoskeletal discomfort that can come from increased muscle tension, fatigue, soreness etc (Hamberg-van Reenen et al., 2009). To me, this is only one of the numerous reasons as to why I believe everybody should be exercising regularly, particularly with weights or other external resistance.
Is your job enough?
I think the days of assuming that your work is “enough” are slowly disappearing, especially as far as overuse injuries and pain/discomfort are concerned. A good resistance training program should cater for your weaknesses and aid to prevent injuries long term. A lot of the time, people live through pain and just assume that it is a way of life or a product of their environment and I have been guilty of that myself; however I am definitely here to say that that is not the case. Good programming irons out the kinks and prevents an injury before it happens through solid movement assessment, needs analysis and by addressing imbalances. As Hamberg-van Reenen et al. (2009) have said, pain and discomfort comes to those who are less able and less strong within their working environment and in order to be strong, you need to train.
How to program if you are already active:
To combat an extremely physical role within the work place and still get to the gym a few times a week, your program needs to be tailored to weakness and not strengths. You need to be doing the things in the gym that you are not doing within your working environment. This will provide balance and address asymmetry as opposed to further developing your strengths. Something to also consider is a big emphasis on range of motion. Often, as some jobs are repetitive, ROM can be lost and this is also going to be a factor moving forward. By having a good movement assessment and brain storm about where your program needs to go, you have a much better chance of developing something that is sustainable and doesn’t further create fatigue and imbalance throughout your day to day life.
Programming for every day purposes:
When compared to any control group who are not following a program, structured exercise routines always come out on top. This means that anybody and everybody can and should be following some sort of plan in order to get more out of their workouts. Even if a plan is not designed with functionality and longevity in mind, it needs to be consistent. I cannot see how you will improve a lift if you only ever visit it once a month. By knowing where you were last week and where you want to go in a few weeks time, you have the foundation for improvement and consistency. I like to put it in relation to gaining a qualification through university. From day one you know what units you will study each semester in order to graduate in 3-4 years time. The plan is in place and the university has decided what you need to know in order to get to graduation day. An exercise plan can and should be somewhat similar. Yes there are deviations from the plan, injuries, time off, undulations in motivation etc but it doesn’t mean you abandon ship every 2 weeks and try something else. Sure, you can, but how are you ever going to get to your initial goal if you have no plan in order to do so.
My top tips to stay on track:
1) Get a plan that suits your lifestyle. Commit to as many days per week as possible, not as desirable.
2) Address your weaknesses and aim to be in less pain, have a better ROM and address asymmetry first, don’t just go for the flashy stuff.
3) Have somebody hold you accountable to some degree, you don’t need to do it alone.
4) Embrace the setbacks and don’t beat yourself up over the little things, everybody is human.
5) Talk to a qualified trainer and don’t follow the Instagram or Youtube trends.
Take home points:
Structured programming prevents injuries.
It achieves seemingly impossibly strength goals.
It helps athletes turn professional.
It helps older people stay living in the own homes for longer.
It prevents disease and illness.
It creates excitement.
It eliminates doubt and risk.
IT WORKS.
References:
Hamberg-van Reenen, H.H., Visser, B., van der Beek, A.J., Blatter, B.M., van
Dieen, J.H., & van Mechelen, W. (2009). The effect of a resistance-training
program on muscle strength, physical workload, muscle fatigue and
musculoskeletal discomfort: an experiment. Applied
Ergonomics, 40(3), 396-403.