Today I was having a conversation with my amazing trainer Kurt Elder at www.energyfxfitness.com. I had mentioned that I want to work my legs more. And his response was “what for?” I had to think about it for a minute. Why did I want to wok my legs more…was it because I wanted them to look bigger? Or did I want them stronger so that I could kick harder when I do martial arts and jump higher when I play volleyball? Because what I choose will greatly affect the types of workouts I will be doing.
If you work out solely for ascetics, you might grow big muscles, but they won’t necessarily be very functional. Think about a long-distance runner, are they super muscular? No, because the more muscle they carry, the heavier they will be, more weight=more effort over time under tension. That’s why most marathon runners are usually very thin and lean. This is compared to a bodybuilder whose main goal is to look good on stage, not perform endurance exercises.
So, I decided to cater my workouts to increase my vertical on the volleyball court and increase the speed and flexibility of my kicks. My legs might not look like tree trunks but they will move the way I want them to.
What do you want to get out of your workouts? Stability due to an injury, weight loss, looks or conditioning for a sport? Make sure you cater your workouts to your actual goal.
Author:
Holden Zalma
www.metatouch.com
