How to not take exercise too seriously

I have to admit, my wife and I are great people watchers. It's good to try and guess peoples jobs and/or lifestyles by just watching them walk by in the street. It's a case of a little bit of voyeur in all of us.

Some people are just naturally funny to watch. The crazy thing is, some of them will be doing exactly the same to us as well! I workout at home so I miss a great observation place known as "The Gym".

Just as funny is when the situation is a setup.

Check this out:

How to avoid injuries in bodybuilding - part 5 - Use proper form

It can be very tempting to keep putting the weights up each time you train. Hey! you're in a hurry, right? You need to get BIG fast!!

OK, you start to train. You added extra weight and start to do a rep. It's almost too heavy. One look in the mirror tells the whole story. To accommodate the extra weight your form has got all sloppy. You are compensating for lack of muscular strength by leaning back, jerking, not doing full reps, joints all at wrong angles.

You come away from the gym with all sorts of aches and pains you've never noticed before. Or worse still, you have torn muscles or ligaments.

ALWAYS, repeat, ALWAYS use very strict form for all your reps. Yes, that's right, even at what may appear to be the expense of using lower weights. Technique is everything.

Concentrate on getting your technique, or form, perfect for each exercise and rep you perform and the muscles will appear in their own good time - without the injuries.

Take the time to watch some of the the good YouTubes showing how to correctly do each exercise required. For example see this one for Standing Barbell Curls. Or try your local bookshop in the health/sport section. One of the best I have ever seen is Arnold Schwarzenegger's "New Encyclopedia of Modern Bodybuilding".

Just remember, for your own safety and continued progress - technique is everything.

Today's workout: Shoulders and legs

Alternate barbell overhead press.

20.0 kg (44.1 lb) x 20 reps (20)*
25.0 kg (55.1 lb) x 10 reps (12)
27.5 kg (60.6 lb) x 9 reps (9)*
30.0 kg (66.1 lb) x 6 reps (6)*

Squats.

30.0 kg (66.1 lb) x 12 reps (20)
30.0 kg (66.1 lb) x 11 reps (20)

Leg Extensions.

40.0 kg (88.2 lb) x 16 reps (20)
40.0 kg (88.2 lb) x 13 reps (20)

Leg Curls.

25.0 kg (55.1 lb) x 13 reps (20)
25.0 kg (55.1 lb) x 9 reps (20)

Don't feel like a workout?

To work out, or not to work out?.........hmmmm.........I'm not sure.

Perhaps tomorrow will be OK.

I'll just check out what's on TV first.......yeah!

The catch with this sort of thinking is that when tomorrow arrives do you go through this whole charade again?...and the day after?....all the next week?

And when you get in the bathroom in the morning and look at your naked self in the mirror........and disappointment is the feeling you get.......who is to blame? What of your dreams? Your arms were going to be "how big" by now? 24" pythons? Oh dear!

Just how many workouts did you talk yourself out of?

THAT MANY!

Well, no wonder those 24" pythons resemble chopsticks!

Here is a quote from Jim Rohn:

"What we ponder and what we think about sets the course of our life. Any day we wish; we can discipline ourselves to change it all. Any day we wish, we can open the book that will open our mind to new knowledge. Any day we wish, we can start a new activity. Any day we wish, we can start the process of life change. We can do it immediately, or next week, or next month, or next year."

"We can also do nothing. We can pretend rather than perform. And if the idea of having to change ourselves makes us uncomfortable, we can remain as we are. We can choose rest over labour, entertainment over education, delusion over truth, and doubt over confidence. The choices are ours to make. But while we curse the effect, we continue to nourish the cause. As Shakespeare uniquely observed, "The fault is not in the stars, but in ourselves." We created our circumstances by our past choices. We have both the ability and the responsibility to make better choices beginning today."

Put mental polish on everything you do - make your life shine!

Grab this free, yep, FREE, no cost, no obligation, nothing to pay, ebook - yeah......that's right.......and read it!!

CHANGE YOUR THOUGHTS, CHANGE YOUR LIFE. It's the book that's changed the life of millions. Download a FREE ebook of James Allen's "As A Man Thinketh."

Today's workout - shoulders and legs.

Alternate barbell overhead press.

20.0 kg (44.1 lb) x 16 reps (20)
25.0 kg (55.1 lb) x 9 reps (12)
27.5 kg (60.6 lb) x 7 reps (9)
30.0 kg (66.1 lb) x 4 reps (6)

Squats.

30.0 kg (66.1 lb) x 11 reps (20)
30.0 kg (66.1 lb) x 10 reps (20)

Leg Extensions.

40.0 kg (88.2 lb) x 13 reps (20)
40.0 kg (88.2 lb) x 12 reps (20)

Leg curls.

25.0 kg (55.1 lb) x 11 reps (20)
25.0 kg (55.1 lb) x 8 reps (20)

Next time: Chest and back.

How do Astronauts workout in space?

They reach for a Red!

Sounds at first glance the type of workout we have here at home on a Friday night. A couple of reds, nibbles and a nice dinner, followed by a movie.

Well...........not really.

"aRed" is a new workout machine, sort of like a multipurpose single station gym available through retail stores, but built for confined spaces. It has , because of zero gravity, to be able to handle very heavy weights - although it appears pistons instead of weights are used.

Check it out here:

"High-Tech Weights for Space Workout"

I like the size! If it ever became commercially available it would be ideal for small homes and units where living space is a real issue.

Arm workout:

Adjustable bar biceps curl.

22.5 kg (49.6 lb) x 16 reps (20)
25.0 kg (55.1 lb) x 11 reps (12)
30.0 kg (66.1 lb) x 6 reps (9)
35.0 kg (77.2 lb) x 4 reps (6)

Adjustable bar triceps extension.

17.5 kg (38.6 lb) x 20 reps (20) *
22.5 kg (49.6 lb) x 9 reps (12)
25.0 kg (55.1 lb) x 7 reps (9)
27.5 kg (60.6lb) x 4 reps (6)

Next time - shoulders and back.