Gains in physical fitness

[offense74]

Ok, so I meddled a little on a discussion over at the Fuhrman site.

There is a woman there that wanted to work out more and some of the other women there have used something called t-tapp. On that board alot of people are like ultra positive in a church kind of way but I just couldn't let this one go. As I see it, when it comes to reaching a new fitness level you have to push yourself passed the one you are at and the rule "Anything worth having is hard to get" applies to fitness goals more than anything else.

If I were in a fitness level where the only thing I could do is lift my arm while repeating "tap-tap-tap-push" in my head I would be at the same level physically as a snickers bar. If I was in that level I would be too embarassed to admit it so I would never buy the damn tape. But it sells alot. My advise to her was this:

Ok. When it comes to fitness the rule "Anything that is worth having is hard to get" applies.

 

I've never met or seen a single person with an excellent physique that got there by doing butt clenches in front of the TV or did "tap-tap-tap-push" while sitting on a chair. Did you?

 

There are numerous ways to get a good workout (and a great physique) but all the effective ways have one thing in common: You need to push yourself!

 

If you don't have alot of time then make the time you have count. If you can run, then run. If you can't run, then jog. If you can't jog, then walk. You can clear a space, get some hip-hop choreography from the 'net or from a DVD. You should be out of breath when you're done, that's what's important.

 

For resistance training you can grab a watermelon, a tire, a TV, a dumbell, a child, your husband, etc and do squats, you can do pushups, pull-ups, up-downs for your back. Use your imagination. The muscle that you are targeting should be shaking when you're done, that's what's important.

 

Use your body, it's what it's there for. Be honest to yourself, everybody knows how to get great fitness results. We all know someone who has accomplished great fitness results and we all know a bunch of people who haven't gotten anywhere, fitnesswise. Be honest to yourself and look what the ones who accomplished great results have in common. Did they do "tap-tap-tap-push" and butt clenches? Nope.

 

As they are so positive that only church going Americans can be they will probably not like this.

 

Why am I bringing this up and why did I answere her post (I don't post alot over there)?

Eat to Live applies logic to eating. In the book Fuhrman doesn't say anything unless it's backed up by well documented good science. It's all about connecting the dots.

When it comes to fitness it's also about connecting the dots allthough here Fuhrman doesn't do it for them but since Eat to live appealed to them you would think that reason and rationality (ie. being able to connect dots) would be something that is persistent in their way of life. When it comes to endurance strength and cardio vascular fitness, science is as clear as it is with diet. I can sum it up here: if you want to go to the next fitness level, you need to be a little uncomfortable and push yourself and being at a level where lifting your arm is a hard workout is not healthy.

 

It's frustrating to me to see people be so irrational.

[offense74]

Look what this dumbass doctor says about working out at the t-tap site:

Our obsession with strenuous over-exercising

Yes, of course, how silly of me not to realise that this is the biggest problem in the western world