When you think of fitness workouts, what comes to mind? Well, when I think of the phrase "fitness workouts," all I can think about are the Jane Fonda and Richard Simmons workout videos of the 80's. I also see the Billy Blanks' and Denis Austin's of the world, and although these giants have contributed mightily to
the world of fitness, I don't believe anyone is truly "fit" after going through one oftheir programs. Think about it, can they drop down and give you 100 pushups? How about 10 pull ups? How many bodyweight squats can they crank out before they fold like an accordion? Here's the biggest test, how hard and how long can they play their favorite sport before giving up?
Fitness workouts get you in shape, help you shed excess fat and increase your endurance - no doubt about that. In essence, they do exactly what these experts claim they were meant to do and I'm all for it. The challenge is not that what they're teaching is wrong, its that they aren't taking you to another level of fitness. It's my personal belief that we "train" our bodies to be able to play hard in activities we like to participate in. Some people work out to be in shape - period. I don't understand the logic in that at all. If you're not using your body to go outside and have fun, what's the point of putting yourself through all the work needed to get you to look and feel invincible?
Being able to hike for miles, because you like to hike, is what you should be able to when you've trained your body the right way. When you've trained your body correctly, you can play any sport you want to and be effective at any and all of them. I didn't say you'd be good at all of them. In fact, you'll probably be lousy in most of them, but the main point is that you'd be effective enough to be able to play. When I say effective, I mean you're level of conditioning will be such that you will be able to play, simply because you've trained your body in such a way that you can handle whatever any one throws at you.
If all I did everyday was a workout video that just taught aerobics or cardio, could I play two-hand touch football? "Touch" football sounds like it's a "lite" version of regular football, doesn't it? Truth be told it is, but it isn't "soft" by any stretch of the imagination. There is a ton of physical contact and it can get intense; and if all you have is endurance, based on all the hours of cardio you put in, you aren't going to last too long before someone wipes you out with a good solid blow. You're going to need some strength training as well to balance out your cardio.
How about basketball? Can you play all day if you wanted to if all you ever did was aerobics? You could, but you'd be the weak link on your team. Basketball requires endurance, strength and flexibility to be able to play it for any length of time. You think you won't roll your ankle at some point during play either? Of course you will, it happens to everyone who plays at some point. Those who are fit and have trained properly will be back on the court in a few days, while the others who haven't - won't be back for at least 2 weeks... maybe more.
In the end, it all goes back to the result you were aiming for. If you want to look and feel better, than those kind of workouts are perfect for you. If you want to look and feel great AND want to be able to play your sport or activity at a high level, you're going to have to do a little bit more to do so. Think about Kayaking, doesn't bring to mind someone who has brute strength does it? Well, what if you're kayaking down a river, and it gets a little too intense, Before you know it, your kayak flips and you're stuck on a rock under the water - what happens now? I'm sure there is a technique to getting you out of that situation that doesn't require much force, but when it comes to survival - don't you want to be able to muscle your way back to the surface if need be?
I know I would, and I think most people would as well. I don't believe those fitness workouts are wrong; in fact, I think they're a great first step in getting your yourself fit and ready to play. If you want to be really good at "playing," I just believe you're going to need another level of fitness to get you there. A great workout program is going to provide with all the real world necessities needed to overcome most challenges - strength, flexibility, endurance and ability to heal quickly. When you have all these working for you, you'll be able to dominate your field of play, just from a conditioning standpoint.
Take the time to figure out what you really want out of your life, your body and your fitness program. Fitness workouts may be all that you want to do, and that's fine - to each his/her own. I just know that most people have a competitive fire raging in them and if they can be more - they will. If that's you, look beyond and find yourself a program that's going to get you there.
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