You heard correctly. Stop. We’re two months into 2023, your new gymshark gear is starting to smell like hard work. Yet you're just not seeing results. FIND OUT HOW TO MAKE GAINS NOW!
Are you in the gym doing squats for 20 seconds, star jumping for 20 seconds, scratching your crack for 20 seconds and wasting your time for another 20 seconds? When did the last time 20 hard seconds result in anything but disappointment?
Admittedly it’s not a complete waste of your time. High-intensity interval training is efficient for those that are seeking to join a strong community of scammed individuals. Just an expensive breathless AA meeting… Or for those that are simply looking to have fun and not necessarily results.
But results are the reason millions of individuals turn up to the gym every day and push themselves to the limit. We are addicted to results. We are addicted to getting better. Getting bigger. Or going further.
Lifting the dumbbell knowing that next week you will need a heavier one. These are all results that we can measure and compare weekly and confidently improve.
You may experience slight progression in your general fitness and strength. And of course, this is better than doing nothing. But HIT is based on feeling. You can’t measure feelings. And neither can you tell your friends about how good you felt after a workout and expect a round of applause.
On the other hand, we can all comprehend being 2kg stronger on the squat. to learn how to increase your squat by 40kg in 3 months see here.
Or running 1k further than the previous week. They inspire us and hold us accountable.
Despite all effort, you are unable to improve upon feeling. And this is why the majority of people that take up these classes never return for the next month.
Time is precious so let’s not waste it putting money into the pockets of gyms that are knowingly failing you. Let’s make that new year’s resolution stick. Let’s achieve those goals.
So what do we do instead?
As a beginner you are going to decide which team you want to support. Where do you want to improve? Cardio? Or Weightlifting? Just like in sport you are unable to support both teams. For now.
CARDIO
Or cardiovascular exercise. Here you are looking to improve your general fitness and stamina. Whether that be walking, running, swimming, cycling, climbing or just moving.
Generally effective in helping weight loss due to its large caloric expenditure. Calories are a measurement of energy. So unsurprisingly these activities consume a lot of energy.
Weight loss can however be achieved without cardio. SEE HERE TO FIND OUT HOW.
Training this form of exercise is extremely simple. Just continually partake in the cardiovascular exercise in which you are seeking to improve.
If you want to run further. Then run on the treadmill. Whether that be five minutes, ten minutes or an hour it makes no difference so long as you push to a point of un comfort. In the next training session, you are looking to go for longer. Be that a minute or a further distance. Here you will feel and see the improvement.
Watch me painfully improve at running here, where I run for 30 days straight and demonstrate how to progressively get better at something you hate.
WEIGHTLIFTING
The personal favourite of many including myself. Weightlifting is the process of increasing strength and/or muscle mass. Continually lifting heavier things every week. There are two types of weightlifting, to find out which one is the best find out here.
But If you are getting stronger you are likely getting bigger. Therefore as a beginner, it is recommended to follow a programme that incorporates both types of lifting. Strength and hypertrophy.
Remember if you are a beginner what worked for Arnold Schwarzenegger and Eddie Hall probably won’t work for you or any other moderate lifter for that fact.
Ideally, you want a programme that trains all muscle groups twice a week at low volume. NO BRO SPLITS!
To find the ULTIMATE TRAINING SPLIT click HERE.
CAN YOU DO BOTH?
Those devilish and demoralising HIT workouts that attempt to combine both types of training effectively train neither.
Experienced trainers can partake in both. However one will always complement the other. A boxer for example might mainly train cardiovascular endurance and accompany these with weight-lifting sessions throughout the week for strength. They are never combined for results.
The Huberman Lab Podcast discuss the scientific specificities of these processes here. Science may be boring to many however you cannot efficiently use a machine unaware of its capabilities and functions.
For guides on how some of our favourite muscle groups work see here, where we discuss the ultimate ways to grow your arms, shoulder, chest, back and legs.
At the end of the day the gym is a public space in which individuals are attempting to better themselves or simply have fun. By no means should anyone gatekeep this community. So do as you please!
But the majority of us go to see that progression and achieve those results that we crave. So let’s get them!
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