NOTE: Make sure to checkout the forum discussion on this developing series of articles called The Simple Guide to Getting into Shape.
In the last article, Introduction to Fitness, we talked a little about the history of fitness, the evolution of fitness, and why fitness is important. Now we’re going to discussing the basics of fitness and how to go about getting into shape. This article is going to focus on the importance of proper planning, knowing your goals, and executing a plan.
The Runner Analogy
A young guy named Jack was interested in training to run a marathon. The problem was that Jack had no idea what it took to train to run a marathon, so he just started doing things that he thought would get him “in shape”.
He did pullups, pushups, situps, and even started weight lifting. All of his friends had commented how much better he looked and he felt stronger than ever. Jack was pumped. When the day of the marathon came, Jack began the marathon at full power, fully confident. Unfortunately, at mile 3 he passed out.
PPPPPP - Proper Planning Prevents Piss Poor Performance
Jack’s problem was not that he didn’t train hard, or that he lacked dedication. His problem was that he did not plan properly. If Jack had planned properly, he would have known that weight lifting would not help him run a marathon. He would have used his time more appropriately to reach his set goal, and he would have achieved it.
This is where I want to introduce you to the acronym PPPPPP or Proper Planning Prevents Piss Poor Performance. It may be crude, but if you take it to heart, it will save you from a lot of headaches.
[Speaking of running. Running barefoot on the beach is not only easier on the knees, it actually gives you a much better workout!]
Planning appropriately means knowing the goal that you’re trying to reach, finding out the steps to take that will reach that goal (this is the part that Jack neglected) and then consistently going through the motions to reach that goal. When you do all 3 of those things, even the sky cannot set a limit on what you can achieve.
How to Properly Execute a Plan
Once you’ve done the ground work to figure out the best workout plan to reach your goals, the next step is properly executing your plan.
There have been thousands of articles, including ones you can find here on this site, written to help motivate you to keep to working out. While those can be helpful from time to time, here are a few essential things you need to execute your plan correctly and to prevent getting burnt out from overtraining:
1) When you set your workouts, be realistic and lower your expectations. Start out slowly, with a lot of rest days so that you can look forward to each workout. Give yourself some leeway in missing workouts and be confident in the knowledge that you’re going to be working out for a long time to come, so the first 2 weeks aren’t critical.
2) Before you start, visualize clearly the goal you’re trying to reach. Then visualize the workouts you’re going to have to do to reach your goal. Tell yourself that at this point you’re going to start working towards your goals, and there’s no more to think about than just to do it.
3) Once you start working towards your goals, work to make your workouts a habit. Understand that the first month is the hardest, and give yourself a 3 month window before you allow yourself to get discouraged.
Meanwhile, don’t put too much thought into it and just go through the motions of doing your workouts, no matter what. Accept that you won’t always be motivated, but you’re aiming towards long term happiness and enjoyment, not short term.
More to Come
In the following articles, we’ll discuss functional fitness, specific plans to reach specific goals with example workouts, diet and its relation to fitness, stretching, dumbbells versus kettlebells and more, so make sure to click here and subscribe via RSS to get updated as soon as the articles come out!
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