TRAIN TO IMPROVE, NOT IMPRESS
Fitness success is achieving overall gains, not a single astonishing feat on Instagram
I’m not averse to a little competitive fire among fitness fanatics. Nor am I against setting big goals. But the recent record set by Montrealer Dana Glowacka, who held a plank position for an astounding four hours and 20 minutes, isn’t something the rest of us should be emulating. Exercises are meant to be purpose-driven, which means being chosen based on their ability to deliver on your goals, not on the ability to impress.
Glowacka isn’t the only one who has transformed a great exercise into something beyond its original intent. There’s widespread belief among exercisers that if some is good, more is better. You’ve probably seen examples of this philosophy at your local fitness club, with exercisers morphing perfectly good workouts into something that looks more like the challenges on Survivor.
Take box jumps, for example. The action of jumping off two feet and landing on an elevated box has transformed into skyhigh leaps onto a box so tall that scraped shins and spectacular tumbles are just a hair’s breadth away. Then there’s the trend of increasing the number of consecutive burpees, kettle bell swings or pushups from double to triple digits.
The question worth asking before attempting physical challenges that push your limits into the stratosphere is: Are the results worth all that extra effort? Sure, four-plus hours in a plank position is notable, especially for those who struggle to hold the position for 30 seconds. But spine mechanics expert Stuart McGill, professor emeritus at the University of Waterloo, suggests that holding a plank for longer than one minute is unnecessary. The goal of the exercise is to build a stable core, which is best done in repetitive, small increments of time versus a single marathon session.
The same principle applies to burpees, kettle bell swings and pushups: doing more doesn’t translate into greater results. On the contrary, too much repetition leads to fatigue and a deterioration of form, both of which dilute results and increase the risk of injury.
Part of the trend to take on extreme physical challenges comes from watching others perform spectacular stunts on social media.
Keep in mind, however, that over-the-top accomplishments come from a sound fitness base, which started by mastering the basics. Attempts to circumvent the base-building needed to achieve the strength, endurance, power, flexibility and mobility needed to become an Instagram star can lead to disappointment.
Also important to consider is whether the ability to perform a box jump high enough to land on a 125 cm platform translates into results that have an impact on your everyday life. It’s hard to imagine any situation where you need to jump that high with a two-foot takeoff and landing. Not to mention landing in such a deep squat.
Plus, only a fraction of that height is predicated on how high you can jump. The other big factor in landing a 125 cm box jump is the ability to pull your knees up high enough to clear the box. So while there’s no doubt that box jumps build explosive power — which can aid in sports, running and other physical pursuits — you don’t need to jump higher and higher to achieve the results the exercise is designed to deliver.
The more time you spend training to impress versus training to boost your overall fitness, the more you give up in other areas — especially those where you are weakest.
It’s human nature in the gym, and pretty much everywhere else, to focus on strengths. But you’re only as strong as your weakest link, which in the gym can mean not being able to make big gains despite putting in the work. It can also mean creating strength or flexibility imbalances that can negatively affect performance and increase the risk of injury.
This doesn’t mean setting an ambitious goal isn’t of value. It is. And sometimes that goal can be a bit showy, which is OK. But if your workout is characterized by a couple of really strong elements while the rest of your routine is lacklustre, I think you know where you need to spend your time.
It no doubt feels good to land a 125 cm box jump or sweat through 100 consecutive burpees, but it doesn’t mean much if you aren’t equally impressive at the rest of your exercises. Success in the gym is a series of small victories, not a single flash-in-the-pan effort designed to garner likes and followers.