How to Start Exercising: Cross Training Fads May Need To Be Renamed Cross Failure! (Part 2)
In part 1 of this blog post I introduced a very simple equation:
How to start exercising = NOT intense cross training
I visited a local cross training studio where several of my patients had sustained injuries. I was pleasantly greeted by an attractive woman who offered to help answer any questions I had. It wasn't long that I noticed a huge scar on the inside of her elbow. I asked her what happened and she said she, "...blew out her elbow in an intense cross training routine and needed it surgically repaired." She then asked If I wanted a tour, but I told her, "No thanks, I've seen enough!" It was the blind leading the blind. It's actually sad that people looking to learn how to start exercising may end up there.
If you are looking for sound advice on how to start exercising, then you need to be focused on a progression from beginner - to novice - to expert techniques and methods. Starting with elite fitness programs would be like sending my 5 year old son to College. Skipping a basic education on body consciousness, postural control and general cardio and strength training is a huge mistake.
Wikipedia defines physical exercise as, "... any bodily activity that enhances or maintains physical fitness and overall health and wellness." If your exercise routine causes an injury, or puts you at greater risk for one, then it no longer qualifies as exercise, so choose wisely!
I couldn't have said this any better, "The presiding hope among the CrossFit community is that this exercise movement can help reverse the growing obesity trend by creating a more active society. I remember in the early days, Greg [Glassman] saying that CrossFit athletes aren’t found, they’re made,” says CrossFit Santa Cruz's Molloy. And while it's fair to say that an intense cross training program motivates it's followers to exercise, some models may allow for an appropriate lack of monitoring that is more likely to produce broken bodies than create a healthier nation. Read the full article here.
Do Now:
Lift a 50 pound boulder over your head and walk 50 feet! Really? I don't think so! I'll stick to safe and effective exercise techniques with much lower risk and live an extra 10 years, but thanks!
The Takeaway:
If you want to learn how to start exercising, start with the basics. Unfortunately we are not taught this in school so many of us try the old "do-it-yourself" method and end up with failed or ineffective results. There is a better way. Learn the basics taught here at www.StopExercising.com. Then, and only when you have mastered the basics should you even consider something more agressive. Good Luck, and don't forget, you can always ask me a fitness or exercise related question in the "Ask an Expert" section of my Blog!
In exercise, what you don't know CAN hurt you!
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