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A question that I often get asked is, “What program or exercises should I do in the gym?”
This is not the wrong question to ask; it is just the wrong question to ask first.
This is like asking your GPS what route you should take before you have picked a destination or even a direction - it depends on where you want to go.
Each exercise in the gym, combined with the way you do that exercise, will stimulate your body to adapt in a certain way. The adaptation that you want depends on the overall outcome that you want. Once you know what the destination is, you can make an educated selection of the best route to get there. (note. There will probably be detours and breakdowns).
So the real first question is, where do you want to go?
There are two levels to figuring out where you want to go.
Level 1: Where everyone “should” want to go.
We are all human, for the most part, which means we all drive around in these meat suits that allow us to remain conscious. Assuming we want to be conscious and mobile for the longest time possible, there are some “minimum requirements” to maintain the human body.
When it comes to exercise, these are surprisingly low, and although there is room for interpretation, it could be summarised as something like this.
Consistently be moderately active:
Step count or equivalent above ~7,000 per day on average.
Do some resistance training:
1-2, 30-60 minute sessions per week of weights or bodyweight training
Do some moderate to vigorous cardio:
1-2, 30-60 minute sessions per week of anything that gets your heart rate and breathing up.
Specific considerations:
If you have injuries or health conditions that exercise can help, then you should do something that is targeted at that.
Thats it…If you are strategic, you can get basically all the health benefits that exercise has to offer in 2 hours of hard work a week.
Level 2: Where do you want to go?
No one has to do powerlifting or bodybuilding, competitive cycling, CrossFit, tennis or anything else.
As soon as those activities meet the requirements from level 1, they add very little or nothing to your health (at the extreme, they may even somewhat compromise your health, depending on the activity).
So, no one “has” to do these things.
Unless you are getting paid, we do these activities because either we enjoy the activity, “lifting weights is fun”, or we enjoy the outcome, e.g. “the way lifting weights makes me look is fun”, “being strong in other activities is fun”, ”lifting weights is a stress relief”.
So where do you want to go?
Is it about trying to engage in an activity that you like and making sure you can keep doing it?
Or do you have an external outcome that you are aiming for - get jacked, get strong, get good at a sport, make the sad noises go away?
Once you have answered this question, you have a destination or at least a direction, and we can start planning the route.
Need help figuring out the destination or direction?
Check out my free Goal Hierarchy setting module that I use with my clients HERE.
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