We have all heard the phrase, “Work smarter, not harder.” That may lend itself to people looking for hacks and shortcuts in the gym. Others, however, might say, “Just work harder.” It is true that most of us can work harder. We can likely work smarter, too. After all, most of us—particularly, those of us over 50—are probably really not training too hard. I believe most of us are at greater risk of under training than we are of overtraining. All this said, we need to be of the mindset to “train smart”.
Respect your constraints. Most of us have less time to exercise than we need or want. We are probably also limited in our facilities. A first step in exercising smarter is knowing the limitations to our training. Since time is often the greatest constraint, begin by asking yourself “How much time am I willing to contribute to my exercise goals?” This includes the underlying questions of how much time we have available and what are we willing to sacrifice to attain our goals. (Opportunity costs.) We likely have more time to exercise than we are willing to admit. We may have to get up earlier (and, thus, go to bed earlier). We may have to sacrifice time on social media, watching television, etc., but it is a matter of priorities. Once we have established a schedule for exercise, we have to consider the facilities he have available to us. Are we joining a gym, or are we working out at home? Are the available facilities adequate for our goals? If not, can we make due or do we need to alter our exercise environment? “Respect your constraints” is another way of saying, “eliminate your excuses.”
Know what you want to accomplish. Effective exercise is all about specificity (the body system makes specific adaptations to imposed demands). This means we have to understand how our body responds to exercise. We have to understand that not all exercise is beneficial. That is, not all exercise is specific to everyone’s goals and individuality. So, we have to set specific goals. It is not enough to say: “I want to get more fit” or “I want to lose weight”. It helps to identify our goals for both health-related physical fitness (cardiorespiratory endurance, muscle endurance, muscle strength, flexibility, and body composition) and neuromotor skill-related physical fitness (speed, power, agility, balance, coordination, and reaction time) and prioritize these accordingly.
Cut the bull****. Herein is where we begin to “train smarter”. Consider the “bang for the buck”. Ask the question: “To what extent does ______ help me achieve my goals?” There is a lot of trendy exercise being promoted on social media. Some good. Some less than good. Not all exercise, however, is beneficial. Stick to the basics and cut the fluff. Don’t waste time on what is not specific.
It isn’t as complicated as one might make it out to be. Work hard, but do the right hard work. Train smart.
Be your best today; be better tomorrow.
Carpe momento!