Don't Be a "Gym Robot"

 

I see way too many people I refer to as “gym robots”.  A gym robot comes to the gym and does the exact same workout all the time, and never deviates from the routine. I’d go as far to say that one could set their watch to a gym robot. But routine is the enemy in the fitness arena! If you do the same thing, all the time, your body will adapt to it, and not improve. Your body will think that the same old motions you’re putting it through are normal.

The common retort of a gym robot is “Well, I’m not trying to improve, I’m just trying to maintain. This has been working for me for years so I won’t change it.” More power to you. But the body should always be improving. As we age, staying in shape is going to be more difficult. Your body, eventually, if you keep just putting it through the same motions, is going to be more susceptible to injury and an accelerated aging process.

I see people come to the gym every day and go to the same machines, in the same order, using the same weight. I ask you, is this not boring? Why not make a workout fun? We are more likely to stick to an exercise schedule if we are not bored. Stop going through the motions! Make it harder, make it easier, change your reps, change your exercises, etc. Don’t be afraid to ask a trainer how to vary your routine. Some folks just don’t know any different.

 

I understand a lot of people are just set in their ways, which is fine. It is better to come to the gym and do the same thing all the time than to not come at all. But if you want to achieve your fitness goals to the fullest, you may want to change those ways from time to time.

Our bodies thrive on variety. There are just way more benefits to varying your routine than there are to doing the same things all the time.

-Damon Costantini

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