Originally published May 9 2004
Many people approach physical fitness for cosmetic reasons; but real strength training is about body, mind and spirit, not good looks
by Mike Adams, the Health Ranger, NaturalNews Editor
Do you jump right into a workout without warming up? Do you "jerk" the
weights when strength training? Do you overstretch in Yoga class because
you don't want to look like a noob? Editors from Fitness Magazine offer
some tips in this article, but I'd like to go past the obvious and get
to the real story about poor fitness habits. The worst habit of all is
working out purely for cosmetic reasons. You know what I mean: pumping
weights just to look good instead of developing core strength. Or
hanging out in yoga class just to show off how limber your pelvis is.
I see it all the time in the weight room: guys pumping iron what
have huge upper bodies but tiny bird legs. One look tells me these
people are there just to get big biceps, not to enhance their health. I
call these type of workout guys "punks," because that's all they ever
achieve: the punk look.
If you never strength train your legs,
you'll never achieve impressive strength. A strong upper body combined
with a wimpy lower body is freakish. It's lazy. And it's not even a good
strength training strategy either, because nothing will produce more
Human Growth Hormone in your body than five sets of maxed out leg press.
So many people pump weights in the hopes of generating more HGH in their
bloodstream, but if you're not using your big muscles, you're
short-changing yourself.
Not warming up is certainly a common
problem, and so is improper form when weight lifting, but I think the
biggest issue for most people is the fact that they're working out for
all the wrong reasons. We should all be pursuing physical fitness for
the sake of whole health: body, mind and spirit. Not to have
eighteen-inch biceps that we can show off at the beach. Looking good is
the side effect of being healthy, it should never be the aim.
REVIEW TYPE
All content posted on this site is commentary or opinion and is protected under Free Speech. Truth Publishing LLC takes sole responsibility for all content. Truth Publishing sells no hard products and earns no money from the recommendation of products. NaturalNews.com is presented for educational and commentary purposes only and should not be construed as professional advice from any licensed practitioner. Truth Publishing assumes no responsibility for the use or misuse of this material. For the full terms of usage of this material, visit www.NaturalNews.com/terms.shtml