It Simply Works

 When you think about it, micro workouts throughout the day — as one has the time and inspiration for it, is more likely to be the more natural and productive way to exercise and maintain one’s health and fitness — because it is done as needed, and has the opportunity for it — than as a rigid program of requirements regardless of how one feels — in the moment. Then one is likely to get “out of synch” with the need and appropriateness of activity and movements — apart from the actual realities and challenges (demands) of the moment — and in that way, exercise becomes an arbitrary obligation regardless of the realities and needs — rather than the answer to them — as required.

That is the meaning of “listening to one’s own body (and senses),” rather than just following a program that may not work for some — but think they must do regardless of the outcomes (results). The outcomes are what is important — and not the inputs, or good intentions — without any feedback in reality. That is because a lot of people these days learn only what other people tell them is the truth, rather than finding out that truth for themselves — in their own experience and lives, and that is entirely the truth for themselves, and not the “theoretical/academic average” — that poor students and instructors think is the ultimate truth of the matter — regardless of their own results.

It is their own results that matter — and from that, one might extrapolate a greater universal application — but if it is not working for one(self), one has to look elsewhere, and try something else until it works — and that will be the truth of the matter, and not what everyone says, but nobody has actually seen any results from doing so. Before one asks anyone else, one can test out an idea themselves — to get a baseline understanding of what is involved, and then enlarge the perspective and understanding by asking others what their own experience and results have been — and process all the answers into a greater understanding and meaning.

Obtaining 30 minutes of deliberate and focused daily exercise is easily possible anyway one can get it. It doesn’t have to be constrained with many rules that make it nearly impossible to achieve. That seems to be what a lot of people insist exercise must be — that makes it an exercise of the will to overcome the impossible — rather than making it as possible for themselves all their lives. There is no rule against that. Movements are frequently hard enough, and so the exercise is to make them as easy and effortless as possible. Obviously the best conditions and circumstances to practice this, is upon first awakening from a prolonged inactivity (rest), and get one’s moving parts moving again — without the aches and pains that accumulate and compound with life. This is actually the best time to exercise — in moving from zero to normal operating conditions — because such movement accelerates the movement of the two major fluids of the body — the blood, and the synovial fluid (mucus) — which is the lubricant for all movement in the body.

That is the role and importance of the mucus and mucus membranes — throughout the body. Without it, food would not pass through the digestive tract, air would not pass through the respiratory tract, etc. And movements properly activated, cause the contraction of the muscles that exaggerate this flow back towards the central, purifying and recycling organs of the body — which if never moved out of the tissues, result in the accumulations we know as inflammation and swelling — which are the precursors of all disease. If we could flush these toxins out effectively, then we’d be self-perpetuating healthy beings — which is the natural design of all living beings. And in clearing the space, we make room for new nutrients to enter into those spaces (tissues) — because there is not unlimited space to store as much junk — just because we can. At some point, the body becomes toxic — and then tissues and organs start breaking down in the various neuropathies. Then things don’t work as well as they used to — and keeps getting worse — unless this course is corrected.

That could be as little as a minute of concentrated movement to restore that full functioning again — as in the case of a leg or arm going to sleep (numb), and being revived with a minute (50 repetitions) of a simple movement around one joint (axis) — to start up the circulation again. Usually, that already makes a difference — and can be repeated a few times throughout the day — without fear of harm, or further injury and damage. In fact, that is the cure — and should be the basis of any exercise program — first for rehabilitation and restoration, and in that process, are the seeds for continued progress, growth and development.

Too many people put the cart before the horse — and want to win the Kentucky Derby or the Mr. Olympia title before just to get healthy and whole again — and let the body take its natural course from there. That is the process that gets one there — and not how ambitious or desirous one is of getting to the top — even sacrificing their health and life to do so. That is the wrong way to go about it. But if one is simply and humbly focused on finding out what works for them — they will go as far as they pursue it, and have it last their entire lifetime — which is the new benchmark of possibility for this day and age.

Increasingly many are coming around to that realization of this new paradigm for fitness. Why not all one’s life, and not just while one is young — and then revert back to the traditional paradigm of unrelenting decline and deterioration? Obviously that requires a different way than the one that hasn’t worked before. One knows by now that High Intensity workouts have to be brief and infrequent, but does that mean that Low Intensity workouts can be sustained and prolonged throughout one’s lifetime? But it also can’t be nothing. Yet it has to be the easiest movements possible.

Rather than handling the heaviest weights, it would be maximally effective with the lightest weights possible — and that is the movements at the head, hands and feet — that initiate those contractions at the farthest extremities of the body — to do the most good. It is a well-known truism that the greatest predictor of future health and vitality is the functioning of the head, hands and feet — as what must be exercised as the priority to health and longevity, and can easily be done anywhere, under any circumstances, if one can just spare a minute from their daily lives. There doesn’t have to be an upper limit on how frequently it can be done — to good effect. That is the simplicity and genius of the micro workout. Anytime, anywhere, under any circumstances. It simply works.

The Most Natural Exercise

 The problem with most exercise is that one is usually doing one thing over and over again — rather than all things the body is capable of — to keep it in working order. If one never does these things, then one doesn’t know what they are presently capable of — until one day, when they try to access that capability, realize it is no longer there, or might not have been as proficient as they imagined it to be. Thus the need to regularly exercise those capabilities to ensure that they are still there — and improve them if that is desired. One does not get better at anything by never finding out what their present capabilities are — and not practicing them to get better. The simple cliche is, “if you don’t use it, you lose it.” Or the more positive way to look at it, is just to practice what you want to get better at. Those are also good rules for life.

By that same wisdom, one also eliminates those activities one does not want to get better at — and are actually harmful — leading to injury and unnecessary risks. One doesn’t want to be doing things that predispose them to injury, danger, and even death — thinking that “whatever doesn’t kill them, will make them stronger.” The world doesn’t work that way — or won’t for long, and one of the reasons for any practice, is to live a long, healthy and prosperous life — and not flame out at every chance one gets — in a brief and precarious existence, usually filled with much toil and trouble.

So rather than everyone who takes up exercise thinking they have to become the world champion at it or it is a waste of time, energy and resources, the better approach is simply to realize that one won’t be at their momentary best at anything they do — without the proper warmup, or familiarization with their actual present capabilities — to have a fairly good idea of what they are capable of — regardless of the world record in that event. All they are trying to find out, is what they are capable of — and how it needs to improve for whatever task at hand.

Running may occasionally be appropriate — or jumping, swimming, lifting — but rather than becoming proficient at only one thing, the better strategy, is to be prepared to do anything — or as wide a range of movement and activities as one can reasonably expect to encounter — rather than the one thing practiced to the exclusion of everything else. The obvious example are those who only do the treadmill for hours on end — thinking in doing so, that one is exercising the entire body as represented by the heart — while letting all the other muscles and joints atrophy.

The heart has the least danger of atrophying — and in fact, the greater danger is the enlargement of the heart because it is the only muscle demanded to work harder and faster — while the greater mass of muscle remains immobilized. That is similarly true for cycling: one simple movement is repeated countless times — while the mass of muscles, remain immobilized — even to the extent that the blood supply (circulation) is cut off — by the constant, unvarying tension (contraction) in those muscles frequently causing numbness and nerve damage particularly to the hands and arms.

The remedy obviously is to articulate the movement at the wrists, elbows and shoulders — that vary the muscular state from contraction to relaxation — which restores the pumping effect of the muscles. That will not happen if the muscles remain constantly tense (contracted), or as in most sedentary people — unvaryingly flaccid — no matter how hard and fast the heart alone is working. The evolution of the circulatory system is that it works best when there is a pumping effect at the extremities of the body to work in conjunction with the pumping effect from the heart on out to the rest of the body. Those who complement that design and use, optimize the circulatory effect — which is why exercise works — to keep the body in top operating condition — and improve in its capabilities as evidenced by its growth and development. One does not need to fully understand that in order for it to work. Nature ensures that it will — through millions of years of design and testing.

All one has to do is not get in the way of that natural process and development. One may even have fanciful ideas that the way to make it work even better is to obstruct and impede that process — in the mistaken notion that the best action, is to do the opposite rather than the obvious. Not surprisingly, many people die prematurely, in addition to almost everyone experiencing injuries and calamities along this journey — and predictably, many abandon all efforts altogether — and resign themselves to that’s how life is, inevitably, for everyone — as the “aging” paradigm. But as many more live longer lives, it becomes apparent, that they are not all aging equally. A rare few actually seem to be getting better with age — or at least, aging better — because, and not despite, of all they are doing.

Some things make more sense than others — as well as being self-evident truths. So rather than being focused on the end-results of what one desires from exercise, one is best off not beginning with such presumptions and ambitions — but begin with no preconceptions of what one can do and find out upon awakening — as their warmup to each day. Then once they do that, they can forget about it for the rest of the day — as having met their requirement for getting into optimal operating condition — and go on with thee rest of life unbothered by the aches, pains and other limitations that prevent them from living their best lives from day to day.

Beyond Effort

  “Aerobics” means with breathing as the essential focus of one’s movement. That is to say that all the other movements and activities of the body are synchronized to the breathing contraction and relaxation — rather than as many think, the breathing has to catch up to their activity — and so they commonly run out of breath, and the body is forced to stop. That is what one doesn’t want happening at the most critical moments in life — because that is frequently the difference between life and death. One has to know at any moment, what reserves and capacities one can reliably access — and not that one could fail at any time, moment, and circumstances. Obviously, that will not do — and serve their purposes very well — which is why we condition ourselves to meet the challenges of every moment of our lives — to be prepared for most things we normally encounter in our lives.

One of the first things a person does to become a world champion athlete or attempt any monumental undertaking in their lives — is to get their breathing under control, and well-known to them — rather than as many novices do, think nothing about it — and place it last in the scheme of their concerns. Thus, they will always run out of breath — and fail ultimately because of that — not for the lack of air around them, but because they are not managing that resource effectively. That is why a lot of physical as well as mental disciplines place the control of breathing as their highest priority — and not the last thing one should concern themselves with — if they ever get around to it at all.

In the early 20th century, exercise was largely about breathing and posture — which then morphed into muscle control and early bodybuilding — of which it was noted that the most transformative exercises was alternating the breathing squat with the breathing pullover — and was promoted by the popular physical culture magazines of its time as the foundational exercises for subsequent bodybuilding. Its earliest practitioners were not so much intent on gaining muscle — as it was that that was the astounding result of just doing those exercises to begin every workout. Many of those guys actually took up exercise as the minimum they could do — often with the lightest weights possible.

In fact, the person often regarded as the father of modern bodybuilding, Eugen Sandow, was famous for promoting his exercise routines using 5 lb dumbbells for 50–100 repetitions. But he also had a strong man act in which he lifted record poundages for his time. But he was not insistent that that was what one had to do — to be in good shape. The 5 lb dumbbells was what got him there. And beyond that, he was a master of muscle control — which is largely the understanding of how the muscle works and changes — regardless of equipment and venue.

The equipment doesn’t make the muscle work; the muscle makes the equipment work. That varies according to how well one knows the action of any single movement around one axis of movement (or rotation) — because all the muscles work in that same manner once its basic action is understood. Unfortunately, most people don’t bother with that simple, basic understanding — and so most of their movements are of a random sort — thinking that any motion is as good as any other, because their whole understanding is to waste as much energy as possible in everything they do. That’s why some people become very good at what they do — while many others have no idea of what they are doing, and could care less.

Those are the people who become unsuccessful exercisers — and are indifferent or hate what they do, because none of it makes any sense at all — and they are just wasting their time — not that they have anything more important to do. For surely, getting the understanding of exercise right, is the most important thing they can do — and get right, because it makes the most difference in their quality of life. That’s why exercise is revered in many cultures and traditions throughout history and survival. Properly done, it makes the biggest difference in the quality of one’s life -- and its many outcomes.

Undoubtedly the most important movement in one’s life is the simplicity of breathing. As a volume expands, the pressure drops. As a volume contracts, the pressure increases. That is the physics of movement — and not gravity. A high pressure will move into a lesser pressure. No exercise does that more purposely and effectively than the lying pullover on a bench — expanding the rib cage (volume) and contracting it was well. If one does no other exercise (movement), that would be the best one to do.

Arthur Jones recognized this and made it his prototype Nautilus machine. His second was the Hip and Back machine — and then he could have stopped there. That would have produced 90% of the results — with truly minimal effort — particularly if one did 50–100 repetitions of each with a resistance that made that possible. The muscle didn’t have to fail to make the movement productive; doing the movement itself — with nominal resistance, would have been the right movement to ensure impressive muscular development — whether one wanted it or not. He didn’t have to create all those other machines. The singular upper body movement, and the singular lower body movement, was all that was needed — to get into shape and maintain it all one’s life — without the strain and effort that people thought was necessary in exercise — because that is the way they have been conditioned to think and reinforce.

It’s never been thought that exercise doesn’t need to be difficult and hard — and that the better way, is actually the intelligent way — which can be sustained without the difficulties self-imposed. That was the step beyond — that he never quite achieved. How does one go beyond effort?

No Equipment, No Problem

  The critical mistake most (elderly) people make is in thinking that in order to exercise and improve their fitness (health), they have to have certain equipment and instruction (experience) rather than realizing that the body itself is designed for that self-maintenance and optimization. That accounts for the wide-range of things a person can do — and achieve proficiency in, which in their younger years serve as that measure of their fitness, but as they get older, are less likely to remain so specialized at those metrics, but value greater versatility and generality for doing all the various things one needs to enable their lives. Then, whether they can open a jar or medicine bottle, become the necessary requirements for living a full and fulfilling life. Likewise, standing, squatting, getting up from any position, is their Super Bowl — not requiring them to make it any more difficult than it already is.

Most exercise equipment, is actually designed to make movements harder — rather than easier, and then are instructed to make the difficult, impossible by increasing the resistance to failure — after five repetitions if possible. The problem is not that most elderly (untrained) people will do too many pullups and squats, but that such movements will be impossible to do even one — and so equipment that makes it increasingly harder, is not the direction you want to go — but to make that movement possible, and even easy — so that one can do it countless times without quitting — and that is obviously the problem when one is insistent that one should never do more than five repetitions of any movement — and if one does, then one immediately must add more resistance so that is not possible. That kind of training becomes negative reinforcement — rather than the positive reinforcement one should receive to encourage them further.

One does not need to program premature failure; that is the default — yet there is this kind of perverse psychology and conditioning — that predictably discourages people from exercise rather than engaging it as a lifelong necessity. Exercise is not something one does because they can do it easily and tirelessly beforehand — but is what is necessary to get to that point — much more importantly. That can be done just to be able to get out of bed, a chair, off the ground — without specialized equipment to do so. That would be an easy thing to do if one always had a chair or walker to assist them — but in lieu of that convenience, one makes do with whatever equipment is available — which is always the case with the body. One is not likely to go anywhere without it. That is the rationale and genius of movement strategies like yoga, tai-chi, dance, floor exercises, chair exercises, and bed exercises.

The important thing to know is that a muscle contraction begins at the insertion (distal) end of a muscle back towards the origin (proximal) end closer to the center of the body — without exception, and that is why the most valuable muscle contractions will begin at the furthest axes of movements — at the hands, feet and head doing the most to enhance the circulation — by contracting the fluid (blood) out of those areas to reduce the swelling (inflammation) caused by that buildup in the tissues which is the debilitating and disease effect.

One can argue about that endlessly to no conclusion, but one can immediately verify that by simply moving at those axes in which few do because it is no longer a requirement in modern life — which has as its objective, the elimination of as much effort and movement as possible from daily life. That has unintended consequences — of reducing the circulatory effectiveness of ordinary movements. So unless one reprograms back in such movements, they will virtually never be done, or articulated, which is self-maintaining to health, and in its absence and omission, becomes non-functional and/or dysfunctional. That could include such things as getting up and walking a short distance to use the bathroom or kitchen. There is simply no need to maintain those abilities — if they are no longer required.

Exercise machines often require one to maintain those skills — but are they the most useful and versatile movements to become proficient at? That is the problem with treadmills, stationary bikes, and even rowing machines. Are those the movements that actually loom large in one’s daily activities? — or are they movements and activities one would not do otherwise? — or more than a minute just to ensure one still could. But 30 minutes every day? What else could one be doing with that time — and energy? Probably one could easily do 30 different movements — not requiring 30 different exercise machines.

Those are the simple articulations of full-range head, hand and foot movements — that activate the rest of the musculature because they the insertions of those muscles that instigate those integrated movements. One frequently hears it referred to as compound exercises involving the most muscles possible — without understanding its fullest implications. The engagement of the muscles is not lateral but vertical — which is to note that the change in the position of the foot, bending the fist, turning the head — activates and engages all the muscles in that pathway back towards the center of the body near the heart.

So making a fist and simply bending it in a knuckleward or palmward direction causes all the muscles from that point to contract or relax — and that alternation of muscular states, like the heart, produces a pumping effect, which is the circulatory effect by adding those pumps to the extremities at which have the greatest effect — particularly if one suffers from the many problems of poor circulation (swelling/inflammation) at the hands, feet and head — and their related conditions — including brain functioning.

For the foot, one can simply hold the back of a chair with one foot ahead of the other and shift the weight forward and back to articulate the fullest range of foot movement. That would be superior to walking miles with a limited (non-existent) foot movement — as most people do — thinking speed and incline is more important. But when shifting the weight back, the front foot will lift the toes as much as possible, and then shifting the weight forward the back foot will lift the heel as much as possible — ensuring the change of muscular states that pump the swelling out of the foot. Most older people are notable for having swollen feet, hands and faces for that reason. That is the simple remedy that gets them back on the right path to addressing these vulnerabilities of the aging human body.

Doing the Right Thing(s)

  The glutes, hamstrings, lower back, are all contracted maximally when the thigh bone (femur) moves backwards out of line with the torso, and if the head moves down simultaneously, the abdominal muscles are contracted maximally as well — disputing the notion that muscles work antagonistically — than as is more often the case, complementarily, or synergistically.

The obvious case in point is the contraction of the biceps of the arm. That contraction of the biceps does not produce a relaxation of the triceps — but requires the triceps to be maximally contracted as well. And so It is the case that when the back muscles are maximally contracted, the abdominal (front torso) must be maximally contracted simultaneously — or the maximum contraction in one direction with the complete relaxation of the stabilizing muscles in the other direction, would pose great risk to the spinal column — which has structural strength and integrity by equalizing the pressures to these vulnerabilities in all directions.

That is to note that if one anticipates absorbing a blow to the midsection, one would not simply contract the front abdominal muscles, but all the muscles surrounding the midsection simultaneously for maximum structural strength — which then gets dissipated through all the other muscles of the body. That is one of the greatest reasons for older people to maintain maximum muscularity throughout life — not because they can hit another harder, but they can absorb the blows from any other effectively and efficiently so as to render themselves impervious to those injuries — including the inevitable and dreaded falls — which are more likely than finding themselves in a fist fight.

Muscular people bounce right up — or lie there briefly thinking if everything is still responsive and in working order — and slowly are on their way again. Muscles are not only decorative but highly functional — for many different reasons this way. So while many will think what is the point of developing the gluteus muscle — the fact that it is the largest muscle of the body and likely to remain so the older one gets, probably serves an evolutionary survival purpose — in padding and protecting the well-recognized fragility of the hip structures that have served as a reliable indicator of survival in elderly populations.

In younger people in their most prolific years, the dancers, gymnasts, ice skaters, are probably most notable for their outstanding ranges of motion — by which they awe the competition and judges with their ability to easily move their legs back and even grab their foot above their heads. But most people are not built that way — so moving the leg back even slightly out of line with the torso is likely to produce a maximal muscle contraction and development — and can even be done lying down on one’s side in comfort. In this respect, lying on one’s back or stomach is more problematical because of the pressures against the breathing muscles of the lower torso — when a heavy weight is employed in the traditional machines designed for that purpose.

However, as I’ve frequently pointed out before, maximum muscular contraction is more a function of the range of movement — than weight used in a limited (unchanging) range of movement — with the weight often acting as an impediment to the expression (articulation) of the muscular states from fullest relaxation to fullest contraction. That is primarily a function of knowing in which position the muscle is relaxed and contracted — and not of the resistance and effort of moving from one to the other. It’s like a light switch: it doesn’t matter how much resistance or effort is required to get from the “off” position to the “on” position. What matters is whether it is fully on or fully off — often being the exact same motion. That is the “digital” world of reality.

That is the pumping effect we are trying to achieve — in developing any muscle. If the muscle is not articulating the fullest flow (circulation), then no amount of doing that movement with any amount of weight and resistance will produce the desired effects. No matter how much weight one stands up straight with in the squat or deadlift, the gluteus muscle will remain relaxed — because it requires the fenur to be moving back out of line with the torso to contract, and contract strongly. That is directing the flow to and from any muscle — producing the desired function, form and development (health).

If one does the wrong movement that doesn’t achieve those changes of muscular states, it doesn’t matter how much weight and resistance one uses — though admittedly, one is using more weight and resistance. But if one simply wants the results — without the impediments to it — which is the underlying question of every inquiry, then one has to examine what movement produces those changes — regardless of weight, resistance, repetitions and all the other irrelevant considerations — because time is running out on everybody — and that is why we are exercising as a lifelong practice.

The Measure of Success

  What a lot of people don’t realize about those “Before” and “After” photos is that it is not about change over time — but change momentarily. When the entire objective is to build (pump) the body — rather than measure on any other criteria or performance — that can be seen by a tape measure and photos of that enhanced circulation known as the “pump.”

This can be so dramatic that many well-known physiques will not let anybody see them unless they are pumped — and their arm sizes are about 2″ larger than their arms are “cold.” Likewise, they may be fairly fit-looking before a workout, but seem twice as big, and virtually a different person — and that is why a lot of adolescents get hooked on bodybuilding and weight-training — because it does give them that instant gratification and success, particularly if it coincides with their puberty growth spurt. Then these transformations seem nothing short of miraculous — and dramatically affects their psyche and outlook on life thereafter.

As often as not, that is the significance of the “before” and “after” photos and measurements. It could just as well be the measure of change before and after a single workout — rather than the representation of change over time. That is the measure of the effectiveness of a product or practice — more than it is little change over many years — thinking it will miraculously morph into something unforeseen in the present practice and exercise.

Bodybuilding and weight-training is not alone in effecting such transformations. One can see it happen instantly in skin care products — and more familiarly, with the application of make-up, posture, manner, and dress. All this should not come as a secret; it should be obvious — and why astute people cultivate these advantages.

The worst outlook on life, is to feel that one can never change anything — about themselves, or any other happening in the world — no matter how much time, effort and resources one devotes to it. That is distinctly the value of movement, action, and intent: one can change the world, because they can change themselves — and that is the root of all action and intents.

They experience that as a fact — in their workouts — which the tape measure and photos merely confirm enough times initially that shortly, it is not required — but should not be forgotten — for those times in life when what used to work, no longer works. Then they have to go back to those basics, rather than merely presume it is still working — because they may be doing something entirely different now — that doesn’t work. It usually is because they are doing too few repetitions with too much weight — that it actually precludes doing anything productive, restorative or rehabilitative. That’s why there is no measurable change — no matter how long one stays at it.

But actually changing, is easily measurable — and that measure is significant. It is not merely the passage of time — with no change until eventually, one day, everything will have changed — but what exactly caused it, is anybody’s conjecture. Changing weights is the easiest thing to do — but changing the body itself is the greater objective. For that purpose, it doesn’t matter how much the weights have changed — while one has stayed the same.

That’s what most people don’t suspect — that the most consequential change, is what is happening to the body — and not the weight stack. Is the body being super pumped — or is it largely and mostly at rest? If one can sustain an optimal pumping effect, where is it going? — and how can one tell? The tape measure and before and after photos are easily obtainable self-evidence of this. Either it is happening — or it isn’t. Even in the older guys who believe they can no longer achieve a pump (because of age) — if they ever did.

That’s what makes bodybuilders and physique competitors fairly unique; that is their objective — which is not a bad thing for anybody to be able to do somewhat — because that is the rehabilitative process that also makes them grow. That is what is called the recovery ability — and when one loses that, deterioration and decline becomes a way of life. How does one know when that has become the predominant theme in their life? The tape measure and photo — of before and after. The decline is not inevitable. That becomes the measure of success.

Only a rare few improve persistently over time. That is what is significant to measure — and people who make that difference.

How Much Rest is Enough?

 As a general rule, the more one rests, the less they do. That is true not only in working out, but at work, play, and any other activities. As far as I have observed, the most out of shape people, are those who do very little — if anything at all. Such people obviously don’t need more rest — while world-class athletes, can benefit from as much rest as they need — before their inner clock compels them to make another attempt. But then, one need not tell the world-champion in that event what more or less they should be doing, because their distinction tells it all.

However, for those in the poorest health and condition, any strategy that gets them in motion and keeps them in motion, is the much better strategy — until they become the world champion at whatever they want to be good at. Among the less proficient, the better advice is to practice until one becomes good at what one is doing, and the rest and inactivity are what they are already good at, and don’t need more practice. They need to practice what they seldom do — and not rest up over generously from the little they already do.

That is the obvious reason most people who workout in gyms or any other venue, don’t get any, or much results: they are resting too much — thinking that is the major part of the program they like to do, and so they double up on that, rather than the hard part. Some justify that by making the hard part harder, rather than making the hard part easier — so that people actually like doing them — instead of not doing it as much as possible — and getting that result.

In the 1960s, two forms of exercise became popular: one promoting what is today called “High-intensity (interval) training,” and the other, “aerobics” or “cardio” training — and were promoted as though they are two different things, rather than two-sides of the same thing — resulting in superior health and outcomes. Back then, high-intensity training meant higher levels of effort that couldn’t be sustained for more than a minute — or less. The 100 yard sprint is the best example of this, while a marathon run would be an example of the ultimate cardio event. Same activity (running) — but conducted at levels that could be sustained by vastly different durations.

As most have observed, marathoners are usually ultrathin people not carrying excessive muscle mass, while strength athletes carry as much weight as their weight-class will allow. The lesson here is that if one’s primary goal is to lose and control weight, they should be actually exercising most of their workout time — rather than resting 95% of the time — presumably to recover from their 10 second at maximum effort. Even the world champion at that event will insist on at least 10 minutes of rest before their next heat.

The problem lies with people used to putting out little effort and then taking overly long rest breaks. That is likely to be your novice exerciser — not strong enough to exert themselves requiring much if any time for recovery. Such people don’t need maximum rest to recover from minimal efforts. They just need the practice — or “reps” until they become much more proficient at their movements to become serious threats to their own well-being and safety. That is a danger posed in a “non-contact injury,” which become the majority of injuries among the aging and old — so that they give up on competitive events because they recognize that they are their own greatest risk to their well-being and continued success.

But rather than maintaining or increasing those loads, the better strategy is to lower the intensity so that it can be sustained for the proper amount of time — rather than resting to compensate for those overloads. The obvious would be using minimal resistance and eliminating the rest entirely — which then makes resistance training cardio as well, and cardio, muscle building — to converge as the one thing that builds strength as well as endurance.

That is to say that for the majority of those exercising for complete and comprehensive health benefits, they should do high reps of different movements while eliminating the rest periods entirely. Low reps and overly long rest between, won’t get one into the shape one wants to be in.