The Power of Words and Understanding in Achieving Workout Success
The words you use to describe your actions reflect your mental image of those actions and your understanding of them. Together, your mental image, your understanding, your words, and your actions determine your results.
A workout routine is a series of exercises you perform routinely. It trains you to do something, to expect something, and to experience something. However, this does not guarantee success or even attempt to achieve it.
A workout training program is similar to a computer program; you input data, create relationships between that data, and expect certain results. The outcome you get may or may not be beneficial to you personally.
A personal workout plan is the most focused and direct description of an action plan with very specific goals that are meaningful to you.
Let’s explore each through examples:
Example of a Workout Routine: “Jane” follows a workout routine that includes yoga on Mondays, a 5-mile run on Wednesdays, and 1.5 hours of resistance training on Fridays. She believes yoga will enhance her flexibility, running will improve her cardiovascular health and burn calories, and resistance training will increase her strength and bone density.
However, after a few months, she realizes she is neither more flexible nor has more stamina or strength. She had neglected several physiological requirements to get the desired results, even though she followed her routine religiously.
Example of a Workout Program: “John” has a workout program focused on building muscle mass. He has heard that he needs to focus on major muscle groups like lats, quads, and chest, and compound movements like squats, bench press, and rows. His program is centered mostly on these exercises.
After a few months, John notices pain in his ankle, knee, and shoulders. He had neglected the balance between large muscle groups and smaller ones that make the body function well. He did not realize that squat variations can destabilize the knee without hamstring strength, and bench press variations can destabilize the shoulders without building the small muscles around the shoulder girdle.
Example of a Personal Workout Plan: “Monica” carefully studied workout plans and selected one that matched her goal of losing weight without aggravating her already torn Achilles tendon. Her plan spanned three stages over a year.
After her Achilles tendon rupture, Monica learned that her muscles develop strength much faster than her tendons, and she needed both muscle and tendon strength to perform plyometric exercises. The painful memory of her surgery and recovery taught her patience. She planned to return to plyometric exercises that burn a lot of calories, but this time, she wanted to be prepared to avoid damaging her joints and tendons without adequate preparation.
She also knew that muscle density meant she would keep the fat-burning muscle tissue much longer, and building muscle density required time. All parts of Monica’s action plan fit together without conflict. Everything was written down, and she could measure her progress every week.
We’ll revisit the differences between a workout routine, a workout program, and a workout plan again. Do you have a workout plan?
