Aaron What Do You Think of…?
One of the most popular questions that I get asked usually goes something like this – What do you think of (Blank)? The blank usually includes things like Yoga, Pilates, PX-90, Rumba, the latest hula-hoop class, or a pole dancer workout (yeah, the last one got me too).
The main issue with all these types of exercises is that they are a one-size-fits-all approach with no assessment. Therefore, everybody gets lumped into the same class and performs virtually the exact same exercises. Speaking of assessments, I have yet to see two different individuals score exactly the same on our assessment. If this is the case, then why is everybody in group exercise classes doing the exact same workout? The problem is people want a one-size-fits-all answer. But people are not the same…even at the root level we have different blood types, different body structures, and different muscle type fiber percentages. When I hear questions like “what do you think of (blank)?” the two main questions that arise for me, are for whom and for what?
First off, whom are we talking about? Since I get more questions about Yoga, let’s look at Yoga for example. Are we talking about a 15 year Yoga veteran, a weekend-warrior or a 49 year old guy who hasn’t exercised since basketball players wore short-shorts? Secondly, what are the individual’s goals? What do you want? Do you want to fit into your wedding dress in two months, do you want to lose 100 lbs, or do you want to eliminate your body’s aches and pains and feel 10 years younger? I realize that people want a blanket answer. An answer that everybody will fit into, but the fact is, this is just impossible to do. There are way too many individual differences for a one-size-fits-all approach to be appropriate.
Let’s start off by looking at the Yoga veteran. A few years back I coached a woman who was a Yoga teacher and had been practicing Yoga and Pilates for over 15 years. Lets just say – she was very good at Yoga and Pilates! But was this the very best thing for her body? In this particular individual’s case, she had become hyper-mobile. Her joints, muscles, tendons and ligaments had been stretched hard for so many years and as a result she had become so flexible she was unstable. Her flexibility training had pushed her body to become hyper-mobile and therefore she had a ton of issues with joint stability, joint integrity and lacked muscular strength as well as muscular definition.
After taking her through a thorough 1 ½ hour assessment I was able to write her a program that was completely appropriate for her body. And ironically her program with Imagine If consisted of no stretching. Yes, no stretching! But lots of full range-of-motion weight lifting. Within seven months, her joints stabilized, therefore she had fewer problems with dislocations and fewer visits to the Chiropractor. She also had lost 20 lbs of body fat and told me that her “body looks better after working with us for 7 months than after 7 years of daily Yoga and Pilates.” My point here is not to brag or pat myself on the back. The point is, we assessed her body, found out what her goals were and then designed a custom program that was appropriate for her.
On the other hand, let’s look at the 38 year old male weekend warrior, who lifts weights 2 days a week and goes all out during his weekly weekend tennis match. He does the typical “male” weight lifting routine, breaking up everything into body part split training biceps & triceps, chest & back. And never works his legs “because they get worked when he plays tennis.” He never warms up, stretches or spends any thought on breathing. This poor fellow has an over-developed upper body, pathetically weak legs, a core to match and he can’t touch his toes. Would he be a good candidate for Yoga 1-2 days a week? Probably. In this guy’s case, the Yoga might get him to learn to breathe a little more, stretch and focus on his mobility. Essentially, it would put a little balance into his exercise choices.
The next area to look at is the person’s goals. What does the individual want? When we design programs for all the members at our facility the number one most important determining factor in designing the program is the client’s goal. Everything else is secondary. In the case of the Yoga veteran, she wanted fat loss and muscular definition. In fact, with over 75% of the people who come to see us, their goals are very similar. Therefore, you better believe a significant chunk of their program will consist of weight bearing activity. Would I ever recommend Yoga specifically for fat loss? No!
Having said all this, I want to be clear about something. I’m not shunning Yoga/Pilates nor recommending or endorsing either. I’m only looking at two totally different people describing their differences and looking at how Yoga might be appropriate in one situation and completely inappropriate in another. Yoga and Pilates are two forms of exercise that do not perform assessments or design custom programs suited to each individual’s bodies and or their needs.
In conclusion, there really is no one-size-fits-all answer to a fitness question such as “what do you think of” insert your favorite form of exercise here? Hopefully, this article has helped to demonstrate that each and every person is different, their goals are specific and unique and that their program should be custom-tailored to their body and their needs.