Contemporary physical fitness is lost. Nowhere, in any human endeavour, is there more misunderstanding, bias and fraud. Current marketing pracitice is to generate and promote exercise methods which are novel, quick and entertaining. This “revenue before results” fitness information saturates the media and distracts people from legitimate exercise methods. The cost of missinformation is very high – people spend less time exercising effectively and more people become discouraged. Exercise, one of our greatest weapons against pain, mood disorders and morbidity, is in deperate need of a higher standard. To be legitimate, your fitness program should meet the following expectations:

1. It must make mathematical sense

   For the average participant, twenty minutes of exercise performed three times a week will not compensate for the usual caloric surplus – regardless of improvements in metabolic rate or degree of intensity. Likewise, a device or program which solely targets the abs will never substract sufficient calories from your diet to improve definition unless you are starving yourself. The first step toward choosing any exercise program – check the math!

2. It must stress all joints of the body

   Every joint in your body must be stressed by your fitnesss program. This ensures uniform development of muscles, strength and bone density. This means your feet, ankles, knees, hips, whole spine, shoulders, elbows and hands must have dedicated exercise. Stop being sold by programs which only target one part of the body. (thigh squeezers, ab swingers, butt blasters etc.).

3. It must be measured

   Hard work is absolutely no guarantee of progress. I often see extreme efforts result in decrements in fitness. The effects of your workouts need to be monitered. Legitimate fitness programs include meaningful testing, tangible progressions and precise record keeping. Don’t fall victim to baseless esoterica. Always look for numbers indicating load, speed, distance and time.

4. It must be periodized

   Fitness programs have to change. The same movements, volume and intensity of effort will eventually wear you out. Hyper-macho, vomitous programs will only be sustainable for a short period of time – your body and mind has to recover. Much of the art of fitness programming lies in the creation of training phases which are less demanding. These phases allow physical and emotional recovery while still improving factors (such as muscle balance, flexibility, strengthening secondary muscles etc.) relevent to the overall goal. Unperiodized fitness programs are unsustainable fitness programs.

5. It must be planned

   Haphazard fitness equals haphazard results. The best fitness programs follow successful systems. Systems, of course, are the result of plans which have been designed, executed and documented. Without a solid plan, chances are you will fail or have to work ten times as hard as necessary. Catch terms like “instinctive” or “confusion principle” are just excuses for being ignorant and lazy..

6. It must be intense

   A physical activity cannot be called “exercise “ if it is not sufficiently intense. Sufficient intensity can be described as the minimum level of exertion required to stimulate improvements in muscle mass, strength, metabolic rate, cardiovascular health and bone density. Most physical activity programs fail to meet this criteria. Non-Exercise Physcial Activity can still be beneficial as it burns calories and time (which would have otherwise been spent sitting and eating) but participants will still require real exercise. Legitimate fitness programs feature high-intensity, intermittent bouts of effort which are planned and periodized.

Three Overt Signs of an Illigitimate Exercise Program

1. Your exercise device burns more watts than you do

Generally, electricity in an exercise program is a bad sign. Unless the device is a cattle prod, rely on manual activity as much as possible. Legitimate fitness programs feature solid iron, bodyweight exercises and glycogen consumption.

2. It is endorsed by a celebrity

How can anyone still believe celebrity endorsement is proof of legitmacy? Here are some thoughts for those easily persuaded by a famous face:

a. Most elite level athletes and screen idols are tremendouly physically gifted. They would have to work very hard to look bad.

b. Exceeding in sport or acting leaves little room for expertise elsewhere. Legitimate coaches and trainers are preoccupied fulltime with developing effective exercise programs. Do you go to personal trainers for advice on acting?

c. These are people who specialize in being paid to speak and seem credible. This fact alone should deter trust.

3. It features highly skilled, flashy maneuvres

People looking to enhance sport performance commonly fall victim to this one. Fancy is not necessarily functional. Movements that appear relevent to your sport are very often dissimilar in terms of muscles and physiology. Furthermore, highly skilled, acrobatic exercises take time to learn, involves greater risk and can mess up your sport-specific technique. Skills (footwork, agility, timing, balance, co-ordination etc) are very unique to your sport! Skills training should only be conducted under the supervison of an expert. The primary goal of any exercise program is to prepare your body to accept and express energy at a level approptiate to your sport – not to serve as a second rate repeat of practice.

Real exercise reduces the incidence of heart attack, stroke, diabetes, cancer, osteoporosis and high blood pressure. It also benefits mental health and keeps you physically able. Exercise is the single greatest anti-aging tool available. Choosing a fitness program or product should be taken seriously, mandating research beyond a book cover or thirty second infomercial. People need to stop buying into programs based on image, entertainment or fashion appeal. Health and function is more than sufficiently inspiring. People, pierce through the gaudy fluff pushed in your face and uncover the undercurrent of legitimate fitness!