Question of the Day

I guess my question would be this. And, forgive me for this approach - I understand the ideas behind debate, etc. However, in my opinion, spending time analyzing, dissecting, and worrying about optimal, et al is more of "activity" when what people are really looking for is "productivity" - i.e. results.


Along those lines, who really cares what is superior? If I can effectively help my clients lose fat using both HIIT and LISS, so it becomes a question of what they can be consistent with an enjoy, does it make sense to worry about if one is superior? What is the superiority going to gain ... so maybe one client loses 1/4 pound more per week than another, is it really a race or a lifestyle change to live healthy?

Here's the real kicker. I don't really see debate at all with best exercise regimen among fitness trainers or experts. Why? Because most understand the basic principles of designing an effective workout (overload, overcompensation, GAS principle, SAID principle, law of individual differences, etc) and realize that no program can be superior because there are various cycles during training that people focus on higher reps (endurance), lower reps (neurological/strength), moderate reps (hypertrophy) etc. The debate isn't really in the fitness circles, it is in the end-user/consumer circles. Why? Because most people don't want to learn how to design effective programs, they want one spoon fed. So many systems are developed (Max-OT, SAIS, etc) that oversimplify the training to give people what they want - pre-fab workouts.
Nothing wrong with that, because working out is better than not working out ...

But then it all comes to this.

The question, "What is superior" is a very, very, very broad generalization and oversimplification. I think the reason why much debate exists is because people are asking the wrong question.

It's like saying, "What's the BEST tool?" Well, in Georgia, when I had a yard 1 foot thick with leaves, it was the rake. In South Dakota, with a foot of snow, it's my snow shovel and a better tool would be a snow blower.

So what is the right question? It's "What is superior for ME, right NOW?" and then it becomes easier to ask. See, then it doesn't matter if research shows that you burn more fat on an empty stomach. Why? Because if you get dizzy and nauseous and simply can't train well on an empty stomach, it's obviously not best for YOU. Etc etc.

Interesting topic, but again, I just don't see the point in expending energy on it when it can go in circles - instead of the activity of analyzing each program, why not focus on the productivity of what works for YOU?

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