by Sandy Joyce

I was at a fitness store the other day with a friend, and as we waited for the heavy-set lady to help us, I noticed an old bodybuilding book up on the shelf. I started glancing through it and, I have to tell you, I was very amazed at what I saw.

There was a section in the book with a list and diagrams of exercises. I saw exercises in that book that I had forgotten about, and others that I do all the time. Even exercises that I’d witnessed recently, spreading around the gym as the “new buzz,” were in this book — these movements have been around since the 70’s!

Of course, we’re a little fancier about it nowadays. We use a kettle bell instead of a dumbbell, or medicine ball instead of a plate; but the plane of exercise is still the same.

Then it hit me: Everyone’s looking for new exercises and new programs!

But why? The Basics are still the same — and they work!

The simple truth is, in order to lose fat and or maintain a sculpted physique, one simply has to eat sensibly and lift weights. There’s only so much variety to that! I couldn’t think of one exercise that we do today, that wasn’t in that book. Not one!

So why does everyone continue to look for “new” exercises? I can think of a few different reasons.

• Because everyone else does!

You see it in the stand fitness magazines every week: the new “this” or the new “that.” It is eye-catching, isn’t it?

I’ve actually done one of those clips for a magazine before. They said, “Sandy, we want an exercise we’ve never tried.”

I must have scratched my head for a week. I did manage to come up with something, but it was more like an exercise everyone’s forgotten about!

• People are bored.

Weight-lifting can become regimented and “boring,” if you will. If you’re one of those people that gets bored easily on a program, then I suggest you simply change your routine every two weeks.

Even if that means just changing your reps, the order of your exercises, your cardio routine, and so forth. Simple changes like that really keep your mind fresh.

• Lack of results.

If you’re on a program that’s not yielding the results you want, of course you’re likely to blame it on your program. Couldn’t be the cookies you ate last night, right??

Getting results really is a 24/7 commitment. If you’re not getting the results you want, I can pretty much guarantee you that it’s not the hour you’re spending in the gym that’s the problem.

• Everyone’s looking for the “magic” exercise.

We all know there isn’t one, right? There are, however, standard “key” exercises, like your squats, deadlifts, rows, and other compound lifts, but nothing is particularly “magic.”

Have you ever taken a “key” exercise out of your program? Then you see someone doing it a few months later, and you say “oh yeah!” So you add it back in your program. Then what happens?

You “feel” it! You’re sore the next day, usually. And therefore you “love” it, right? Right!

Then what happens a month later? You don’t feel it anymore. Honeymoon is over! There’s no magic exercise, but it can feel like magic if you mix your program up a bit!

In Conclusion

It’s great to try new programs, but don’t kid yourself into thinking that there is anything “new” out there that is going to make your results skyrocket. The “new” stuff really isn’t that new. The good news here is that the good ol’ basics you’re used to doing actually work!

Stick to the simple basics! The rows, pulls, presses, squats, deadlifts; they’ll never change or join the dinosaurs in extinction! To continue making progress and prevent boredom, change the order of your exercise, selection, muscle pairing, sets and rep range.

Now, get back to basics!

About Sandy Joyce

Sandy Joyce is a personal trainer in the Boston area who specializes in helping women of all ages lose fat and get fit. She has over 10 years in the industry and has a reputation for not only getting women into great shape quickly, but helping them adopt lifelong healthy habits.

She is a certified Personal Trainer, Nutritionist, and is a terrific motivator.  She will work with you in a comfortable yet enthusiastic way in order to give you the knowledge and drive to make fitness a priority in your life.

You may get in touch with Sandy at BestBodyEva.com.