Pumping iron. Lifting. Weights. Resistance training. Free weights and machines. I am the generation who fell in love with gyms! I loved it and dutifully spent my days at the gym counting sets and reps and adding more and more weight. But after 15 years things began to change. Injuries were stacking up and becoming chronic and it became harder and harder to keep the extra pounds off. And I wasn’t alone. Leaders in the industry, the guys who wrote the books, were having the same problems and were just as perplexed. Guys like Lou Schuler who wrote Rules of Lifting were forced to rethink their own programs.*

No one disputes that having plenty of muscle is absolutely a good thing.

Muscle:

• Protects our joints

• Improves metabolism

• Improves our endocrine functions

• Gives our body shape

• Improves posture

• Strengthens bones

So what was the problem?

•  Traditional weight room training isolates one muscle at a time targeting too few muscles. Traditional style weight lifting  simply does not use enough muscles, burn enough calories or boost our metabolism enough

•  Lifting heavy weights in unnatural body positions and isolating muscles puts too much weight on joints and connective tissue creating chronic  injuries. Especially vulnerable are the spine, shoulders and knees

•  The amount of time needed for real progress exceeds what most people are willing to spend at the gym

•  Weight lifting takes us from a resting heart rate to full exertion which increases danger of stroke, heart and retinal problems

•  Ego often trumps common sense

So what is the solution? 

• Full body functional exercises using hundreds of muscles

• Use body weight as much as possible

• When lifting weights use less weight and do more reps

• Keep the ego in check!

*New Rules of Lifting and New Rules of Lifting for Abs, Lou Schuler and Alwyn Cosgrove