If, you are a member of a gym you will no doubt receive a program from one of the fitness instructors. Depending on the organisation this program could last from a few weeks to months (if no one bothers to check up on you).
One of the biggest complaints I often get from people is that they are ‘unhappy’ with the program they have been given in their local gym. “It’s not working!” “I’m getting bored.” A good instructor should make it a part of their job to make a regular check on their client’s progress or in some cases lack of it.
Having been involved with a number of gyms, I have found that instructors find it difficult to keep track of their members. In many cases you are dealing with thousands of people who pop in and out of a gyms at different times, on different days and in many cases with weeks or months in between their last visit.
I’ve had people come to me who had the same program for six months or more. They sort of got lost in the system, the instructors have failed to keep a check on them and often these people become disillusioned with the lack of progress and leave the gym altogether with tales of “ I’ve been to the gym, it did not work for me!”
At Gym Rat Fitness our programs tend to last about three weeks to start with. Each one has a goal to reach. Once you reach the objective, the next program is put together with a new goal. You are always given something to reach for – the aims are always reachable, so you get to pat yourself on the back every few weeks.
This is progress!
In many cases the programs take a good deal longer than the initial three weeks. Life gets in the way, this happens, it’s not a problem. You still have your objective to reach and I’ve never had anyone not complete a program – yet! Long term planning is important in any fitness program. Successful atheletes in any sport realize that they cannot operate at 100% all year round. They need to start off slowly, build up their training to peak for a number of events and then tail off at the end of a season, then they will take a break and start all over again!
A fitness or even diet regime should be constructed in exactly the same way. Start of easy, set yourself reachable targets, gradually build up (or cut back on calories with a diet) then ease back, and finally give yourself a break. Humans have a tendency to want to rush everything and for this very reason many people fail to achieve what is well within their capability. Plan, be organised, be prepared to be flexible but keep your goals in mind always – and you will succeed!
