Focus on Fundamentals
Strength Training Basics are Underrated, but They Should Be Your Main Focus
When it comes to workouts, more complicated or more advanced doesn’t mean better!
During a training session recently, I had a newer client tell me: "Wow, these are simple but they're not easy" as they wiped away sweat.
And that, my friends, is the point!
Your workouts do not need to be complicated or intricate. 99% of the things people see on Instagram or TikTok and then ask me about do not actually have training benefits; they just look cool.
I'm not a fan of anyone comparing themselves to someone on social media, but since most of us do it anyway, I want you to know that whatever fitspo you're following has probably been doing the same boring sh*t for YEARS.
Squat.
Lunge.
Hinge.
Pull.
Push.
Core.
Those are the basic building blocks. You can (and should!) choose different variations, but if you want to build strength, increase muscle tone, and stay healthy as you age, you're going to need to do a lot of those basics.
You can advance it by increasing the load, adjusting the number of sets or reps, adjusting recovery time between sets, slowwwwwing it way down...but you do not ever have to do a double kettlebell front squat to a burpee pushup row with a tuck jump onto a BOSU. And no one should probably ever do whatever that would be!
It doesn't have to be complicated to be challenging. In fact, it might actually be more challenging to do something simple but execute it well. Keep it simple!
"But, Justine…What about the cool barbell pistol squat standing on top of a stability ball that I saw a fitfluencer doing?"
Please don't.
1) The trainers, influencers, and athletes you see in videos online have trained and worked up to the point where they can execute certain movements. The majority of the people watching those videos and trying to emulate them have NOT, which is just straight up unsafe.
2) A lot of that stuff online is stupid and pointless anyway.
When I tell you I have been doing the same stuff for YEARS, and my clients have been doing variations of the same stuff for YEARs, it's not b.s.
Here's a sample of one of the workouts my trainer (@jg_training1) wrote for me in September of 2016:
Bench Press
Bent Over Rows
Inverted Rows
Pushups
Dips
Biceps curls
And here's part of one of my current upper body days from September 2021:
Chest press
Plyo pushups
Inverted Rows
Dips
Hammer curls
My goals are slightly different. My strength is WAY different. The overall workout structure throughout the week is different. But the basic movement patterns remain the same because they are effective.
I see so many people spinning their wheels when it comes to increasing their fitness because they're trying to do too much and they're ignoring the basic fundamentals of movement. Sure, it can be fun and look super cool to add in some different things if you have the mobility and strength to do so, but don't overlook the boring stuff.
When it comes to just about anything fitness and nutrition, consistent and boring doesn't sell products or attract social media followers, but it's the stuff that works the best!
