Don’t Train Your Ego, Train Your Body
When you put a weight in your hand it changes everything. Since exercise occurs on the inside you have to be mindful of WHAT is happening to all the “stuff” surrounding your muscles when you train them. Sure you can look good now by lifting heavy weights with poor technique…and this is true for a lot of people you see that have great looking bodies…but come 10-15-20 years from now, they won’t even be able to lift weights anymore because they’ve wore away all their “protective” mechanisms in the body.
TOO MUCH STIMULUS MAKES LESS FOCUS ON MUSCLES WORKED
This means there is a point where you NEED to stop. When your muscles are too fatigued there are other things that take over to protect that fatigued muscle…so all you are doing at this point is causing injury.
TRAIN SMART!
I couldn’t agree more with you Flavia!! I recently have had conversations with 2 of my guy friends who help me with training as very few of my girl friends like to workout much or we can’t make our schedules work. The one guy I work out with regularly, tries to push me, which I need sometimes no doubt, but he will try to get me to use heavier weights but I tell him I need to get the proper technique down first with lighter, manageable weight then I can progressively move up with weights. I told my other guy friend this, he is a trainer, and he said he’s relieved to hear that I’m smart enough to think about proper technique first as it’s so important! I love your emails and look forward to getting them and learning new things, keep em coming!!
Hi Flavia,
Areyou saying you should not be sore after a workout? I always get sore the day after a weight lifting work out, even a body weight work out and sometimes even a cardio workout if I do HIIT or go dancing. How do you challenge your muscles to grow without getting sore? Thanks!
There is being sore and over doing it. If you are eating properly for recovery you shouldn’t be sore. Feeling like you worked your muscles is one thing but having trouble using that muscle shouldn’t be happening.
Gotcha! 🙂
I think I am currently learning this lesson. I seem to keep having little injury setbacks…time to lighten up and perfect form!
So how do I know that I’m training hard enough to generate hypertrophy but not wearing my muscles/bones/healthy tissues out?
Is there ever a situation like when I feel like my arms are big enough and I just want firmer, more cuts in the abs, so I train with less weights with arms to maintain and kill my abs with more loads? Is that possible? Is that a good idea?
You would train with a 12 rep range if you want to maintain your muscle tone. It requires knowing a lot about the anatomy to understand what the limitations are but not to worry, that’s what I am learning all about and I will let you know when I know it well!
Flavia, this article resonates big time with me, and is reinforced often in Power Flow Yoga classes I attend. Ego can be a dangerous thing, and it is about time we all listened to our bodies!
I am a 71yr old woman and still training, I just love to feel strong and fit with a good body shape. I was doing my running training this morning and got a “toot” from a passing truck, I choose to beleive it was because I looked good!!You do need to work outside your comfort zone for the best results and it’s great to feel those tender spots from hard training, however it does not need to happen from every workout.
Flavia you are a little “pocket rocket” and a great roll model for women, I loved looking at your workouts for the photo shoot, and used some of them myself. Love your trainer, he cuts you no slack just because you are a “girl”.
Yes Patricia, that is great! You are a great example.
Good Advise for sure! 🙂
The thing is, people, including myself, think they may be doing it right, but actually – probably not. Fingers crossed I am! Random question about your athletic greens… do you count them amongst any allotted proteins/fats/carbs for the day or are they ‘free’?
Thanks! Love your follow along videos and always try to do copy your form.
NOPE, it’s free just like veggies…no counting.
I love the way Smarter not Harder continues to free us from the faulty mentality that we need to kill ourselves in ourder to get results. The end result of working Harder instead of Smarter ends up making me too intimidated to take on my health and increase exercise as I get the momentum going. Thank you for the mental freedom Flavia:)
I agree together with Nabeel they can be positioning backside for launch on some of these types of characteristics, if they launch a newer model soon they are going to bring in more cash.