There’s nothing worse than standing in a group class about to do an exercise you’re not sure about.
You got a fifteen-second demo and a few quick tips. By the time you get to that station, you don’t remember any of it.
So you don’t want to try it. You’re worried you’ll do it wrong and get hurt. And getting hurt in front of a room full of people feels even worse.
The other option is doing the wrong exercise for a few minutes until the coach gets to you. Then you hope they’re nice about it. You hope they get that a rushed demo in a big class didn’t set you up to win. Not the kind of coach who makes you feel dumb in front of everyone.
I’ve talked to some of our new Whitehouse members this week, and this keeps coming up. They’re all new to PPT and to small group training. It’s been interesting to hear how one or two sessions here already feels different from the workouts that had them thinking they’d never be a gym person.
Most of it comes down to one thing. Did anyone ever teach you how to lift?
Sticking to a program can sound boring next to switching it up every day. I get it. Variety has been oversold for a long time. I heard it early in my training career too. People loved that every session was new.
It was less of a problem back then. In one-on-one training, I stood right next to you and walked you through every rep. And a good trainer picked moves that felt new but were close to what you already knew.
You can’t do that in a big class. Variety and progress pull against each other, and strength training is usually what loses.
Here are eight reasons learning how to lift beats switching it up.
1. Doing it again is what lets you stop thinking
Most people don’t want to think hard at the gym. They want to move, work, and be done. That only happens with a move you’ve done before. The first time you split squat, you’re thinking about everything. The tenth time, you’re just training.
2. You can’t get better at something you only do once
If every day is new, you never get past the beginner stage. You stay stuck in the hardest, most awkward part of every exercise.
3. Coaching gets better the more we see you do it
The second time your trainer watches you deadlift, they’re not starting over. They’re fixing the one thing that makes it click. You only get that from repeating a move.
4. Knowing your weight is half the battle
When the move is new, picking a weight is a guess. When you’ve done it before, you know where you left off and where to start today. That takes away most of the worry.
5. You need somewhere to add weight
Results come from doing a little more than last time. That means there has to be a last time. If the moves change every day, there’s no starting point and no way to know if you’re getting better.
6. Sore is not the same as progress
Being sore and being confused both feel like a hard workout. Neither tells you much. Adding five pounds to a lift you did two weeks ago tells you everything.
7. Confidence follows you out the door
Members who know how to move use it everywhere. On vacation. In a hotel gym. Ten years from now. That happens because someone taught them.
8. Being good at something is fun
This is the whole point. Nobody likes the thing they’re bad at. The fun shows up once you’re good, and getting good takes reps.
Here’s the other side of it. Our job isn’t to lecture you.
We’re not teaching a science class. If a trainer has you standing around for five minutes hearing about muscle fibers, they’ve missed the point. You came here to work out. Good coaching is one short tip at the right time, then getting out of your way.
Teach it well enough, often enough, and you won’t need to be taught at all.
You walk in, you see the program, and you go. Brain off, effort on. That’s the gym people stick with for decades.
– James