Recently, I was browsing the internet and checking out the numerous social media pages that I am a member of when I was drawn to a question in a personal training group.

 “If you and your clients could only do three exercises for the rest of your life, which would they be?”

 At first I thought that this person must be joking.  Why would anyone think that it would be alright to just do 3 exercises for the rest of your life?  But then, as I got reading a little further, it appeared that there were a couple…no, more than a couple…wait, even more then that…wow, there was an astounding number of individuals who call themselves ‘fitness professionals’ out there who all think that this is a great idea!

 Here were some of the top answers:
[list type=”4″]

  • Push ups
  • Pull ups
  • Burpees
  • Squats
  • Planks
  • Woodchoppers

[/list]

I’m not so sure about you, but I could not imagine being a 60, 70 or 80 year old man doing a series of burpees, pull-ups, and woodchoppers.  I would definitely get in a solid run though – heading in the opposite direction of whoever was telling me to do that kind of shenanigans.

 On top of that, we need to consider your joints and the adverse effects that may be created from these repetitive movements.  Your shoulders, hips, and every other joint in your body would be absolutely destroyed by doing the same thing over…and over…and over again!

 Think of it this way – you go out and buy a brand spanking new car today!  It’s all shiny and has that new car smell to it.  You go cruising down the road on those nice new tires – so quiet and smooth.  What a beauty!  However, the car salesman tells you that you are only able to perform 3 different types of maintenance on the vehicle for the duration of it’s life.  You decide to go with an oil change, new brakes, and a transmission flush.  Thinking that those are the three best forms of maintenance to help with the longevity of your vehicle and it’s engine.  At first it seems great, your new car is able to handle everything that you throw at it and the basic maintenance is doing just fine to keep it running.  Then, over time, things start to break down a little bit more.  Your tires start to wear out and the alignment is now off, your spark plugs are starting to fail, power steering is no longer working and it feels like you are driving a tank, and who knows what else will possibly go wrong!!!  It’s really quite simple.  Take care of your car, rotate your tires, perform the necessary maintenance as your car ages, and it will last you for years to come!

 Your body will act in the exact same manner as a car.  If you don’t take care of it, and allow your joints and body to move through different ranges of motion with appropriately applied amounts of force, it will start to fall apart.  You will be in constant pain and discomfort, full of injuries and before long, unable to perform those three amazing exercises that you were supposed to do for the rest of your life!

 Every exercise needs to be carefully considered to ensure that it will provide the most amount of benefit with the least amount of risk to you or your client.  The position, the weight, the speed, the intensity – all of these need to be appropriate before an exercise should be executed.  Unfortunately, doing the same exercises over and over again is not very appropriate, at least not if you want to be able to use your joints on a regular basis later on in life, or want to avoid any kind of joint replacement!

 If you ever find yourself in the situation where you are repeating the same workout or exercise far too often, switch it up!  There is an endless supply of joint positions that you are able to utilize when working out!  Don’t focus on specific exercises!  Try to use a different position from what you would normally use, all while attempting to achieve the same goal.  Just remember – there is no such thing as the “best 3 exercises” or that you only need to do 3 exercises for the rest of your life!  This is a large misunderstanding of the human body and how our muscular system and joints work together!  Don’t get caught in that same mess!  Train smart!