Life Lessons from the Gym #4 - Keep Things as Simple as Possible, but No Simpler

Training isn’t just about looking or feeling better. At the time I’m writing this, I’ve been in the gym consistently for 15 years and coaching for 8. That’s about half my life in the gym. The gym has taught me more about life than any class or course.

I’m going to start sharing some of these lessons learned in blog posts over the next several months. I thought about doing three in one post but as I’ve been writing I think I need more space to fully articulate what I’ve been thinking. So I’m going to do just one lesson per post. Hopefully this will resonate with someone out there.

Lesson #4 – Keep Things as Simple as Possible, but No Simpler

For a while, random workouts and “muscle confusion” were the rage in the pop culture fitness world. Lack of structure and high complexity was touted as the next big “advancement” in fitness (nevermind that literally anyone with zero education or experience can write random workouts).

Good, structured, progressive training never went anywhere, but I think it’s becoming cool again. Here’s the thing – if we’re being honest, some of the most productive and results-producing programs are kind of boring. You don’t need a ton of different movements or protocols to radically improve your fitness, especially if you’re a normal human and not an elite athlete.

7-10 basic exercises and their close variations, done a few times per week in a progressive manner, repeated for YEARS, is what will really get you in shape. Most people don’t need anything more complex for general health and fitness. Complexity is flashy but simplicity wins long-term.

Apply this mentality to your life – finances, relationships, or your schedule. Finances is the easiest example. Unless you’re an expert trader, you don’t save for retirement by devising some elaborate investment strategy. You pick a few things you know and that historically produce good returns and invest in those, letting your money do the work for you. It takes time and consistency but not complexity.

Likewise, I don’t overcommit myself to lots of activities that drain me. I pick a few things I want to be involved with and that enrich my life and go all-in. I don’t watch much TV. We don’t subscribe to a ton of entertainment at my house, but we enjoy and use what we have. We don’t have a ton of extra stuff sitting around that we never use. But the stuff we do have we use all the time.

Take a look at your own life and see if there are any unnecessary things you can simplify or cut out – activities that don’t bring much joy, bad relationships, stuff just sitting around collecting dust. This is very individual and totally dependent on what you want your life to look like. You may be very different than me, but I bet you have areas you can simplify. You’ll have more time and money and won’t even notice the difference.

If you’re looking for a fitness trainer in the Mt Juliet/Hermitage/Nashville TN area, online fitness training, or just need some advice to get your fitness program started, contact me


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