Train the Central Nervous System first!
Easy Does It VS Boot Camp
Do you know someone who won’t even go NEAR a gym because of a bad experience with a personal trainer? I have an older client who courageously walked in to a gym for his first workout, trusting the wide-eyed rookie trainer with his aging, sedentary, but albeit precious body. The trainer put him through a “boot-camp” style workout right off the bat.
For the next three days the client couldn’t even walk across the room. He had to crawl. He was so sore that it traumatized him. He didn’t go anywhere NEAR a gym for three years.
Now, some people consider that to be the result of a “good workout”. In fact, they believe that the only way to get in shape is to pulverize their muscles four times a week. This is a fallacy.
I’m not saying that rigorous, soreness-producing “boot camp” workouts are bad. What I AM saying is, to build a healthy relationship with exercise, to avoid injury and develop amazing strength, you need to train the CNS first.
CNS stands for Central Nervous System
In short, your brain (via the CNS) tells your muscles how to lift stuff. How to balance. Your Central Nervous System responds best when you train slowly, with a series of progressively increasing weights. The heavier the weight, the more the CNS adapts and adjusts so that it “learns” how to operate under increasing loads. These increases are small… sometimes too small to notice. Go slow and steady, and with proper form, you WILL get stronger. It may take longer than you anticipated, but you’ll be surprised at how strong you’ll be with consistent CNS training. All this with less pain than you’d imagine. People in their 80’s and 90’s have tripled their strength in just three months of CNS training. So take heart, and be encouraged!
See you at the gym!
Vicki is a Strength Trainer at Flex Gym.
Visit her at victoryfitnessteam.com or call 719-237-9020.
Always consult your physician before beginning any exercise program, or a healthcare professional to design an appropriate exercise prescription. If you experience pain or difficulty with exercise, stop and consult your healthcare provider. This article is not meant to take the place of any treatment your physician has deemed necessary.
