How To Get Better At Exercise: Start Small And Practice Often
“I was expecting you to give me a workout program, what is this?” My client was confused about the advice I had just given her. Her goal was to lose weight and build muscle.
Her previous relationship with exercise wasn’t great – she had tried many times to stick to a workout program, always unsuccessfully.
She didn’t really enjoy exercise. She was uncomfortable in a gym environment, and was never sure she was exercising right. She was like many people who struggle to achieve their exercise goals.
Instead of jumping into a workout program, I asked her to choose 1 of the basic exercise movements (push, pull, squat, hinge, and core activation) and practice it very often, doing just 1 or 2 repetitions at a time, several times per day.
She was skeptical. “1 or 2 reps at a time won’t help me get into shape!” Like many people, this client was convinced that the only way to get results from exercise was to work as hard as she could in the gym, doing workouts that would make her sweat, burn as many calories as possible, and make her muscles sore the next day.
This mindset holds many people back. If you think of exercise this way, I advise you to shift your mindset. Focus on becoming a better exerciser by building exercise skills.
When you get better at the skills of exercise, you build the capacity to apply exercise to your life in an effective, long-lasting way. That sets off a snowball effect that can, over time, result in amazing improvements. You can build the skills of exercise by starting small and practicing often.
How To Get Better At Exercise: The Power of Exponential Growth
If someone offered you 1 million dollars today, or a penny that doubled every day for a month, which would you take? Taking the penny seems silly, right? It’s too small to turn into anything really valuable.
Well, believe it or not, if you started with one penny and doubled that amount every day, on day 31 you would have $10,737,418.24. That’s exponential growth.
It’s the same with practicing exercise as a skill. All it takes to set off exponential growth is a mindset shift and a few minutes of small effort each day.
To learn more about the power of starting with a small, achievable goal, check out this article.
Here is how that penny turns into more than ten million dollars:
It starts out really small.
In the case of exercise, this could mean practicing 1 or 2 squats at a time, several times per day. Your focus should be on using great form, and you may need to scale it to your current ability level.
For example, you might start by holding onto your desk for balance and so that you can squat deeply enough (until your thighs are at least parallel with the floor). You don’t need to get into workout clothes, you won’t sweat, your legs won’t shake or burn. One or 2 reps at a time shouldn’t feel like very much effort at all.
For a while the penny stays small.
At the beginning, you may not feel like your skill practice is really getting you anywhere. Keep at it. It may be subtle, but soon you'll start to move a little better.
When you move a little better, you can do each exercise a little more effectively. You may not have to hold onto your desk for balance anymore.
Once your exercise form improves, you can apply the right amount of effort to your muscles and they will start to get stronger, which in turn helps you move even better.
This loop continues – you get stronger again, and you get even better at the exercise. Now you can do a more advanced version of the squat, maybe holding the bottom position for a second or two, and the strength loop continues.
The penny has grown from something very small to something noticeably more valuable.
In terms of your exercise, the ease of movement and strength you’ve gained gives you confidence, which is one of the three factors that promotes effective, long-term motivation.
That confidence opens up new pathways for you. You practice even more, trying new exercises and gaining even more strength and confidence. Soon, you feel more comfortable exercising in different environments and pushing yourself a little harder in your practice sessions and in your full workouts.
Now the ball is really rolling.
Your confidence in your ability to move and the progress you’ve made helps you build motivation. You start to want to exercise, instead of viewing it as a chore or as something you “should” do.
With that motivation, you become a consistent exerciser. You complete your weekly workouts but also start incorporating even more movement into your life.
For some tips on incorporating movement into your daily life:
Exercising becomes a habit, and you no longer struggle to stick with your exercise program, even in the face of obstacles.
Being consistently active and building resilient exercise habits will do more for your body and mind than anything else. You're now on your way to achieving your goals, and it all started with just 1 or 2 squats, a few times per day. Exponential growth.
If You Need Help
To get started on your exercise journey right now, check out my Strength Training For Anxiety Program. It's a 12-week workout program, guided by an app so you can do the workouts anytime, anywhere. It also includes an in-depth eBook which teaches you how to get the best physical and mental results from your exercise program, as well as extra video lessons and worksheets.
For customized programs and personal training, contact me!