Solving for Efficiency in the Wrong Way
Time has always been one of my biggest challenges with exercise.
I remember a particular season in 2018-2019 where I travelled 30%+ for work with 50-60+ hour work weeks.
Some days I just had 20 minutes to exercise.
Some days just 10 minutes.
So… I went to my buddy YouTube or Google and asked it for 10-20 minute workouts.
I guess if I had that job in 2025 I would have gone to Chat GPT…
Each time I finished a workout I liked I typed it out on a notes page in my phone.
After months of this, I built up a personal library of 30+ workouts I could do whenever, organized by time.
I did this for almost 2 years.
My workouts were as random as they came.
And so were my results. And that was frustrating.
I plateaued regularly…
I was not getting stronger…
I wasn’t losing fat…
I learned the hard way that random workouts produce random results.
Here are 3 things I wish I did.
1) Spend time getting to know the body
Our bodies are amazing… and they display the handiwork of an awesome and creative God (Psalm 139).
God designed our bodies as a very complicated interconnected web of systems.
And with workouts, our bodies respond better to structure to randomness.
Structured workouts take into account how our body systems actually work.
Here’s what I wasn’t thinking about when I wrote random workouts:
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How does the cardiovascular system work? How can I train that effectively?
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How does the muscular system work? How can I train that effectively?
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How do our energy systems work? How can I use them effectively?
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How do bones, joints, and ligaments respond to exercise? How can I train with them in mind?
I didn’t take the time to consider these questions.
But not understanding these things hindered my progress, caused plateaus, and resulted in a few injuries.
2) Spend time identifying the goal
Picking random workouts was indicative that I didn’t really have a clear goal.
I didn’t take the time to get clarity on what it was I actually wanted to accomplish.
Here are some questions I wish I asked:
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Where would I like to be in 1 year with my health?
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Where would I like to be in 5 years with my health?
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What happens in 1 year if I don’t make any progress with my health?
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What are the exercises I actually enjoy doing?
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What are exercises I haven’t tried yet but would like to?
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How can I get my family involved in what I’m doing?
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What are ways I can leverage my community or network too?
Spending time sorting this out would have provided the clarity I needed.
3) Spend time learning from other people
This was probably my biggest regret.
I wish I would have just asked for help from someone who knew what they were doing.
I’m as stubborn as they come. It’s probably pride.
Here are questions I wish I would have asked:
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Who is in my church that I can go to with questions about working out?
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Who are the guys stewarding their health well, and how can I learn from them?
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What online resources are there for Christian guys who want to steward their health?
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Are there any programs or courses I can take that help me get to where I want to go?
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In one year, would I be further along or farther back if I got some help with working out?
These days, I see my stubbornness like a guy who is lost in the woods but is unwilling to ask for a map.
Boy do I wish I called a friend.
➡️ The Takeaway
Random workouts = random results.
Here are the things I wish I would have done.
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Spend time getting to know the body
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Spend time identifying the goal
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Spend time learning from other people
Hope this serves.
If you liked this, check out the Layman’s Fitness Newsletter, where I release similar content like this every week.
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