Building your dream body Principle 3: Individuality

Most everyone has gone through an intense workout and has either left feeling refreshed or utterly drained.  If you are the latter you may feel like you just weren’t cut out for working out, or that you failed at something that others found to be so easy.  Well, don’t give up on yourself just yet.  Everyone is different and each person responds differently to certain types of training. Some people are able to handle higher volumes of training while others may respond better to higher intensities. This is based on a combination of factors like genetic ability, predominance of muscle fiber types, other factors in your life, chronological or athletic age, and mental state. Have you been scrolling through Facebook or Instagram and seen the friends on your timeline that have posted their daily WOD (workout of the day) or Crossfit lift?  Or, maybe you have someone who posts the data for the long trail run they just finished.  Many people train at different levels and you may find that one particular sport is better for you than the others.  This is where the Sports principle of Individuality fits in.  Each person has to determine the best program for them. You may find that what may work for your friend may not necessarily work for you.   I myself lost the majority of my weight running before I turned to HIIT and strength training.  I found my passion in running and that fueled the rest of the process for me.  In order for something to “stick” it has to be something you love to do.  If you hate running, then you probably won’t build your dream body by running. Building your dream body will be a lot easier if you first take the time to:

• Write out a list of activities that you may like to do for exercise
• Try out new things. Try a free session at your local crossfit, enroll in a class at your local gym, go outside for a run, or start a HIIT challenge with thedailyhiit and bodyrock.tv
• Evaluate how you feel during each exercise. Write out pro’s and con’s in your journal
• Workout at different times of the day. You may find you have more energy in the morning as opposed to the afternoon
• Don’t get frustrated. Listen to your body and do what comes naturally.

Tying in all the principles of sports and exercise training can enable you to find the perfect balance so that you will be on your way to a healthier, happier, you in 2015! Other articles on the Principles of sports and exercise training: Overload Principle Adaptation Principle Specificity Principle