Work Out, Don't Burn Out

Hard effort programs are great — for some people, some of the time. So are Thera-Bands, hot yoga, running on the spot and high-rep pull-ups. So are treadmills and elliptical cross trainers. But not the same people and not all in the same session.

Once, the belief was that you simply did the fitness stuff and you'd get fitter. The logic began to sound a little stilted - sure, you're not getting any better, but if you didn't do this you'd be getting worse!

Now, the more exhausted you are coming away form a class, the better the class was. Trainers know that they can sell a class as a "blast" or a "pump" or a "burn" and people will turn up looking to be blaster, pumped and burned — to give a very high effort and in return, to get very tired.

OK, So Far So Good

Trouble is, that doesn't deliver life-changing fitness results for most people. It just makes for injuries and burnout.

To do something for time or high reps as a conditioning tool, it really wants to be a movement that's well below your strength threshold and well below your skill threshold.

For instance, boxers sometimes use a training method called a "punch-out" drill. The objective is to throw as many punches as possible to the pads or heavy bag in a short time. That works great — in a group of people who can throw punches in their sleep. But for someone who hasn't thrown a punch for twenty years before that day's HardCoreMax BootCamp, it's a great way to score a broken wrist. Experienced weightlifters can do thrusters for time. Try it the first time you pick up weights and you'll wind up with the barbell on your head, as your coordination goes or your strength unexpectedly gives out. 

Yet it's also a fantastic way to make a workout feel challenging. 

"Go hard or go home" is a great slogan — it sounds all tough and no-nonsense. I'm hard, it seems to say: you're a softy, so go home. "Go appropriately to your situation and your goals" is an awful slogan. It's way too long and it's just no fun. You don't get to show off or look down on anyone. It puts everyone in the same boat. It does happen to be true, though.

See Also: Improving Core Strength With Bodyweight Moves

If you want a great fitness outcome, take a long hard look at where you are. Look for a trainer who has a documented record of success with people who started out where you are, and talk to her about your situation and goals. Don't let anyone pressure you, and don't let people suggest that by choosing one fitness modality over another, you're betraying weakness or making a lesser choice. And take the go-hard boot-camp bombast with a big pinch of salt.