The
concept of an "athletic workout" is gaining visibility and popularity
as an alternative to traditional gym workout routines. The idea of the bulky
muscle-bound physique is no longer popular. (Was it ever?) In fact, when most
people visualize their workout goals, they see themselves with a
well-proportioned body, that's slim and well-toned, that feels good to move in,
and has energy, strength and agility. Most men, and some women, also see
themselves with a healthy amount of muscle that's visibly well defined and
functional, without being exaggerated and unattractive. In other words, most
people working out are trying to achieve an athletic-looking physique.
Now
consider that most traditional men's workout and women's workout routines
consist of either long, tedious cardio "fat burning" sessions, or
laborious weight lifting sessions focused on developing isolated muscles.
Often, people alternate between both types of workout, in order to both lose
weight and develop strength. However, despite their popularity, these sorts of
workouts rarely produce the trim, muscular athletic results their practitioners
are hoping for.
Most
people doing weight-training routines don't visualize themselves as a bulky
bodybuilder or beefy strongman (or strong woman!). But despite this, most
weight-training programs are essentially modified bodybuilding programs,
designed to isolate and develop individual muscles, rather than build overall
strength and agility. Even though most people don't want to look like body
builders, they're doing bodybuilding workouts. Not only is this the wrong type
of workout for their goals, but in order for body building to work it requires
a large investment of time, and a very specific and intensive diet that is
impractical or unappealing for most people.
Similarly,
while being slim is obviously preferable to being overweight, most people don't
want to be scrawny. Even if they do have the time to do a lot of long fat-burning
cardio sessions, as well as the discipline to eat a very low calorie diet, they
may achieve their fat-loss goals, but not have developed the strength and
physique they also wanted, which is no surprise since they've not done the
muscular training, nor have they provided their body with the nutrients needed
to develop it.
Yes,
there are certainly some people who do in fact want to be body builders, and
there are plenty who are just satisfied doing long cardio and starving
themselves to lose weight. But most people are stuck in the wrong kind of
exercise routine. People who are focused on getting an athletic figure and
physique would benefit from a type of workout program that that is optimized to
achieve this result as quickly and effectively as possible. These people are
increasingly turning to the athletic workout style of exercise
program.
So
what distinguishes an athletic workout program from other approaches? An athletic
workout program typically has these sorts of features:
- Movements that work on
multiple muscle groups at a time.
- Movements that
stimulate both muscle and cardio development, developing both strength and
stamina.
- Movements that are more
likely to have practical value in sports, leisure, and other everyday
activities. They tend to omit or de-emphasize isolated and unnatural
movements such as abdominal crunches.
- Intense workout
sessions that don't waste time. (This has the added benefit of being more
likely to fit into a person's schedule and deliver results without taking
over their life!)
- A variety of exercises
that change regularly, saving the practitioner from boredom, and keeping
their body continually challenged to avoid hitting a plateau.
- A diet that provides
the energy to fuel the workouts and nutrients needed to reshape the body.
If
you're interested in learning more about this approach to working out, or
interested in starting an athletic workout program, you will find an increasing
number of resources available online, including programs offered for sale, and
discussions of the athletic approach in review sites and articles.