subject: Kismif - Keep It Simple, Make It Fun [print this page] When I was a sophomore in high school, I took a Physics course. My professor for this course was a rather remarkable teacher. You see, Physics can be a fairly difficult and complicated subject to understand with its different laws, theories, mathematical equations, and such. However, my class was not really that hard at all - in fact, it was one of the most enjoyable classes I took in high school. The reason? Because of my professor's teaching philosophy of KISMIF - "Keep it Simple, Make it Fun." Rather than sitting around reading textbooks and memorizing equations, we took field trips and performed experiments so that we actually understood the principle behind Physics. The result? A class full of students who not only enjoyed their professor and their class, but also learned quite a lot as well.
What is the point of my little story? The point is that, in many ways, exercise is the same way. In the world of exercise, there seems to always be this overwhelming tendency for trainees to gravitate toward overly complicated routines. For some reason, there is this underlying idea that a complicated routine is a successful routine. Now, while on some occasions this is the case, many (if not most) times it's not. In fact, I'd venture to say that most complicated routines are more sensationalistic than they are successful.
So, what should you do if you want to design a routine that you will "stick with," produce results, be simple, and enjoy? Simple - KISMIF. Keep it Simple, Make it Fun.
First of all, figure out what it is you want or need to accomplish with your training routine. By knowing what you want or need to get done, this should be able to start you off in the right direction. From there, outline something that will fit your schedule well (or that you can/will allot time for). Next, pick exercises/movements that are not only result producing, but you simply just enjoy performing (I feel enjoyment is an often overlooked factor when it comes to exercising - it is much easier to "stick to" and get motivated for a routine that you enjoy than not). Lastly, don't go overboard. You don't need to do every exercise in the book, so feel free to just pick a few. Not only will you have a more basic routine, but you will leave some of those "fun" exercises in the bag for the next time you overhaul your training plan.
