Form over Speed!

I'm a huge advocate of home fitness programs. Well-designed video workout plans are extremely effective (if you actually do the work) and are an efficient use of your time. But there are drawbacks as well. It's almost inevitable that people start comparing themselves to the folks in the video, try to keep pace with them and feel frustrated when they can't keep it up.

Always remember - when beginning a workout program, you start from wherever you happen to be. You may wish that you had the knees of a teenager, were 30 pounds lighter and had the stamina of a marathoner, but most of us don't start out there. That probably means that you have to make modifications to the exercises (if they aren't demonstrated) and slow down your pace in order to get the form right.

Which brings me to another drawback of home fitness programs - there's no personal trainer in the room, making sure that you're doing the exercises properly. Nobody is there to tell you to push back your bum in a squat, keep your knees behind your toes when lunging, or keep your back straight, hips back when doing a dead lift. You have to listen to the trainer's cues and pay careful attention to form on your own. This usually means slowing down your pace in the early days while you're learning the moves, so you can double check your form at all times. When you exercise with incorrect form, your workouts will be far less effective, and you are at a higher risk of injury. And an injury is one sure-fire way to throw your entire fitness plan off track.

So take your time, ease your way into the workout plan and slow down. Don't compare yourself to a fitness model - each week compare yourself to YOU the week before. You may not be keeping up with the folks in the video today, but over time your stamina will improve, you'll build strength, you'll pick up speed and enhance your agility - and in the end, you'll achieve your fitness goals.