I’m sick of my gym. So much so that I haven’t been for three weeks. That’s partially because I’m busy (well, was busy. I mean genuinely busy), and partially because I am disillusioned. All the people I read and respect in the fitness world say that machines are not the way to train. That’s how I’ve been training in the gym!

I’ve been determined to change to some free weight training. It’s been going around and around in my head. I’ve asked people for help, and even had someone lined up to help me with a Starting Strength style barbell exercise routine. But now I’m not so sure. Pursuing this path would involve changing gyms and it would cost me at least 10,000yen a month for this new gym.Exploring Alternatives

I’m not sure why, but today I remembered seeing a series of articles on Whole9Life a couple of months back. In this article the fine folks at Whole9 went and asked 12 highly respected strength and conditioning coaches to pick only 5 movements they feel everyone should perform for maximum health. I think the key here is HEALTH! Not performance. I’m not really looking for performance, just health and to be rid of this god forsaken belly!

The experts were asked and the answers “were intelligent, well reasoned, and sometimes surprising”. They even went and did a nice little wrap up, including a nice graphic, below.

The summary graphic from Whole9′s 5 Essential Movements series.

For those of you interested, here are the links to part 1, part 2 and the conclusion of the series. I noticed a lot of these exercises are exercises or movements I know, have done before, or am capable of doing. I have access to a set of dumbbells at home, which would be enough to perform most of the exercises.

New Thinking

The past few days have been pretty decisive for me. Big decisions have been made. Keeping that in mind, I will decide how to proceed exercise wise in the new year. Let’s do this thing!!

Keeping in mind what I discovered in my earlier research into weight lifting, I will probably follow a 5×5 scheme on most of the exercises I do with a pretty heavy load. That is except for the bodyweight movements. I believe the plan will be made up of squats (probably goblet squats), lunges, push ups, dumbbell rows, chair dips, some kind of swing, overhead presses and the Turkish get up. How I will fit these into a plan over two or three days a week, I don’t know yet. To be decided. But do you notice something about most of those exercises? They are DAMN BASIC!

Old Thinking

Basically, I’ve been falling into an old trap again. Analysis paralysis. Keep reading, keep searching, keep doing nothing. Find reasons not to work. What the hell is up with that? I truly am my own worst enemy. Just get your ass in gear Paddy, make a plan, stick to it for a few months, then re-evaluate! Stop reading and start doing!! Hell, I may even go back to super basics, do the Nerd Fitness Beginner’s Body Weight routine (with added weights on the squats and lunges, plus the Turkish get up and a swing of some description).

I know this post hasn’t been the most interesting, or exciting, but I’m annoyed at myself for not doing better and falling into the same old trap again. Anything is better than nothing, but at the moment, I’m doing nothing, looking for the optimal solution, making excuses and not doing anything. This must change!!

Analysis by paralysis, have you experienced it? How do you overcome this demon? Share your stories in the comments below!