As most of you know I sleep little. Sometimes in the wee hours of the morning I’ll click on the tv and am immediately inundated with various pieces of exercise equipment or DVDs “guaranteed” to help you lose weight and get fit.

Now it would be easy to pass off all of these programs as “snake oil” and be done with it but the reality is that most (and I mean most) of these products and DVDs have good solid fitness theory and principles behind them. A lot of them are great programs and, when adhered to, offer some level of results. However there are some problems that cannot be overcome and as a result you will almost never get the long-term results you are looking for from anywhere but with a  trainer.

Problem #1 Repetition

The only reason your body changes is because it has to. It changes when you ask it to do things it can’t do in its current state. Once you can do everything in a given program your body will no longer be challenged and thus it will no longer change. This is why programs work great in the beginning and then the results plateau. Unless the program is a subscription one, where new one’s are sent every 3 months or so you will eventually lose the results.

Problem #2 Drive

Most people cannot drive themselves to the same level they can be driven by other people. As a result of this, the tv is never going to push you like a live trainer or even a friend would. This is what makes workouts hard is someone there encouraging you and pushing you past your norm. My hardest workouts were with the meanest coaches who made you so angry you worked harder to get them to shut up.

Problem #3 Individuality

This is the most significant. Every individual has different needs and goals for fitness. Even two people with similar goals are going to have two different roads to get there.  Your fitness consists of dozens of variables each one needing to be addressed individually in order for you to feel challenged and to produce results. For example, just in the area of flexibility everyone carries his or her tightness in someplace different. To help with your individual flexibility you need someone to look at you and asses you problem areas to best tailor your program to achieve your goals. This can’t be done through the TV.

Am I saying that there is no value to any of these programs? Of course not. Lots of them are very sound programs based on sound fitness principles. However unless you have a wealth of fitness knowledge yourself and are highly motivated you will not achieve your goals solely with a  a program of piece of equipment of the tv. These items can be used quite effectively in conjunction with live training and are often a very good supplement to your gym training.

Good Night