Intuitive vs. Structured Exercise What You Need to Know

The Pros the Cons and how to use both for the ultimate workout program

First let's put them into perspective. On one hand, we have the highly structured fitness program. This is easy to identify by having everything spelled out for you and every step of the way you do things by the book. Each workout, each rep, and each step is carefully controlled and highly regulated through a plan that's done by the book. On the other hand is the intuitive side where you kind of go with the flow and do what you are feeling is best for your situation. It's all about getting in touch with your body's natural needs and desires and hence trust the inner voice that supposedly knows best.

Both schools of thought have their advantages. The structured component takes away all of the guess work and makes it really simple to know what to do. It's far easier to head to the gym or the dinner table with a set game plan in place and to follow it with the security knowing that someone (or something) else is taking care of your choices. You just have to paint by the numbers.

The advantage of the intuitive side of things is that you gain the ability to listen to your body and mind and you attain the skill to do what is best at any minute of the day. As they say, the only constant in life is change and with every day being slightly different (and your body being different as well) it can be helpful to slightly alter your exercise to get a perfect fit for that day.

There are a few disadvantages or two with each style as well. Like I said, life is constantly changing and trying to fit your life into a tidy little box can be problematic at times. You might have a structured plan to run 3 miles every day but what should you do if you have a few late nights and your energy level is in the dumps? Is it wise to force yourself to run, or should you take a day off? Should you run longer? How about maybe doing something else? The human body is not a machine and life is not being lived according to a movie script. Some of the most successful fitness pros I know use a very structured approach and they have a very predictable and repetitive lifestyle. They eat the same foods at the same time and in the same way. Everything they do, their sleep, their work, and their exercise is very regimented and just so long as everything stays the same they are fine, but when life changes (as it always will) they can flounder and find themselves at a loss.

On the intuitive side of things, it's hard to push ourselves and progress if we always go along with what we "feel." Getting in better shape, at one point or another, is a matter of pushing a limit or two and getting a little bit outside of a comfort zone. Such a thing is always tough to do if we just stick to what we feel like doing. Also, a purely intuitive approach can bring some inconsistency that will surly bring spotty results. One day you might feel like running a few miles and then the next you feel like hitting the free weights and then the next it's a sprint day. By the end of the month you end up doing a lot of various types of exercise, but with so much here-and-there workouts it's tough to gain any momentum to improve your fitness in any single direction. Like running around in random circles you can get pretty tired, but you're not any closer towards a specific destination.

So here's how we mash the two together.

First off, you want to always have a simple and basic plan together. I'll say it again, it's so important that the plan is very simple and basic. You don't need to structure every single little thing just yet. Just make it something like running 3 miles 3 times a week or picking 5 strength exercises to focus on in the gym. The key is you want a basic plan that allows you a little intuitive wiggle room.

Now that you have your basic plan you can begin putting it into action while taking notes (again basic notes) on what you are doing. So how far did you run? How long was your bike ride? How much weight did you lift and for how many reps? Once you start collecting simple stats the next thing to do is to simply progress those stats in some way. So you could lift 5 more pounds next time, or strive for 2 more reps. You could aim to run the 5K 10 seconds faster or ride an extra mile on the bike. The place where intuition came come into play is how you increase those numbers. As you are working out, it's the perfect time to get in touch with yourself and make a choice as to how you are going to progress. If you are feeling great then maybe strive for an extra 3 miles on the bike. If you're not so sure then go for just .5 miles. The same can be said for the weights. Are you ready to hit another heavier weight or do you just want to do a few more reps or maybe an extra set? If you're really not with it you can just keep the same numbers and do a repeat workout. Just so long as something is progressing you can bet your bottom dollar that an improvement will happen in some way shape or form.

Another time to start listening to your body is during times of increased fatigue or pain. Everyone gets tired and exercise is tough but there are bound to be times when you simply don't have your A game and no pep talk will bring it forth. Those are usually the best times to cut things short a bit and let your body rest. There is a big difference between pushing your limits and trying to force your body to do something it simply is not ready for at the time. No one ever became stronger or more fit by driving themselves into the ground and making themselves weak or sick.

The big key is to have a basic plan that you can use with some consistent practice and implement some progressing but to also allow some wiggle room within that plan. So if you're program calls for an outdoor run but it's raining cats and dogs you can use a treadmill or even maybe do a little cross training on a stair master. Just so long as you keep the basics in place you will have the structure to give you direction and game plan and with that intuitive wiggle room you won't feel like a rat on a wheel and enjoy some freedom to change and alter the program as you see fit from day to day.

Be fit and live free,

Matt Schifferle

Questions? Feel free to E-mail me at Matt@TheFitRebel.com or see my new Web site http://www.thefitrebel.com.

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