Intuitive Exercise vs. Highly Structured Exercise Programs: The Pros and Cons and How to Use Both
Let’s first put them in perspective. On the one hand, we have the highly structured fitness program. This is easy to spot by having everything spelled out for you and every step of how you do things verbatim. Every workout, every rep, and every step is carefully controlled and highly regulated through a plan made by the book.
On the other hand, there is the intuitive side where you go with the flow and do what you feel is best for your situation. It’s about getting in touch with your body’s natural needs and desires, and thereby trusting the inner voice that supposedly knows best.
Both schools of thought have their advantages. The structured component removes all the guesswork and makes it very easy to know what to do. It’s so much easier to go to the gym or dinner with a game plan in place and follow it safe in the knowledge that someone (or something) else is taking care of your choices. You just have to paint by numbers.
The advantage of the intuitive side of things is that you gain the ability to listen to your body and mind and gain the ability to do your best at any time of day. As they say, the only constant in life is change, and since every day is slightly different (and your body is different, too), it can help to slightly modify your exercise to get a perfect fit for that day.
There are also a downside or two with each style. Like I said, life is constantly changing and trying to fit your life into a neat little box can be troublesome at times. You may have a structured plan to run 3 miles every day, but what do you do if you have some late nights and your energy level is low? Is it wise to force yourself to run or should you take a day off? Should you run longer? How about maybe do something else? The human body is not a machine and life is not lived according to a movie script. Some of the most successful fitness professionals I know use a very structured approach and 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 highly regimented, and as long as everything stays the same, they’re fine, but when life changes (as it always will), they can stumble and find themselves lost.
On the intuitive side of things, it’s hard to push yourself and make progress if you always agree with what you “feel.” Getting in better shape, at one point or another, is a matter of pushing a limit or two and stepping out of your comfort zone a bit. Such a thing is always difficult to do if we stick to what we feel like doing. Also, a purely intuitive approach can bring some inconsistencies that will surely lead to patchy results. One day you might feel like running a few miles and then the next you feel like lifting free weights and the next it’s race day. At the end of the month, you end up doing many types of exercise, but with so many workouts here and there, it’s hard to gain momentum to improve your fitness in one direction. Like running in random circles, you can get pretty tired, but you’re no closer to a specific destination.
This is how we mix the two together.
First of all, you want to always have a simple and basic plan together. I will say it again, it is very important that the plan is very simple and basic. You don’t need to structure every little thing yet. Just do something like run 3 miles 3 times a week or pick 5 strength exercises to focus on at the gym. The key is that you want a basic plan that allows you some intuitive wiggle room.
Now that you have your basic plan, you can start putting it into practice while taking notes (basic notes again) about what you are doing. So how far did you run? How long was your bike ride? How much weight did you lift and how many repetitions?
Once you start collecting simple stats, the next thing to do is simply progress those stats in some way. So you could lift 5 more pounds next time, or push yourself to do 2 more reps. You could try running the 5K 10 seconds faster or riding an extra mile on the bike.
The place where intuition comes into play is how you increase those numbers. While you’re exercising, it’s the perfect time to get in touch with yourself and make a decision about how you’re going to progress. If you feel good then maybe push yourself to put in an extra 3 miles on the bike. If you’re not so sure, just go for 0.5 miles. The same can be said for 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 really don’t agree, you can keep the same numbers and repeat the training.
As long as something is making progress, you can bet your bottom dollar that an improvement in some shape or form will come.
Another time to start listening to your body is during times of greatest fatigue or pain. Everyone gets tired and exercise is hard, but there are sure to be times when you just don’t have your A-game and no pep talk will bring it. Those are usually the best times to cut things short and let the body rest. There’s a big difference between pushing your limits and trying to force your body to do something it just isn’t ready for at the moment. No one ever got stronger or fitter by digging into the ground and getting weak or sick.
The big key is to have a basic plan that you can use with some consistent practice and implement some progress, but also allow some wiggle room within that plan. So if your program calls for a run outside but it’s pouring rain, you can use a treadmill or maybe do a little cross-training on a stairmaster. As long as you keep the basics in place, you’ll have the structure to give you direction and game plan and with that intuitive leeway you won’t feel like a rat in a wheel and you’ll enjoy some freedom to change and alter the program as you see fit. day to day.