(Exciting News and) Q: What’s the most important thing in fitness?
A: A lot of bright people have different answers to the question of “what’s the most important thing in fitness?”
Is it intensity? Some say intensity of effort is the most important because of the adage “what doesn’t challenge you doesn’t change you.” It is true that our bodies need enough stimulus for our bones, cartilage, tendons, muscles, etc to get stronger. Additionally, if intensity gets low enough our bodies (especially our skeletons!) get weaker, softer and more frail. Intensity is extremely important… this might be right.
Is it recovery? Recovery or rest are touted as the “missing link” in most people’s fitness… as if modern Americans don’t already get more than enough food and more than enough time being sedentary. In practice a “rest day” or “recovery day” is a day of sedentary behavior where the sedentary day isn’t interrupted with strenuous physical activity… this is not it.
Is it volume? Volume is the quantity of work you do. Volume = reps x sets (and usually) x load. For women, the volume of exercise becomes more and more important with age. After menopause the weekly volume your muscles need goes way up – for some women it doubles. Staying on task, and having a time efficient way to get that much exercise done is extremely important… this might be right.
In my opinion, the most important thing in fitness is consistency. I put consistency ahead of intensity and volume because if you don’t show up then you don’t have access to sufficient intensity or volume… 100% of success is showing up, but after showing up there’s another 100% to get done.
Now for the Exciting News!
Feast your eyes on this beauty. This is the 2025 entry-level Workout Warrior shirt – coming to you for hitting the WW board in Jan, Feb, and March!!
The Workout Warrior (WW) list is for the ladies who show up at least 8x per month (minimum cut off for consistency). We give the entry-level shirts for 3 months in a row on the WW list – consistently consistent.
We then do a next-level version of each year’s WW shirt for the ladies who made the WW list 10 out of 12 months in the calendar year – the next level shirts should be here any day!! The next-level shirts often include glitter or some shiny component because nothing says special like glittery and shiny things.
Stay moving and give the ladies listed above a high five next time you see them for making it in 8+ times in the shortest month of the year!