We all have a favorite body part to focus on when it comes to working out. For some of us, our legs are easy to strengthen and work, while our arms are difficult to tone and strengthen. On magazine covers we see round, lifted butts and bikini-ready abs. We immediately come to the conclusion then that we need to perform endless amounts of crunches and squats to get those things.
There’s no shame in wanting to shape and sculpt a certain way, but when we go overboard on focusing only on a certain area of our body, we start to neglect the rest of it. As a result, two things start to happen:

First, we overwork the area we’re trying to build, which can actually lead to multiple injuries, fatigue, decline in performance, soreness, and poor recovery. (Not sure if this is you? I talk about some of the most common overuse injuries here.)

Second, the areas we’ve chosen to ignore start to weaken. At best, it will seem strange that you have the strongest arms and can lift heavy weights without breaking a sweat but can barely hold a lunge because of weak legs. But at worst, our body responds to the neglect in some pretty scary ways. For one, our skeletal system. I’ve said this in the past: Bones do what muscles tell them to do. If a muscle starts to grow weak, it affects our natural movement, balance, coordination, and posture. And when our posture is thrown off, this can lead to further imbalances in the body that can lead to even more problems. So much more that I couldn’t possibly fit them all into this article. But I have covered this problem through an exclusive Postural Therapy series in the ZGYM that’s designed to restore your posture and correct the imbalances that are impacting both your workouts and day-to-day activities.

The number one word to describe the importance of training the entire body is balance.

Don’t walk yourself into a trap by focusing on just one section- you’ll save yourself a lot of time, emotions, and effort. Choose to work and train your body effectively by working all of it, and not just “some” of it. We may have our personal pet sections, like the arms or legs, but I cannot stress the importance of exercising every single muscle.

With all of this being said, it is perfectly understandable to want to train a certain part of our body that is lagging in terms of appearance and strength. Maybe you’re prone to a weaker upper body and stronger lower body. Or the opposite. Perhaps you want to go the long way and prepare for a summer vacation or special occasion so you can look your best. With everything we’ve covered in mind, you can achieve specific goals as long as you remember not to neglect the rest of your body.

For instance, my Black Diamond series focuses on your upper body and abs. But, if you really break down the routines, you’re incorporating multiple parts of your body in the workouts. You’re not simply doing bicep curls and sit ups- there’s a Backward Lunge combined with a Dumbbell Press, and Push Ups with your feet elevated on a Swiss Ball.

But avoid repeating the series over again and again every time you finish it. While I did say that it works all of your body, the focus is heavier on the upper body, so it’s important to switch things up by trying something different. You could start on a lower-body focused series like Killer Legs, or really target the entire body with my Summer Shred. If you’re not in the mood to committing to any one series but still want to workout with me, then continue following along to the weekly workout schedule over the at the ZGYM. That way, you can mix and match your training with plenty of variety to keep you from sticking to the same old routine day in and day out.

The takeaway here is to avoid imbalances by working the entire body in order to stay balanced. Think of your body as a whole, and not just a piece. Everything is connected! And so should your training be.