Why It Works

Lazy Bum Fitness works so well because it’s based on two primary principles:

• Randomization
• Asymmetrical Training

Randomization.

No two workouts are exactly the same (okay, technically there’s a chance you’ll repeat a workout – but it’s astronomically high. It’s so high that I’d recommend buying a lottery ticket should you ever perform the exact same routine EVER).

Why is randomization so important? Because our bodies adjust so darned fast. When we perform the same task over and over, our brains and muscles rewire themselves for maximum efficiency. It’s a top-notch evolutionary technique, but severely limits our fitness gains.

That’s why a new workout seems so hard at first, but eventually becomes easier. Even when we throw on more resistance, increase the intensity or add more time, we’re not really getting the same results as when the routine was new. This is an over-simplistic explanation, but your brain, nerves and muscles memorize the sequence of movements, thus reducing progress.

If that’s not motive enough, consider the burn-out factor. Are you more likely to stick with a program that offers an interesting and unique workout every day, or a repetitive routine that grows stale and boring?

Asymmetrical Training.

What’s the biggest difference the exercises performed at a gym and the natural motions of everyday life? Symmetry. When you focus on a specific muscle group at a gym, you’ll do so in an even manner across your body. For instance, if you perform arm curls with your left arm, you’ll also perform them with your right.

What’s wrong with that? Nothing. Except it doesn’t mimic every day life. When you pick up a heavy bag of groceries with your right hand, do you purposely do the same with your left? Probably not. When a professional football player delivers a bone-crushing hit with his left shoulder, do you think he consciously uses the right shoulder on the next play? I think you get my point.

What about muscular imbalances? Ah, that’s the great part about randomization (see how we’ve come full circle?). One day you might perform arm curls on the left side, but not on the right; while this certainly seems like an imbalance waiting to happen, you’ll likely perform a similar amount of reps with the right hand throughout the course of the month as you will with the left. It probably won’t be an exact match, but again, that’s a better representation of nature.