Here it is, the greatest workout on earth based on the greatest show on earth!  The Barnum and Bailey workout plan!  Start with an easy warm up, a few minutes of walking on your hands should do the trick.  First up are squats…on a stability ball, stacked on top of another stability ball.  Next up, lets burn those delt’s and tri’s with some hand stand clapping pushups.  On to some back exercises.  Pick up the nearest little person and throw them over your shoulder high into the air!  Don’t forget to keep a straight back, and if possible, catch them as they fall.  Those eccentric movements are just as important as those concentric!  Now onto some core!  Grab your ankle straps for some upside down hanging abs.  Leave the safety net at home, the fear will make you work harder!  For the more advanced, lose the straps and just hang from your feet.  Now time to finish with the toughest exercise of them all.  All you need is an elephant, two tigers (preferably albino) and a unicycle….

Ok, so this may not be the most practical or useful workout, but neither are some of the workouts I see people do in the gym every day.  From walking hand stands, to balancing pushups on medicine balls, to weighted squats on stability balls, I’ve seen it all.  They look cool and the skills needed to perform these exercises are incredibly high.

As I watch people do these workouts, a couple questions run through my mind.  What line of work are they in that they need to do these exercises?  Usually the answer isn’t what I expect.  Most do ordinary jobs.  Did they start just as uncoordinated as everyone else?  Nope.  I recall watching a video a few years back of a man doing squats on a stability ball (large round inflatable ball) while holding a 45lb bar across his back with two 45lb plates.  I also recall finding out about an interview with the man in which he was asked, “how long did it take you to learn how to do that exercise”?  The man replied, “…I actually did it the first time I tried”.  I’ve found this to be true in many cases when it comes to some of these exercises, in particular balance.  Some people are born with great balance, others are not.  That’s not to say you can’t build up your balance, just don’t expect to perform the world’s greatest balancing act if you currently are unable to stand on one leg for more than 3 seconds.

The point of this article is not to discourage you from trying something new, or to make fun of the people who do these exercises.  As I’ve mentioned in a previous article, do what you enjoy doing.  If standing on your head is what makes you happy, then do it!  Though I find most are just interested in showing off in the gym, but hey, who hasn’t shown off at the gym?  Have you not picked up an extra heavy dumbbell, or did an extra rep or two, or grunted a little when someone attractive walks by?  Of course you haven’t…liar!

The point of this article is to tell you to set realistic expectations.  Despite what most parents tell their kids these days, we are most definitely NOT all special or even created equal in every way.  Sorry, we just aren’t.  The average person is not born with the genetics to be pro athletes, but that pro athlete wasn’t born with the skill set that you have either mind you.  We’re all different, so we must adjust our goals accordingly.  So remember, don’t look at the guy or gal next to you and think that is what you should be doing…especially if it involves elephants, tigers and a unicycle!