There’s a basketball term that Marv Albert likes to use a when players aren’t too enthusiastic about defending their man during a game: matador defense.  You know, going through the motions while the other guy scores.  It’s funny because it’s pathetic, and equally pathetic in life-going through the motions usually gets you close to no results at work, with family, and in relationships.  Going through the motions at the gym though, is widely accepted.

The connection between how exercises should be performed, how they make us feel, and what type of effort they require has been lost.  How can people figure out what’s right for them if they never, ever, do sit-ups, push-ups and squats the proper way or to the proper intensity level?  These are basic movements, ones we all need to perfect before exercise becomes fun and provides us with a certain sense of freedom.  Most people seem to be searching for that freedom before form, and before that real intensity which 
eventually lands them in shape.

Bottom line, make your movements perfect, and understanding full ranges of motion, challenging intensity, and controlling the breath should be first priority if you have fitness goals.  Half sit-ups, and fancy movements are only cures for boredom.  Half-movements are tell-tale signs that a person doesn’t understand that fitness is a life-long exploration.  If they understood, they’d be working to make their movements more clean and complete, even if they add up to less reps.