By now, most of us have heard the term “street smarts vs. book smarts.” Since it’s tax season, I’ll use taxes as an example.

If you’re book smart, you know how to file your own taxes, all the forms you’ll need, and the best way to ensure you’ll neither get a refund nor will you owe anything. If you’re considered street smart, you know the maximum number of dependents you can get away with listing, what you can list to get away with on deductions without getting flagged for an audit, and how to get the most money refunded to you.

I’m mostly the book smarts guy, though I don’t do my own taxes (who would want a fiscal idiot doing their taxes?).

But when it comes to the gym… well, I still consider myself book smart. I research exercises, nutritional facts, proper form, and the best exercise routines for my stated goals. And that has served me well… mostly.

However, the last few years, I started to observe different techniques and variations on “the basics.” I started asking questions like, “Why do you hold the bar that way?” and “How come you’re dropping weight instead of adding weight?” and “Why do you have a weight plate under your heels while you’re squatting?”

I was observing, firsthand, anecdotal evidence of street smarts in the gym; despite what is written and accepted, this stuff works, too. (And often with better results!)

While my previous column stressed focusing on your workout (and temporarily ditching your phone), I do recommend keeping your eyes and ears open and watching and learning from those who have tread before you.

It may be as simple as learning to point your toes toward you when sitting and stretching to add that critical burn to your hamstrings or stopping your biceps curl just after reaching a 90-degree angle in order to keep your muscles under tension.

While I do want you to observe others and ask questions, please use your street smarts to determine the difference between innovative and effective and ridiculous and dangerous. Yes, arching your back to an insane degree can assist you in the bench press; it’s also considered terrible form and can lead to serious injury (and if you’re doing that while struggling to bench 65 lbs., you may not want to draw too much attention to yourself!).

People are amazing. That’s how new techniques, innovative stretches, and new inventions come to be. They say necessity is the mother of invention. So, keep an eye on those inventors in the gym; the ones who figure out how to safely squeeze out a few more reps, the ones who do more sets while protecting their lower back, and the ones who combine this move with that move to enhance their workout so they’re working smarter, not harder.

So, the next time you hit the gym, perhaps combine both your street smarts with your book smarts. Use your book smarts to know your limits and search for a spotter who is strong enough to do the job and attentive enough to keep you safe (and use your street smarts to ensure they’re not wearing short, overly baggy shorts while standing over your face). (Fool me once…)

If you enjoyed reading this, then please visit www.HarryKFitness.com where you can find more fitness information, download my workout e-book, listen to my latest podcast on Spotify, and check out the Healthy Recipe page.

Have a fitness question? Send them to me, Your Personal Trainer, at PersonalTrainerQuestions@gmail.com and write ‘Ramona Sentinel’ in the subject line.

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