When we interviewed legendary rapper and actor LL Cool J in Los Angeles in 2014, we asked him what he considers to be the biggest mistakes people make when working out in the gym.
The “NCIS: Los Angeles” star, who has also written books about his fitness philosophy, reveals that the biggest mistakes people make are both physical and psychological. Following is a transcript of the video.
LL Cool J: Going to the gym and talking about current events for three-quarters of their workout session instead of getting busy. It’s really a big problem when your trainer wants to talk — you know, he’s your psychologist and you’re talking about current events. Work out! Let’s go, let’s start there.
Needing to stretch more. I didn’t stretch quite as much, and actually getting warm before I stretch. Like, a lot of times, I used to stretch cold, but if you think about it, that’s like a rubber band. A cold rubber band, if you pull it — pop! But, if you warm it up first, then you can get a little more elasticity and stretch out of it.
So, stretching for me, I think after a light jog, really warming up, then stretching, then really getting into it has been important. That’s really important.
Now, in terms of the rest of that, it’s according to body type. You can’t just say what somebody’s doing wrong without seeing them. I think that that’s like these guys who work out and try to know it all. The reality is you don’t know, because you have to see the person.
Everybody’s body is different. Like, you may have a guy in there who’s curling all day long, and when you look at him, what he really needs to do is cut carbs and get on the treadmill. Or you may have a guy who has a creatine addiction, but the reality is it makes him bloated, keeps water under his muscles, and he has that kind of, you know, you look a little more watery. It’s according to what it is.
Everybody’s different.
Editor’s Note: This video was first published on October 29, 2016.