3 . A lot of people assume the more work they put in at the gym, and the longer and harder they push themselves, the better their results will be.     1     But if you want to get the best gains, the key is to focus on the quality of the work rather than the quantity.

Your body is capable of making only tiny adaptations and improvements at any one time. Once you've given it enough push to make these changes, any additional work you do after that point won't be making you any better.     2     This is because you'll need longer to recover afterwards. Besides, you won't feel fresh when you start your next session. Ideally, it's just enough to do the smallest amount of work required to promote growth in every workout.     3     Thus the minimum amount of exercise brings the maximum physical gains.

    4     For example, if a new gym-goer wants to get stronger, he might start a squat (深蹲) workout, which is made up of ten steps, each having five repetitions. In theory, it's a sensible way for building strength. If he's only attempted three steps in his previous exercise, it's far from enough. The fourth step would push him past his previous limit and force adaptation. But the subsequent steps are meant for more professional people.     5    

As a general rule, regardless of your experience, aim to only increase the volume of any exercise by one step from workout to workout.

6 . On August 2nd when Indonesia got its only gold medal at the Tokyo Olympics, the winning team of Greysia Polii and Apriyani Rahayu fell to their knees and cried with relief. Some 3,500 miles away, Indonesia _________ with joy. The president _________ their success in the women’s doubles game of badminton to be an early “birthday gift” to the nation, whose independence day is on August 17th.

In England, where the modern version of the sport _________, badminton is a lawn (草坪) game. In Asia it is a serious business. At the Badminton World Championships in 2019, Asian countries won 19 of 20 medals. In recent decades, China has _________ as a heavyweight. But Indonesia is the sport’s _________. It has won more titles at the Thomas Cup, the most _________ tournament, than any other country.

Badminton is the only sport in which Indonesia has ever won gold at the Olympics — and it has done so at all but one since the sport became an official _________ of the Olympics in 1992. Indonesia is the “home of badminton”. “Wherever you travel in Indonesia, within a _________ you can find people playing badminton. Racquets (球拍) and balls can easily be bought or made, and once a clothesline and a challenger have been _________, the match is on,” says Raja Sapta Oktohari, president of the Indonesian Olympic Committee.

It is little wonder then that badminton is Indonesia’s __________. It is also the most developed in the country, which owns the only national team for which the government __________ a training centre. Parents also encourage their children to take it __________. The rewards for skill and hard work are __________. It’s said that players of the national team earn more than $2,000 a month, ten times the average income. Perhaps most importantly, badminton is a __________ of national pride. It is the only sport to __________ a string of heroes; Rudy Hartono, for example, has won eight titles at the All England men’s singles, more than any other player.

10 . Martin is a certified personal trainer for more than 30 years. He recently ______ a nonprofit organization, Fit2Give, to provide free personal training to ______ communities. Not everyone can attend a group exercise class — some need a one-on-one ______.

“The trainers will be paid; that’s why we’re taking ______,” Martin says. “We’re paying for their certification and their ______ and their ability to establish a ______ relationship with someone.”

Martin’s own ______ to fitness started when he was young. Later, he was attracted to weights and started visiting the gym. “While I was ______ at the gym, a supervisor suggested I take the exam and become a trainer,” he ______. “They loaned me their book. I took the exam. I ______.”

Martin has been supporting people’s fitness goals, which brings Martin ______. He says one client who lost 100 pounds through ______ diet and exercise. “At her weigh-in, her family was there, and they came up to me in ______ and said, ‘We thank you so much. Our mom, she’s like a ______ person.’ It was ______ to me that not only had I affected her, I had affected her family. That warmed my heart.”