Tips, Tricks, and Info Monday

Happy Labor Day!

Hope you've enjoyed your long weekend and are ready to tackle the short week ahead.

Today I have 4 items I would like to share with you that I am sure will take some of the guess work out of getting started on creating that new you.

The first is the easiest of them all.  A new study just released states that it only takes a commitment of 15 minutes/day to actually add 3 years to your life.  Imagine that, just 15 minutes per day and you can add 3 more years to your life -- quality years of course.

15 Minutes of Fitness Per Day

We are all looking for ways to get the results as fast as possible.  So it doesn't surprise me when someone asks, "What is the best time to workout?"  To be honest, the best time is the time that you can commit to on a regular basis.  I realize not every person is an early riser, but if you've considered starting or changing your workouts to the morning, here's -- 5 Reasons to Incorporate Morning Workouts.

The next article I would like to share with you is actually for you to share with one of your friends that is on the fence about whether or not to commit to an exercise program.  So often people make fitness as challenging and intricate as brain surgery.  It doesn't have to be that way.  It actually can be boiled down to the basics.  I realize there is a ton of information out there that can confuse even the seasoned veterans.  So here you go:  3 Simple Rules of Fitness

And finally, the last article of real value today is one that is actually a response to a person I ran into at the grocery store today.  He asked me did I really believe that lifting weights could actually help him lose weight faster.  DEFINITELY!!  I've been in the fitness biz for over 17 years and let me tell you, it never ceases to amaze me how many people begin a weight loss program and only do cardio.  If you're serious about wanting to shed body fat as quickly as possible, including resistance exercise is an absolute must.

Weight Training Routines and Weight Loss

And for the gentleman I met at the grocery store today -- add some weights and watch the difference it makes.

You know the saying --

Get On Track and Stay On Track!!

Questions on Target Heart Rate

Let me first say a big Thank You to all of you that wrote in wanting more information on target heart rate.  I very much appreciate the opportunity to answer your questions so that you can get the results you deserve.

No one goes through their workout for the fun of it.  If you put the time, energy, and sweat into it you expect results, right?

What's that old saying -- Time is the currency of the 21st century.  So none of us has any time to waste doing things that don't get results.

Here's the answers to the questions I received this past week.

• What's the big deal about the amount of time spent doing steady state cardio for weight loss?

Did you know that there is a 50-90% injury rate in the first 6 weeks for those just starting a serious exercise program?

Why?

Because most people just starting out are not prepared physically for what most programs suggest as the best way to lose body fat.  And yes, you guessed it, most programs suggest hours and hours of steady state cardio.  All those hours and miles do serious damage to the lower back, hip joints, and knees.  That's what makes interval training so effective -- it challenges you more as you get better.

• In my previous blog I mentioned the inaccuracy of the standard 220 - age to determine your heart rate zones.  The variance of 10-12 beats for 70% of the population versus 20-24 beats for 30% of the population is important because it means the difference between not training intensely enough to get results versus risking too much intensity. 

Plain and simple it's dangerous to not wear your own heart rate monitor and not know the range that works for you. Rather than spend hours beating your lower body into oblivion, use cardio intervals to decrease your overall hours doing cardio, and increase your results.  One of the few cases where less will equal more.  Sounds like a good deal to me.

• Why are weight lifting circuits more effective in burning fat and maintaining lean muscle?

Just doing steady state cardio does not tell your body to preserve your valuable muscle tissue.  In fact, in some cases steady state cardio will have you lose lean muscle tissue. The more lean muscle tissue you have the higher your resting metabolism (remember when you burn fat as the primary fuel source), so you want to keep as much as possible.  Weight lifting circuits tell your body to maintain the lean tissue because it needs it to lift weights, but get rid of the body fat because it decreases your efficiency.  Remember, your body's goal is go get efficient at whatever you tell it to do. So you want to maintain lean tissue and get rid of unhealthy body fat.

So there you have it.  Even more reasons to stop the useless hours of doing steady state cardio and start doing cardio intervals and/or weight lifting circuits.  You'll lose body fat quicker, look better, have more energy, and decrease your risk of injury compared to hours of steady state cardio.

Round 2 of Circuits

Last week I shared with you two starter circuits to get you up and running.  How did it go?  If you had a chance to try them out, I'm sure you found they were a bit more challenging than they looked.  But oh, what a great calorie burn.  Putting you one step closer to being ready for summer.

Well this week I want to share with you some intermediate level circuits.  Don't let the length of the circuit or the movements chosen fool you.  I promise they are a great deal more difficult than they appear.  Especially if you're doing them as prescribed.

Except for Jump Rope, each of the movements should be done for 12-15 reps.  Figure 3-4 times through the entire circuit.

Circuit 3
Squats (with flavor)
Lateral Raises
Split Squats
Push ups
Deadlifts
Back (seated row)
Step up to balance and shoulder press
Bicep Curls (dumbbell)
Tricep Push-downs
Jump Rope --- 70-100 times

Circuit_3_Cheat_Sheet.pdf

Circuit 4
Flat Dumbbell Press
Lat Pull-downs
Step-ups
Lateral Raises
Bicep Curls (barbell)
Breast Stroke
Lunges (forward and backward)
Deadlifts
Jump Rope
Tricep (face down on bench -- kick backs)
Split Squat



What you'll notice is that the circuits I have shared with you thus far are largely focused on the primary 6 movements that the human body performs each day.  The goal is to get you very efficient at performing these movement patterns before we take to more complicated movements -- for instance using suspension straps.

My whole concern is that I provide you with foundational movements so you can become solid in them first, and then provide you with more challenging movements in your circuits.

I'm a big believer in progressions -- meaning starting with the basics first and then progressing to more difficult moves.  As I said in last weeks post, all too often people want to do the most visually appealing movements/exercises right off.  That is a recipe for injury.  And when you're injured you can't train.  So let's do this the right way and make sure you get the job done right.

Time To Take It Up A Notch -- Circuits

Well over the past year I've shared a wealth of information on how you can take yourself from OK to excellent. 

You've got a do-it-yourself exercise kit, plenty of core exercises to get that midsection in shape, and a boatload of lower back stretches to make sure you stay pain free. 

But looking over all of this I realized there is one important component still missing -- circuits.  I mean it's all well and good to have lots of movements to keep yourself out of pain, but how do you put it all together to take yourself to the next level -- right?

Well this month I will share with you some circuits you can do on your own, typically with minimal equipment, to make sure you'll have your body transformed before the warm weather officially arrives.  Keeping in line with how you should train, I will start off this week by providing you a couple of basic circuits to get you started.  Then each week move up the ladder of difficulty.

Don't make the mistake I see so many people at the gym make, trying to do the most difficult exercises they can find, just because they saw someone with a great physique doing them.  Start off easy and then progress to more difficult movements/exercises.  And most importantly to remember when it comes to doing circuits -- it's not the movements, but the sequencing of movements that's really the secret.  What order you place your movements/exercises is really the key to getting a good workout.

Here are your first two circuits to get you started:

Circuit 1

• Squats (with flavor -- on my you tube channel)

• Rear Deltoids

• Lunges (back) (you tube channel)

• Bicep Curls (dumbbell)

• Deadlifts (you tube channel)

• Triceps

• Y, T, M (see link to website below)

• Lunges (back)

• 1-Arm Row

Circuit 2

• Squat (with flavor -- on my you tube channel)

• Chest Press (dumbbell)

• Rear Deltoids

• Lunge (back) to Bicep Curls

• Deadlifts

• Triceps

• Pull-Ups

• Lunge (back) to Shoulder Press

• Breast Stroke (see you tube channel)

• Jump Rope (60-100 times around)

Circuit_2_Cheat_Sheet_--_Blog_Post_5-6-2011.pdf

Each of these movements should be done for 10-15 repetitions.  And as is consistent with a circuit, move from one exercise to the next, until the entire circuit is completed.  Take a 2-3 minute break and start the cycle over again.  Do this for 2-3 times through the entire circuit.  Depending on your fitness level, figure 2-3 times per week should give you quite a workout.

Don't forget to check out my You Tube Channel, or the Rehab Section of my website, if you need a video reminder of some of the movements.

Let me know how these work for you.