Happy New Year
4 January 2006If you're new here, you may want to subscribe to my RSS feed. Thanks for visiting!
Its a little to predictable and clich to talk about fitness resolutions however so many people make an effort around this time of year that its almost criminal for someone in my line of work not to make reference and try and offer some advice. So here we godo you lift weights? If the answer is no then start: weight training (not machine training but free weights) build muscle tissue and since muscle is a metabolically active tissue that requires calories to survive, youll not only build shapely and eloquent muscles but youll also turn up the human bodys internal thermostat and burn more calories on a daily basis. Strength and skeletal functionality is a wonderful attribute and by adding some muscle mass youll power through day to day existence and be able to do things you were unable to prior to picking up the iron. To build muscle you need trigger hypertrophy and that occurs only when the external force of the progressive resistance training is sufficient to throw the hypertrophy switch. Drifting through a weight training routine handling sub-maximal poundage for a set number of repetitions what we call yawning your way through a routine is a waste of time, a feel good about yourself undertaking that will grow old as it becomes apparent that zero results are forthcoming. Lets design a free weight training regimen that lasts approximately one hour and is done three times weekly with days off between sessions. If the training is hard enough to trigger hypertrophy youll need a day or two between sessions in order to recover from the pounding. Are you practicing some sort of systematic cardiovascular exercise? If youre not you need to: aerobics systematically elevate the heart rate and when this occurs blood is pumped by the heart through arterial passageways and all the internal plumbing is strengthened, cleansed and flushed clean of waste products, gunk, plaque and toxins. Cardio exercise builds endurance and burns calories (though not as many as you might think. Endurance is a wonderful athletic attribute to possess and progressive resistance training combined with consistent cardio contributes to an overall feeling of wellness and vitality that has to be experienced to be believed. Again, lackadaisical cardio yields virtually no results strolling around at 50% of age-related heart rate maximum, mall walking wont force the heart to flush that oxygen enriched blood in the torrents that are needed to really reap benefits. Cardio should be done 4-5 times a week for 30-50 minutes. Cardio done first thing in the morning yields optimal results: when glycogen is low after the sleep-fast the body will burn through glycogen (emulsified carbohydrate) and then turn to its second favorite fuel source to power the session, body fat. A sufficiently intense cardio session will stimulate the basal metabolic rate for hours after the cessation of the session. These two twin exercise formats, progressive resistance training and cardiovascular training compliment each other in a way that amplifies results past anything that can be obtained emphasizing one to the exclusion of the other. Were not speaking to the weightlifters, bodybuilders or strength athletes, were not speaking to the endurance athletes when we make that statement, were addressing the general public seeking to improve their physiques in the most efficient and time-effective manner. For the average person to make the most progress in the shortest timeframe, cardio and weight training need be practiced in roughly equal amounts. One disciplined provides muscle, power and increases the basal metabolic rate while the other discipline improves internal organ health, builds endurance and also increases the basal metabolic rate. In both instances the effort need be sufficient to trigger results. In each instance, loafing along in a relaxed fashion will yield negligible results. Lift free weights concentrating on basic compound multi-joint exercises like squats, bench presses, rows, overhead presses, deadlifts, curl, tricep extensions, dips, leg curls and calf raises. Use moderate reps in the 7-10 range for 3-4 sets in each exercise. Beginners can use a whole body routine three times a week. Stuff it all in a 60-75 minute time limit. Cardiovascular exercise should be done in the 65-85% of age-related heart rate maximum and in each discipline, once initial benchmarks in the various exercises have been established, seek to exceed current limits. By improving poundage, reps, time and distance you trigger growth and body fat loss which is the name of the game.
Friday: the eternal eating dilemma; Purposefully Primitive Performance Eating
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