How often should you workout?

One of the age old questions, that has been asked throughout gyms for as long as anyone can remember has been, how many days a week should I workout? Too complicate things further comes the follow up question, how should I split my workouts? In either case, what essentially is coming into question is an individual’s training frequency. As it pertains to exercise, frequency is the rate at which workout sessions are occurring.

In my opinion this is the most overrated and over exaggerated fundamental principle of exercise. By that I mean this is the variable that people most heavily focus their attention on. It’s amazing how many individuals are caught up in having to be at the gym on a daily basis. As if missing a workout or even two or three is going to result in losing everything they have gained. This mind set often has negative consequences and can severely hinder your development. There are of course those at the other end of the spectrum who do not exercise nearly enough which as we know also has negative consequences. However much of our discussion here will focus on those individuals we first mentioned–the exercise addicts.

The reason why we go to the gym is to help us get in shape and look better, right? Wrong! The real reason for going to the gym or, working out in general, is to start a chain of events that will eventually result in us improving our level of health and fitness as well as looking better. Take a moment to read that statement again or as many times as is needed for it to completely sink in. The reason why it is so important to see exercise this way is because many people have a distorted view of exercise and how it works to make us more fit.

Many trainees believe that if they simply show up at the gym and perform the workouts, they will accomplish all they’ve set out to achieve. More often than not any results that are achieved through this mechanism are usually very small and/or short lived and the individual never fully realizes his/her potential. Very often people fail to change the way their bodies look even though they frequent the gym 5, 6 sometimes 7 times a week! Despite not achieving the physical changes they desire or further improving their level of fitness they not only continue to train frequently but may also increase the amount of exercise they perform in those workouts, ala the more is better mentality. Predictably this does not work either and their level of frustration grows with each passing week. But do not assume that based on these statements that anyone who has the same or similar profile to the one I described, can in no way see results. Some people achieve fitness success despite a ‘less than ideal’ training regimen. This however is usually because the person possesses superior genetic ability which will always be the ultimate determinant of one’s success.

For some trainees this amount of exercise may not be much of a detriment because their lack of activity outside of the gym (i.e. sedentary job) or because the demands of their daily workouts are so insignificant (in which case they will not see results no matter how many days a week they workout). But for the majority-the genetically average-an excessive amount of exercise can and will have negative consequences.

There exists a special relationship among all the components of exercise, but the success of your training program depends primarily on the relationship between 3 components in particular. They are intensity, volume, and of course frequency. When these three components are applied and balanced properly though training, performance and physical development will improve dramatically. When frequency is not properly balanced in conjunction with intensity and volume the demands of the training program will exceed what you can tolerate, resulting in a decrease in exercise performance, muscle loss, slowing of fat loss, decreased strength and endurance, and overall physical regression.

Ideally you should strive to exercise frequently enough to ensure that you are not overtraining (or undertraining), the consequences of which are mentioned above.

The overall goal of any exercise program should be to perform the least amount of exercise necessary to produce an optimum response.

Exercise should be intense, brief and infrequent. As stated in The Nautilus Book, by Ellington Darden, “You can perform brief and infrequent high intensity exercise or long and frequent low intensity workouts. But you cannot perform long and frequent exercise involving a high intensity of work. That will result only in total exhaustion.” (p. 76) As we’ve already covered, anything above what is necessary is superfluous and will ultimately result in diminishing returns. In layman’s terms this would translate to working out harder, working out longer, working out more, and having little or nothing to show for it. Training frequency should be reflective of what is an ideal period of rest following a bout of exercise, as per your individual needs.

For some this may be training 3 times a week, every other day, for others it may be training once every 46 days, for others it might mean keeping to their current schedule but lowering the overall demands. The options and combinations are infinite, but it is up to you to discover the appropriate training frequency based upon your training intensity and volume, goals, needs, rate of recovery, and preferences. Never forget, exercise is a means of starting a chain of events that will eventually result in you improving your health and fitness as well as looking better, so make smart choices about what you do and how often you do it.

Fat Loss: Time Efficient Workouts lead to lasting success

If you are fitness minded, you probably read the magazines or watch the latest infomercials and follow the trends. Well, some trends are good and others are just a waste of time and money. Yet maximum results with minimal time and expenditure is what most of us are looking for.

If you are new to weight training or fitness enhancement, getting a personal trainer is always a good place to start. They will show you the ropes, give you a program for success, and make sure you know how and why you are doing things.

But be cautious and do some research on the qualifications and philosophy of the trainer you may hire. While there are certainly great benefits to using personal trainers, having one is no guarantee for success. Some are not up on the latest studies and methods, relying on the same old stuff. But a good trainer will use circuit training and cross training for maximum results. Here’s how.

How to Maximize

Many trainers and fitness buffs will lift heavy weights then take long rests between sets. The theory is that the heavier the weight, the more muscle bulk will develop. And the longer the rest, the more repair has occurred to muscle tissue, which allows you to lift more in the next few sets. These extra reps and sets are thought to help burn more calories. Sounds good.

The problem is that this old-school method of weight training does not help cardiovascular health. There is very little benefit to lung and heart power. So now you will have to run the treadmill for those results. And this wastes time. And time is money, especially when paying a trainer!

Quality personal trainers will put into practice cutting edge methods of combining cardio, strength and flexibility training into single sessions while keeping the heart rate at optimal levels. I recommend wearing a heart rate monitor during the entire session, even when lifting weights. Why?

Because the best way to maximize time, energy and results is to work muscles, heart rate and lung capacity at the same time. In this way, you are not just resting for a few minutes to be able to do an additional rep of a weight set. On the contrary, it is your personal heart rate that dictates when to rest and when to begin again. And that time changes as your fitness level changes.

The goal of the workout is to give individual muscles a chance to rest while maintaining a consistently high heart rate. You will rest when your heart rate reaches 160 and then start up again when your heart rate drops to 130. (This varies per individual but is a good rule of thumb). This way your heart pumps more blood, you burn more calories through intensity, develop more endurance and leaner muscles.

A Streamlined Approach

When training a client, I will warm them up for 10 minutes on the elliptical cross trainer or stair master. To maximize time (to save them money and get the most out of each minute), I will review their personal nutritional journal with them during this period. We discuss diet, food combining, and ways to streamline their food habits for better results.

Next, I work them out for 45 minutes. To maximize results by controlling time, I pair up a machine and a manual exercise, like leg presses and dumbbell bicep curls. This method allows them to remain close to the machine and not “lose it” when the gym is crowded. I usually will have clients do three sets of each exercise and then move on to something else, like crunches and shoulder presses or leg curls and triceps extensions. In this way, one muscle rests while the other works. More importantly, the one thing that stays consistent during the exercise “switch” is the client’s heart rate!

The workout is 55 minutes long. With a heart rate elevated for that period of time through resistance training, you receive cardiovascular benefit, strength, muscular endurance, toning and sculpting. It’s also the biggest bang for your buck for anyone paying $65 or more per hour for a trainer.

The last 15 minutes of the session focuses on cooling down while stretching. Keeping muscles lean and limber is a huge part of health and wellness that is often neglected. It shouldn’t be.

Equipment Matters

Personal training often happens at the gym or in the home. And as a general rule, free weights offer better results than using weight machines. Really, the weight machines are for beginners or those too weak to use anything else. They are like training wheels and hold and guide proper position, without fear of the weights falling on you. But free weights not only increase the strength of the muscle being “worked,” they also train other muscles that are used to stabilize the weights while also increasing overall balance and whole-body coordination. Free weights maximize time, effort and results.

For home fitness, the now popular fitness balls and bands can be used. The balls are perfect for strengthening the core muscles, which include the abdominals, obliques, lower back and hips. The bands are good for chest, back and arms. While these strength bands are great for women, they don’t generally provide enough resistance for men. Free weights are the best options for men. For women, a small investment in Balls and Bands for home training can reap huge benefits.

Cross Training Is Key

Aside from circuit training, cross training is essential for overall fitness. I generally advise clients not to do the same type of exercise two days in a row, and to always mix things up.

I suggest things like weights and body-weight resistance training one day, biking or running the next day, and Bikram hot yoga or Pilates on another day. The idea is to keep the body guessing by putting the primary strain on different muscles in different ways each training day. These different strains place different emphasis and requirements on the heart, lungs and muscle fibers, as isometric yoga training is different than range of motion weight lifting or martial art training.

In the end, the objective of any fitness program is to maximize effort and results while keeping a lid on time and money. The way to do this is by using a heart rate monitor, not resting between sets, using circuit training and mixing things up with cross training. Good luck

Dennys Passeto has been a certified Personal Trainer and owner of Achieve Fitness since 1998. Achieve Fitness services clients in Maryland, DC and Virginia in their home, work, gym and outdoors. They are the only company who guarantee results. Visit them at http://www.achieve-fitness.com for a FREE personal training session.

One of the worst feelings you can have on your program is over-sleeping. You wake up and realize that you don’t have enough time to workout before work. You feel empty and dejected. You have a jam-packed day with meetings in the evening.

What can you do?

You can chalk it up to a missed day or you can get creative.

This scenario happened to me recently and instead of blowing off my workout all together, I did something about it. I was able to carve out 25 minutes at work to get away and do a cardio session. It wasn’t the best exercise ever, but it was much better than doing nothing.

How creative can you be? If you work at an office, maybe you can run up and down the stairs for 15-20 minutes. You can go for an extended walk at lunch. If you really want to jack up your heart rate you can do a quick circuit of 10 Push-ups followed by 15 Body Squats. Do 3 circuits of those and your blood will be pumping, I can guarantee that. These are just a few things you can do.

The bottom line is you can give in to waking up late or you can do something about it. You can continue to believe your excuses or not make them.

“If you are not willing to risk the unusual, you will have to settle for the ordinary.” - Jim Rohn

So, if you wake up late one day, don’t panic. Get in a resourceful state and figure out what else you can do. Better yet, you can PLAN BEFORE this happens. Have a few “make-up” workouts at your disposal, so if you find yourself in this position you can do something about it. Don’t fall victim.

Take control.

-Tim

Two week update:
Lost 6 pounds
Lost 1 inch off my chest
Lost 1/2 inch off belly
Lost 1/4 inch off waist

Getting up and going to the gym is getting easier, I look forward to it more, because I can already see results.

My clothes are fitting better and my energy is increasing daily. I am in a “healthy” routine and am enjoying the progress day by day. The great thing about a routine is, after it is established, it is automatic! You don’t have to think about it.

I know it is important to keep track of what I am eating and what kind of workouts I am doing, so this week I started a Twitter account to track all of my meals and workouts. This has increased the accountability (again) and at the same time has created a network of supportive people. So, not only am I using it to track my progress, but I am also getting support. Support is an important vehicle as you continue on your mission for fat-loss.

In 2 short weeks I have improved my body and created a network of like minded individuals. I am ready for the weeks to come!

Whether or not you take the stairs or not today might seem inconsequential at a glance, however, our habits are what make and keep us healthy, or cause us to add extra weight. When a person gains weight, they did not gain it overnight. It did not pile on in one catostrophic day, it was gained bite by bite, meal by meal, day by day and decisions accumulated over time.

Those small decisions add up into the results you are now currently experiencing.

The great news is that by becoming conscious of those dozens of small decisions we make hour by hour each day, we can also change our results.

Small decisions when accumulated create your destiny.

What small changes can you make today?

If you expect to experience success in creating a healthy lifestyle, it is so very important to have deeply personal and compelling reasons for why you are embarking on this program (or any program).

After all, you are most likely going to be changing some things about your life, like your eating habits, your menu options, your schedule and even your exercise routines. You may be making small changes or you may have made a major committment to making drastic changes all the way around.

Good habits are easy to create when you have big enough reasons.

Either way, the more clear you are with why you are pursuing this new and healthier lifestyle, the easier it will be to stay on track or pick yourself up when you’re feeling down.

Here are some examples of deeply personal compelling reasons a person may have for creating healthy habits:

So I have more energy for myself
So I can be a better example to my kids
So I can feel sexy and attractive
So I can be a better lover to my spouse
So I can have more energy for my kids
So I feel happy when I look in the mirror
So I fit in fashionable clothes
So I can wear a bathing suit on the beach with pride
So I am happy when I look at pictures of myself
So I will live a long life and see my grandkids grow up
Better mental clarity
To manage my stress levels
To get off blood pressure meds
To reduce my blood sugar
So I can run up the stairs and not be out of breath
So I can run a marathon
Disease prevention
To inspire others (friends, siblings, parents, strangers)

As you can see, if these were some of your reasons, you would easily get your mind right if you had a rare moment of discouragement or setback. All you would have to do (or all your coach or buddy would have to do) is remind you of your whys and point you back in a positive direction.

Listen, life is full of ups and downs, some days we don’t feel we are going fast enough, other days, we drift off track, but it’s what we do about it that will absolutely make or break your success.

So make a written list of your whys and put it someplace you will see it everyday. Read it aloud several times a day.

Jill
http://www.WeightLossInfo.com

There are many ways to create incentives to reach your specific Goals, in weight loss as well as any area of your life.

One of my favorites is to wear a Goal Band. A Goal Band is a colored wristband you wear and do not take off until you achieve your Goal. It serves as a constant reminder to you and the people around you that you are striving towards a desired result.

Tim is harnessing the power of a Goal Band, but he has taken creative incentives a step further with his ‘weight loss beard.’

Tim does not want a beard. He doesn’t like it.

So to give himself a little extra incentive, he made a personal (and very public) commitment:

“I will not shave my beard or get a haircut until I am under 220 pounds.”

He created something that is uncomfortable and made it fun. When he reaches one of his smaller Goals of weighing under 220, he gets to celebrate by shaving off the beard as a reward!

It is important to recognize the smaller Goals and victories, that when accumulated, add up to the ultimate vision you are trying to achieve.

What creative incentives can you come up with to motivate yourself?

Let us know!

Jill and Tim

Weigh yourself daily for best results

Recent research shows that it is possible to maintain his weight by weighing every day and adjust as it improves. The research involved 314 participants who had lost an average 20% of their weight in the last two years, which amounted to 20 kilos (42 pounds).

The researchers helped the participants to put into practice a technique called self-regulation. Participants had to weigh every day and assess whether they should adjust their diet or their level of daily exercise. The goal was to maintain their weight with a margin of 2.5 kilos (5 pounds).

When participants exceed their starting weight of 1.5 to 2 kilograms (3 to 4 pounds), they were encouraged to make changes in their diet or their level of exercise.

If they had taken 2.5 kilos (5 pounds) or more they were encouraged to take active efforts of weight loss: use a pedometer, keep a food journal, draw on their previous weight loss, etc. ..

The results were encouraging. People are weighing all the days to adjust to need diet and were almost twice as likely to maintain their weight than the control group.

Among the participants overseen by group meetings, 54% had managed not to take 2.5 kilos (5 pounds) or more for 18 months. Among the participants overseen by the Internet, 45% were successful. And in the control group (comparison group), 28% were successful.

In the control group, will weigh every day had little impact on weight maintenance. Be weighed every day is a part of the solution. You must use this information to adjust, which does not happen spontaneously.

Weight control and better health does not come overnight. The program has helped people realize, says the author of the research.

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These jump start tips give you a strategy for quick weight loss which will have a positive impact on your overall success. After successfully following these recommendations for two weeks your body and mind will be better prepared to reach your goal.

1. Limit carbohydrate intake after lunch. This means that your afternoon snack and evening meal will not include a carbohydrate or starchy vegetable. For instance avoid breads, pasta, corn, potatoes, cereal, rice and grains after lunch.

2. Stop eating 3 hours before bed. A great way to maximize fast weight loss is by not eating at night when your body has less of a chance of using the calories.

3. Eat unlimited non-starchy vegetables. You do not want to get too hungry while working toward weight loss so your best food type to fill up on is non-starchy vegetables such as lettuce, broccoli, cauliflower, peppers, onions, mushrooms and other vegetables that are low in calories and high in natural water content. Eat these high-fiber foods in large quantities to stay satisfied and avoid cravings.

4. Drink extra water. One of the easiest ways to jump start your weight loss is to consume 8 or more glasses of water a day. This helps flush out toxins, aids your body’s ability to metabolize fat and helps you feel full. Whenever you can take in water.

5. Avoid refined carbohydrates and alcohol. These food types cause havoc to a good diet and in order to jump start your weight loss you will want to avoid refined foods such as pretzels, chips, candy, sweets, cookies, baked goods and any form of alcohol for the next 14 days.

If fast weight loss is your goal then follow these 5 tips and you will move rapidly toward your goal: limit your carbs later in the day, stop eating before bed, eat plenty of non-starchy vegetables, drink a lot of water and avoid junk foods and alcohol. Quick weight loss is possible when you follow the right tips.

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Weight Loss

One of the hardest things someone on a fat loss diet has to face is a weight loss plateau. Nothing is more frustrating then when you’ve been following your fat loss diet and then progress comes to a screeching halt.

You think you are doing everything right, but alas, that scale is just not moving - at all.

What do you do then?

Learning what you need to do in order to bust through a weight loss plateau will be vital to your success.

Here are plateau busting tips.

Change Your Weight Loss Workouts

Your body loves its comfort zone. The only problem is that when you’re in your comfort zone for too long, you stop getting weight loss results.

Therefore, in order to spike change again, you should switch up your fat loss workout program. Either add a different exercise, switch the order of the current exercises, do a different number of reps, or use a different weight setting.

All will get that body responding again.

Evaluate Your Weight Loss Diet

One important thing that many people don’t realize is that as they go about the weight loss process, their daily calorie needs are going to change. No longer are they going to require quite the same amount of calories they initially did, so it’s critical to continually monitor your intake.

You might have reached a point now where your intake is too much for your current body weight, therefore reducing them back would be to your great benefit.

Have a Diet Cheat Day

Believe it or not, one of the biggest reasons people experience a weight loss plateau is because their metabolism is stalled. It’s stuck on super slow speed and makes further fat loss next to impossible.

The solution to this is to actually have a meal or two where you consume far more calories, thus signaling to your body that it can speed up its metabolism.

That is then what sparks fat loss moving again.

So, keep these three points in mind. If you’re struggling on your weight loss diet, it might just be time you did something different. After all, who wants to spend time not getting results?

For more information on how to use a cheat day, please refer to the Cheat Weight Loss Program. Dieting never tasted so good.

If you’re tired of feeling deprived on a diet that doesn’t even get you results, it’s time to change that. Cheat Weight Loss lets you control the decisions when it comes to choosing what food you want to eat.