The 24 Hour Fitness Challenge!

 

The challenge is on for everyone who has fitness goals to stay committed and consistent as long as it takes to reach them.  Being fit for 24 hours allows you to focus on short term goals instead of being overwhelmed by the realization that it will take months to get where you want to be.  Do not worry about 2 months from now, this will only discourage you.  Focus on being fit for today.  This is an attainable goal that, once achieved, will minimize fear, doubt, and uncertainty.  The more successful you are day after day will boost your confidence and motivate you to be consistent each day.  After 24 hours of being fit, the next day will be a lot easier.  This successful memory will allow you to follow the same steps it took you to achieve previous success.  Day after day goals become easier to reach, especially after previous success.  You will have built up memory of success. This type of mindset will keep you from flooding your mind with negative thoughts about the longevity of training and a goal that you never reached.  Achieving a goal that you know can be achieved will minimize anxiety and create the arousal that is needed to carry out the tasks for execution.  So make it simple by focusing on the next 24 hours.  Do not let anything come between you and your fitness goals for today and you will see this mindset will make the future of fitness a whole lot easier. 

Circuit Training is a Fat Burner!

 

 

The best way to reach your fitness goals, especially with weight loss, is to do the right things to get there.  Everybody wants to see fast results and results are a catalyst for your motivation to continue.  It is hard to commit yourself to day after day of torture in the gym and a diet that lacks substance.  When your goal is to burn fat you need to participate in the right training that is goal specific.  To burn fat you must get your body to use fat as energy when you are working out.  Circuit training allows you to perform 15 to 20 repetitions of 10 to 20 exercises in a sequence, with timed rest intervals (20-30 seconds), to force your body to burn fat for energy.  Circuit training is the most effective and efficient way to burn fat.  The more work you do in the same amount of time will also increase your aerobic and muscular endurance which is the key to fat burning.

 

Adapting to a circuit training program allows your body to respond to you doing a high volume of resistance training in a small amount of time with minimal rest between exercises.  To sustain this level of work the weight that is lifted should not be too heavy and the exercises must be arranged to target different muscle groups.  A lighter loud can be lifted a greater number of times which is more specific for burning fat.  Circuit training is a total body resistance training routine that forces your body to rely on mainly stored fats/ carbohydrates for energy and oxygen diffusion for energy production.  When you begin a circuit training routine your body utilizes energy stored within the muscle to do work anaerobically(without oxygen).  Once activity is continued for over 1 minute, for most people, your body needs another energy source to sustain activity and relies more on oxygen.  A load of resistance that can be lifted 5-12 times does not need to rely on energy sources outside the muscle and requires more rest in between sets.  When circuit training, the stored components used in the muscle to create energy for work become exhausted. The body begins to use oxygen to burn body fat and stored carbohydrates to sustain constant force production.  This change in energy production can also correlate with your increased heart rate and is called your fat burning zone (aerobic pathway).  When in your fat burning zone you are maintaining a sub maximal level of intensity to do work by burning mainly stored body fat for energy.  Hence the efficiency of circuit training. Most people begin to burn fat to support an activity when their heart rate is approximately 65-85% of their maximum heart rate.

Beginning a circuit training program with a gradual increase in intensity, after a few months, will have you burning fat and revealing muscle tone faster than any other program.  The key to progression and continual results is to overload your body by striving for greater challenges like adding more weight or increasing exercise complexity.  The goal of the program is to be able to do more work in the same amount of time.  Volume and intensity can go up but the duration must stay the same to increase your fat burning potential.  Amongst all that you do to achieve your fitness goals, circuit training is only an addition to your complete fitness program.  For the best results your diet must compliment the voluminous workload you will endeavor with circuit training.  It is also still important to do aerobic endurance training, at a Target Heart Rate of 65-85% of your Maximum Heart Rate, to ensure you maintain a high metabolism on your off days.  A consistent aerobic endurance program that enhances your cardiorespiratory system can compliment your circuit training program by decreasing your time to exhaustion.  You will be able to complete more exercises in your fat burning zone before you are fatigued.

It is not easy to lose weight.  It is important to consider the law of individualization when implementing yourself into a fitness program.  You should know whether it is easy for you to lose or gain weight by now.  Hard losers are encouraged to be extra strict with their fitness regimen.  You will have to work twice as hard if you are not fully committed.  Do not get discouraged.  Building a passion for fitness should be your goal.  When you are more passionate and motivated to workout, results will be the last thing on your mind.  Results are a reflection of your dedication and commitment to a cause.  The more that fitness benefits you without focusing on results more surprising results you will get. 

Body Shock with Plyometric Training!

 

The more intense exercise that you do the more valuable the results will be.  A new challenge for you is to maximize the rate at which you contract your muscles to cause a shock effect.  Your goal is to shock your muscles so that they will build back stronger to work more efficiently and burn more calories.  Plyometric training is a great way to improve power and add some intensity to your workout routine.  Plyometric training can be done with your lower body, upper body or core/ trunk.  Basically with plyometric training you are either using your bodyweight, with or without added resistance, or a weighted ball (Medicine ball) to rapidly load your muscle.  A rapid load of your muscles after falling from a jump or catching of a medicine ball forces you to generate a greater amount of force to propel your body or the ball.  The explosive force that it takes to contract your body weight causes muscle groups to work together in a higher level of synchronization.  Plyometric training not only promotes intramuscular coordination but also is a more potent form of resistance training.  Plyometric training allows you to contract the muscle in a shorter amount of time while also completing more repetitions in a shorter amount of time.  This form of training will definitely enhance power or the rate of force production as well as enhance the buffering capacity of your anaerobic metabolism.  Anaerobic metabolism is all the mechanisms in the body that support muscular development and muscular work without the presence of oxygen.

 

Athletes and other fitness competitors get the most acute benefits from plyometric training.  Jumping and running are both similar in body mechanics and can be categorized as plyometric because of the continual power demands.  If you have a running event in the near future or plan to play a sport that consists of a lot of explosive quick movements, plyometric training can be the best way to prepare as well as put you at a lower risk of injury.  The more you train your muscles to support your movements, explosively, the less risk you will have of an injury due to explosive movements.  You will be better prepared for any activity that involves athleticism and agility.   Plyometric training is a functional style of training your muscles.  The high rate contractions can impose the same demands on your muscles as if you were really performing in a competitive event.  The closer the relationship to the way you train and how you perform will lead to optimal performance and subconscious movements so that you can focus more on breathing and the performance goals. 

 

 

Plyometric training can be recommended to youth and seniors as long as they have the functional capacity to do so. One to two days a week is good enough to effectively enhance your strength, power, muscular hypotrophy and muscular endurance.  As you become consistent with plyometric training you will feel lighter on your feet and be more powerful in your strength training workouts.  Runners will be able to move to a higher gear late in a race while weight lifters will be able to finally increase their one repetition maximum.  Plyometric training can redefine your goals in training and help you realize that the human body is capable of doing more than you thought it could do.

The Benefits of Flexibility!



A key component in preventing injury and the ability to maintain a consistent workout throughout your life is flexibility.  Flexibility is a measure of range of motion.  Range of motion is the degree at which you are able to move around your joints. 

Here are some factors that affect flexibility:

• Age
• Gender
• Activity Level
• Joint Structure
• Muscle Build

Everyone is affected positively or negatively by one or more of these factors.  Whether or not you are flexible, it is important that you maintain flexibility or also avoid being hyperflexible (hypermobile).  As you age and lose muscle tone your body builds more connective tissue around your joints which makes you less flexible.  Performing movements with resistance, in full range of motion, is helpful in maintaining flexbility.  Resistance training can also be productive in correcting hypermobility issues.

To maintain flexibility it is important to stretch before and after a workout.  Having a stretch session separate from a workout has also been proven to improve flexibility.  The proper way to stretch before a workout is dynamic movements without resistance that are related to the functional or isolated movement you will perform.  This type of stretching is referred to as "warming up".  A warm up should precede your workout and should last 10-15 minutes.

Benefits of a warm up:

• Preparation for efficient muscle contractions
• Improved reaction time
• Improved muscle power and strength
• More oxygen delivery to the muscles
• Gradual elevation of heart rate
• Less risk of injury

Stretching done after a workout is referred to as static stretching.  This can be executed with a partner (passive) or alone (active).  A static stretch can be accomplished by extending a muscle through its full range of motion while relaxed.  Once you have fully extended, to the point of slight discomfort, hold for 15-30 seconds before returning to the relaxed position.  A static stretch is not recommended before a workout.  This kind of stretch can be counterproductive if performed before a resistance training routine focusing on strength and power.  Warming up should entail dynamic movements or light aerobic training.

Static stretching does have its benefits in improving overall flexibility and posture.  After a workout is the best time to perform static stretches.  A separate stretch session can work well too, as long as you precede it with a standard warm up.  Static stretching two times a week has been proven to increase flexiblity which will prevent injury and contribute towards training posture and performance.

Injury prevention is the main reason why flexibility should be maintained.  Amongst all the other benefits that flexiblity has on performance and recovery; staying healthy, active, and consistent with you program overtime presents the best results.

Feel The Burn!

 

The burning sensation you feel in your muscles during a workout is necessary if you want results. The more you are able to tolerate this pain the better your body will be at responding to your exercise. The burn is an indicator that you have actually reached your anaerobic threshold and it will be heightened in recovery due to adaptation. The anaerobic energy pathway is a way your body turns chemical energy, from the food that you eat, and converts it to useable energy to perform movement.

Your anaerobic threshold is reached when your body cannot restore energy at the rate you are expending energy. Think of your anaerobic threshold as the point at which your body cannot tolerate stress caused by applying a constant force against resistance. Everybody has a different anaerobic threshold. People who are trained and train hard have a higher anaerobic threshold than people who do not train or just go through the motions. 

During intense training or training for the first time your muscles accumulate lactate. Lactate is a byproduct your muscles produce during a sustained contraction at a high intensity. When you have reached your anaerobic threshold, lactate accumulation will limit your contraction. Lactate build up also results in the burning sensation you feel which makes you want to stop the exercise or slow down. Lactate is a natural defense mechanism your body produces to prevent further damage to your muscle tissue while also restoring energy.

 

 

To prolong lactate accumulation during exercise you must train to failure consistently. Training to failure will allow you to always exceed you anaerobic threshold causing your body to adapt and gain efficiency in replenishing and restoring energy. More stored energy and faster recovery will also lead to high amounts of available energy for force production and more work that is able to be done pre-exhaustion. Training to failure also means that you have to “feel the burn!” If you are not feeling this burning sensation or micro-trauma that you are causing to your muscle fibers, then you are just going throught the motions. Every workout must be an overload. Your body adapts fast to the stresses you place on it. 

Within a well structured periodized program there must be progression whether in complexity and dynamics, intensity or volume. Continual progression through challenging your muscles and “feeling the burn” will prove to you that exercise does have a medicinal purpose. The constant stress and pain you cause to your body through resistance training, with proper prescription, will lead to a honorable addiction to exercise medicine.

 

Consistency, Efficiency, And Variation!

We all want to get what and where we want in the fastest amount of time. Any route that seems long or neverending is most often avoided. This habit is good for technology and the economy but does not do our bodies any good when it comes to health and fitness. The thought of a long term fitness plan that has an end is pointless. Exercise is something that should be done on a daily basis for the rest of your life. The key to exercising the right way, for the rest of your life, is to do it the safest way possible. Getting continuous results from your health and fitness routine without injuring ourselves depends on consistency, efficiency and variation.

Consistency can be achieved by always putting time for exercise on your schedule and never missing a workout. The more consistent you are the more results you will get. Consistency will also result in your body adapting to the conditions that you put it through on a regular basis. If you exercised one day a week for 1 hour, you would be a lot fitter than you would be 5 years from now without exercise. To be consistent we must pay attention to the other two factors that keep you getting what you want out of your fitness routine.




With variation in your routine you are able to do intense training for a long period of time. Variation allows for you not to place high demands repeatedly on the same joints all the time. It is important to do things in moderation and avoid doing the same thing every time you come to the gym. Venture into the unknown every time you plan your workouts. For your workouts to stay exciting and shocking to your muscles you must be willing to change. Changing up your workouts will help you become skillful in multiple areas, keeping you from just going through the motions. Overtime you will see better results while enhancing other skills like functional strength, explosiveness, and stability. The goals is ultimately to make fitness a lifestyle and consistency and variation will lead you in that direction, but not without the last key factor; Efficiency!
Once you have a pretty solid workout schedule and you are able to maintain it consistently while adding variation, it is important that you are doing things the right way. Efficiency adds more value to every workout while making your workouts safe and accurate.  Accurate meaning that you are focusing on the right areas while in the midst of training.  Being efficient with your routine also allows you to get the results that you are working for.  For example, to be efficient with your cardio routine you must be in a certain heart rate zone to increase your metabolism while you are not working out.  To get the result you aim for, you must eat the right amount of food which have the proper nutrient balance your activity level requires. Being efficient allows you to learn more dynamic movements and increase the amount of weight you are lifting without causing an injury.  Following a balanced nutritional plan while doing your cardio and resistance training consistently is the baseline for being efficient.  Once you have these three methods of fitness down, that is half the battle.  To be more efficient you must structure each method to best get your results in the fastest time possible.



Finding what works best to get the results you want may take a while.  Understanding your body and how it responds to exercise and nutrients is difficult and is learned on a trial and error basis.  Focusing on being consistent, having variation, and being efficient is the best advice given if you plan to succeed.  Eventually, in due time, you will see your results.  It is always key to aim for perfection while following your fitness routine.  You may not reach perfection but to get close you can never stop trying.  Stopping will only set you back and is pointless.  Instead focus on the key points that make a workout last a long time.   

Bodybuilding vs. Weightlifting



Many people believe that bodybuilding and weightlifting are similar hobbies.  Both are hobbies done using some sort of dead weight, machine, or other type of resistance training equipment.  The true practice of a bodybuilder is much more different and beneficial than a weightlifter.  Essentially a bodybuilder and a weightlifter have similar goals, which are to promote muscle growth and increase force production through their muscles.  A bodybuilder focuses on reaching their goals in a safe and efficient way that provides better results and longevity.  A weight lifter's focus is to basically lift weights.  Weightlifters do not focus on performing proper contractions of muscles.  They only are concerned about increasing the amount of weight they are lifting for progression. 

Most bodybuilders were weightlifters at one point, until they were taught the benefits of being in control of their muscle through full range of motion while handling resistance.  A bodybuilder practices constantly to have total control of every muscle.  A bodybuilder is aware of each separate muscle and is able to contract or flex all his or her muscles well.  Bodybuilding is more highly efficient than weightlifting because you are not challenging your joints to lift weights.  A bodybuilder focuses on allowing the targeted muscle to perform an exercise which limits the assistance or overload of other muscles or joints.  This allows for maximum stimulation of the muscles and faster, safer progression.  A weightlifter may be stronger than a bodybuilder at lifting weight.  A bodybuilder is not focused on the amount of weight he or she can lift.  Bodybuilders only want to get the most out of every contraction so that his or her muscle will be fully maintained or increase in size. 

It is recommended that, if you are currently a weightlifter, you should learn how to complete proper contractions through full range of motion.  Let your ego down and do not worry about what others think about the amount of weight you are lifting.  Eventually if you train your muscles consistently you will be able to have more control of the heavier weight you lift.  This control will represent a more defined strength.  A better focus on properly contracting your muscles will lead to faster results, a better look, and longevity in training with resistance.  Bodybuilding is more than just lifting weights and should not be compared to weightlifting.  Bodybuilding is maximizing your strength and physique the most healthy and efficient way possible.  If your goal is to look good, keep your joints healthy, and get stronger; seek the knowledge of a bodybuilder and it will change your life forever.