Effective Exercise

Hi,

Would you like to make your exercise routine more effective?

If you are like most people, once you get into an exercise routine, you tend to stay with it.

But, your body is very good at adapting.  And what was once an effective exercise – because it was new to your body – has become “ho hum”. 

Actually, it is not the exercise itself.  It is the fact that your body has adapted to the exercise and the weight you are using. 

You can change this by adding more reps, changing the rep speed and adding more weight.  Doing these things will keep your body stimulated. 

Here is something else you can try. 

If you are used to doing total body workouts this will be easy for you.

If you are used to specializing on one or two body parts per workout, then you might have a bit more trouble with this from a mental point of view.  Your body will like it though.

You will be doing three exercises in a tri set and you will be exercising to momentary failure.

This is important.  Momentary failure is when you can’t do one more full rep.

Total failure is when you can’t budge your body or the weight.  You will reach momentary failure for a full rep, but you continue moving the weight for maybe a quarter rep, and eighth rep, and so on until you can’t move the rep even 1/4 of an inch. 

Your exercise routine will be to do a lower body exercise.  Then you do an upper body exercise.  Finally, you do an whole body exercise. 

Of course there will always be some overlap.  For example, squats affect your whole body even though they are considered a lower body exercise.

Here is an example:

So let’s start with squats.  If you are at a gym, use a barbell or dumbbells.  If you are at home, you can use dumbbells or just your body weight.  Do these until you can’t do a full squat any more.

Then immediately move to doing shoulder presses.  Do as many as you can.  You can use a barbell or dumbbells. 

The key is to have everything set up so you can move from exercise to exercise without any wasted time in between.

Finally, let’s do a whole body exercise.  You could do a barbell clean and jerk.   This is simply putting the barbell on the ground, squatting down to pick it up and as you are standing bring the barbell to your shoulders.  Then do a small bend at the knees and push the barbell over your head.  Then set it back down again. 

You can also do this with dumbbells.  Again do as many as you can.

If you have never done this before, then please, please start with extra light weight. 

I will be working on doing a lot more videos in the near future so that you can see the exact exercises I am talking about. 

When you are done with 1 round, then do two more rounds.  After the third round is finished, get on an exercise bike and pedal as fast as you can for 30-60 seconds. 

Then get a drink of water. 

You can then do another round with three different exercises.  Follow with the exercise bike for 30-60 seconds. 

If you are a gluten for punishment do another round with three more exercises.

Three rounds of three should only take you about 15 minutes. 

Try this and you will be burning more body fat, building endurance, and getting stronger all in one shot. 

Your exercise routine will be more effective. 

Thanks 

Spot Reduction – Myth or Reality Part 2

Hi,

In the last post we explored the myth of spot reduction.  But, then we found out that maybe there is something to it after all.

In this post we will talk about the why it might be possible.

Whenever you exercise intensely (we’ll get to that in a later post) your muscle fibers get damaged.  There is more muscle trama. 

This trauma and damage needs to be repaired.  In order for your body to repair it you need more energy. 

Your metabolism is raised because it is working to repair the damage. 

The great thing about raising your metabolism for this repair process is that it will stay raised until the repair process is finished.  This can take 48-72 hours.

While your metabolism is raised your body is using fat stores to help supply the energy necessary for the repairs.

It was always thought that this process utilized fat from everywhere in your body equally. 

But, as was pointed out in the last post, if that were true, then why do some people have muscular arms but a fat belly?

Part of it is because of hormones, but is it possible that some of that comes from the fat surrounding the exercised muscles?

After all everyone uses their arms all day long.  Even if they sit all day at a computer, they are still using their arms for typing, talking on the phone, reaching, grabbing, etc.

Meanwhile the abs are just doing pretty much nothing. 

The latest research shows that you do burn a little bit more fat around the exercised muscle. 

Now, this study (mentioned in the previous post) was dealing with intense exercise.  Not with everyday movements.

But, it makes sense to me that if you are moving your arms constantly, then it would be harder for fat to get deposited in those areas.

I have no proof of this – just a thought.

So does that mean that you have to do intense exercise for your abs or glutes in order to lose the fat there.? 

Either that or do a thousand ab exercises and squats everday. 

Most of you won’t do that. 

However, you can try this instead.

Start moving more.  Don’t sit for long stretches of time.  Get up and do a few squats.  (In a later post I will give you a few sitting ab exercises.)

When you do exercise your abs, don’t make them an afterthought.  And do more than just crunches.  Your abs are complex muscles and need more than exercise in just one plane. 

Now here is the key.  This spot reduction is limited.  It is not going to help you burn fat over your whole body. 

For that you need whole body exercises  – like squats and deadlifts for example. 

And you need cardio exercise.  This also has to be more intense than you might be used to doing.

Do all three of the above and you will be burning fat almost constantly. 

Thanks,

PS.  You might have noticed that I have a lot of – later posts – coming up.  There is so much to write about and discuss.  Hope you stay tuned as we approach the new year. 

Is Your Butt Firm Enough? Part 2

Hi,

In the last post you learned a simple way to tweak your squat exercises to help firm up those glutes. 

Today let’s look at lunges. 

Most people emphasize only the quads on their lunge exercises.  Let’s tweak the lunge a bit to put more emphasis on the glutes.

When you step out (or backwards – it doesn’t matter) step out a little further.  Then concentrate on keeping your back leg a straight as possible ( see the picture).

If you look at most skaters, not only do they have well developed quads, but their glutes are strong, firm and well rounded. 

Keep your upper body as straight as possible while lunging and keep your knee out over your toes.   You can do this by forcing your hips forward and lower. 

Again, hold for a count of 1 or 2 seconds and then come back up. 

Another variation is to start like you are going to step forward and then pivot 180 degrees to the rear and do your lunge.  Keep your foot about knee high and slightly away from your body as you do this. 

This puts your glutes and hips under tension for a little longer. 

Return to the starting position and repeat with the other leg. 

Try these variations on the lunge and add the tweak to the squat mentioned in the last post and you will soon have a head turning butt.

Thanks

Is Your Butt Firm Enough?

Hi,

Do you have a nice firm butt? 

A firm butt is one of the things that men appreciate on a woman.

And, surprisingly enough – for me anyway – it is one of the things that women appreciate on men.

So how do you achieve these nice firm admirable cheeks?

You probably know a few exercises for the glutes such as squats and lunges.

But are you doing these exercises to emphasize the glutes or just the quadriceps?

Most people do them just for the quads and not the glutes, so let’s change them a bit.

When you do your squats try this instead. 

Go as low as you can.  Touch your butt to your shoes.  Hold that for 1 full second and then come all the way back up.

Most Westerners don’t go this low.  And I have to admit it took me quite a while to get used to going down that low.

My wife on the other hand is from the Philippines and she can squat all the way down and hold that for days at a time.  And yes, she has a nice firm butt.

Many people from Asian countries are used to squatting and holding that position for a long time. 

To add a little difficulty to that exercise, lean to one side as you are standing up.  This puts more weight on that leg, more stress and therefore it will get stronger faster.  Alternate each leg and you will have a stronger and firmer butt in no time.

Tommorrow we will get into how to use lunges for a firmer butt.

Thanks

woman doing biceps curls

Are you looking to add some strength and a little size to your biceps.  Then consider the 36 seconds of biceps hell routine.

Here is how it works.  Do a warm up for your biceps and triceps.  Just a couple of sets of a light weight.

Our example will use dumbbells.  Pick up a set that you can normally get 20- 25 reps with.

But, instead of counting reps you are going to time your set.  You are going to do dumbbell curls for 36 seconds. 

Don’t try to go real fast or real slow.  Just go at your normal pace.  Make sure you are controlling the weight.  Don’t jerk it up or use body english to raise the weights.

If you can’t lift the weight all the way up before the 36 seconds is up, just do half reps or quarter reps. 

After the 36 seconds is up, immediately go over and do triceps push downs.  If you are not at a gym, do pushups instead.  Just do 10 reps.

Immediately go back to the dumbbells and – if you lifted the dumbbells for the full 36 seconds – do the same thing for another 36 seconds with a slightly heavier weight. 

If you did not, reduce the weight and do the same for 36 seconds.

When you are done with this set, do ten more repetitions with your triceps exercise.

Now a little change of pace.  Add five pounds to the dumbbell weight and do 3 reps.  Immediately add five more pounds and do 3 more reps.

Keep doing this until you can’t budge the weight for your dumbbell curls.

When you are done, do your triceps exercise again. 

Finally pick up the lightest weight you used for the curls and do another 36 seconds. 

Finish with 10 more reps for your triceps exercise and that is it for your arms for the day. 

36 seconds is important because not only does it work the muscle for strength but it also hits the endurance fibers also. 

This double action will help build strength and add some size to your biceps. 

Of course you can do this for any exercise.  Just don’t go crazy with this – especially if you are a beginner. 

But, if you are looking for a change of pace then try this 36 seconds of biceps hell.

Thanks

Hi,

Do you want 6 pack abs or flat abs?  Of course the big rage is 6 pack abs so all of the marketing is about how to get 6 pack abs. 

But, do you really need them?

And is it realistic to get them?

Now if you are a fitness competitor then yes you need to have 6 pack abs.  Just having a nice flat abdominal area isn’t going to win you any prizes.

However, if you are just the average person trying to improve their abdominal muscles, then let’s start with making your abs flat.

Why do I say that?  Basically because getting 6 pack abs is extremely difficult.

Not only do you have to develop those muscles in your abdominal area, but you also have to burn almost every ounce of fat of of your waistline. 

That is the hard part. 

Then you have to keep that fat off, because there is nothing in the world that disappears faster than your six pack.  All you have to do is look at that chocolate covered eclair and bye, bye 6 pack!

This isespecially true if you are overweight right now.  And even more so if you are over 30. 

Then go ahead and double the effort if you are married, have kids, have responsibilities, have to work and so on – you know like most people in the world. 

If you are any or all of the above just losing enough body fat around the waist and working your core muscles to acquire flat abs will be a great accomplishment. 

So first, no matter which way you decide to go, you are going to have to burn some body fat.  You can do this by taking in less calories than you use each day. 

And you can do it by exercising more. 

We have already discussed this in previous posts.  The key is to get your hormones involved. 

If you exercise the correct way and eat the correct way you will be able to burn body fat pretty quickly. 

The key is to get started and stick with it.  Once you get your flat stomach then you can start thinking about whether you want to put in the effort to get the coveted 6 pack. 

From a health perspective the 6 pack is not necessary.  They do look nice however.  So do flat abs, with no excess fat hanging out over the pants. 

So whether you want 6 pack abs or flat abs, start out with going for the flat abs.  You will find that is a much more realistic goal for most people.

Thanks

Hi,

What is your Fitness Training?  Do you have an overall strategy of what you want to accomplish?

Or – if you are like most people – you just exercise or go to the gym to “get in shape”.

Before you start any exercise program you should have a goal in mind.

Do you just want to lose weight?  Do you want to get stronger?  Do you want to have bigger muscles?  Do you want to lose the last inch or two around your waist?

All of those questions are good questions.  The problem is that most people think that just exercising will take care of everything. 

Doesn’t quite work that way. 

Someone trying to get stronger should have a different exercise program than someone just trying to lose weight. 

Someone that is training to be a power lifter will have different exercise protocols than someone trying to lose the pooch in their abs.

Once you determine what it is that you really want to do then you can develop a strategy to accomplish that in the most efficient manner possible. 

Now, I am all about efficiency.  I don’t have a lot of time to spend in the gym so I want a program that will meet my wants in the most efficient way possible. 

I assume that some of you feel the same way. 

So the next step is to develop your program based upon your needs or goals. 

Here is an example.  A power lifter wants to lift as much weight as possible.  As such he or she will be training with heavy weights and taking a 2-5 minute rest between sets.  

This allows the lifter to recover fully before doing the next heavy set.  If the lifter tries to lift again before fully recovered the risk of injury goes way up. 

Someone just trying to lose weight should concentrate on moderately heavy weights with very little rest between sets, maybe 30-45 seconds. 

Now I know most people trying to lose weight think they should only use light weights and do more reps.  Unless you are going to be doing reps in the 50-100 rep range that strategy won’t work.

The idea of losing weight means you have to burn calories.  Burning calories just while you are exercising is okay, but it is not enough. 

This is why you see a lot of very heavy people at the gyms – even if they have been going for years.    They are only burning calories while exercising and they do not get any afterburn effect.

Lifting light weights does not put your body into the afterburn. 

You need to stress your muscles so that your body has to recover.  The recovery process is where you burn the most calories, because this recovery process burns calories continuously for up to 48 hours after the exercise session. 

Stay tuned for part 2 in your fitness training series. 

Thanks  

Hi,

I made a comment recently in the holiday eating post about using those extra carbs and calories to burn more body fat.

How do you do that?  Let me introduce the concept of negative reps and fat burning.

Negative reps are the eccentric portion of the lift.  Or when the weight is returned to the starting position.

Most people concentrate only on the lifting part of the exercise and neglect the lowering or returning part.

But, it is the returning part that actually causes the most trauma to your muscles.  And this is very important for fat loss.

For a couple of examples:  On the barbell chest press, when you push up this is the lifting part or concentric part.  Lowering the bar back to your starting position is the eccentric part.

For pushups the lowering of your body is the negative part.  The pushing up is the positive part.

Most people try to get back to the starting position as quickly as possible.  But, the negative part is actually where you are strongest.

If you haven’t tried this, find a partner to help you.  Go ahead and put more weight (try 5-10%) on the barbell for a chest press than you have ever pressed before. 

Have your partner help you lift the weight up.  Then go ahead and lower the weight by yourself.  You will find that you can lower the weight under control.  Unless you try to much weight at first.

As such you should spend more time – i.e. like 5-6 seconds – on the negative part of the exercise. 

By doing this you actually cause more muscle trauma. 

In order to repair all these micro tears in the muscle, your body needs more energy for the repairs.

This means you will be burning more calories and they will be coming from your fat stores for this repair process. 

The key is to not do negatives every workout.  This will cause you to burn out and not make any progress at all. 

So use negative reps about every 3rd workout for a particular exercise.  That way those negative reps will help with your fat burning.

Thanks

Hi,

Do you know how to pick fitness goals?  Or health goals, or nutrition goals?

Most goal setting gurus tell you to write down your goals.  This is all we

ll and good, but are your goals any good?  Are they realistic?

And what do you do after you write them down?  Some will tell you to set a time line.  Sadly, most goal gurus never get past these 2 steps.  

Somehow writing them down and setting a time frame will make them all come true.  Sorry, life doesn’t work that way. 

So let’s try a new approach. 

Write down what you want.  If you want 6 pack abs, then write that down. 

If you want to gain 10 pounds of muscle then write that down.  (You can of course do this exercise for anything, not just health and fitness items.)

So you have written several items down. 

The next step is to ask yourself why you want it.  Write the answer down. 

This is critical.  Just writing down a bunch of goals is pretty much useless.  Setting a time frame doesn’t really help either. 

What does work is finding the reason why you want what you want. 

Write down what you want and why you want this.  Concentrate for now on your health and fitness.

Write down as many reasons as you can think of for each item that you want. 

After you have done this for all the items you want, go back over your answers to why you want them. 

Almost always you will find the same reasons why for several of your items. 

Write these down on a separate piece of paper. 

These will be your real goals. 

Let’s use an example.

Let’s say you want to lose 20 pounds.  Why?  You will feel better.  You will look better.  You will have less body fat.  You will be healthier.

You want to have 6 pack abs.  Why?  You will be stronger.  You will look better.  You will have less body fat.

You want to reduce your sugar intake.  Why?  You will feel better.  You will be healthier.  You will have less body fat. 

You want to have a stronger heart.  Why?  You will have more energy. You will be healthier.  You will feel better.

Okay let’s look at what we have.  You have 3 – you will feel better.

You have 3 - you will have less body fat.

You have 2 – you will look better.

Continue doing this until you have gone through your whole list. 

You will find that there will be common reasons.  In this example, you will feel better and you will have less body fat are pretty important to you. 

So these are two goals you should focus on right now. 

Okay, now what? 

Don’t worry I am not going to leave you hanging like most goal gurus, but you will have to stay tuned until next post.

Thanks

Hi,

The last couple of posts we debunked the cleansing by fasting myths, now let’s turn to the losing weight by fasting fad that is going around.

The bottom line is yes, you can lose weight by fasting.  However, you can also lose weight by dieting.

The issue is that with both you will eventually regain the weight back.  This is a normal way your body reacts when it is deprived of food.

It slows down.  Less food equals slowing down.  If you decided to eat a lot less food, then your body slows down even more.  This is done to protect itself. 

After all if you slow down to much you will be dead and I assume you don’t want that.

There are many different types of fasts and many “facts” floating out there.  But, let’s turn to the science.

One of the negative aspects of dieting is that some people say that if you fast for one day, the next day you will overeat and lose all the benefits of the fast. 

The science shows that you will not overeat enough to regain all the weight you lost. 

And this fact is thrown around by all the fast gurus out there.  What they didn’t tell you was that people that fast will eventually regain the weight. 

It might take a week or more, but fasting is no better than any other diet where you regain the weight over time.

Now the interesting thing is that while the weight comes back within about a week, the body tissues and fluids take a longer period of time to come back – up to 10 days or more. 

Body tissues are things like your body fat, bones, body water, organs, muscles, gastrointestinal tract contents and glycogen content.

Some have maintained that this means that if you fasted around 1 time per week then you could maintain your weight loss for just about forever.

I don’t buy that.  First of all because we don’t know where the weight loss is coming from.  If if is coming from body fat, then that is a good thing.

And it might mean that you could continue your weight loss for a longer period of time than if you went on a regular diet.

If the weight loss is coming from muscle tissue loss, then that is a problem.

Having more muscle (size) and strength means your metabolism will be burning more calories per day.  This could be from 40 – 100 calories per day depending upon your workout, your diet and your size.

Still that is 4 to 10 pounds a year you would have just by having a little more muscle.

Fasting, if it is losing muscle tissue, would negate any positive effects of having more muscle.  And it would cause you to rebound your weight loss much faster.

There are a couple of other issues on losing weight by fasting and we’ll get to them in the next post.

Thanks