Posts Tagged ‘Strength training’

Maybe you’re just beginning a brand new strength training program for the first time

Or maybe you’re returning to strength training after a long absence.  Either way, congratulations!  Here are some helpful tips to get you started along the road to success!

1. Get expert advice. Schedule at least a few sessions with the trainer at your gym to learn the correct technique to use in order to avoid injury.
2. Take it slow.   Don’t try to start out with the most reps or the heaviest weights.  You will be sore when you begin training but, if you over do it and feel miserable, you’ll be more likely to quit.
3. Take rest days. Plan rest days into your training schedule.  Your muscles will respond better and you won’t burn out.
4. Don’t quit! You must have had some reason or goal in mind when you started strength training.  Don’t stop because the going gets a little tough.  Stick with it and you’ll be glad you did!

What advice can you offer to someone who is  beginning or returning to strength training?  Please share in the comments!

A while back I wrote a post about using resistance bands for strength training.

Today I came across a video that shows a good example of a resistance band workout.  Enjoy!

When I visited Lynn’s blog the other day and followed her link to this article, I immediately knew I wanted to share it with you!  Enjoy!

How to Maximize Weight Lifting Effectiveness

By Lynn Hahn

Weight lifting is extremely important. Having good muscle mass increases your metabolism and makes you strong. It also changes the appearance of your body. Most women do not want to get large muscles but instead want to get firm and toned. That can be achieved by weight lifting.

There is some conflicting information about the proper way to lift. There also are some truths that most trainers agree about.

Starting with your largest muscle groups is one rule that most trainers use. It really is common sense when you stop to think about it. If you start lifting with your smaller muscles those muscles will not be able to support the weight the larger muscles need to be challenged.

Starting with the larger muscles in the buttock and chest is the most effective way to lift weights. If you workout your biceps first they will not be able to assist the other muscles in your arms when you lift the heavier weights needed to work your chest.

I start my clients with buttock exercises. That is really the best muscle group to start with, especially for women. Then I use a couple of different methods. I may workout the large muscles in the thighs next, to the lower legs and then begin working the upper body beginning with the chest and working down to the smaller muscles in the arms. The other method is rotate between the upper and lower body starting with the largest muscles and working down to the smaller muscles. Either of those methods are very effective.

As far as the order goes I am a very firm believer in saving the abdominal muscles and lower back for the end of your routine. Your core body needs to support all the action taking place while the other parts of your body are being challenged. If you start with the abs or lower back they will not be able to do their job of supporting your action as well and may get over stressed resulting in injury.

How often you lift weights is an area of conflict. The courses I have taken suggest lifting 2 to 3 days a week on non-consecutive days. There are some trainers that believe in working a different body part each day.

Your body uses a fuel called glycogen when you lift weights. You do not have a large supply of that fuel. Your body lets you know when you are running a bit low by causing you to breath hard and creating a burning sensation in the muscle group you are working.

The burn that you feel is lactic acid. That is the by-product of burning glycogen as a fuel. The heavy breathing is your body’s way of trying to get more fuel. It is trying to get to your fat storage which requires oxygen to burn. Your body takes about 48 hours to restore its supply of glycogen after lifting weights.

Working different parts of your body is not the best idea. Your body does not take glycogen from some parts and not other parts of your body. It just uses what it can get to. If you do not wait for it to replace that fuel it can lead to problems.

Also, your body builds muscle on your rest day not when you are lifting. If you do not have a rest day your results may not be as good. Even though you are letting the upper body rest and just working the lower body your body is still being challenged.

It is best to drink water and eat a small amount of food about half an hour before you lift. Fruit digests quickly and has the carbohydrates your body needs so that is a good choice. Drinking water and eating some protein within an hour after your workout adds to the effectiveness of your session as well.

So to recap, if you start with your largest muscles, train every other day and feed your body you will maximize your weight lifting.

By Lynn Hahn

My name is Lynn Hahn. I’m certified by the American Council on Exercise as a fitness instructor and a Lifestyle and Weight Management Consultant. I’m also a certified Third Degree Black Belt in American Kenpo.

I produce and create very effective fitness DVDs designed for women. Come and visit my website http://www.getrealfit.org to get more fitness information and to see my products!

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Lynn_Hahn
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Please share your thoughts in the comments below.  Thanks!

So you can’t lose weight even though you’ve been following your weight loss plan faithfully.

It’s so frustrating!  Let’s take a look at your weight loss plan and see where you can tweak it to get the results you want.

1. Are you dieting but not exercising?

Steady, permanent weight loss requires a combination of decreasing the number of calories you take in and increasing the number of calories you expend.  Exercise revs up your metabolism to keep your body burning calories efficiently.

2. Are you exercising but not dieting?

Exercise is great for your fitness but will not help you lose weight if you continue to overeat between workouts.  It takes a lot of exercise to burn just one pound of fat so, if you want to see results, you need to reduce the amount of fuel coming in so your exercise efforts can work on burning fat that is already in storage.

3. Is your diet too restrictive?

Your body requires a healthy balance of carbs (50% of your daily intake), protein (15%) and fats (35%) in order to keep working like it should.  If you give it the wrong fuel, it will become sluggish and unable to do it’s work of burning calories.  And if you limit yourself to too few calories, your body will go into starvation mode and cling to every single fat cell.  You will feel weak and miserable, plus your weight loss will stop.

4. Are you doing the wrong exercise?

For optimum weight loss, you have to include a combination of cardio and strength training in your exercise plan.  If you are using cardio alone, you are missing out on the calorie burning benefits that building muscle provides.

If your weight loss program hasn’t been as effective as you had hoped it would be, try one of these easy fixes!  And don’t forget to share these ideas with anyone else you know who might need them!

People are always asking about ways to burn fat and, in fact, I have written quite a few posts about that topic.  However, there are lots of tools and tricks you can use so here are 4 more ways to burn fat.

1. Lower your calorie intake gradually.  If you decide to reduce the number of calories you eat in a day, don’t suddenly cut your intake in half.  If you drastically decrease your eating from one day to the next, your body will believe it’s starving and, rather than burning fat, it will hang on to it.  Lower your calorie intake little by little over the course of a couple of weeks.
2. Use interval training. Interval training involves alternating short bursts of very intense activity with periods of less intense recovery activity.  For example, you might ride your bike (or stationary bike in the gym) as fast as you can for 20 to 30 seconds, then slow to a moderate pace for a minute.  You could also alternate running and walking.  Not only is interval training good aerobic exercise, but you can exercise for a shorter amount of time while getting up to 3 times the fat burning benefit.
3. Eat 5 or 6 small meals a day. This keeps your metabolism constantly fueled so it is continuously burning fat. It also keeps your blood sugar on an even keel so you don’t experience energy level crashes.
4. Do strength training. Strength training is the number one most efficient way to burn fat.  Of course you are burning fat during your strength training workout but muscle tissue continues to burn calories even when you’re at rest.  This means that the more muscle you can build, the easier it will be to burn calories, thus burning fat.  If you’re looking for a good explanation of using strength training to burn fat, I recommend the Fat Burning Furnace.

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There seems to be a common misconception that, if you have knee pain, you should stay away from any type of strength training such as weight lifting or resistance exercise. But actually, the opposite may be true.

According to Fitness Alert, researchers reviewed the findings of 18 studies involving 3,000 patients who had knee pain due to arthritis.   They discovered that resistance training “reduced pain and improved physical function, walking speed, and balance.”

When the muscles surrounding the knee are weak, it causes instability which stresses the joint. This stress leads to deterioration of the cartilage which cushions the joint.  With the protective cushion damaged, the joint surfaces develop irregularities and the membranes that secrete lubricating fluid don’t work as efficiently.

Strengthening the muscles around the joint helps treat the knee pain by improving the stability of the knee.  Of course, you absolutely must check with your doctor before using strength training or any other type of therapy for knee pain.

What methods have you used to deal with knee pain? Please tell us about it in the comments section below.