4 Tactics for Faster Results
Thursday, July 15th, 2010Have you ever been frustrated over a lack of results from your workout routine?
If so, you are in good company. Even the most seasoned athletes experience times when their results plateau.
When you continue to put in the same effort day after day with little or no results it is safe to say that you’ve hit your own fitness plateau.
Your body adapts quickly to any repetitive routine. The definition of ‘insanity’ is to do the same thing over and over while expecting different results. This holds true for your workouts. When your results stop then it’s time to do something new.
I have good news – the following 4 tactics are guaranteed to crank your workouts up to the next level and to deliver the fast results you want.
Tactic #1: Focus on Negatives
Each time that you do a weight lifting repetition you are utilizing three types of strength. These are:
- Positive strength: the motion of lifting the weight.
- Static strength: holding weight in a contracted position.
- Negative strength: the motion of lowering the weight.
Most people completely miss the benefit of the negative in each repetition by allowing the weight to drop quickly with little control. It is understood that the negative portion of a repetition is just as important as the positive portion, and possibly more important.
Focus on the negative portion of each repetition by lowering the weight very slowly. Concentrate on the negative contraction, and make each repetition count.
If you are advanced, then use a training partner to assist you in moving heavier-than-normal weight into a contracted position, then lower it very slowly.
Another way to utilize negative repetitions on a machine is to lift the weight using two limbs but then lower it with just one. For example, use both legs to lift the weight on a leg extension machine, but then lower it back down slowly using only one leg.
Tactic #2: Do a Drop Set
Drop sets have long been used to fight off exercise plateaus. This technique is great for adding muscle strength, endurance and for increasing the cardiovascular benefit of your workout – resulting in more fat burn.
Here, in a nutshell, is how to do a drop set: When you perform an exercise to exhaustion, don’t stop there. Drop the weight by 80% and do another set.
You could take it a step further by dropping the weight twice, making it a double drop. Or drop the weight three times for a descending drop set.
Use this technique only once or twice per workout, on the final set of the exercise.
Tactic #3: Modify the Exercise
There are certain exercises that are considered ’staples’ in the gym.
The squat. The lunge. The chest press. The shoulder press. The bicep curl. You get the idea…
While you shouldn’t throw these exercises out the window, find creative ways to modify the familiar motion in order to challenge your muscles. Try these exercise modifications:
- Squat on a Bosu ball or balance board.
- Place a weighted bar across your shoulders and do walking lunges.
- Use an exercise ball for chest presses instead of the bench.
- Do a full squat between each repetition of shoulder presses.
- Do a shoulder press between each repetition of bicep curls.
Tactic #4: Use Active Rest to turn each workout into High Intensity Interval Training
Every minute of your workout is an opportunity to increase intensity and to burn more fat. Don’t waste precious minutes with long rest periods between exercises.
While it is important to catch your breath if you feel winded, most of the time you would benefit more from an active rest than a passive one. Perform one of the following activities for 30 seconds between exercises and turn your regular workout into High Intensity Interval Training.
- High Knees with Alternating Punches: Alternately bring each knee high to your chest in a quick jumping movement while alternating forward punches at shoulder level.
- Burpees: Start in a sanding position and bend at the waist. Once your hands hit the floor, push your entire body back, extending your legs until they’re straight and you’re in the push-up position. Go down for a push-up, and when you push yourself up, jump slightly to bring your feet back near your hands. Finally, jump in the air with your arms fully extended over your head.
- Side-to-Side Jumps on Bench: Stand on one side of an exercise bench. Place the foot closest up onto the bench, jump up and switch feet, then land on the opposite side of the bench.
- Mountain Climbers: Place your hands wider than shoulder-width apart on the ground in a push-up position. Bring one knee to your chest and then back to the starting position, alternate each leg quickly.
- Side-to-Side Ab Twists: With feet close together, jump and twist your legs left to right – holding your abs tight. Keep a bend in your knees and swing your upper arms with each twist.
- Jump Lunges with Pop Squat: Start in a lunge position, lunge down then quickly jump up, switching your leg position in midair, land in an opposite leg lunge. Once you’ve done both legs, jump straight into a squat.
- Medicine Ball Squat Jumps: With feet wider than shoulder-width apart hold a medicine ball at chest level. Squat down until your knees are at a 90 degree angle. Explosively jump up, raising the medicine ball straight over your head.
If you’d like a sure-fire way to break through your fitness plateau and to melt away unwanted fat, then contact me for a fitness consultation.
Call or email today – I look forward to hearing from you.
So you want to tone and flatten your abs?
Tuesday, July 6th, 2010One of the top questions that personal trainers are asked is “How can I get great abs?” You may have wondered that question at some point and are discouraged with your waistline. You may have given up on your abs after doing dozens of crunches with no results. I don’t blame you.
Try to forget everything that you have been currently doing in regards to sculpting your abdomen. Crunches alone will not give you a six pack. To do crunches with the expectation that it will turn your midsection into a washboard is to operate under one of the most widely held fitness myths, which is referred to as spot reducing. The term spot reducing refers to lowering fat stores in a specific area of the body, for example the abs, hips or arms. Doing crunches will not magically make your waist shrink, it will not cause your muffin top to disappear, and it will not give you washboard abs. Only a drop in body fat will do that for you.
So what is the secret to great abs? Instead of endless crunches, the secret is a winning combination of fat burning cardio, resistance training and proper eating. It is absolutely possible for you to dramatically shape up your waistline by using this combination.
Answer the following two questions to see how your routine measures up:
How often do you exercise? If your answer was anything less than 4 times a week, then that’s the first thing getting between you and your newly sculpted abs. How do you define a fat burning workout? A routine including intense cardiovascular training along with effective resistance training. Do you do this? I’m sorry to be the one to tell you this, but walking on the treadmill for 30 minutes isn’t exactly a fat blasting routine. The truth is that you can dramatically increase your results while investing less time when you exercise right. Cardio exercise is all about maintaining an effective level of intensity. This doesn’t mean that you have to be out of breath or gasping for air. It does mean that you need to push yourself. Resistance training is the second key part of a fat burning workout. This means working your major muscle groups against resistance in a way that stimulates your metabolism. Again, the key here is to find the right intensity and to keep each muscle group guessing.
What kind of shape is your diet in? If your diet is out of control, then there is a good chance that your abs will be too. You can’t trim your waist without trimming the junk out of your diet, regardless of how hard you exercise.
- Keep calories in check. Do you know how many calories you eat? The best way to find out is to record everything you eat for a few days. Tally the number of calories that you eat each day and do an evaluation-feel free to recruit me to help out with this part. Together we’ll chart improvements for your diet and adjust your calories for maximum results.
- Just say “No” to junk food.While this may seem obvious, your definition of “junk food” may need an alteration. Refined sugar is one of the biggest culprits in the junk food world. It is found in soft drinks, blended coffee drinks, cookies, cakes, packaged snacks and other sinfully sweet treats. Processed fat is another thing to stay away from. As a rule of thumb, you can safely view all processed or refined items as junk food.
- Eat more frequently.The key here is to never let your metabolism “crash” by going hours without eating. One of the biggest mistakes you can make is to skip breakfast, as this is the meal that ‘breaks the fast’ that your body goes into each night. Stick with eating small meals every few hours and always avoid stuffing yourself.
You should now understand why you are better off not wasting time on crunches. Do you want to flatten and sculpt your waist? All you have to do is decide that you really want it. Commit to yourself. See me for fat blasting workouts that deliver results. Together, we will get you on a program that will melt the fat off your abs, exposing shape and definition. E-mail me today at Dan@HITFitnessTraining.com to set up a no obligation consultation.
