Fitness Action Item #1: Steal Something
In the fitness world, there are a lot of options these day. The famous "paradox of decision." Meant to give us a better experience through more choices, but more often than not leaves us with paralysis by analysis. So when in doubt, simply steal the routine of the physical specimen you admire the most, and just get going! While I believe that staying consistent with an exercise routine and diet plan is the biggest obstacle for most people, I have found that almost an equal amount of folks will put off working out all together because they simply don't know where...
Debunking the myth of “Lifting low rep will make you bulky. Lift high reps to get cut.”
I overhear it all the time. By men. Women. Novices. Even trainers. "Lifting low reps makes you bulky. If you wanna get cut, you need to do high repetition sets." And every time I hear this urban myth I throw up a little bit in my mouth, because it's just not true! It's as if people think that if you only do 5 repetitions and then stop (regardless of whether the weight is even relatively heavy or not) you will magically grow muscle. Let's for a moment define what it means to be "cut." To me, being cut means to have...
Why do my goals suck? Why? Why?
Client: I don't want to set goals, they only set me up for failure. Goals suck. Me: WHY do you think your goals suck? (Okay...
Creatine: The Holy Grail of Supplements for Men AND Women alike
If you are doing any type of resistance training, you should strongly consider adding "creatine" to your supplementation/nutrition plan. If your trainer has not discussed this with you ...
Periodize Your Workout (Part 2)
Fitness Tip for the week: Periodize your workout (Part 2) Back in November I posted a sample workout that works really well when run in a circuit fashion, with the main focus of increasing calorie expenditure. Basically, the idea is to complete one high repetition set for a particular muscle group and move immediately to another without resting. If you did 12 of these total body workouts in one month, you did amazing! For February I'm recommending a different style of workout with more of a focus on increasing muscle size. This workout will ask you to complete 6-15 sets of various...
What happens after resolutions get resolved?
Lasting happiness is not found after the "achievement" of your dreams/goals. Rather, happiness is realized while enjoying the pursuit of your purpose. Or to put it another way, as Hugh Downs said, “A happy person is not a person in a certain set of circumstances, but rather a person with a certain set of attitudes.” Whoa, that's pretty deep stuff Scott. Please elaborate ...
Sharing Goals
Share your goals with at least three people, and be specific as possible. This does not have to apply solely to a fitness related goal but any goal in life. Goal setting is a very important first step toward increasing our chances of getting what we want out of life, but without a game plan, a goal is only a wish. To take it one step further, a game plan that you are not disciplined enough to follow through on will remain only a dream. I see so many, including myself, take the time to address the first two steps, but fail...
Periodize?
Yes, periodize your weight training program on a monthly basis for better gains. What does that even mean Scott? Quit using fancy words and just tell me what to do already! Ok, what I'm saying is that you should vary the structure, focus, and intensity of your resistance workouts from month to month to maximize your results and reduce the chances of fatigue and/or injury. Athletes use these models year round. I use this concept when designing programming for my clients and so should you. Not to mention, mixing it up creates new, fun challenges to keep you engaged. This tip will have to...
Choose Intensity Over Time
When engaging in cardiovascular/aerobic exercise, for most individuals (endurance athletes aside) it is in your best interest to workout at a higher intensity level for 30 minutes vs. a lower intensity level for 60 minutes (think sprint intervals or hill profiles vs. slow steady state). But what about the "fat burning" zone Scott? True. The lower the intensity level the higher the % of fuel comes from fat, but this is misleading. Your body fat levels will ultimately be determined by your total caloric balance. If you take in more calories than you burn, you will gain weight. If you take in...
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