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The Fitness and Health Report
Information for a Healthy Life
August 2001, Issue 29
Insider Training Secrets
By Garrett J.
Braunreiter, CSCS, The Energy Coach
You know when you need
food - your stomach sounds like it's digesting a sick cow. But do you know
when you need a more strenuous workout? Your body doesn't have exercise
"pangs" the way it has food cravings.
There is, however, an
unofficial "law of exercise science": Keep doing what you're doing, and
keep getting what you're getting. In this case, congratulate yourself for
keeping to a regular workout schedule.
But don't you wonder
if you couldn't work just a bit harder? If you couldn't have a better body
and get more of a health payoff by exercising a little more efficiently?
No more wondering. Yes
and yes. All the things you want from exercise but don't yet have - a
better body, lower cholesterol, low blood pressure, more people showering
you with compliments of how wonderful you look - will come only from
pushing yourself just a little harder.
No, that doesn't mean
you ask your health club's manager if you can use the storage room as your
new residence. You just need to know how to get the most bang for your
buck with your workouts.
Aerobics
It's time to work a little harder when...
- You've been running, cycling, or skating the same dang route for more than a
month.
- You never try to finish your route any faster.
- You don't monitor your heart rate.
- You choose walking/running/cycling partners for conversation, not training.
- You are
a collector of local race entry forms, but you never compete.
Why work harder?
Research has found
that there's a direct relation between distance covered in a week and
health benefits. The farther the distance, the greater supply of HDL (good
cholesterol), and lower risk of heart disease. Those who ran distances
faster had lower blood pressure and smaller waistlines than those who
covered the same distance in more time.
How to do it:
Start with a goal. A
challenging goal. A goal you can't just go and achieve it tomorrow. Enter
a local race. Find a TRAINING partner (not conversationalist) that'll make
you both work hard.
COVER MORE DISTANCE.
Get on a program. A steady program, increasing your workload gradually so
that it's challenging, yet doable. Let's say you run for 30 minutes, but
you spend time at a good, brisk pace for you for 5 minutes. Push up the
time you spend at your brisk pace by 2 minutes a week for 8 weeks, without
increasing your total time running. You'll run faster and farther in the
same amount of time. Use for any aerobic activity where you can measure
distance.
SPEED KILLS. If you're
going to get serious about speed, you'll have to set aside training days
to do just that. Here are a few techniques:
Interval Training
Using running as an
example (any aerobic exercise applies), set your pace at about 60% of your
max heart rate. It would be an EXCELLENT idea for you to invest in a heart
rate monitor for accurate readings.
After about 5 minutes,
increase your effort for 1 minute. Slow down to the initial pace for 1
minute. Repeat 2-3 times for your first interval workout. Each subsequent
workout add 1 interval, using the 1 on, 1 off schedule. If you've never
done intervals before, start with 1 interval training day for a few weeks.
Never do more than 3 interval training days per week.
Once you're doing 15,
1 min on 1 min off intervals, start adding more "on" time. Now you'll be
doing 2 min on, 1 min off. Continue adding more "on" time steadily until
you're doing a single 15 min "on" interval with 1 minute off.
HILLS. Using hills in
your aerobic training calls for the muscles in your legs to work harder,
making them stronger and more durable. Once a week run a hill up and down
several times. Use the interval training principle so you're not killing
yourself, and your body won't punish you days later.
INTERVAL SPRINTS. I
used this sprint training program to get in the best shape ever for my
senior year of college football. Here's how it works: you're going to do a
10 yd sprint, 20 yd, 40 yd, and 60 yd sprints. Sprint 10 yds, jog 10 yds,
sprint 20 yd, jog 20 yd, sprint 40 yd, jog 40 yd, sprint 60 yd, jog 60 yd.
Do this only once for your first workout, once a week. After 3 weeks, do
the drill a second time, and add another training day. Work your way up to
5 drills.
Muscle
It's time to work a
little harder when...
- You've been doing the same routine for more than a month - same reps, same
weight, same rest, same exercises, same order. ZZZzzzzzzz....
- You haven't increased your weight for a month.
- You can carry on a conversation when bench pressing (or any lift).
- You never ask for a spotter, because you don't need one.
- You
never feel anxious before a set, because you no you'll have no problem
finishing it.
Why do it?
Pushing your muscles past their comfort zone, by manipulating weight, rest, reps, and sets is
what causes it to develop, build, and tone.
How to do it:
STRIVE FOR EXCELLENCE. Excellence is the commitment to completion. Every single set of every
single exercise must be done until you cannot lift the weight again with
good technique. Use a repetition range, like 13-15 reps, ONLY as a
guideline. If you can do more than 15 reps, GO TILL YOU CAN'T GO NO MORE!
You'll know next time to start a little heavier.
LIFT WEIGHTS LIKE YOU MEAN IT. Rinky-dink dumbbells or barbells won't get you anywhere. Lift as
much weight as you can for the amount of reps you're shooting for. Adjust
for the next set(s) so that you can do your reps. Tax those muscles!
HI-MED-LO. At the beginning of the week, do high reps, like 13-15. Your weight will be
lighter. Then go 10-12 reps in the middle of the week with moderate
weight. Finally, do 8- 10 reps with heavier weight at the end of the week.
Use any rep scheme you like; you can go 20-25, 18-20, 13-15 if you want.
Put On A Variety Show
When you get to the gym, it's time to get creative. Stop being prisoner to a specific routine
- the same routine. Instead of ending your workout with aerobics, start
with it. Or vice versa.
Instead of doing back, chest, legs, shoulders, arms, do chest, legs, back, shoulders, arms. Then
switch to a different order next workout. Keep the same exercises for a
few weeks, but switch the order each workout. After a few weeks, create a
different routine with different exercises.
"Get Energized, Inspired, and Encouraged to Achieve Life Mastery and Your
Dreams
High Energy Coaching from The Energy Coach.
Ease Into Exercise With Walking - And You Might Get Hooked
by Greg Landry, M.S.
If you're having
trouble getting your exercise program started, try just easing into it by
starting to walk. This won't take much of your time or money and you can
start today!
Half the battle is
just getting started. You can easily conquer that by just going out for a
ten minute walk - today! Don't put it off because you don't have the time,
or because you don't have the money to buy equipment. Those excuses won't
fly for this. Just get out and take a walk!
If you haven't
exercised for awhile, start with just ten to fifteen minutes three days
per week. *Gradually* build up to 30 to 60 minutes, five to seven days per
week. If you're like most people, you'll start to really enjoy this time
and you'll love the way it makes you feel.
Around this time of
year there are lots of short (two to six mile) walking and running
competitions and also similar events for charities. These are GREAT
motivation for you to train (walk) on a regular basis and it gives you a
goal to work toward. Many of my clients use competitions, one after
another, to stay motivated and focused on their goals.
Now, don't think you
have to be in great shape or be able to walk really fast to do these. In
fact, how you compare to others is not the issue here. The issue is you
working consistently toward a goal, and getting fit and healthy as you do
that.
Check local sports and
bicycle shops for fliers announcing upcoming walking / running events.
Send in your registration now so that you're committed to it. Start
training for it (walking) and write down what you plan to do each week to
be ready for the big day.
Chances are you'll get
hooked on this stuff. Once you've achieved that goal find another event
and start training for that.
Here's what Becky did&hellip
At age 46 I was not
going to let my weight consume my life anymore. I am very goal oriented so
you suggested that I set exercise goals of participating in walking
competitions.
I planned to do a 3.1
mile walk that was almost three months away. I walked daily following all
the of your instructions on how to train for it.
It felt so good to
finish that race even though I was still about 200 pounds and came in
third to last out of about 150 people. I knew at that point that I would
be successful at losing every pound I wanted to lose.
My next two goals were
a 6.2 mile walk and my ultimate goal was to walk a marathon, 26.2 miles. I
achieved the 6.2 mile race goal a couple of months after the 3.1 and I was
still almost last to finish, but that didn't matter. A few months earlier
I couldn't walk down my driveway without huffing and puffing.
Last fall I did it. I
walked a marathon. My family is still amazed at my accomplishments. It was
so much fun. When I crossed that finish line, the feeling was incredible.
Oh, I lost over 100 pounds in the process of all this training. Thanks
again Greg for all your help.
Becky
Houston, TX
Get Movin'!
Author and exercise
physiologist, Greg Landry, offers free weight loss and fitness articles at
his site… http://www.Landry.com
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