Mid-Week Motivation: Do Less Cardio, Get Better Results

I'm slightly keeping with the theme from Monday this week -- don't waste time doing the same old thing that's not getting you results.

Ask yourself these 3 questions:

1.)  Are you happy with what you see in the mirror?

2.)  Do you have too much free time on a daily basis?

3.)  Do you believe in Santa Claus?

Now, if you answered "yes" to any of these questions then this post is not for you. 

However, if you answered "no" to these questions, then please stop doing the same old routine and getting less than exciting results.  You can get the body you want in less time than you can possibly imagine.

Let me be plain and clear --

I am asking you to stop doing steady state cardio since you already know it will not give you the results you want. 

I am asking you to spend less time doing cardio.

I am asking you to put more effort in getting your nutrition in order.  And lastly,

I am asking you to be willing to challenge yourself to do something different (that has been tested and I know works)

Now Go Out and Get It Done!

Questions on Target Heart Rate

Let me first say a big Thank You to all of you that wrote in wanting more information on target heart rate.  I very much appreciate the opportunity to answer your questions so that you can get the results you deserve.

No one goes through their workout for the fun of it.  If you put the time, energy, and sweat into it you expect results, right?

What's that old saying -- Time is the currency of the 21st century.  So none of us has any time to waste doing things that don't get results.

Here's the answers to the questions I received this past week.

• What's the big deal about the amount of time spent doing steady state cardio for weight loss?

Did you know that there is a 50-90% injury rate in the first 6 weeks for those just starting a serious exercise program?

Why?

Because most people just starting out are not prepared physically for what most programs suggest as the best way to lose body fat.  And yes, you guessed it, most programs suggest hours and hours of steady state cardio.  All those hours and miles do serious damage to the lower back, hip joints, and knees.  That's what makes interval training so effective -- it challenges you more as you get better.

• In my previous blog I mentioned the inaccuracy of the standard 220 - age to determine your heart rate zones.  The variance of 10-12 beats for 70% of the population versus 20-24 beats for 30% of the population is important because it means the difference between not training intensely enough to get results versus risking too much intensity. 

Plain and simple it's dangerous to not wear your own heart rate monitor and not know the range that works for you. Rather than spend hours beating your lower body into oblivion, use cardio intervals to decrease your overall hours doing cardio, and increase your results.  One of the few cases where less will equal more.  Sounds like a good deal to me.

• Why are weight lifting circuits more effective in burning fat and maintaining lean muscle?

Just doing steady state cardio does not tell your body to preserve your valuable muscle tissue.  In fact, in some cases steady state cardio will have you lose lean muscle tissue. The more lean muscle tissue you have the higher your resting metabolism (remember when you burn fat as the primary fuel source), so you want to keep as much as possible.  Weight lifting circuits tell your body to maintain the lean tissue because it needs it to lift weights, but get rid of the body fat because it decreases your efficiency.  Remember, your body's goal is go get efficient at whatever you tell it to do. So you want to maintain lean tissue and get rid of unhealthy body fat.

So there you have it.  Even more reasons to stop the useless hours of doing steady state cardio and start doing cardio intervals and/or weight lifting circuits.  You'll lose body fat quicker, look better, have more energy, and decrease your risk of injury compared to hours of steady state cardio.

New Exercise: Lunges with Challenge

TGIF!

Hope you've had a great week.  I thought it was time to get back to some good old fashioned exercise examples.  Remember, part of staying motivated and part of breaking through plateaus quickly, is exercise variety.  The more you can challenge your body effectively, the more you will continue to progress and transform. 

So since the warmer weather is upon us, it's time to kick it up a notch.  I'm sure you're familiar with the all too common lunge.  Great exercise for shaping the butt, building hip and glute strength, and it's one of the basic movements the human body is supposed to be able to do effectively.

Well, here's little a twist to add to it.  I think you'll find it's a heck of a lot harder than it looks.  Provides a great core challenge as well as good kick in the butt!

Check back with me in two weeks for another exercise to put in your own training locker.  The more movements you have, the more you stay motivated and making progress.

Target Heart Rate. . . . The Myth

I know I'm going to ruffle some more feathers out there by posting this, but hey, I'm here to help you get real information that will help you make choices and take actions that will get results! 

I'm not here to just tell you what you want to hear.  No, I want you to hear the truth, with evidence, and be able to make an informed choice from there.

I realize that will not necessarily make me the most exciting or popular person out there.  But for those brave enough and serious enough about making changes in their bodies, by getting out of pain or transforming their body -- those people will appreciate this post.

I recently received this question that made me realize how many people out there are still using the heart rate info on machines as guides on how to transform their bodies.  So let me give the truth.

In reference to the heart rate ranges posted on exercise equipment.  They identify what your targeted heart rate should be if you want to burn fat, etc. based on your age.  In my case, my heart rate while exercising is ALWAYS higher than that "fat burn" range. I would have to significantly slow down my pace in order to fall within that range.  If my heart rate is not within that range, am I not burning calories efficiently?  Is there a lot of merit to those targeted heart rate ranges?  If I am not sweating, I don't feel like I am working hard. -- Nikkie

Target Heart is highly flawed.  I have personal experience with contacting the user of some of these formulas and they had no real idea why they used them accept to say, "They were the popular tools used at the time".  Guess it really doesn't answer why once they see the flaw they continue to use antiquated information.

To the point.

• Target heart rate is inaccurate for 70% of the population by 10-12 beats per minute.  Not such a big deal right.  But get this, for 30% of the population it's off by 20-24 beats per minute.  That is a big deal.  Knowing which group you fall into can only be found by using your own heart rate monitor.

• The Fat burning zone is supposed be the heart rate range where you will supposedly burn the most fat calories.  Truth is, it cannot predict this.  At best it can only partially suggest a percentage of use of fat, carbohydrates and protein.

• You burn the most fat at rest.  The more intense an exercise is, the more carbohydrates will be used as the primary fuel source.

Low Intensity - 60-65% MHR High Intensity - 80-85% MHR Total Calories expended per min. 4.86 6.86

Fat Calories expended per min. 2.43 2.7

Total Calories expended in 30 min. 46 206

Total Fat calories expended in 30 min. 73 82

Percentage of fat calories burned 50% 39.85%

From The 24/5 Complete Personal Training Manual, 24 Hour Fitness, 2000

I think this chart simply and accurately explains why using intervals (alternating periods of fast and slow) instead of the steady state "fat burning zone" cardio, is the most effective way to shed body fat quickly and effectively.

Slow, steady state cardio just doesn't cut it when it comes to losing body fat quickly and effectively.  Not to mention the wear and tear on the knees, hips, and lower back.

And this is the part that everyone seems to forget so readily -- what happens after that intense exercise circuit you just finished, or that extremely challenging cardio interval session.  There's something called EPOC.  Which basically discusses the amount of calories being burned after an intense session of training that can last up to 3 days later.

You will be burning more calories after intense training session because your resting metabolic rate is higher (you won't get that from "fat burning zone" cardio).  And if you'll remember, when do you use fat as the main source of fuel -- AT REST!

And if that wasn't enough information to convince you, check out this article The Final Nail in the Cardio Coffin pt 2.

Get On Track and Stay on Track!

Mid-Week Motivation: Pizza?

Yes, I'm back from vacation.  Needed the downtime. Definitely feeling refreshed and ready to get back into the thick of things.

Even on vacation I can't seem to escape the marketing machine's grip.  I found some interesting facts about Pizza in one of my "poolside" reading magazines.  At first read I thought, "Wow, this is some good information to consider". But something just didn't seem real.  Then it hit me.

It almost made me pull out my hair, but then I remembered -- I don't have any.

Check out the short video below and see what I mean.

Time to Add Some New Exercises

I know you thought I forgot about you, but I didn't.  Putting the finishing touches on my packing as I am headed out for a much needed week of relaxation.  But I didn't want to leave you hanging without some more fuel for your arsenal.

Since this post is for Friday, that means it's time to share some solid exercises with you to make sure you're ready for the summer weather and lots of activity.

Way too often people believe they have to go to a gym to get a good workout.  The two movements I share with you today prove you don't have to have a gym membership to transform your body.

Try them out and as usual, let me know what you think.

Mid Week Motivation: Keeping it Real

I don't care how you slice it, if you don't make a plan, you cannot effectively achieve any goal!

Yes, it's that simple and the real. 

My commitment to you is to make certain that I share valuable, useable/practical, scientifically reliable information that will assist you in achieving your body transformation goals . . . . .  or any goal for that matter.

I can't express to you the importance of choosing a goal and making a plan to achieve that goal.  Yes, I know I sound like a broken record.  I'd ask you to excuse me, but the truth is, if you're not doing it, then you needed to hear it again.  Hopefully this time you will take it to heart.

I've spent a great deal of time reading and investigating all sorts of self-help books, motivational articles, CD's, DVDs, seminars, etc.

I've taken that information and shared it with my clients for over 2 decades. I've watched carefully at who achieves their goals and who tends to struggle.

You know what they all have in common?

You guessed it, yes, virtually all of the clients that achieve their goals make a plan, and some even utilized my suggestion to use visualization of themselves already achieving the goal.

Why visualization?

Remember last week's post and the term reticular activation.  Well, visualization is another very important aspect of reticular activation. Athletes use it all time to improve their performance on the field.  Seeing yourself already achieving a goal is a powerful tool.

But it all starts with a plan.

Often times clients ask how to make an effective plan.  Here are two very helpful ways:

Daily_Planning

How to squeeze the most time out of your time


And just in case you need some good old fashioned video motivation -- here's one of my personal favorites:

Some Serious Truths, Tips, and Tricks

I know I tend to go on and on about the big marketing machine.  How they are not working towards our healthful improvement, but are in fact leading us astray on many occasions. 

Remember how I frequently comment that they are in business to sell products not improve your overall health.  Check out this article.  It's well worth the read and has some serious surprises regarding what foods claim to be healthy and are not.

Foods With Health Benefits, or So They Say

I don't know about you, but that article was quite a wake-up call about the concerns we all should have about marketing and what they claim.

Switching gears a bit, have you heard about the rising amount of people with Gluten allergies?  You may be affected and don't even know it.  Check out this article to get more info on how you can help yourself.

Belly Fat Caused by Glutens and Gluten Allergies

And lastly, let me share some quick and ready to use tips on how to decrease high blood pressure, bad cholesterol, and blood sugar levels.

Ways to Reduce High Blood Pressure, Bad Cholesterol and Blood Sugar Levels

3 more ways to help you and/or someone you know -- Get On Track and Stay On Track!

Round 2 of Circuits

Last week I shared with you two starter circuits to get you up and running.  How did it go?  If you had a chance to try them out, I'm sure you found they were a bit more challenging than they looked.  But oh, what a great calorie burn.  Putting you one step closer to being ready for summer.

Well this week I want to share with you some intermediate level circuits.  Don't let the length of the circuit or the movements chosen fool you.  I promise they are a great deal more difficult than they appear.  Especially if you're doing them as prescribed.

Except for Jump Rope, each of the movements should be done for 12-15 reps.  Figure 3-4 times through the entire circuit.

Circuit 3
Squats (with flavor)
Lateral Raises
Split Squats
Push ups
Deadlifts
Back (seated row)
Step up to balance and shoulder press
Bicep Curls (dumbbell)
Tricep Push-downs
Jump Rope --- 70-100 times

Circuit_3_Cheat_Sheet.pdf

Circuit 4
Flat Dumbbell Press
Lat Pull-downs
Step-ups
Lateral Raises
Bicep Curls (barbell)
Breast Stroke
Lunges (forward and backward)
Deadlifts
Jump Rope
Tricep (face down on bench -- kick backs)
Split Squat



What you'll notice is that the circuits I have shared with you thus far are largely focused on the primary 6 movements that the human body performs each day.  The goal is to get you very efficient at performing these movement patterns before we take to more complicated movements -- for instance using suspension straps.

My whole concern is that I provide you with foundational movements so you can become solid in them first, and then provide you with more challenging movements in your circuits.

I'm a big believer in progressions -- meaning starting with the basics first and then progressing to more difficult moves.  As I said in last weeks post, all too often people want to do the most visually appealing movements/exercises right off.  That is a recipe for injury.  And when you're injured you can't train.  So let's do this the right way and make sure you get the job done right.

Mid Week Motivation: What Are YOU Thinking About?

I remember an old phrase someone once shared with me that has given me a great deal of insight through the years and I want to share it with you:

"That which you resist persist"

I'm sure there are many different interpretations, but to me the phrase basically means, the more you time and energy you spend on something, often times the more you will experience it.

Think about it for a second.

When something really gets on your nerves, whether it's traffic, a disagreement with a friend or loved one, or a situation at work, have you ever noticed how much time and energy you spend re-playing the event over and over in your head.  And then wonder why the situation seems to continue coming up in your life?

I'm beginning to believe in this world of instant gratification we all get a bit too easily frustrated and distracted when it comes to getting things done.  When a situation doesn't go our way, we spend so much time re-telling the story to anyone who will listen, we constantly replay the event in our minds, and then wonder why we are continually running into these types of situations over and over again.  Why me?  We sometimes ask ourselves.

Maybe a better question is, why are you spending so much time and energy preoccupied with the very thing you don't want in your life?

Be clear, I'm not referring to some new age spirituality, but instead something that we all know as scientifically true .  Remember my post on reticular activation?

Why not try a different approach.  Try spending more time and energy focused on the things you do want instead of the things you don't want.  Yes, it sounds oh so simple, but try monitoring how much time and energy you spend on the things you don't want in your life versus the goals and plan you have to achieve those goals.  Which one wins out?

Here's a simple example I think we can all identify with to make the point more clear.  You've decided you want a certain outfit or a certain type of car.  Ever notice how it seems that every place you look you see that car or a similar outfit?  That's because your mind is tuned into that stimulus and has increased your awareness of it.  It's an oversimplified example but I think you get the point.

If you're sincere about wanting to transform your body, get out of pain, or just improve your day to day experiences, start paying attention to how you spend your energy and what you let affect your thoughts and grab your attention.

Need a little help nailing this down?  Check out these two:

Liberate_Yourself_from_the_Opinions_and_Judgments_of_Others.doc

Eradicate the poison that kills dreams

The bottom line is, if this year is going to be better than last year, you have to be better than last year.  Start paying attention to how you spend your time and energy. 

Now Go Out, Practice, and Get It Done!