Time Saving Training Tips

For most people, it seems like seconds count in their personal and professional lives. Catching a plane for a sales trip. Critical appointments with clients, running around with your kids, making sure that you catch the latest episode of Coronation Street or whatever other hundred other things you're involved with each day.

But YOU don't have to leave that philosophy in the changing room when you hit the gym floor. Although there's never an excuse for poor exercise technique, there are dozens of safe ways to shave time from your workout routine - and still train like a champion. Here are some effective time-saving strategies...

1. Opposites attract.

Train opposing muscle groups during your rest periods. Also called "modified compound sets." For example, after you get done doing a set of bench press to work your chest, IMMEDIATELY go to the lat pulldown machine to do a set of pulldowns for your upper and middle back.

2. Stay focused.

You've heard it before: he who fails to plan plans to fail. Said in fitness jargon, he who walks into the gym and wanders around wastes massive amounts of time. Plan your routine before you go to the gym or better still talk to a Fitness Coach who will workout a programme for you. And STICK WITH IT.

3. Rev up your Metabolism with intervals.

This writer has worked in the industry for 10 years and I am still amazed by people who are able to read a book or worse still study a text book while on a bike or a treadmill. If you can read then your not making use of your workout time. Treadmills are great for walking, jogging, or running, but doing a little of each be INTERVAL TRAINING can help kick your body's fat-burning ability into high-gear. Walk for 5 minutes to start. Then jog for 2 minutes, then run at a higher level for 2 minutes, alternating back and forth until you've reached anywhere from 15-20 minutes of total time. If that's too difficult, start at 30 seconds of jog, 30 seconds of run, and increase gradually by 15 seconds until you can do 2 minutes jog, 2 minutes run.

4. Bring a bottle.

Sure, you could go to the drinking fountain every time you want some water. A better idea is to carry a water bottle with you as you work out. Not only do you save time, but you keep your body properly hydrated, resulting in better workout performance.

5. Avoid peaking!

If you want a peak performance workout, avoid working out during your gym's peak hours - typically 5 pm - 8 pm. You'll wind up wasting time waiting in line for workout equipment and dumbbells. And a wasted workout.

6. Early bird gets the worm.

Gyms have fewer clients in the early-morning hours. Plus, you'll often find they're less talkative - maybe because they're trying to wake up!

7. Use free weights.

A single, adjustable bench allows you to do a multitude of free weight exercises. You can do bench presses, shoulder presses, crunches, curls, triceps extensions, upright rows, etc. Your workout goes smoothest when you have all the barbells and dumbbells nearby, so the only time you have to move is to grab different weights.

8. Quit the B.S.ing.

Yes, you look forward to chatting with your friends at the gym. But when time is on the line and you have to zip through your workout, TELL THEM. That way you get your workout in without making them feel ignored and plus feel like you've worked out more than just your jaw.

9. Race against the clock.

When you're pushed for time use a STOPWATCH and take 30 second rest periods between sets. Keep a close eye on the the watch. As soon as it's been 30 seconds, BAM, start your next set.

10. Train with your partner.

Sometimes exercise can seem like it's stealing time away from your spouse or significant other. Why not go to the gym together? You don't actually have to work out together - your workouts will be very different. Better than feeling guilty about not spending time together.

11. Prepare.

Prepare for your next exercise between sets will save you time. If you're going to use dumbbells, for instance, pull them from the rack and place them at the bench you're going to use. Also on the subject of preparation pack your gym bag the night before as it will save you time and ensure that you won't forget your trainers

Squatting With Heels Raised

A lot of people have difficulty squatting past parallel, because they've never done it before. And when they do, they find it hard keeping their torsos upright at the bottom of the movement. They lack the flexibility to do full squats correctly, because their Achille's tendons just don't allow for it. How do you know you lack the flexibility to do full range squats? Try squatting all the way down with your back arched, shoulders back, chest out and body upright. If you find your heels come up at the bottom of the movement, then you're lacking in flexibility. One way to get around this is to place a couple of plates underneath the heels. This allows you to squat all the way down with a semi-upright torso. It also shifts the emphasis slightly from your ass and hips to your quads, which develops a better look for your thighs.

Benefits

• More VMO(vastus medialis obliquus) Recruitment
• Back is straighter as you squat
• Great for those with limited ankle plantar flexion
• Allows full range
• More range allows for a more balanced development of the thigh i.e. between vastus intermedius, lateralis and medialis. Most of us have underdeveloped medialis leading to destabilising of the knee.
• More synovial fluid flushing i.e. lubrication of the knee
• Reduced risk of injury.

Cons

• More shear force for the unhealthy knee - must take into consideration history before attempting
• Must be pain free Range of Motion
• Flexibility issues further up the spine.

I hope this wee article sheds some light on the subject.

Happy and safe squatting.

How to Stay Motivated

Staying Motivated

Its time to get back to the gym people. Tomorrow is the start of a new month and its time to get your gym gear ready and get back on track with that exercise programme you started in January and for some reason or another you fell off the wagon. Maybe it was those cold and dark winter mornings and your bed was a far more enticing than battling the elements or maybe you just got bored. Hell you can even use the excuse that your dog ate your gym gear and you've just been far too busy to pop into town and replace it :) We all make excuses but sometime we just have to get back on that treadmill and fight the laziness of the mind. Here are some tips to help you get back on track with your exercise habit.

A great motivation technique is to set goals for yourself so that you can monitor your progress on a weekly or monthly basis. As you are able to see your progress, your enthusiasm will soar.

Listed below are some specific goal setting tips:

Be specific

In order to stimulate your motivation, you need to be specific with your goal setting. Instead of saying you are going to set a personal best for a dead lift or a 5km run, set a goal to improve on your personal best by 10kg's or 15 seconds in the next six months.

Set a deadline

Complacency and an attitude of "I'll work on that later" will set in if your deadline for achieving your goal is not defined. Add a sense of urgency to your goal by adding a specific timeframe and watch your motivation skyrocket!

Set realistic but difficult to obtain goals

Your goals should be achievable and challenging at the same time. An unrealistic goal will kill motivation but a goal that is too easily obtained will lead to boredom.

Write and Review Your Goals

Writing down your goals creates your roadmap to success. Although just the act of writing them down can set the process in motion, it is also extremely important to frequently review your goals. Remember, the more focused you are on your goals the more likely you are to accomplish them.

Develop a Plan and Work It

Develop a plan of action to achieve your running goals and then Just Do It! By taking the time to decide on the specific steps needed to achieve your goals, you increase your motivation and your chances of success. The final step is to get out there and work your plan.

Utilize a Training Log

Keep a training log of each workout you do. Record times, distances, weights lifted, nutrition record, time of day, weather, your pulse rate, progress toward goals and any other statistic or aspect of your exercise you might find valuable. A training log allows you to monitor your progress and learn from your mistakes. Many regular exercisers regularly review their training logs to look at the work they've done in the past to provide motivation for the future.

Implement the Buddy System

Train with a compatiable training partner. Finding others with which to train makes time fly, provides accountability, builds friendships, and provides mutual motivation on those days when you or your partner(s) just "don't feel like it."

Don't know of anyone to train with? Ask your fitness coach or ask your work colleague who you feel is at the same level as you and may have similar goals.

Surround yourself with Reminders

Sustained motivation is key to achieving your potential. One way to keep your motivation high is to find out what fires you up, and then surround yourself with it. Examples include: posters, quotes, photos, inspiring literature, biographies of successful athletes, fitness books, fitness magazines, and videos. Place your "mental stimuli" where you can see it every day.

Be Creative with your Workouts

Doing the same workout day after day leads to boredom and burnout. Alter your workout routine by

• Getting a fitness assessment and programme review
• Hire a personal trainer to train you once a week

Being creative with your workout will add new life to your exercise habit.

Do more than just going to the gym

Do more than just going to the gym to add a boost of motivation, incorporate some cross training in your workout routine. There are many other activities that can increase your strength, flexibility, and aerobic conditioning. Mix in some cycling, swimming, hiking, or take up a new sport. In the now famous words of Nike, Just Do It!

Reward yourself when you succeed

Rewards can be a powerful motivator. When you do succeed, make sure to do something nice for yourself. Many who have reached their goal treat themselves to some tangible reward: a sports watch, a meal at a nice restaurant, or a special trip. The ideas are limited only by your imagination.

Bottom line: Be good to yourself.

Resistance Training for Women - The Myths

1. If you lift weights, you'll bulk up! It's physiologically impossible for women because testosterone is responsible for increasing muscle bulk, and women simply don't have enough of this predominantly male hormone to build Schwarzenegger-sized bulges.

2. Lifting weights will get rid of "lovehandles" and any other unsightly bulges.
The truth is that there is no such thing as "spot reduction." If you have a ripple here or a bulge there, your only recourse is to reduce fat all over. The best way is with a combination of cardiovascular exercise, strength training and a healthy nutrition plan. Strength training (via free weights or weight machines), and you'll beef up your lean muscle mass, turning your body into a round-the-clock calorie-burning factory.

3. In order to see results, you need to work every muscle individually. Not only is it unnecessary to work each of your more than 600 muscles separately, you actually get a better workout (as in faster results in less time) by performing compound moves. Think squats, lunges, dips, push-ups. Unlike single-joint exercises (like a biceps curl or leg extension), compound moves mimic activities you're likely to perform in everyday life.


4. For maximum definition, the more repetitions of each exercise, the better.
In order to see gains in strength, size, or power is by taking the muscle to fatigue. In general, try to do at least two sets of each exercise and use a weight that's heavy enough so that you can barely lift it by the end of the second set.

5. If you stop working out, your muscles will turn to fat.
Think apples and oranges: Fat and muscle are two different substances, and one cannot, will not, and has not ever turned into the other. Less of one simply means more room for the other. When you stop using your muscles, your body becomes significantly less efficient at burning calories and this allows the fat to creep back on. And another thing to remeber ladies is that women who work out with weights can slow the 10 percent loss of strength per decade that occurs in women who don't train with weights.

The Kaizen Approach to New Year's Health and Fitness

"The Kaizen Approach to New Year’s Health and Fitness" by John Lark

Gyms laugh in January. They open their doors to a stream of enthusiastic and motivated individuals decked in the latest spandex offerings and with the zeal of a child diving into a pack of sweets. They take your details, ask a few probing questions, assess you and then leave you to it. The motivation is good at the start. You take up a class, lift a few weights, enjoy the group walks around the block. A month on you look at the scales and nothing has moved.

Was it really worth it?

Was it worth leaving a screaming household to go and perform a workout that left me drained in a pool of sweat? Short answer – no. So you throw in the towel. It is ok. No one will notice.

The race to become a fitter, healthier and significantly newer you has finished. Well, until next year, or next week, or ‘when I get the call from next door to go for a walk’. Time to wake up and smell the coffee.

Your interior monologue and the little voices that keep you in front of mindless soaps such as Coronation Street are not going to win this one. Time to take a realistic approach to the New Year. One that will include gradual and ongoing improvement. This is beautifully summed up with the Eastern Philosophy of ‘Kaizen’.

Each day – no matter how small - you are going to take steps to improving your health and fitness. Think baby steps rather than futile long strides.

Kaizen in health and fitness allows us to take each day as it comes. Set goals which are attainable and progressive and incorporate health and fitness into our lives with progression, accountability and constant revision.

Here are my five top ways of incorporating this philosophy into your plans for the new you in the new year.

1. Set Behaviour Orientated Goals

It may be your ambition to start having a breakfast each morning to help you with your energy, fat metabolism and sugar cravings each day.

From the outset this seems a constant and never-ending battle. In time you may give up because you haven’t realised that the goal of eating breakfast each morning is actually preceded by the behaviour of getting up earlier.

Going to the gym three times a week may be hard if you don’t bring your kit bag with you to work and nip there on the way home rather than heading home first.

The behaviour that allows you to go to the gym three times a week is actually ‘taking a gym bag to work’

Your First Step:

Identify which five behaviours you need to add and work on for 21 days.

2. Start Interval Training

Recent research shows that shorter, yet more intense bouts of exercise are more effective at burning fat than the long drawn out sessions.

This is great for our baby steps. Now 45 minutes doesn’t seem so daunting to achieve 5 times per week.

Your First Step:

Try one session of twenty minutes whereby you pick the pace up of your walk for a minute and then ease back down for two minutes. Repeat this eight to ten times.

3. Begin to Strength Train

A progressive and gradual increase in strength will mean more muscle, a faster metabolism, more anti-aging hormones circulating in your system and more energy.

Your First Step:

Pick up a book from your local bookstore, use a video or hire a professional to show you how.

4. Start a simple and effortless stretching routine

Stretching is crucial to our health and vitality and needn’t be exhaustive in the time it takes you to perform.

Your First Step

Try this simple stretch – Kneel with one knee on the ground. Hold onto a chair for support. Push gently through the knee on the floor. You should feel a mild tug on the front of your thigh. Relax. Repeat 2-3 times per side each time holding for 15 seconds.

5. Kick Start Your Diet with Foods Rich in Protein and Fibre

Eating a die rich in lean protein sources such as eggs, chicken, turkey, lean red meat and fish coupled with plenty of fibre in green vegetables is a sure fire way to get the fat furnaces going this new year.

Your first step

Plan your shopping and try and knock out some of the high fat processed foods and substitute them for more meats and fish alongside more fruits and vegetables. Your body and your wallet will thank you for it.

John Lark M.A., CSCS is a fat loss specialist based at The Sphere Fitness Studio, Leinster Clinic, Maynoooth. Download your free fat loss report at www.spherefitness.ie

Contact – John Lark
E: jlark@spherefitness.ie