Break away from the machines
– Use dumbbells to engage both sides of your body, and for a greater
challenge, perform unilateral exercise movements (alternating from
one side to the other when lifting weights).
Take it to almost failure
– It’s important to engage the muscles completely and make sure that
no matter whether you are completing 8 or 12 reps, the last 2-3
should be challenging and you should not be able to complete another
2-3 reps. If you can, then raise your amount of weight to engage
those muscles. Make sure to use a spotter if you’re lifting heavier
weights.
Lunges and squats
– Probably the two best lower body exercises that can be performed
to engage the largest muscles in your body. Working your lower body
will keep you symmetrical in shape and also help you burn more fat
and change your Body/Fat ratio by developing the largest muscles in
your body to become your Fat Burning Machines while your body is at
rest.
Stay in the range
– 8-12 reps is about the perfect rep range for most people trying to
improve their general fitness level. Too many reps will leave you
with NO good quality results and too little will make it very hard
to train without a spotter. Lift heavy for size and strength and
keep changing your rep range to keep your body guessing while
developing strong fat burning muscles.
Take a break –
Rest and Recovery are a crucial element in any successful fitness
training program, and I recommend to my clients at least 24-48 hours
rest between resistance training sessions. I always recommend at
least 48 hours for your larger muscle groups, which would be your
lower body leg workouts. I also recommend taking a week off during
your training programs to give your body a break, and in most cases
you will come back even stronger. Keep your body fresh and strong,
and you will get greater long-term fitness success.
Eat to train and train to
eat – Your body is an engine, so feed it like one. You
cannot perform well at peak levels without fuel, especially if you
are engaged in a high intensity resistance training workout. Eat a
combination of good quality high fiber carbohydrates in combination
with a lean good quality protein before your training sessions and
always refuel again after you workout. You need to feed the muscles
you just broke down so they can get stronger again. Eat your meals
as the old proverb says: Breakfast like a King, Lunch like a Citizen
and Dinner as the beggar on the corner.
Keep it fresh and
challenging – Any training program that is maintained for
longer than 4-6 weeks will not be as effective in the long run.
Always keep your body guessing, challenged and fresh with new and
innovative fitness training programs. Your body should never be
allowed to develop a rhythm using the same training programs. You
will ultimately get diminishing returns on your training sessions.
So keep your body guessing for maximum long-term results.
Don’t limit yourself
– Machines will typically provide only one range of motion and will
not help improve any muscle imbalances you may have. When you use
dumbbells, you have no choice but to engage both sides of your body
when lifting weights. Using free weights will really uncover any
weakness you may have on one side of your body, promote a more
natural range of motion, support imbalances of your muscle groups,
and introduce you to tons of exercises that can be performed with a
low cost and home friendly training method. Also, challenge all your
muscles by using a Stability Ball. Stability Balls provide you
incredible flexibility in terms of cost, variety of exercises, and
most importantly the engagement of many, many stabilizer muscles
that would never be worked utilizing a fitness machine or even a
bench.
Save it for the weights
- There is nothing more challenging than a high intensity resistance
training session, and doing your cardio before your weights will not
provide you the energy you need to perform at a peak level needed to
maximize your weight training sessions. Complete your weight
workout. Then if you want to perform cardio on the same day as your
resistance training, do it after the weights. Your body will thank
you for it. Build Muscle, and then Burn the Fat!!
Take to new levels
– Short High Intensity Fitness Training is the way to go. Your body
and mind will love you for it. Train with High Intensity in Short
Bursts and get maximum fat burn both when performing your resistance
training and cardio workouts. That is the only way I train my
clients and it helps them fit their training into their busy
schedules so they can stay on track to turn the Flab to Fab in Only
15 Minutes a Day!!
You cannot live by cardio
alone – Although cardio is an excellent Fat Burner,
especially if performed as a High Intensity Interval Training
workout, you need to realize that burning fat is only part of the
equation. It is essential that any Complete and Balanced Fitness
Training Plan includes an effective High Intensity Resistance
Training program to maintain and increase your muscle mass. By
integrating resistance workouts into your traditional cardio
routines, you will build muscle and burn fat both during your
workouts and while you’re at rest. You need to develop your body
into a Fat Burning Machine, and changing your body composition is
the key to long-term success.
