Saturday, December 17, 2011

The #1 Reason Why Your New Year's Resolutions Fail and What to Do Instead




Your old-and-never-worked New Year's resolution could be like "I resolve to start exercising 5 to 7 times a week, 30 to 60 minutes each time." If you haven't exercised regularly for the last 3 months, this resolution is bound to fail and you're doomed!

Start with small baby steps. You could start with a combination of walking, aerobic exercise, strength training, and other physical activities for 2 to 3 times for a total accumulation of 2 hours of exercise a week. The key is to be able to get into a regular exercise habit. Gradually increase the duration, variety, intensity and frequency. This is one of the reasons why a coach/trainer can be a really good source of professional guidance and accountability.

Improving health and fitness is on the top 3 New Year's Resolutions for most people. You can witness by the crazy crowd in the gym for the first two weeks. I can testify by the exploding number of visitors to my website and blog and new subscriber signups. People all over the world are searching for advices on losing weight, building muscles, eating right, workout routines, six pack abs, etc.

Health and fitness is the case where haste makes waste, as the old saying goes. Many people start the new year with good momentum, then lose steam by the end of January. By February, most people already quit or visit the gym much less often. Pad yourself on the back if you're still working out by June. You're rare if you're still showing up in the gym regularly by year end.

One study from the University of Scranton showed that a quarter of people who resolve to lose weight and change their eating habits on January 1st will go back to their old ways within a week.

The following list shows how many of these resolutions are maintained as time goes on:

- Past the first week: 75%
- Past two weeks: 71%
- Past one month: 64%
- After 6 months: 46%

Source: Auld Lang Syne: Success predictors, change processes, and self-reported outcomes of New Year's resolvers and nonresolvers, by John C. Norcross, Marci S. Mrykalo, Matthew D. Blagys , University of Scranton. Journal of Clinical Psychology, Volume 58, Issue 4 (2002).

Respect yourself by showing your commitment and accountability in healthy lifestyle changes, not just 3 days, one week, or 6 months, permanent, for the long run.

One of the biggest mistakes when people make their New Year's Resolutions is that they want to change and do too many things, too soon and at the same time!

Sooner than later they get so overwhelmed that they simply cannot keep up with and just quit.

Changing or replacing an old habit takes time to become permanently part of you. Healthy lifestyle and habit changes don't just happen overnight. You should have known human behavior by now. It's true to eating healthy and working out regularly.

It's perfectly okay to dream big and have a big goal. But you need break down the big goal into smaller goals and action steps. Dream big but start small.

Make the smaller goals challenging yet still easily and realistically achievable. You'll feel confident and good about yourself when you achieve the small steps. It gives you the momentum, reinforcement and sense of accomplishment to move to the next step, a step closer to your bigger goal.

I suggest that you pick no more than two things to work on in each of the following areas. When you stick to it for one month, then add another one or two thing in the following month. If you're really conscious about your actions, you'll achieve 24 things in one area by the year end. That could be your bigger goal.

I must admit that I cannot start to change with all 24 things at the same time in just one area. But I can certainly focus on just two things in one month.

Friday, December 16, 2011

4 More Ways to Get Out of Your Boring Workout Routine

A certified personal trainer can custom-design
an exercise program just for you.

In my last article, I write about strength training protocol and training variables. I also gave three alternative workout routines to a typical bodybuidling straight-set routine.

If you missed the article, you can read in the following link. Even if you read it before, I suggest you re-read the articel to brush up some terminologies.

http://www.beyondfitnesssolutions.com/beyondfitness/2011/12/workout/why-your-workout-stops-working/

In this article, I'm providing four more alterante workout routines that you can change up to get out of your fitness rut.

Variation #4 Pyramid Set
DB Bench Press: 55 lbs x 12 reps, 60 lbs x 10 reps, 70 lbs x 6 reps, 2-0-1 tempo, 2 minute rest
Dumbbell Flyes: 40 lbs x 6 reps, 30 lbs x 10 reps, 25 lbs x 12 reps, 2-0-1 tempo, 2 minute rest

Comments: DB Bench Press loading pattern is a regular pyramid method. Start with lower-weight/higher-rep set and progress to heavier- weight/lower-rep set. Dumbbell Flyes loading pattern is an inverted or reverse pyramid scheme. Start with heavier-weight/lower-rep set and progress to lower-weight/high-rep set. There are also more complicated double pyramid and flat pyramidloading patterns.

Variation #5 Tempo & Tension Manipulation
By simply changing the tempo , it makes a lot of difference in the time under tension (TUT) on your muscles. Tempo (rep speed) refers to how quickly you lift the weight (concentric or "positive" phase) and lower the weight (eccentric or "negative" phase).

The 3-point tempo prescription of 2-0-1 means that you take 2 seconds to lower the weight, zero second pause at the bottom (stretch), and take one second to lift the weight. A more complicated 4-point tempo prescription adds the 4th digit for the time to hold (contracted) at the top of lifting.

For example, a "3-0-2" tempo prescription on the original straight set routine would make a huge impact on how you feel on the muscles and muscle growth. You'll probably start to feel that kind of unbearable muscle soreness by the 8th rep. You're struggling through the last two reps. That's the difference!

Variation #6 Anabolic/Anaerobic Conditioning
By reducing the rest interval between sets (say from 1 minute to 45 seconds), you'll be able to improve your anabolic conditioning and anaerobic fitness. You only rest till you're "almost" recovered and go for the next set. You don't wait around for 3 to 5 minutes till fully recovered.

Watch out for this routine as it's very taxing to your mind and body. You probably have to reduce the weights, too. So check out your ego.

One extreme example of this variation is modified Olympic Power Training Routine . Anaerobic conditioning and performance is achieved by training and pushing VO2 max and lactic acid or lactate threshold .

Variation #7 Periodization
I covered this topic before about periodizing your training program . After a few weeks of dedicated and consistent training, you've gained some muscles, become stronger, and are able to lift heavier or more reps. That's, you're adapted to the workout routine. You need new stimulus to continue to build strength and grow muscles by progressive overloading .

Why not try 3 sets x 12 reps at 45-second rest interval or 4 sets x 8 reps at 90-second rest interval, even on the same weights and exercise combination?

Get in the Program and Stay on It

Aren't you having enough yet? The list of variations can go on if you start to add more or different exercises to work on chest muscles. There are also other training methods such as tri-set, giant set, drop set, forced rep, super slow rep, "negative" focused rep, etc. You see, there are a lot more variations available for changing up your weight training routine than you can imagine. You'll never be bored with weight training.

One mistake made by many beginners is that they change their workout routine too often. Some keep changing their programs or routines in every workout or evey week. They try all sorts of fancy body part split routines they can find in the books, body building magazines or from their gym buddies.

No Program Hopping

You have to stay on and complete one program for a prescribed period, be it 3, 6 or 8 weeks. Do not try a different variation in every workout; otherwise there is no accumulated, consistent and positive training effect on the muscular, neurological and hormonal levels. It also needs to be designed and integrated into the longer training macrocycle as periodization .

Each variation has its purpose and effect. Define your training goal first. Pick one variation of your current workout routine and stay on it for at least three weeks. It may help you break your training plateau. You may see new strength gain and muscle growth in no

Monday, December 12, 2011

Why Your Workout Stops Working


Have you been doing the same old workout routine over and over? 10 reps by 3 sets?
It's insane to expect different (and better) results by doing the same things over and over.
It's about time to change up your strength traiining rouitne if you haven't gained strength or muscles, or lose fat.
Let's look at the training variables you can manipulate for weight training (resistance training): 
  • Selection of exercises
  • Order of exercises
  • Weights (resistance)
  • Sets
  • Reps
  • Tempo (rep speed)
  • Rest interval
  • Loading pattern
  • Periodization program

Reasonably simple, huh? Yes, but there's more to it. The combination of all these variables determine your training volume and intensity and your results. 
Let's look at an example. Say you want to work on your chest (pectoral muscles) by choosing dumbbell flat bench press and dumbbell fly exercises (your selection of exercises). One classical straight-set workout may look like this (after light-weight warm-up sets) : 
Classical Straight Set for Hypertrophy ( Muscle Building)
Dumbbell Bench Press: 60 lbs x 3 sets x 10 reps, 2-0-1 tempo, 1 minute rest
Dumbbell Fly: 30 lbs x 3 sets x 10 reps, 2-0-1 tempo, 1 minute rest 
Comments: The order of exercises is dumbbell bench press first followed by dumbbell flyes. Each exercise is performed for 3 sets by 10 reps at respective weights. The lifting tempo is 2-0-1 rep speed. The rest interval between sets is one minute. The weight loading pattern is straight set; i.e., same weight through each exercise. Some people may call Dumbbell Flyes as "post-exhaustion" set in this combination. 

What Else Can You Do?

Well, a lot more than you think.

The following shows three variations to above weight training routine with comments.

Variation #1 Pre-exhaustion Set
Dumbbell Fly: 35 lbs x 3 sets x 10 reps, 2-0-1 tempo, 1 minute rest
Dumbbell Bench Press: 55 lbs x 3 sets x 10 reps, 2-0-1 tempo, 1 minute rest

Comments: The order of exercises is reversed. Flye is an isolation exercise that would tire out your pec as an "pre-exhaustion" set. You may be able to "fly" more weight first, but you almost wouldn't be able to lift as much in the subsequent Bench Press (a compound exercise).

Variation #2 Straight-Set for Maximum Strength
DB Bench Press: 75 lbs x 5 sets x 3 reps, 2-0-1 tempo, 3 minute rest
Dumbbell Fly: 40 lbs x 5 sets x 3 reps, 2-0-1 tempo, 3 minute rest

Comments: By reversing the set x rep combination to the low rep range and heavier weights, you're training for maximum strength development. Training load and intensity are higher. You typically have to reduce training volume and rest longer between sets to recover from metabolic and physiological stresses.

Variation #3 Super Set
Dumbbell Bench Press @ 60 lbs x 10 reps (2-0-1 tempo) followed immediately without rest with Dumbbell Flyes @ 30 lbs x 10 reps (2-0-1 tempo)
Repeat this superset two more times for a total of 3 sets with1-minute rest between supersets.

Comments: Superset means you do two exercises back to back without rest. Take the rest till you finish both exercises as one set. These two exercises could target the same muscle group as it is in this case. You can also superset unrelated muscle groups (such as leg and shoulder) or opposing muscle groups (biceps and triceps). 

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