November Class Schedule
October 30, 2010 by Jenny Neighbour · Leave a Comment
Happy Fall!
There is a class for everyone this November! Check out our new Pilates class added to our early morning schedule as well as our new DANCE class on Friday mornings! Deb will be teaching the Friday morning class that will not only be FUN…but will get you movin’ and groovin’ while you sweat off those unwanted calories!
For you DRUM CLASS lovers, please consider coming to our Saturday morning DRUM class at 8am on Saturdays! This class is a favorite to many and we have moved this class to Saturdays to include more people…AND JENNY GETS TO TEACH IT!!!
Click on links below for a complete calendar and for class descriptions!
See you in CLASS!
November Class Descriptions – 2010
“What’s the number one reason people do not work out?”
August 19, 2010 by Deb · Leave a Comment
Is it lack of money? Lack of motivation? Perhaps they lack the
ideal workout plan?
Nope. It’s TIME. Or rather the lack thereof.
“We know that 50 per cent of the population doesn’t [exercise]
and the most commonly cited barrier to exercise is lack of time.”
This quote comes from exercise researcher Martin Gibala, a
kinesiology professor at McMaster University in Hamilton.
I can testify: as a Personal Training for over 15 years I can tell
you that 60% of gym members quit in the first 3 months.
And that’s an industry stat across North America.
Gibala put his theory to the test in a study that was published
in the Journal of Physiology. In it Gibala compared a group who
exercised “traditionally” — 90 to 120 minutes per day — with
another group exercising far less: Only 20 minutes per day and
only three days per week.
That’s a whopping one hour per week folks!!
In just two weeks both groups showed improvement in both exercise
performance and oxygen uptake. (Remember, fat burns in the
presence of oxygen.)
The kicker is that both groups were almost identical in their
improvement. Why? Because the brief exercise group trained with
greater focus and more intensity — exactly how I suggests you
train.
This is just one of dozens of studies that confirm the benefits
of shorter but more intense workouts.
However, there is a catch: Train too hard and you will shut down
your fat-burning furnace.
Your body perceives over-exertion done over an extended period of
time as a sign of pursuit. It can trigger an ancient hormonal
sequence that says, “I’m being chased by a tiger! Horde the fat!”
The body literally shuts down what it considers to be unnecessary
activity in favor of self-preservation. And guess what? Burning
off those hips and love handles is not a biological necessity.
You have to learn when to hit it hard AND when to rest and
recover.
Finally, you have to put yourself into the proper mental state in
order to see greater results in the shortest period of time.
Just remember these three key points:
1. Time is the greatest barrier to fitness.
2. Workouts can be short and very effective.
3. The body goes where the mind directs.
Until next time, train smart.
Deb 
Exercising in the Heat
July 17, 2010 by Deb · Leave a Comment
I have received a few questions about this over the last couple of days and thought it was important to give advice on exercising in the heat!
I suggest that you try to workout in the morning or late evening during the hot summer months. I can speak from personal experience about how heat affects you during workouts. Your heart rate can be elevated by 5 to 15 beats versus exercising in normal temperatures. You also sweat a lot more and can cramp up easily as you also lose more sodium due to the high sweat levels. You will also see that it is more difficult to hit target heart rates or target perceived exertion levels in the heat as you can feel exhausted and drained.
I suggest that you avoid exercising outside in temperatures above 90 degrees (maybe even 85 degrees). Your health is too important to risk by trying to fit in a hard interval workout on a very hot day. Of course, your doctor is the best source of information on what is too hot a temperature for your workouts.
One last point, regardless of whether you are working out in the heat or on a 70 degree day, you should always have a water bottle with you and keep hydrated during your workout. If you feel thirsty while working out, then you are too late as you are already dehydrated. Being proactive about this will keep you safe and performing well.
The #1 thing to focus on while trying to fit in your summer outside workouts is to be safe. So do some smart planning, avoid making excuses and get your workouts done early in the morning or late in the evening if you absolutely can’t do the mornings.
When it’s just too HOT outside, hit the GYM!
GOOD LUCK AND HAVE FUN!
IMPORTANT NOTE: IF YOU EVER FEEL SICK OR THE SLIGHTEST BIT DIZZY WHILE WORKOUT (IN THE HEAT OR OTHERWISE), STOP WORKING OUT IMMEDIATELY. YOU ARE PROBABLY DEHYDRATED, LOW ON CALORIES AND/OR PUSHED TOO HARD. IF YOU TAKE IN SOME FLUIDS AND FOOD AND DON’T FEEL BETTER, I SUGGEST YOU CALL YOUR DOCTOR RIGHT AWAY. REMEMBER, BEING SAFE IS THE #1 PRIORITY ON YOUR FITNESS AND/OR WEIGHT LOSS JOURNEY.
Stay Cool!
Deb
10 Minute Total Body Fat Burning Circuit
July 5, 2010 by Deb · Leave a Comment
I know lots of people who consumed an excess of calories this weekend celebrating the 4th of July – hamburgers, hot dogs, potato salad, chips and dip, brownies, beer and probably a lot more.
Who can resist?
Or that may be some people’s normal weekend eating anyway. Ha Ha!!
Well here’s a great 5th of July workout to help you burn off those excess calories.
And best of all, it only takes 10 minutes and you won’t even have to go to the gym. CrossTrain was open this am 7-11. I did see a few of you but many of you were NOT there so this is something you can do!!
This great 10 minute total body fat burning circuit will work your upper body, lower body, abs and heart rate. All you need is a jump rope and you can do this workout anywhere.
10 minute total body fat burning circuit:
Jump Rope x 100
Jumping Lunges x 10 each leg
Push Ups x 10
Perform as many rounds as you can in 10 minutes. See if you can get 4-5 rounds. Write down how many rounds you get through and the next time you do it simply try to get through more rounds!!
Let me know how many rounds you did! New circuit starts tomorrow….hope to see you soon!
Deb
BOOTCAMP-HIGH INTENSITY INTERVAL TRAINING POWERED BY: WORKOUT MUSE
October 29, 2009 by Deb · 2 Comments
Interval Training consists of alternating between bouts of all-out high-intensity effort and low-to-moderate intensity active recovery periods.
Interval Training has long been proven in both scientific research and real world case studies to be the most effective way to maximize fat loss AND improve overall conditioning while taking less than half the time of the long, slow, and boring steady-state aerobic training alternative.
It’s not about time… IT’S ALL ABOUT INTENSITY!
The key to our Rapid Fat Loss Boot Camp Workouts is INTENSITY. In both scientific research and real world studies, time and time again one thing is clear: Intensity is truly the only thing that makes your body change! Intensity is the key to ripping off unwanted body fat and gaining lean, muscle.
As much as we’d love to claim we’ve reinvented the wheel here, this intensity principle is nothing new in the fitness world. Even as far back as 1994 in the Metabolism Journal researchers discovered the following: each calorie you expend during high-intensity exercise burns 9 times more fat than the same calorie expended during steady state aerobic exercise!
The Role of HIGH-Intensity Exercise
- Embraces the Carb-Burning Zone: High-Intensity exercise rapidly reducing muscle glycogen (stored sugar) during training which promotes enhanced total body fat-burning at all other times of day.
- Burns a TON of Calories Both During AND After Exercise: This phenomenon is due to the post-workout “AFTERBURN” know as EPOC which describes the number of calories your body expends in the recovery of your metabolism back to pre-exercise levels from high-intensity training. The best part about EPOC is that you control it, meaning that the harder you work during training the more calories your body will burn BOTH during your workout AND for up to 24-48 hours after completing your workout!
- Creates the Optimal Hormonal Environment for Fat Loss: High-Intensity exercise puts your body in a “fight or flight” mode that forces your body to CHANGE as a means of survival. More specifically, your body releases catecholamines (primarily adrenaline) in response to interval training that directly mobilizes stored body fat so that it can be burnt off as energy during activity.
Traditional resistance training prescribes performing straight sets where you perform one set of an exercise, rest for 2-3 minutes, and the repeat for the designated number of sets before moving on to the next exercise in your workout. Metabolic Resistance Training combines the muscle building effects of resistance training with the cardiovascular benefits of interval training by using alternating sets of non-competing exercises. For example, you will perform one set of a lower body exercise for 60 s, rest for 20 s, perform one set of an upper body exercise for 60s, rest for 20 s, perform one set of a core exercise for 60 s, rest for 20 s, and then repeat this sequence for the designated number of rounds. Using this alternating set format, by the time you return to the lower body exercise you will still have nearly 3 minutes of recovery from that exercise as in the straight set format, but instead of doing nothing, you have been working your upper body and your core while technically “resting.”
This time-efficient approach provides the optimal fat-burning effect by keeping your heart rate elevated throughout the entire workout as if you were performing cardio while allowing you to perform each resistance training exercise at peak intensity for the optimal muscle-building stimulus. “Strength Cardio” provides the biggest bang-for-your-buck so that you can simultaneously build lean muscle mass AND melt body fat. Essentially you will be performing interval training with classic resistance training exercises like push-ups, squats, lunges, etc.
Perform Total Body Workouts: For best results, you need to perform 3 total body resistance training workout per week with at least one day of rest between sessions. By working every muscle in your body each and every workout you will provide the optimal stimulus for both fat loss AND muscle growth. Not only do you maximize the number of calories burned during your workout, but you also maximize the number of calories your body expends recovering from your workout. These short-term increases in metabolism last anywhere from 24 to 48 hours after your workout. In addition, by gaining muscle, you will promote long-term increases in metabolism as it requires significantly more energy for you body to maintain new, hard-earned muscle mass. This is how you build a faster metabolism and become a fat-burning machine 24-7-365.
This week we will offer FREE sample classes for you to try. See schedule for times.
This class is designed for those who want to take their fitness to a new level and for those who want to get an awesome workout done in a short amount of time! In order for this class to be effective you MUST get heart rate into the proper training rates and therefore we encourage the use of a belted heart rate monitor. * Class is NOT designed for the beginner. Modifications can be made however a good base cardiovascular system and heart rate monitor are highly recommended.
We will be offering Bootcamp six times weekly. You will sign up for either morning or evening classes. A class session will be eight weeks long making it a total of 24 classes. This class will come with a body composition and goal setting, measurements, and weekly self weigh- ins on Saturdays.
Pre-registration is required as class size is limited!
November Class Offerings:
Tuesday/Thursdays 5:15am-5:45am Saturdays 6:30am-7:00am
Monday/Wednesdays 6:15pm-6:45pm Saturdays 7:15am-7:45am
Hope you all have gotten a chance to try a class! I also have some HIIT formats on the circuit side for you to try!
Crank it!
Deb
The Real Reasons I listen to Fast Loud Music!
October 21, 2009 by Deb · 6 Comments
Why the Right Music Means a Better Workout!
It was back in 1995 that I started to run into a real problem with workout music. My fitness business was exploding and I found myself working with large groups of 15-60 plus people at each workout……whew!
So what was the problem?
Well, many of my group exercise classes consisted of several people at several different fitness levels….this always the case in group fitness classes! For some of my classes I needed slower music that allowed me to count slowly and do slow reps of exercises…..this worked great in my toning type classes but it was when I wanted to teach group interval classes that I ran into big problems. Timed sets of various interval work best when you have a wide variety of fitness levels. This allows everyone to work at their own pace within the same workout. If you’re trying to run a professional program that starts and ends at the same time every time, interval training is the way to go for the workouts. It’s also cheaper on the pocketbook as you don’t have to buy special equipment for each participant, you can purchase 5-6 and then simply rotate the people through the exercises using stations.
But interval training is a bit of a catch 22. Sure my classes were running well, but I felt like I wasn’t able to provide as much client supervision since I was constantly having to look at the clock and be the human stopwatch announcing “go… halfway… stop, switch.”
So, I knew I had to find a solution and I tried several options like timers, bells, whistles, and alarms. None of them worked the way I wanted them to. Then here just recently I found the solution I was looking for. It’s a program that allows me to offer interval workout music to automate my classes with the simple click of a button. YEAH!!
This interval music has made me a much better trainer/instructor because the music tells my clients exactly what to do so I can do what I do best: coach, motivate, and supervise my clients.
But it’s more than just the extra supervision that drastically reduces the risk of injury from an intensive group exercise program (which is alone a huge improvement to any training program). It’s about the impact the right music can have on your workouts.
According to scientists at Dalhousie University in Canada, music not only motivates but it can make you stronger. These researchers recently discovered that people who listened to workout music during training showed significantly greater strength gains in 4 weeks time than those who wore noise-cancellation headphones. According to study author Jo M. Welch, Ph.D, the explanation for this increase in performance most likely lies in the music causing a reduction in perceived exertion during the workout, thus allowing the trainee to work harder. Furthermore, she explained that the key was listening to the tunes that motivate you the most, whatever musical genre that may be.
In the past I had clients bring in their favorite music and that never really worked out that well- some liked it and some didn’t, and some songs were too slow and some were too fast. I then tried my best to bring in an eclectic mix of music to please everyone, but that was even more of a disaster. It’s a real pain in the butt to have to constantly search for and buy new music that people always would complain about anyways, or the lyrics are so bad I wouldn’t play them in the gym. After all, music is just like politics and religion- everyone has their own personal tastes and preferences.
So for our new BOOTCAMP (HIIT) classes we will start in November we will be offering the interval workout music powered by Workout Muse. It features instrumental-only tracks with the only vocals being the audio updates that I used to have to announce myself. In using this program with my personal training clients and some sample classes, I immediately saw the power of the right music in my classes. Bottom line, people worked harder and cranked out more reps during each work set and subsequently took less rest and transition between exercises. You don’t need to be an extreme athlete to know that increased intensity and density within each workout leads to better results!
Another study from the University of Western Ontario in Canada supports what I have seen in the real world with hundreds of people from all walks of life- cranking up the volume jacks up the intensity of the training session. Janet McMordie, the author of the study, discovered that louder music during a workout resulted in better performance due to both a surge of mood-enhancing hormones (primarily adrenaline) and, just like the previous study, a sonic distraction that prevents you from realizing how tired you are so you can work harder for longer. So, yes even my 5:15 am classes will have rockin’ loud music!!
The 18 women in the study listened to their favorite music soundtracks of different decibel levels while performing various exercise tasks: cycling sprints, max reps on the leg press, and max reps on the bench press. She discovered the rep total increased by 46% on average at the loudest music volume when compared to listening to no music at all. Plus, across the board, even the lowest volume level resulted in significant performance gains further proving that listening to motivating workout music at any volume helps you push past your comfort zone to get the best training effect.
The most groundbreaking study on the effect of music on exercise and performance was done by Dr. Costas Karageorghis in Karageorghis & Terry, 1997, where he discovered the following:
1.) Music reduces perceived exertion by distracting the exerciser from exercise-induced fatigue so they can work harder for longer.
2.) Music can either psyche-up an athlete pre-workout/competition or relax an athlete pre-workout/competition depending on the tone of music and the consistency of the selected song lyrics.
3.) Music is the perfect marriage between the inherent similarities of rhythm and human movement- “the synchronization of music with exercise consistently demonstrates increased levels of work output among exercise participants (see Karageorghis & Terry, 1997, for review).”
4.) Music can aid in learning new movements and in learning how to move better- “music can enhance the acquisition of motor skills and create a better learning environment. There is evidence from both gymnastics and swimming in support of this (Chen, 1985; Jernberg, 1981).”
5.) Music can get you in the zone for optimal focus on the task at hand- “Our most recent research (Karageorghis & Terry, 1998) has revealed an interesting link between music and the attainment of flow state during aerobic dance exercise. Flow involves an altered state of awareness during physical activity in which the mind and body function on ‘auto-pilot’ with minimal conscious effort. Some coaches refer to this as being ‘in the zone’; it is an almost trance-like or hypnotic state. Flow has been associated with optimal psychological state and represents complete enjoyment of and immersion in physical activity.”
He also discovered four key factors that determine how motivating music can be, with internal factors being the most important:
Internal Factors:
1.) Rhythm
2.) Musicality: Melody and Harmony
External Factors:
3.) Cultural Impact
4.) Extra Musical Associations
These factors are best summarized in Dr. Karageorghis’s own words: “We have developed and validated a questionnaire to rate the motivational qualities of music which is called the Brunel Music Rating Inventory (BMRI: Karageorghis et al., 1997). For a piece of music to truly inspire the listener, it must have strong rhythmic qualities that match the activity at hand and also a tempo which matches the predicted heart rate. The melody and harmony of the music should promote a positive mood state; that is, they should energize the listener and increase vigor. The music should also stem from the listener’s socio-cultural background and comply with their preferences. Finally, it is ideal that for the music to be associated with physical activity either through the lyrics, e.g., Work Your Body, or its association with other media such as film or TV. A classic example of such a track would be Survivor’s ‘Eye of the Tiger’, which was a theme from the Rocky series.”
It’s important to note the importance of choosing music of the right tempo or beats per minute (bmp) to elicit the desired movement response. During high-intensity cardio interval training, target heart rate tends to fall in the range of 140-160 bpm during the work periods and 100-120 bpm during the active recovery periods. During circuit training, heart rate tends to be elevated throughout the duration of the workout between 120-140 bpm. Thus, selecting workout music with the appropriate bpm for a specific fitness activity will set the proper pace for a more effective workout. This has always been drilled into ALL of my fitness education classes….the music sets the pace of any class!!
In summary, for a better workout you must choose the right workout music. When it comes to selecting the right music the two most important factors are listening to workout tunes with the appropriate tempo for your selected activity of choice and then building a play list that falls within your preferred musical genre(s).
So give it a try…..crank up your favorite tunes and see how great your workouts can feel! Better yet come to one of our BOOTCAMP classes and get a high intensity interval workout & great music that will take your workouts to a new level!! Crank it up!!
Next week we will be running FREE sample classes of BOOTCAMP….be sure to give it a try!
Deb
Traveling TABOTA Formats Created by Cheryl Freauff-Crosstrain Fitness Instructor
August 17, 2009 by Deb · Leave a Comment
Do you travel a lot? One of my instructor’s Cheryl Freauff travels quite a bit for her job so she created some great traveling tabota workouts that are easy to do in a hotel room and the only equipment that some of them require is a dyna-band and those are easy to throw into your suitcase!
Remember Tabota intervals are 20 seconds on-10 seconds recovery repeating each exercise 8x or 4 minutes. Each of these formats are 16 minutes long and should include a 5 minute warm up and a 5 minute cool down/stretch. These are all HIIT formats that give you the best bang for your time!
Give them a try! Shoot us a comment and let us know if you liked them or if you have a favotite format you like to share.
Tabata #1
- Punch front 2x with knee strike
- Push Ups
- Speed Skaters
- Hip Dips
Tabata #2 (Using Bands)
- Overhead press
- Curls
- Jump Rope
- Mountain climbers
Tabata #3
- Front Punches
- Front kicks/tap back (Charleston’s)
- Knee lifts
- Alligators
Tabata #4 (Using bands)
- Squats – (Bands under feet hands low for added tension)
- Standing hip Abduction (Right side)
- Standing hip Abduction (left side)
- Rock N’ Rolls
Tabata #5 (Bands)
- Laying on side band around ankles – Abduction Right side
- Laying on side band around ankles – Abduction Left Side
- Standing Band around both ankles Right leg back and return to center
- Standing Band around both ankles Left leg back and return to center
Tabata #6
- Squat Jacks
- Squat Kicks (alternating)
- Full range sit ups
- Spider Man push ups
Tabata #7
- Side toe taps – Standing feet shoulder width apart step out with right foot tap toe to side and return to center - Repeat left leg
- Inner thigh lifts – laying on side lift lower leg up (repeat) other side
- Tricep dips off chair
- Bridge off chair (laying on back feet on chair)
Tabata #8 (bands)
- Seated rows – sitting on floor feet straight in front with bands around feet – pull arms back in forth in rowing motion
- Reverse Flys – Standing with bank around back arms in fly position bring arms together and back (fly position)
- Triceps – Hold or stand on one end of band hold other end over head working triceps – Right side and repeat left
TABATA the Latest/Greatest HIIT in the Fitness World Today
August 10, 2009 by Deb · 1 Comment
In my article “HIIT me with your best shot” I mentioned that I would write about one of the best HIIT( High Intesity Interval Training) formats that many people are doing in exercise classes to get the fastest and best results for their time. The class is called TABATA!
What is TABATA??
A Tabata protocol is a high-intensity training regimen that produces remarkable results. A Tabata workout (also called a Tabata sequence) is an interval training cycle of 20 seconds of maximum intensity exercise, followed by 10 seconds of rest, repeated without pause 8 times for a total of four minutes. In a group context, you can keep score by counting how many lifts/jumps/whatever you do in each of the 20 second rounds. The round with the smallest number is your score.
Credit for this simple and powerful training method belongs to its namesake, Dr. Izumi Tabata and a team of researchers from the National Institute of Fitness and Sports in Tokyo, Japan. Their groundbreaking 1996 study, published in the journal Medicine and Science in Sports & Exercise provided documented evidence concerning the dramatic physiological benefits of high-intensity intermittent training. After just 6 weeks of testing, Dr. Tabata noted a 28% increase in anaerobic capacity in his subjects, along with a 14% increase in their ability to consume oxygen (V02Max). These results were witnessed in already physically fit athletes. The conclusion was that just four minutes of Tabata interval training could do more to boost aerobic and anaerobic capacity than an hour of endurance exercise.
Although Dr. Tabata used a mechanically braked exercise cycle machine, you can apply this protocol to almost any exercise. For example, a basic Tabata workout can be performed with sit-ups. The more muscles used the better, so use full knees-bent sit-ups. Sit-up non-stop for 20-second intervals, followed by 10 seconds of rest. Repeat for a total of 8 cycles.
How effective can just 4 minutes of exercise be? … Very. You will be amazed at how intense the four minutes of exercise will feel. The intervals tax both your aerobic and anaerobic energy systems. To be clear, this isn’t “eight sets of eight,” although the goal of doing eight reps in each of the 20-second clusters is about right. Instead it’s “as many reps as I can get in” during the twenty seconds, followed by ten seconds rest.
It helps to be able to see a wall clock with a second hand during your four minutes of fun. Stop at twenty seconds, rest ten seconds, and go again. Watching the clock helps with your focus and also in keeping count of the eight cycles… I use a GYMBOSS timer that we set for the 20 second/10 second…it makes the workouts easy to follow and believe me a killer! Some people may only do 1 round for 4 minutes and be done…some may get thru 2 or 3…and hopefully we get some doing all 4 and then work on getting faster and better!
This is what we will do in class: I have sheets that people can keep track of their numbers so they can see if they improve! You can also have a class competition…. person who gets the highest score….they take their lowest number they complete in a cycle for the score to compete with and the one who has highest number for a cycle wins that cycle. Some things you can’t count like sprinting, but on things they can count could be fun? Could also have overall highest scorer that class…BIG winner!!
Here is a longer Tabata workout example. This workout consists of 4 separate Tabata Intervals, each 4 minutes. The total workout will last 16 minutes. Always begin with a moderate warm-up (3:00 minutes) and cool down/stretching (7-10 minutes) session for total class of 30 minutes!!
Tabata Format #1
* Jump Rope
* Pushups
* Squats
* Chin-ups or Pull-ups using bands on high
Note the 10-second rest periods in the Tabata workout are important, both physically and mentally. Not only do they allow partial recovery, they also provide psychological relief. Switching back and forth from work to rest makes the workout go quickly. Plus, it allows you to train at a higher level of intensity, which what intervals are all about.
Here are some of the formats we use: # 1 above and the rest below:
Tabata Format #2
*Squat thrusters- Take two dumbbells and hold them at shoulder height. Squat down, pushing your rear-end back, keeping the dumbbells on the shoulders. As you rise up, press the bells to the overhead lockout position. You can either press as you rise or use the momentum to help “kick” the bells overhead. Keep your weight in your heals and go light! A 25 pound dumbbell in each hand is a very difficult thruster workout!
*Sit ups-Use full range bent knee sit ups
*Grasshoppers
*Jumping Jacks
Tabata Format #3-Do outside or you could use treadmill, elliptical or bike. If raining and can’t go outside do alternate format below:
*Sprint or *Squat jumps
*Sprint or *Alligators-Planks going down to forearms and up to hands
*Sprint or *Burpies
*Sprint or *Speed Skaters
Tabata Format #4
*Squat Pull (Band on wall at top)-Squat and then pull handles down to shoulders and repeat
*Knee tucks-On Back-bring knees in and out
*Mountain Climbers-In push up position, jump both legs in towards chest and back out to plank position.
*Mary Catherine’s-Hands behind head and do fast split lunges
So, I challenge you all to try a TABATA format from above and give it a try! Let me know whsat you think? Hard, Easy, Fun, Crazy? Just remember this is giving you Awesome results in a shorter amount of time! I like to say” I can do ALL things with Christ who strengthens me.” You can too!
Train Hard & Expect Results-Deb
Back to School, Get Back to YOU!
August 4, 2009 by Deb · Leave a Comment
It’s just about time for the kids to head back to the classroom, and this means at least a little more well-deserved free time for the busy parents. Some of you may be considering starting (or re-starting) a fitness routine during this month. Some of you may also need a little guidance during this time, especially with all of the conflicting fitness information in the media. This month’s article is geared specifically towards you. It consists of ten simple and easy ways to fine-tune your workouts. These tips are based on the very same program I use with many of my new clients during their first month of personal training; and they can easily double the effectiveness of your workouts. Keep it handy and use it as a guide on your journey towards weight loss, muscle toning, and a healthy lifestyle.
1. Renew Your Commitment
Before you even begin to schedule that first workout or plan your meals for the week, you must take a moment to revisit why you want to do this in the first place. When you have a strong reason WHY you want to make a change, you are more likely to stick with it.
If you have not yet done so, write your goals down and state your reasons why this is so important to you and post your goal sheet in a place where you can see it often.
2. Create a schedule
What time will you have available that can be spent on taking care of you?
Your workouts are just as important as the daily tasks that wind up in a slot on your schedule. When you write down your intentions, you are more likely to follow through.
3. Give Your Kitchen a Once Over
Your workouts are only half the fat loss battle. What you are eating is the other. It will be extremely difficult to stay on track and see results if your kitchen is filled with junk. Toss the chips, cookies, candy, ready to eat boxed meals, sugar laden cereals, etc.
4. Do Something Different
Summer schedules tend to create habits that get in the way of out fitness goals….from sleeping in, to skipping a workout, to indulging in one too may summer treats. If you just begin by identifying one habit you created this summer and replace it with a habit that brings with it positive results, then you are moving in the right direction.
So instead of talking yourself into sleeping in again tomorrow, just think of how much more you can accomplish by waking up 10 minutes earlier – having that time just for you.
5. Create Good Habits Now Before the Holidays Start
Don’t wait until January to start “New Year’s resolutions.” August and September are perfect months to start a new diet, a new workout routine, or just set your mind to get in shape. Since the seasons are changing now, why not get a fresh start with your health? Why wait three more months to get started on working on a better body when you can do so now and create good eating and exercise habits long before the temptation and craziness of the holiday season?
6. Get Back to the Gym
Most of us have put off our regular exercise regimens due to the summer heat and vacations, but as the seasons change why not ease back into your routine? It takes just 30 days to truly get into the fitness habit once more. Just remember not to overdo it. If you haven’t been to the gym in a month or two, you’ll need to take it slow. That means you won’t be able to lift as much as you did previously and may not be able to spend as much time on the exercise bike. Slowly work your way back into your old routine, and by Thanksgiving, you should be in much better shape.
7. Up the Cardio Intensity
Don’t be lulled into a false sense of security by doing cardio only in the low-intensity “fat-burn” zone. Although, the body does burn a higher percentage of fat than sugar at low intensities, the total number of calories expended is still very low, which will limit results. For best results alternate between “fat-burn” and “HIIT”/ higher intensity interval workouts.
8. Go on a Sensible Diet
Since beach season is almost over and the holidays are a few months away, now is the perfect time to learn new eating habits and change your diet. Instead of going on some crazy crash diet, learn to eat five to six smaller meals instead of three large ones. Load up on lean sources of protein (chicken and fish), complex carbohydrates (rice, oats, and potatoes), fresh fruit and vegetables and avoid sugary sweets, high-fat fast food, and anything with processed sugar.
9. Drink Water
Water is essential for many biological functions including fat-mobilization. Drink ½ your body weight in fluid ounces per day! For some of you that may be MORE than 8-8 ounce servings…the bigger you are the more water you need to drink!
10. Take Up a New Activity
Fall is a great time to start a new activity you’ve never pursued before. Once the kids are back in school, you may have more time to learn kickboxing, martial arts, aerobics or some other healthy activity you’ve often thought about trying. If you start learning a new sport or activity now, you can spend all fall and winter doing it, and will be in much better shape by next spring.
Put these tips into action and you will kick start your Back to School Fitness plan – Making it all about getting Back to YOU!
Deb
HIIT Me With Your Best Shot!
August 2, 2009 by Deb · Leave a Comment
Hello again,
I have recently written about High Intesity Interval Training and how it is so much better than the Slow sustained cardio workouts and I promised you that I’d post some examples for you all to try, so here they are.
If you are an Onsite member at CrossTrain then you need to check out the bulliton board titled “HIIT Me With Your Best Shot”. This has several cardio HIIT formats as well as some Combo HIIT formats that use both weights and cardio.
For all you Online members I will include them here. These are just a FEW of the different HIIT formats that you can try. I will be writing about one of the latest HIIT formats/classes that is really HOT right now in the fitness world. It’s called TABATA and I will explain what it is and how it works….when it comes to the best BANG for your time this is it….watch for that to be coming soon!
Let me know if you try any of these and if you have any other HIIT formats that you like to you do….let’s trade and swap…remember it takes CHANGE to make your body CHANGE….give these a try I think you’ll enjoy them!
Train Hard & Expect Results,
Deb
Interval Training for Beginners – Level 1
The following workout is a beginner interval workout lasting 21 minutes. Interval workouts involve alternating higher intensity exercise with low intensity recovery periods. Interval workouts involve alternating higher intensity exercise with low intensity recovery periods. By adding higher intensity intervals, you can build endurance and burn more calories. The workout is shown using a treadmill with changes in speed and incline, but you can use any machine of your choice or take the workout outside.
Workout Instructions
- For each ‘work set’, use the settings on your machine (incline, speed, resistance, ramps, etc.) to increase intensity. You should be working out of your comfort zone, but not so hard that you feel dizzy or lightheaded.
- For each ‘rest set’, lower those same settings until you’re back to a moderate pace. You should be completely recovered before the next work set.
- Modify according to your fitness level.
- The RPE levels listed (Rate of Perceived Exertion) help you keep track of your intensity on a scale of 1 – 10. During rest sets, stay around 4-5 RPE. During work sets, stay around 5-6 RPE. There isn’t a huge difference between the work and rest sets, you simply want to work a little harder during the work sets.
- See your doctor if you have any injuries or conditions.
| Interval |
Beginner Workout 1 – 21 Minutes |
| Warm up |
5 Minutes: RPE 3-4: Warm Up at an easy pace |
| Rest Set |
3 Minutes: RPE 5: Increase speed from warm up and increase incline 1%. Keep a moderate pace. |
| Work Set |
1 Minute: RPE 6 – Increase incline 1-3% to raise the intensity level. You should be working harder! |
| Rest Set |
3 Minutes: RPE 5 – Decrease speed and incline to lower your heart rate back to a comfortable level |
| Work Set |
1 Minute: RPE 6 – Increase speed 3-5 increments and increase incline 1-2% to raise intensity. |
| Rest Set |
3 Minutes: RPE 5 – Decrease speed and incline to lower your heart rate back to a comfortable level |
| Cool down |
5 Minutes: RPE 3-5 – Decrease speed/incline to lower your heart rate back to a comfortable level and cool down |
Elliptical Interval Training Workout
If you have access to an elliptical, there are several ways you can perform intervals. You can alternate forward motion with your legs with reverse motion. This works the muscles in very different ways. Going in reverse tends to work the quads, or front of your thigh, more intensely.
5-minutes Warm Up
3 x Forward Leg Motion (3-minute intense, 3-minute moderate)
3 x Reverse Leg Motion (3-minute intense, 3-minute moderate)
5-minutes Cool Down
Or, take hand movement in and out during the intervals, as this tends to influence heart rate:
Intense- with hand movement
Moderate- without hand movement
(The following intervals can be performed on any piece of cardio equipments, including the stair-master, elliptical, treadmill, exercise bike or rowing machine.)
One-On, One-Off
This can be a very intense interval training workout. The short 1-minute bursts require for very intense efforts, and the short rest periods don’t allow for complete recovery.
5-minutes Warm Up
5 x (1-minute very intense, 1-minute moderate-easy)
5-minutes moderate-easy
5 x (1-minute very intense, 1-minute moderate-easy)
5-minutes Cool Down
Cardio Intervals + Weight Training
This will challenge your body in a new way. Do cardio and strength training together. This builds strength and aerobic capacity. All strength exercises can be done on weight machines, and they are performed for two sets of a weight you can lift no more than 15 times in a row. Use 30-second rest periods between sets. (This one works best in a less-busy gym.)
5-minutes Warm Up
2×15-Leg Press
3x (1-minutes intense, 2-minutes moderate) (Cardio interval)
2×15- Chest Press
3x (1-minutes intense, 2-minutes moderate)
2×15- Row
3x (1-minutes intense, 2-minutes moderate)
5-minute Cool Down
Over-Under
If you’ve spent much time on any piece of cardio equipment; you probably know a pace you can sustain for 15 minutes or more. For example, you may be able to run at 5 mph on a treadmill, but 5.5 mph would be to fast to keep up for more than a few minutes so, with this example:
5-minutes Warm Up<
3x (3-minute 5.5mph, 3-minute 4.7mph)
5-minutes Cool Down
The above is still considered interval training even though you will never get complete recovery. In addition to serious calorie burning and weight loss, this workout can help you raise that average running speed!
Back-to Back
If you feel like really challenging yourself, consider this workout. Using the technique of “block training” used by athletes, repeat the same workout two days in a row. The second day’s workout is a little shorter to factor in the first days fatigue. Block training is known to accelerate fitness results tremendously, but this is only true if you add in rest time after these efforts. You need to take the day off, or at least easy, after this 2-day block.
Day 1
5-minutes Warm Up
3 x (3-minute intense, 3-minute moderate)
5-minutes Cool Down
Day 2
5-minutes Warm Up
3 x (3-minute intense, 3-minute moderate)
5-minutes Cool Down
Day 3
Rest!
