Exercise > Build More Muscle and Lose More Fat by Discovering the Power of Training Variables!

Build More Muscle and Lose More Fat by Discovering the Power of Training Variables!

by: Michael Geary

Everyone will inadvertently hit a frustrating plateau in their training at one time or another. You're cruising along for a while, gaining strength, losing fat, looking better, and then all of the sudden it hits. Suddenly, you find yourself even weaker than before on your lifts, or you find that you've gained back a couple of pounds. It happens to everyone. Most of the time, these plateaus occur because people rarely change their training variables over time. Many people stick to the same types of exercises for the same basic sets and reps and rest periods with the same boring cardio routine. Well, I hope to open your mind and bring some creativity to your workouts with this article!

There are many ways that you can strategically modify your training variables to assure that you maximize your fat loss and/or muscle building response to exercise. Most people only think about changing their sets and reps performed, if they even think about changing their routine at all. However, other variables that can dramatically affect your results are changing the order of exercises (sequence), exercise grouping (super-setting, circuit training, tri-sets, etc.), exercise type (multi-joint or single joint, free-weight or machine based), the number of exercises per workout, the amount of resistance, the time under tension, the base of stability (standing, seated, on stability ball, one-legged, etc.), the volume of work (sets x reps x distance moved), rest periods between sets, repetition speed, range of motion, exercise angle (inclined, flat, declined, bent over, upright, etc), training duration per workout, and training frequency per week. Sounds like a lot of different training aspects to consider in order to obtain the best results from your workouts, doesn't it? Well, that's where a knowledgeable personal trainer can make sense of all of this for you to make sure that your training doesn't get stale. Below are a few examples to get your mind working to come up with more creative and result producing workouts.

Most people stick to workouts where they do something along the lines of 3 sets of 10-12 reps per exercise, with 2-3 minutes rest between sets. Booooorrrrring! Here are a few examples of different methods to spice up your routine.

?Try 10 sets of 3, with only 20 seconds rest between sets.

?Try using a heavier weight and complete 6 sets of 6 reps, doing a 3 minute treadmill sprint between each weight lifting set.

?Try using a near maximum weight and do 10 sets of 1 rep, with 30 seconds rest between sets.

?Try using a lighter than normal weight and do 1 set of 50 reps for each exercise

?Try a workout based on only one full body exercise, such as barbell clean & presses or dumbbell squat & presses, and do nothing but that exercise for an intense 20 minutes.

?Try a workout based on all bodyweight exercises such as pushups, pull-ups, chin-ups, dips, bodyweight squats, lunges, etc.

?Try a circuit of 12 different exercises covering the entire body without any rest between exercises.

?Try that same 12 exercise circuit on your subsequent workout, but do the entire circuit in the reverse order.

?Try your usual exercises at a faster repetition speed on one workout and then at a super-slow speed on your next workout.

?Try completing five 30 minute workouts one week, followed by three 1-hr workouts the next week.

?Try doing drop sets of all of your exercises, where you drop the weight between each set and keep doing repetitions without any rest until complete muscular fatigue (usually about 5-6 sets in a row).

There are many more ways to continue to change your training variables. I hope this article gave you some ideas on methods for you to take your body to the next level.

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Build More Muscle and Lose More Fat by Discovering the Power of Training Variables!

Build More Muscle and Lose More Fat by Discovering the Power of Training Variables!

by: Michael Geary

There are many ways that you can strategically modify your training variables to assure that you maximize your fat loss and/or muscle building response to exercise....

Build More Muscle and Lose More Fat by Discovering the Power of Training Variables!

Exercise > Build More Muscle and Lose More Fat by Discovering the Power of Training Variables!

Optimum Fitness for Middle Age ? Part 2

by: Paul M. Jerard Jr.

With all exercise programs mentioned in this section, and part one, you should exercise smart, not hard, and you should never push any joint to lock out. By exercising for longevity you want to maintain your body, prevent injury, and take care of any previous injuries.

Pilates is a modern ?cousin? to Yoga and has received much well deserved publicity, in the past decade. Many Pilates exercises are similar to Yoga practice. The founder, Joseph
Pilates, was a practitioner of Yoga, martial arts, and other fitness systems. He was an innovator, inventing physical rehabilitation equipment during World War I, and a health maintenance system that honors his name.

Much like Yoga, movement is generally low impact, slow, safe, and thorough. Although Pilates is well known for toning the core muscles, it is a complete health maintenance system for the body. There is no meditation...

Optimum Fitness for Middle Age ? Part 2

Exercise > Optimum Fitness for Middle Age ? Part 2

A Weight Loss Plan For Success

A Weight Loss Plan For Success

by: Jude Wright

The formula for losing weight is simple: eat less and exercise more. But, it's not really all that simple, is it?

Long-term weight loss isn't impossible, but you do have to be committed. Having a weight loss plan for your success is a good start. Here are ten items that should go into your weight loss plan.

1. Eat breakfast. This keeps you from getting too hungry later and then losing control over what you choose to eat later in the day.

2. Stock your refrigerator and pantry with healthy foods and snacks and limit high-fat, high-salt snacks such as potato chips and cookies.

3. Fill up on Fiber. Eat foods like fruits, vegetables and whole grains. The fibers in these foods will fill you up leaving less room for unhealthy choices.

4. Don't fall into bad habits on weekends. Many people will follow a strict diet on weekends only to fall back into eating more (unhealthy) on the...

A Weight Loss Plan For Success

Exercise > A Weight Loss Plan For Success

Hop, Skip And A Jump To Strength

Hop, Skip And A Jump To Strength

by: Sherri L Dodd

Plyometrics - they are as old as the hills.
High-energy bursts of activity such as jump roping (supposedly dating back to Egypt?s Mesopotamians) jumping jacks and of course the jump shot!
I remember these exercises as a staple in my childhood P.E. classes and now as a fitness-oriented adult, they still bombard me regularly in my various cardio classes.
What makes these forms of exercise so long-lasting?
Though jazzercise, slide and even step classes have dwindled through the years to make way for newer ways to sweat, these exercises have maintained their popularity and continue to resurface in the most up-to-date fitness trends at your local gym.
While some athletes may fulfill an hour-long exercise session with plyometrics (a technique to sharpen their skills within a specific sport), the average fitness enthusiasts will use them to simply supplement a...

Hop, Skip And A Jump To Strength

Exercise > Hop, Skip And A Jump To Strength

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