They say nutrition is 80% of the weight loss game and they’re not wrong. But do you simply want to lose weight? Or would you like the added benefits of a better physique, stronger mind and happier life?? If this is the case, then training is of paramount importance and must be treated with the same respect and attentiveness as nutrition.
Simply hitting the gym is not going to suffice though. The way you train, the intensity of your training, the frequency of your training are all going to have HUGE impacts on your progress.
So how do you do it??
Well there are a million and one ways to train: from varying weights and repetitions, reducing rest time/increasing rest time, super-setting, time under tension, powerlifting, circuit based training, HIIT, tabatas, strength training, hypertrophy training, Cross-fit, German Volume Training – and the list goes on.
Each training style/method has its purpose and place, and changing your training style from time to time will promote physiological changes by placing your body under a specific activity or load it has not experience before – stimulating growth.
However, its important to start with the fundamentals of training before mixing it up. One thing I have learnt is that 90% of people don’t train effectively. Most rock up to the gym with no plan, simply to get a sweat on. Don’t get me wrong, that’s great – but if your going to travel 15-30 minutes to and from the gym, 5-10 minutes getting changed, and then begin your workout… shouldn’t you utilise your time more effectively??? I know i’d want to.
Follow these cardinal rules and watch your body transform, your confidence skyrocket & your focus improve tenfold.
1) Train with weights
Ill put it simply. What is going to yield better physiological changes: Resistance training or cardio training? Resistance training stimulates a change in body composition, promotes lean muscle growth, improves testosterone levels, increases metabolism, improves insulin sensitivity and burns more calories than cardio.
Cardio is fantastic for elevating your heart rate, improving heart health, improving lung capacity and burning calories. However resistance training is just as effective at all of this.
Cardio has its place, but if you want to transform your body it doesn’t stand a chance against resistance training and HIIT.
2) Incorporate compound movements
To get the most out of your resistance training incorporate compound movements rather than isolated ones. For example, a compound movement might be a squat (calves, hamstrings, quads, glutes, core), and an isolated movement might be a leg extension (quads). Compound movements incorporate multiple muscle groups through the same movement whereas isolated utilise only one. Get more bang for your buck and work through multiple muscle groups at once.
If you have time left at the end of your session, then feel free to blast some isolation exercises.
3) Train each set to fatigue
You have probably heard of training 8-12 reps but what does it actually mean? Far too often I see people pick a weight, complete 12 reps, put the weight down, and rest. The problem is they could have completed many more reps.
If you are working with a range of 8-12 reps the idea is that you can complete a minimum of 8 reps but a maximum of 12, preferably around 10 reps – with a desired weight. Any more, or any less means that weight is either too light or too heavy. Adjust accordingly and work until fatigue.
4) Aim for 35 minutes on the weights
If we use the 8-12 rep range as an example, you require 45-60 seconds rest between sets. For the purpose of simplicity we will say 60 seconds rest between sets.
If we are hitting that golden 10th rep at fatigue, and each rep takes us 3 seconds, then 1 set will take 30 seconds (3sec x 10 reps) .
Now: 1 set takes 30 seconds and rest takes 60 seconds = 90 seconds per set.
20 sets x 90 sec = 30 minute workout ( add 5 extra minutes free to move between machines)
Note: Reduce your 20 sets into smaller sets of different exercises. You may wish to do 4 sets of 5 different exercises. Its completely up to you. Just try and aim for about 20 sets in total.
5) Include HIIT after your weights
Add ten minutes of High Intensity Interval Training to the end of your workout for some serious fat burning. HIIT is understood by most to simply be a sprint into a jog, back into a sprint. The concept is correct but it is rarely administered properly.
HIIT is all about pushing your body to its absolute max, to the point where you cannot possibly continue any further. If your sprint is lasting any longer than 30-45 seconds, then it is unlikely you have reached max effort.
Distance/time and rest periods are a common way to conduct a HIIT session, for example, 100m sprint/2min rest/ repeat 5x. However simply working yourself to breaking point, and then recovering (not exercising at all) to about 60% is the most effective way to perform HIIT.
6) Minimum 3 sessions per week
If your serious about results then you need to dedicate time to the gym. 3 sessions of intense training per week is a bare minimum. In a perfect world, 5 gym sessions and 1 light cardio session is the go.
Obviously, anything between these two ranges would be a great effort also.
7) Let your body repair
Rest your body and allow muscle tissue to repair and grow. Rest is as important as training itself. Listen to your muscles, once DOMS (muscle soreness a few days post training) begin to subside then it is the best time to hit that muscle group again.
Do your best to get 8 hours sleep too. At sleep is when we do most of our repair.
8) 1-2 light cardio sessions
Not essential but good for a number of reasons. A morning jog is great for improving your overall health, heart health, lung capacity, burning some extra calories, clearing your head, improving your focus and a positive feeling overall. The same goes for cycling, cross training, rowing, kayaking, and so on.
9) Track your progress
Don’t go in blind. You don’t want to waste a moment in the gym trying to remember that weight you used last week to get out 11 reps. If you have it written down you wont have to spend 5 minutes and all your energy playing trial and error.
In addition to this, you will watch your strength increase which does wonders for motivation. There are plenty of apps out there to track your training and they usually provide nice visuals showing improvements.
It may seem like a heap of information to take in but read it over a few times until it sticks. Believe me, having this knowledge will make your training more effective, quicker and change you for the better.
Start training smart and reap the benefits.
I will be releasing a new segment fortnightly, ‘Gym Junkie,’ that will explain a new style of training, its benefits, and how to maximize it for great gains.
Any and all questions welcome. Now get to the gym.
For more information regarding nutrition for fat loss, click here.
Stay healthy Sydney,
Jack Seymour
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