For most of the workouts I will post in this blog, I will attempt to have a balance between cardio and strength training, with an emphasis on strength training. The simple reason for this is that I will assume most people know how to run in some form (though a post on proper form and shoes is in the works). However, since the societal emphasis on and education about weight training is a more recent phenomenon, I'll write more about that. Proper form is imperative, weight training done incorrectly can lead to severe injury. Proper form also includes appropriate weight; do not attempt to lift weights beyond your ability. It won't make you look any cooler and will probably only get you hurt.
Assuming you go to the gym 2-3 times per week, choose three muscle groups, and one exercise for each one. Do that sequence for three weeks, increasing the weight slightly each week. At the beginning of the fourth week, you would choose a different exercise for each muscle group, and start the process over.
Some muscle groups can be worked more consistently, especially the abs and core. I generally incorporate some sort of ab/core exercise every time I work out. This can be something short to finish off a workout; you don't have to spend your whole day to get in shape. Also, since many exercises can put pressure on the lower back, especially if it is weak, consistent lower back strengthening can be a good idea.
Example: Week 1 Routine:
21's arm curls (3 sets)
Tricep push-ups (3 sets x 10 reps)
Lat Pull-downs (3 sets x 10 reps)
40 walking Lunges holding weights (pay attention to form)
30 wall-ball squats with a 10 lb medicine ball
30 straight knee-ups
40 twisting knee-ups
Week 2 Routine:
21's arm curls (3 sets) +5 lbs
Tricep push-ups (3 sets x 12 reps)
Lat Pull-downs (3 sets x 10 reps) +10 lbs
40 walking Lunges holding weights +5 lbs (pay attention to form)
30 wall-ball squats with a 12 lb medicine ball
35 straight knee-ups
50 twisting knee-ups
Week 3 Routine:
21's arm curls (3 sets) +5 lbs (+10 lbs total)
Tricep push-ups (3 sets x 15 reps)
Lat Pull-downs (3 sets x 10 reps) +10 lbs (+20 lbs total)
40 walking Lunges holding weights +5 lbs (pay attention to form) (+10 lbs total)
30 wall-ball squats with a 15 lb medicine ball
40 straight knee-ups
60 twisting knee-ups
Wednesday, September 24, 2008
First you need a plan: the gym
As much as I try not to make my life revolve around going to the gym, I will admit that it's inevitable. For variety of equipment you pretty much can't beat a well stocked gym or workout room (I'm assuming here that most of you are like me and don't have the money to put a gym in your home). Therefore, I try to set a framework concerning working out and going to the gym in particular.
1. Make your expectations reasonable but challenging
If you set a goal of going to the gym five days a week knowing that you'll quit after week two, don't set that goal. You're just setting yourself up for failure, which won't help you get in shape or feel better. That being said, you probably need to work out more than once a week. I recommend three times a week. It's few enough times that it can get shifted around, but enough that you can achieve some reasonable results.
2. Don't get stuck in a routine.
Routines are the quickest way to fitness death. After a period of time your body will adjust to the routine and you won't be challenged anymore. Not to mention you'll get bored. The solution? Vary everything you can. Change the days of the week that you go, the types of workouts that you do, the muscles you target, everything. This not only will continue to challenge your body and keep you interested, but for me fosters a sense of creativity which makes me more willing to try new things.
3. Pick a class.
Fitness classes may seem like the domain of Richard Simmons and the collective 1980s but they can also be a workout gold mine. Think of it this way: each class or group meets at a set time, so you have to go. Also, having a group of people you can count on seeing will foster a sense of community, which well help you look forward to going. Granted, if no classes are at a time that works for you, this option isn't that helpful. While this may break the above routine rule, it's also a consistent workout. Plus the instructors generally know how to keep you challenged week to week.
I'll try to keep the posts short and to the point. I hope this was a helpful start. Good luck.
1. Make your expectations reasonable but challenging
If you set a goal of going to the gym five days a week knowing that you'll quit after week two, don't set that goal. You're just setting yourself up for failure, which won't help you get in shape or feel better. That being said, you probably need to work out more than once a week. I recommend three times a week. It's few enough times that it can get shifted around, but enough that you can achieve some reasonable results.
2. Don't get stuck in a routine.
Routines are the quickest way to fitness death. After a period of time your body will adjust to the routine and you won't be challenged anymore. Not to mention you'll get bored. The solution? Vary everything you can. Change the days of the week that you go, the types of workouts that you do, the muscles you target, everything. This not only will continue to challenge your body and keep you interested, but for me fosters a sense of creativity which makes me more willing to try new things.
3. Pick a class.
Fitness classes may seem like the domain of Richard Simmons and the collective 1980s but they can also be a workout gold mine. Think of it this way: each class or group meets at a set time, so you have to go. Also, having a group of people you can count on seeing will foster a sense of community, which well help you look forward to going. Granted, if no classes are at a time that works for you, this option isn't that helpful. While this may break the above routine rule, it's also a consistent workout. Plus the instructors generally know how to keep you challenged week to week.
I'll try to keep the posts short and to the point. I hope this was a helpful start. Good luck.
Why life should be a workout. . .
Welcome,
Keeping in shape was never something I had to think about. In grade school, I played every sport. In high school, I played club soccer and then ran the hurdles and pole vaulted for the track team. I worked out daily, I ate whatever I wanted, and I was wonderfully free from guilt about fitness.
Then came college, which gave me lots of places to walk to, intramural sports, and gym membership included with my tuition. But as college continued to pass, it got harder to stay in shape, at least in the way I was used to. I still play soccer a few times a week, and I lift weights, but I hate to run and my feet are so flat I probably shouldn't anyway. But what really bothered me was that I began to think of working out as something I had to do rather than something I enjoyed doing.
So I started to think not only what does it mean to be in shape, but is there a way to achieve fitness with having it feel like a chore. Is there a way to live your life that promotes fitness without having to schedule trips to the gym like dentist appointments. Hence this blog.
Firstly, it's intended to be a workout and fitness resource; an experiment if you will to change not only the way I see fitness, but perhaps help others embrace the ideology.
Secondly, I coach high school track and want to not only give my athletes ideas about off season training, but to encourage them to think of being in shape as something that is attainable and enjoyable as they too go off to college and then beyond.
Please feel free to post comments or questions. I do not take credit for the information here. Most of it I have encountered in passing through research or it was taught to me by the number of wonderful and dedicated coaches I have had in my life. But perhaps I'm contributing to the fitness karma of the world by passing it on.
Keeping in shape was never something I had to think about. In grade school, I played every sport. In high school, I played club soccer and then ran the hurdles and pole vaulted for the track team. I worked out daily, I ate whatever I wanted, and I was wonderfully free from guilt about fitness.
Then came college, which gave me lots of places to walk to, intramural sports, and gym membership included with my tuition. But as college continued to pass, it got harder to stay in shape, at least in the way I was used to. I still play soccer a few times a week, and I lift weights, but I hate to run and my feet are so flat I probably shouldn't anyway. But what really bothered me was that I began to think of working out as something I had to do rather than something I enjoyed doing.
So I started to think not only what does it mean to be in shape, but is there a way to achieve fitness with having it feel like a chore. Is there a way to live your life that promotes fitness without having to schedule trips to the gym like dentist appointments. Hence this blog.
Firstly, it's intended to be a workout and fitness resource; an experiment if you will to change not only the way I see fitness, but perhaps help others embrace the ideology.
Secondly, I coach high school track and want to not only give my athletes ideas about off season training, but to encourage them to think of being in shape as something that is attainable and enjoyable as they too go off to college and then beyond.
Please feel free to post comments or questions. I do not take credit for the information here. Most of it I have encountered in passing through research or it was taught to me by the number of wonderful and dedicated coaches I have had in my life. But perhaps I'm contributing to the fitness karma of the world by passing it on.
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