For the sake of this series, I'm going to write as if you don't even know how to turn on the treadmill, let alone what exercises are for what. I'm also going to assume that your goals are to at least one, if not all of the following: get your heart in better shape, tone up and possibly lose weight. If you're looking to put on huge muscle mass and "bulk up," I'm not your gal.
I don't care how strong you are, how long you've been working out or if you're stinking Thor (ok so he's prolly the ONLY one who is exempt, but I mean come on...look at him) you must warm up.
Ride a bike, walk on the treadmill, do 100 jumping jacks for all I care. Just spend at least 6 (preferably 10) minutes getting your blood flowing. Stop it. I can see you rolling your eyes at me. Skipping your warm up is going to make you more susceptible to injuries and aches, not to mention deprive your muscles of performing to their full capacity (think about your car). When you go from a resting heart rate to 80% effort, you create a rapid increase in blood pressure and your body is not properly prepared to perform (say that 10x fast). I usually incorporate my warm up into my cardio-it's actually a little trick! Think about it. If you're gearing up for a 30 min run, you're almost 1/3 of the way done by time your warm up is over! This doesn't mean you get to cheat yourself out of cardio, however. A 10 min warm up and a 10 min run does NOT count.
Since we're talking about cardio, that's actually a really good place to start. Experienced athletes will tell you that it's actually more beneficial to lift before you do cardio and while they're actually right, I'm going to suggest otherwise for now because frankly, I don't want you cheating your cardio.
Anyways. The key to workout success is balance between weight training, low/medium intensity cardio and high intensity or interval training. Although the intensity will change, you ALWAYS want to keep your heart rate up for at least 30 minutes (remember, this includes your warm up). That is your cardio. It takes at LEAST 30 minutes before you start burning into fat cells. The level of intensity is where it becomes tricky; this is where the "change" comes in. It is important to mix up your intensity level. I'm sorry, but consistently getting on a cardio machine for 20 minutes is NOT going to give you the results that you want. It IS better than nothing, but if you're looking for real results, you're going to have to kick it up a notch. I can't tell you how many times I want to stroll through the cardio room and bump up people's speed a couple notches. Unless you're on your "low" day, GET MOVING! You should not be able to carry on a conversation, read a book or browse Face Book. I'm not saying that you should feel as though you are going to pass out for 20 min, but dangerously close. It's called HIGH intensity for a reason. You should be around a 8 out of 10 on the effort scale. It doesn't really matter what type of cardio machine you choose* although my PERSONAL recommendation is the treadmill.
*I apologize that all my recommendations are gym-based. I don't get to work out outside often, but ALL of this info remains true for outside workouts as well.
I'm not saying that you can't achieve similar results on other machines, you just have to push yourself harder (the treadmill is hard by nature haha). If you choose to do the elliptical or bike, pick a program and set on a level in which you are working HARD.
On your low intensity days, you can probably just keep doing what you're doing ; ). Your effort should be closer to the 6-7 range, where you're out of breath, but could carry on a fragmented conversation if you wanted. These are the days you should consider doing your lifting first; it's not as hard to convince yourself to get on a cardio machine if you know you only have to "keep your heart rate up."
SO. Here's what your new work out week looks like:
-Day 1: 10 min warm up, 20 min high cardio, 25 min arm workout, 5 min cool down/stretch.
-Day 2: 10 min walk or jog on the treadmill, 25 min leg workout, 30 min moderate/low cardio, 5 min cool down/stretch (yes, you can handle the extra 10 min).
-Day 3: 10 min warm up, 20 min high cardio, 25 min chest and back, 5 min cool down/stretch.
If you absolutely canNOT make it 3 days, then you better work your buns off those other two. Don't even talk to me about going one day a week.
*Tip: if you get bored doing your cardio on a machine, try a cardio class! AND, if you do a 1 hr cardio class, you can get out of lifting that day!
"It never gets easier, you just get better."
No comments:
Post a Comment