9 Things Your Trainer Wishes You Knew

 9 THINGS YOUR TRAINER WISHES YOU KNEW:



1. You Need to Switch Up Your Workouts

When you do the same cardio or strength routine time after time, in fact three to six times in a row is all it takes, your body adapts and you burn fewer calories! Eventually your results---weight loss, muscle definition---will slow down.  You need to continually change up your cardio and weights regimen.  Keep changing up those weight circuits and get off that same old machine!  If you are working with me-- I can assure you will never suffer this problem.


2. Cardio Isn't the Magic Bullet for Weight Loss

Biking, running, and walking are great for your heart.  But research shows that's its very difficult to lose fat when you only do cardiovascular activity.  Although aerobic exercise will burn calories, it really does not change your metabolism!  What does: lean muscle mass.  Muscle helps you burn more calories even when your workout is over.  This is so powerful!  The higher your lean muscle mass, the higher your resting metabolic rate (the baseline amount of calories you burn in a day).   Research has shown that if you do strength training three times a week, you can add an average of 3-7lbs of muscle in about three months, increasing your metabolism by 6-7%.   Keep doing your cardio three times a week, but add in two or three days of strength training workouts.  Aim to work all the major muscle groups!


3. Wimpy Weights Will Get You Nowhere

According to the "overload principle", for muscles to become stronger, they have to be challenged with a load that's heavier than what they are used to.  Without challenging your muscles, you can't substantially strengthen or tone them.  You must choose a weight that you can lift for only 8-15 repetitions before losing good form.  You must work until "failure".  And don't worry YOU WONT BULK UP!  Women have a biological limit on how much muscle mass they can build. Women do not get big without using steroids. 

4. Crunches Aren't Crucial for Strong Abdominals

Crunches are NOT the best choice for strengthening your abdominals.  They only work a few of the muscles in your core. And if your abs are weak, doing crunches could cause a strain on your neck. You will get more bang for your buck with moves that work the entire core area.  The plank is a great one!


5. A Workout Does Not Merit a Post Gym Pig Out

When you are feeling virtuous after you have exercised, it's SO easy to eat back all the calories that you just burned (and then some).  If you're looking to lose weight, this type of behavior not only won't help you toward your goal, but you will get stuck in a "vortex" of seeing no results because you are basically just replacing calories expended! Have a healthy snack after your workout instead.  I always look for a protein source, it  helps my muscles build and recover.

6. Working Out On An Empty Stomach Won't Burn More Fat

A common belief is that if you exercise before you eat, your body will turn to it's fat reserves for energy instead of the food in your stomach.  In fact, it's just the opposite! A 2011 study published in the International Journal of Sport and Nutrition Exercise and Metabolism showed that people experienced a bigger boost in metabolism---meaning they burned more fat-----when they exercised AFTER eating breakfast than when they did the same workout on an empty stomach.  The authors of the study theorize that when you eat before exercising, your body uses more oxygen, resulting in a metabolism spike and improved fat burning.  Even a small snack with carbs, protein, and a little fat a half hour before will power your workout.

7.A Death Grip on the Cardio Machine Strains Your Body and Burns Fewer Calories

When you hold the treadmill, elliptical, or stair climber handles so tightly that your knuckles turn white (because you can't keep up with the speed) your body is forced into an uncomfortable strained position, which in turn puts strain on your muscles.  And because your legs don't have to work as hard when you lean on that machine, the number of calories you burn plummets. Stand up and have some good posture!


8. THE FAT BURNING ZONE ISN'T REALLY A FAT BURNING ZONE!!!!!!!

If you have ever played around with the controls on a cardio machine, you may  have experienced the "fat burning" program, in which you exercise at low to moderate intensity for an extended period of time.  The idea behind this MYTHICAL "fat burning zone" is that low intensity is better for weight loss because you can do it longer, sustain the workout longer.  NOT TRUE= SUCH A LIE!

Studies show that a shorter workout, boosting with intensity, burns as much if not MORE calories than a long, steady state cardiovascular workout. And when it comes to losing or maintaining weight, its the total number of calories that count.  Plus, by working harder you can get your workout done quicker and get home! Try interval training twice a week on non consecutive days.  High intensity for 30sec-1min then recover for 30sec -1min.  Repeat this for 20-30 min.  Which leads me to the final thing I wish you knew.......



9. If You Want To Change Your Body, You Must Ditch the "Long and Steady"

Now that we have put to rest the mythical fat burning zone and how it doesn't exist, lets talk about those cardio days.  You now know that besides 2-3 days a week of strength training that you also need 2-3 days of cardiovascular activity as well.  These 2-3 days of cardiovascular activity should not include hours and hours of cardio! You only need 20-30 minutes, 45 tops, if you working at the right intensity.  Ditch the steady long cardio! You don't get gold stars or changes in your body because you can stay on the elliptical for an hour or more (in fact, I would prefer you never get on the elliptical unless you are injured or a beginner---they are to easy, you know this to be true).   You don't get gold stars for staying on any machine that long, and just so you know, the calorie counter that says you burned a ton of calories is also lying to you---they are always wrong so don't put all your eggs in that basket.  I've seen folk stay on a machine until they reach a certain calorie amount. Bad plan, bad plan. 

The only way you are going to see changes, burn fat, and get quick results is through interval cardio.  PERIOD.  If your intervals are done right, you should be wiped out in half an hour, maybe less.  Get rid of the calorie counting, heart rate watch and go by how you feel .  You know when you are working hard, you don't need a watch to tell you.  You can't go by a number on a watch, you must go by what your perceived exertion is.  That is the only truth!