Monday, December 5, 2011
Sick Days
I have been fighting a sinus infection forEVER! Seriously it is my second, if not third in the past month and a half. The drainage is causing a hacking cough...needless to say, have not been chasing the cheese much lately. That is AM Gym Rat talk for going to the gym...it is my chez ;)
Tuesday, November 29, 2011
Unforgettable?
Seems like every, single, day...I forget something. Such is the life of waking up before your brain. Today, it was my to go coffee. Yesterday it was my laptop. That was not fun. Ended up driving all the way home, and back to the office. So the day started at 10, instead of 830. I forgot a towel last week. Thankfully my locker room friend had a spare. The week before that I forgot underwear...that was interesting. At least the shirt I brought had a built in cami bra and I was wearing tights...like I said, interesting. My goal is to dish to you about this comical point of view of the life of an AM Gym Rat more regularly...maybe even share some friends tid bits along the way...
Monday, April 25, 2011
Q&A
I received the below email (edited for applicable content) and thought not only to answer it directly, I will share the information as it is very good for all you gym rats to know!
Email received:
Hey,
I cant seem to ask the question to google in a way that gets me an answer =0)
So my goal is trimming and toning. I have been swimming every other day and weight training every other day taking Sunday off.
When I am weight training I am doing 3 sets of 12 reps for now until my endurance is up then I will increase the reps.
How I am working it now is like circuit. For example:
bicep curls 1:12
tricep 1:12
shoulders 1:12
squats 1:12
lunges 1:12
etc.
then start again at biceps and so forthe until I have done the circuit 3 times.
Would it be more effective to do biceps 1:12 rest 30 sec, bicep 1:12 rest 30 sec bicep 1:12 rest 30 sec THEN move to the next muscle group?
Thanks in advance for your input!
The response:
I am stoked you are focused and committed on your training. Swimming is such a great total body movement, super for trimming and toning :)
To answer your question(s)
Yes, or D all of the above.
Mix it up. Often.
So the 3 sets of 10-12 reps is a very common, familiar and easy formula. Its classic body building programming. However, you will get bored and so will your muscles. While it will work, its not always best to count reps and you certainly want to mix it up.
What I mean by this specifically. Do the counting reps, like the 3*12 (36 reps total) and other rep counting styles like ladders or stacking. A ladder is starting at a number then going to another, and then if you want you go back up or down depending on what you feel like that day. So you can go 1-2-3-4-5 and then 5-4-3-2-1 or start at 5-6-7-8-9-10 and go backwards or start at 10 go to 5 then back up, you get the idea. The math will and should vary. A 1-5 to 5-1 ladder is actually 30 reps when you count it out. A 10-1 ladder is 55 reps and a 10-1 to 1-10 while not so hard at the time is 110 reps! You can get through them at the little 1 rep or 8 rep increments and you get SO much more work done.
Or you can say forget the counting and try for time, even mixing in interval training (SUPER effective for weight loss and muscle building) and just see how many you can do in a minute, rest a minute and see if you can beat your first time. For interval training, my favorite is a 2:1 work rest ratio. Do as many reps as you can in 20 seconds then rest for 10 before going to the next work 20 seconds. Repeat at least 4 times (only 2 min!) and ideally work up to 8 for a total of 4 minutes. For this type of work, use a lower weight or only do body movements, like squats or push ups.
Interval training is extremely effective and the difference lies in the way you work your cardiovascular pathways, or more commonly known as aerobic vs anaerobic. BOTH will burn fat. The only difference is anaerobic training builds muscle while aerobic activity builds muscle.
Do all three sets of one movement with short breaks in between then move to the next movement. Another time do a circuit, one set of each movement moving through them one at a time. For the best results, have as few of breaks as possible. If you are circuit training only take a break after the whole circuit, before you start the second round. This way you are training your muscles and gaining benefits on a different cardiovascular pathway then you do in your swimming.
So really, you want to mix it up, because the only thing you want consistent about your routine is having one. Remember when we were training how we never did the same thing twice. You want to keep your muscles guessing, so that they have to change, and become stronger.
You want to mix up the actual work, from all different angles and how you do the work. If all you do is bicep curls, then all that will get strong is the part of your bicep used for that movement and not the surrounding area. So, do bicep curls close in, out angled, palm up, palm down. Do three sets, three different ways. You will find your strength and weaknesses this way as well. Sure someone can do a chin up, turn their hands the other way and they are a limp noodle. See where I am headed with all of this? I think most important is to have fun and feel good!
Lastly, be sure you are using total ROM (range of motion) so you don't train your muscles halfway or end up with short stubby muscles. Imagine the way really muscle big body builders move, really stiff and uncomfortable looking. This is because they train a limited range of muscle. So to return again with the bicep curls, be sure after your curl you are fully extending your arm (and the muscles inside) at a nice controlled pace, working your muscles that way as well.
I hope this gives you the information you are looking for and that you enjoy playing with your programming as much as I enjoy sharing the information. Thank you for trusting in me and reaching out to me and inspiring me to write about this on my blog.
Email received:
Hey,
I cant seem to ask the question to google in a way that gets me an answer =0)
So my goal is trimming and toning. I have been swimming every other day and weight training every other day taking Sunday off.
When I am weight training I am doing 3 sets of 12 reps for now until my endurance is up then I will increase the reps.
How I am working it now is like circuit. For example:
bicep curls 1:12
tricep 1:12
shoulders 1:12
squats 1:12
lunges 1:12
etc.
then start again at biceps and so forthe until I have done the circuit 3 times.
Would it be more effective to do biceps 1:12 rest 30 sec, bicep 1:12 rest 30 sec bicep 1:12 rest 30 sec THEN move to the next muscle group?
Thanks in advance for your input!
The response:
I am stoked you are focused and committed on your training. Swimming is such a great total body movement, super for trimming and toning :)
To answer your question(s)
Yes, or D all of the above.
Mix it up. Often.
So the 3 sets of 10-12 reps is a very common, familiar and easy formula. Its classic body building programming. However, you will get bored and so will your muscles. While it will work, its not always best to count reps and you certainly want to mix it up.
What I mean by this specifically. Do the counting reps, like the 3*12 (36 reps total) and other rep counting styles like ladders or stacking. A ladder is starting at a number then going to another, and then if you want you go back up or down depending on what you feel like that day. So you can go 1-2-3-4-5 and then 5-4-3-2-1 or start at 5-6-7-8-9-10 and go backwards or start at 10 go to 5 then back up, you get the idea. The math will and should vary. A 1-5 to 5-1 ladder is actually 30 reps when you count it out. A 10-1 ladder is 55 reps and a 10-1 to 1-10 while not so hard at the time is 110 reps! You can get through them at the little 1 rep or 8 rep increments and you get SO much more work done.
Or you can say forget the counting and try for time, even mixing in interval training (SUPER effective for weight loss and muscle building) and just see how many you can do in a minute, rest a minute and see if you can beat your first time. For interval training, my favorite is a 2:1 work rest ratio. Do as many reps as you can in 20 seconds then rest for 10 before going to the next work 20 seconds. Repeat at least 4 times (only 2 min!) and ideally work up to 8 for a total of 4 minutes. For this type of work, use a lower weight or only do body movements, like squats or push ups.
Interval training is extremely effective and the difference lies in the way you work your cardiovascular pathways, or more commonly known as aerobic vs anaerobic. BOTH will burn fat. The only difference is anaerobic training builds muscle while aerobic activity builds muscle.
Do all three sets of one movement with short breaks in between then move to the next movement. Another time do a circuit, one set of each movement moving through them one at a time. For the best results, have as few of breaks as possible. If you are circuit training only take a break after the whole circuit, before you start the second round. This way you are training your muscles and gaining benefits on a different cardiovascular pathway then you do in your swimming.
So really, you want to mix it up, because the only thing you want consistent about your routine is having one. Remember when we were training how we never did the same thing twice. You want to keep your muscles guessing, so that they have to change, and become stronger.
You want to mix up the actual work, from all different angles and how you do the work. If all you do is bicep curls, then all that will get strong is the part of your bicep used for that movement and not the surrounding area. So, do bicep curls close in, out angled, palm up, palm down. Do three sets, three different ways. You will find your strength and weaknesses this way as well. Sure someone can do a chin up, turn their hands the other way and they are a limp noodle. See where I am headed with all of this? I think most important is to have fun and feel good!
Lastly, be sure you are using total ROM (range of motion) so you don't train your muscles halfway or end up with short stubby muscles. Imagine the way really muscle big body builders move, really stiff and uncomfortable looking. This is because they train a limited range of muscle. So to return again with the bicep curls, be sure after your curl you are fully extending your arm (and the muscles inside) at a nice controlled pace, working your muscles that way as well.
I hope this gives you the information you are looking for and that you enjoy playing with your programming as much as I enjoy sharing the information. Thank you for trusting in me and reaching out to me and inspiring me to write about this on my blog.
(photo courtesy of this blog found via Google image search for bicep curl)
Friday, April 22, 2011
H.I.I.T.
or otherwise known as high intensity interval training. I love intervals for their efficiency and boredom attacking ways. H.I.I.T. is my most recent favorite training sword, or at least runs right at the top. What are these you ask? Allow me to explain.
Crossfit (where I gained my trainer certs) has a couple wicked workouts based around Tabata, peruse their site (FREE!) and discover the ninja way, ha ha! Tabata intervals (named so after Dr. Tabata who discovered them, read more here) are intervals based on a 2:1 work rest ratio. Most common format, maybe the only true one as well, is 8 sets of 20 seconds of work followed by 10 seconds of rest. This equals 4 mins and you do it with squats, pushups, pullups, situps, whatever.
Now, H.I.I.T. is an awesome beast and one that I am just beginning to play around with more. I have not done much, until recently, outside of the CF Tabata programs. So now we get funky! Reverse the ratio, extend the time and jump on a treadmill for an evil awesome workout. Minimum 3 rounds on this one folks, and I have yet to make it past 6 rounds. Here's how it goes down.
Warm up for 5 minutes at a nice easy pace, I do mine around 3-4mph. Then let the fun begin. Turn the speed to one that is near as fast as you can go, for me that is 7.5mph right now. And then GO, for a full minute. At the end of the minute take it back down to an easy pace for two minutes which I do 3mph. Repeat (at least twice) Warning, this will kick your butt and right at the end of that minute all out run you will think you are going to die! But it works wonders. Your heart will work hard then calm down and over again. SO effective folks!!
I have found a little formula that has worked with some of my trainees, whatever your pace you normally hit the treadmill at for your long 30-45 min cardio workouts can be the middle ground for finding your pace here. For example Sean normally does 6-7 mph, so we took him 2 mph both ways for 4mph at the low pace and 8-9mph for the high pace.
So it looks a little something like this when I am playing:
1:00-5:00 walk/jog warm up 3-4mph
5:00-6:00 RUN 7-8mph
6:00-8:00 walk 3-4mph
8:00-9:00 RUN 7-8mph
9:00-11:00 walk 3-4mph
11:00-13:00 RUN 7-8mph
13:00-15:00 walk 3-4mph
DONE! 15 minutes, I feel like I have ran my butt off for miles and you will feel the intensity, trust this! Have I mentioned I love the way intervals battle boredom, especially for me when applied to running which I really only enjoy outside, and even then, its a wink link in my bag of tricks.
Let me know how it goes my fellow gym rats!
Crossfit (where I gained my trainer certs) has a couple wicked workouts based around Tabata, peruse their site (FREE!) and discover the ninja way, ha ha! Tabata intervals (named so after Dr. Tabata who discovered them, read more here) are intervals based on a 2:1 work rest ratio. Most common format, maybe the only true one as well, is 8 sets of 20 seconds of work followed by 10 seconds of rest. This equals 4 mins and you do it with squats, pushups, pullups, situps, whatever.
Now, H.I.I.T. is an awesome beast and one that I am just beginning to play around with more. I have not done much, until recently, outside of the CF Tabata programs. So now we get funky! Reverse the ratio, extend the time and jump on a treadmill for an evil awesome workout. Minimum 3 rounds on this one folks, and I have yet to make it past 6 rounds. Here's how it goes down.
Warm up for 5 minutes at a nice easy pace, I do mine around 3-4mph. Then let the fun begin. Turn the speed to one that is near as fast as you can go, for me that is 7.5mph right now. And then GO, for a full minute. At the end of the minute take it back down to an easy pace for two minutes which I do 3mph. Repeat (at least twice) Warning, this will kick your butt and right at the end of that minute all out run you will think you are going to die! But it works wonders. Your heart will work hard then calm down and over again. SO effective folks!!
I have found a little formula that has worked with some of my trainees, whatever your pace you normally hit the treadmill at for your long 30-45 min cardio workouts can be the middle ground for finding your pace here. For example Sean normally does 6-7 mph, so we took him 2 mph both ways for 4mph at the low pace and 8-9mph for the high pace.
So it looks a little something like this when I am playing:
1:00-5:00 walk/jog warm up 3-4mph
5:00-6:00 RUN 7-8mph
6:00-8:00 walk 3-4mph
8:00-9:00 RUN 7-8mph
9:00-11:00 walk 3-4mph
11:00-13:00 RUN 7-8mph
13:00-15:00 walk 3-4mph
DONE! 15 minutes, I feel like I have ran my butt off for miles and you will feel the intensity, trust this! Have I mentioned I love the way intervals battle boredom, especially for me when applied to running which I really only enjoy outside, and even then, its a wink link in my bag of tricks.
Let me know how it goes my fellow gym rats!
Wednesday, April 20, 2011
What are you on?
"This is my body. I can do whatever I want with it. I can push it. Study it. Tweak it. Listen to it. Everybody wants to know what I'm on. What am I on? I'm on my bike busting my ass six hours a day. What are you on?" - Lance Armstrong
A.M. Gym Rat says: I am on the stairs instead of the elevator...I am on the last aisle of parking instead of the closest spot to the door...I am on a healthy diet instead of a fast food diet...I am ON!
(photo courtesy of livestrong.com via Google image search for walking up stairs)
Question is, what are you on?
Tuesday, April 12, 2011
Just Show Up!
There are those days...you just do not want to wake up, the alarm clock is your enemy and all you want is to roll back over to dreamland.
There are those days...you wake up, the alarm snooze button is more of a nuisance then a friend and all you want to do is roll out of bed and get on with the day.
Today, was neither of those days. Today, I had to keep telling myself to just show up, and go through the motions. Then something amazing happened. After 10 minutes of going UGH! I was excited and had a great workout.
So I encourage you,; whatever type of day you are having, to just show up. Its half the battle!
(photo courtesy of lovelyish via Google image search for 'hate waking up')
Today, was neither of those days. Today, I had to keep telling myself to just show up, and go through the motions. Then something amazing happened. After 10 minutes of going UGH! I was excited and had a great workout.
So I encourage you,; whatever type of day you are having, to just show up. Its half the battle!
Monday, April 11, 2011
Good morning from a gym rat!
As I was getting ready after my morning workout I realized I had yet again forgot to pack something.
SO, I decided I will start a morning gym rat blog...this segment will be FMN, or Forget Me Not, otherwise known as SHOOT! and I encourage all who follow to share their "what I forgot stories"
That being said, welcome to A.M. Gym Rat, and here is your first "Forget Me Not"
This morning, I forgot socks, and so I am wearing my white cotton socks with my boots.
I do think those that survive FMN will either A - become more organized to decrease the amount of forgets or B - continue to be resilient, laugh at themselves and solve whatever dilema their forgets cause and wear their shower flip flops in pride.
SO, I decided I will start a morning gym rat blog...this segment will be FMN, or Forget Me Not, otherwise known as SHOOT! and I encourage all who follow to share their "what I forgot stories"
That being said, welcome to A.M. Gym Rat, and here is your first "Forget Me Not"
Last week, I forgot my boots and had to wear my shower flip flops all day at work. A lovely experience and since I have not had a pedi since before Christmas I also ended up painting my toenails really quickly under my desk. The funniest part was when someone complimented my pedicure, HA!
(photo credit courtesy of google pedicure search from lipstickpowdernpaint.com)
I do think those that survive FMN will either A - become more organized to decrease the amount of forgets or B - continue to be resilient, laugh at themselves and solve whatever dilema their forgets cause and wear their shower flip flops in pride.
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