Trainer Tuesdays
Welcome back to the weekly edition on Trainer Tuesdays. Make
sure to check in at our blog every Tuesday evening to learn the expertise of
our great staff.
Aside from being fantastic exercise coaches, they are also extremely
knowledgeable in many aspects of health and fitness; so, it's time that you get
to know them a little better! Each week, we will post a frequently asked, or
sometimes just a fun fitness related question followed by the answers of each
of the trainers at Fitness
Together Brecksville.
How Do I Know If I’m Working Out Enough?
Well when it comes to working enough, this answer will be
different for everyone. Why is that you ask? Everyone has different goals in
mind that they want to achieve. You'll get your best
results with either 3 or 4 total weight training workouts per week. Also making
sure to add cardio in as well. Now, if you have a goal
of doing something extreme or training for something extreme like a marathon --or
maybe you want to do a warrior dash or tough mudder-- then obviously you want
to be training as much as 5 days a week but giving your body days of rest to
recover and build muscle. It’s really a matter of how much time are you
committing to your workouts or are you using work and life as an excuse not to.
It’s important that you listen to your body as well. When it comes to working
out, understand that you will be sore as a part of working out. Just because
you’re sore two days later after a workout doesn’t mean you shouldn’t get in
the gym and workout. It means your working hard like you should to meet your
goals. If there is discomfort in joints or muscles not usually felt then you
should lay off for a bit. As far as goals go, if you keep coming up short on
your goals you need to reassess what you are doing. This would be a sign that
you need to put more work in either with your diet, weight training or cardio.
Keep in mind working out and being healthy is a lifestyle you just don't decide
to workout whenever you want and expect to get result if you’re not doing your
part to make sure you put your best foot forward. Always keep track of your
results as well. This way you can look back to see what you’ve improved on or
may need to improve on to achieve those results you want.
This is a very commonly asked question. The ACSM
recommendation to lower your risk for heart disease is 150 minutes a week of
moderate exercise. "Moderate exercise" meaning anything that elevates
your heart rate above resting levels. Another common recommendation is 10,000
steps a day. Last summer I did an internship at Parma Hospital working with
patients who were recovering from heart disease. One question we always asked
them when they began the program was what type of exercise they were doing.
Most of them said things like walking, gardening, and playing with the kids or
grand kids. Not one person ever said dead lifts, squats, pull ups, power cleans
or sprints like we do at Fitness Together. What did I conclude from that? Push
yourself. Its more about how hard you work out than how long. The guy that
busts his ass for 45 minutes at FT will always be better off than the guy who
walks his dog for an hour and then does some gardening. Also, the simple answer
to this question is you know you are working out enough when you get results.
If you are not getting results do something different. The definition of
insanity is doing the same thing over and over again and expecting a different
result.
Exercise benefits directly relate to the intensity,
frequency and the amount of time exercising.
When it comes to aerobic exercise such as jogging, walking, or swimming, you can judge your intensity by how fast your heart beats. Your maximum heart rate can be calculated by subtracting your age from 220. During aerobic exercise, raising your heart rate to a level that's between 55 to 69 percent of your maximum heart rate is considered moderate intensity. Anything higher than this is considered hard exercise.
Interval training is a type of aerobic exercise where you vary the intensity between hard and moderate. This burns more calories during and after the workout. This offers more benefits, but you have to be in the proper shape.
When it comes to strength training, if you can lift a weight comfortably for at least 12 to 15 reps, that's a good sign you can gradually increase the weight. It's important to hit at least every muscle group once a week. If you're really looking to add mass, you can isolate back and biceps, chest and triceps, and shoulders and legs. It's important to keep the reps between 6 and 12.
It's always vital to set goals. You want to progress with your lifts. You want to see incremental increases in the weight and or reps you're lifting with good form. It's all about progressive overload. Your goal should be to gradually increase the weight.
You'll know you're working out hard enough when you start reaching and surpassing your goals. These could be anything from increasing your bench by 20 pounds or losing 10 pounds.
When it comes to aerobic exercise such as jogging, walking, or swimming, you can judge your intensity by how fast your heart beats. Your maximum heart rate can be calculated by subtracting your age from 220. During aerobic exercise, raising your heart rate to a level that's between 55 to 69 percent of your maximum heart rate is considered moderate intensity. Anything higher than this is considered hard exercise.
Interval training is a type of aerobic exercise where you vary the intensity between hard and moderate. This burns more calories during and after the workout. This offers more benefits, but you have to be in the proper shape.
When it comes to strength training, if you can lift a weight comfortably for at least 12 to 15 reps, that's a good sign you can gradually increase the weight. It's important to hit at least every muscle group once a week. If you're really looking to add mass, you can isolate back and biceps, chest and triceps, and shoulders and legs. It's important to keep the reps between 6 and 12.
It's always vital to set goals. You want to progress with your lifts. You want to see incremental increases in the weight and or reps you're lifting with good form. It's all about progressive overload. Your goal should be to gradually increase the weight.
You'll know you're working out hard enough when you start reaching and surpassing your goals. These could be anything from increasing your bench by 20 pounds or losing 10 pounds.
According
to the American College of Sports Medicine, the general recommendations for
quantity and quality of exercise include:
· At least 150 minutes of moderate intensity
cardiovascular exercise per week
o Gradual
progression of exercise time, frequency and intensity
· Flexibility exercises at least 3 days/week to
improve and maintain range of motion
o Holding
each stretch for 10-30 seconds
· Training each major muscle group through
resistance/strength training 2-3 days/week
o 2-4
sets of each exercise
o 8-20
reps depending on muscular strength and endurance goals
Exercise
intensity can be determined through monitoring heart rate or using the Rate of
Perceived Exertion scale. Your FT trainer can help you determine your target
heart rate training zone, or using the RPE scale of 1-10, a rating of 5-7
indicates moderate intensity.
Also,
be sure to stay current on your Fitness Together re-assessments every 6 weeks
to determine the progress that you are making and pin point the areas that may
need more attention.
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