Bust Out of your Fitness Rut
Getting no results from your workouts? Busting your chops at the gym? Are you noticing any changes in your body? It is time you made changes to your workouts. Here are suggestions on how to achieve results again from your hard work. If you want to lose weight, increase muscle mass or improve endurance, you will notice changes once you try some changes to your routine.
Boring weight-lifting routines.
If you are still following 1980s Jane Fonda videos on your old VHS player, or if you have been doing the same bicep and tricep curls since you graduated from college, then it is time to replace your system. Muscles adjust to any given exercise. Therefore, it is important to regularly change your exercise. Try these instead:
Add to your weight size.
Increase your reps. Increase your sets.
Change the exercises for each muscle group. Try circuit training.
Alternate between heavy weight weeks and light weight weeks.
Interval training-1 minute of cardiovascular exercises in between sets of weight training.
Are you over-crunching?
Ever wonder why your gut still is not flat despite 500 crunches everyday? Maybe it is because you are not doing the right exercise for your gut. Crunches work your rectus abdominus only. This is only one pair of your 12 abdominal muscles. In order for you to reduce your gut, you will need to get rid of the fat that wraps around your abdominal muscles. A change in your diet and an increase in cardiovascular activity will do just that. You can, however, tighten all the muscles in your abdomen (this includes the external and internal obliques and your transverse abdominus) by attempting a variety of core exercises: yoga, Pilates, and exercises that require the use of balancing boards, Bozu or stability balls.
Aerobics queen.
Cardiovascular exercise is critical in keeping your heart and lungs healthy as well as maximize calorie burning. However, cardio is just a part of a well-rounded fitness goal. Add strength training and stretching to your routine. Add to that a balanced diet and decreased calorie intake (if your are overweight) and you ill see results in no time.
Rushing through your workouts.
If you are allowing momentum to lift your weights, then your are not using muscle power to maximize the benefits of strength training. Try coercing the muscles to the point of fatigue. Focus on lifting and lowering the weights in slow and stable motions. Feel the muscle relax and contract behind every movement.
Depending on your workout exclusively.
You are missing out on all the opportunities to improve your fitness and health if you vegetate all day, and depend solely on your workout to burn calories. Make small changes to stay in shape and perform all day long. For example:
Park your car in the farthest parking space from work.
Do not take the elevator – which is what stairs are for.
Become inefficient in doing chores. For example, instead of carrying grocery bags all at once into the house, take one bag at a time.
No rest.
When we undergo the stress of physical exercise, our body adapts and becomes more efficient. It is just like learning any new skill; at first it is difficult, but over time it becomes second-nature. However, there are limits as to how much stress the body can tolerate before it breaks down and risks injury. Rest and relax your body before letting it go through stress again. Rest includes getting enough sleep (about 8-9 hours a day) as well as waiting about 24 hours between light training days or 48 hours on heavy training days.
Fitness Centers of Rochester, Rochester Group Fitness Programs and Weight Loss Centers of Rochester provide health and fitness consultation to its members.
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