Tag: Workout Schedule

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Weight Loss Exercise

How to begin a weightlifting routine

So you have decided it is time to begin a weightlifting routine. That pale, hollow chest and those skinny arms are to be transformed. Congratulations! You can get started right away – at least, right after you read these golden rules so that you know what you should and should not do.

Health check
If you are over 40, overweight, seriously unfit or have any health issues, then it is a good idea to check with your doctor before you begin a weightlifting routine. This does not mean that you cannot go ahead, just get clearance first. Your doctor may want to run some checks or suggest that you begin at a certain level.

Equipment
To begin a weightlifting routine requires certain equipment. Weights, obviously … but if you want to work more than one or two muscle groups it is better to have access to more than just a barbell.

You might want to consider joining a gym to take advantage of the equipment there. The staff will often help you figure out a good weightlifting routine for your current fitness level, too.

Begin a weightlifting routine

Planning Your Workout Schedule

How to begin a weightlifting routine

How to begin a weightlifting routine

Lifting weights to build muscle requires a certain program. You cannot expect to work out once a week and see much benefit. Here is how to plan your schedule:

  • Work out all muscle groups at least once a week.
  • Aim for 3-4 training sessions a week (but you may need to start with just two the first few weeks).
  • Do not work out any muscle group more than 2-3 times a week.
  • Have at least one day off between sessions, where you either do cardio exercise or do not work out at all.

Rest is as important as working out in your routine. The muscles are stressed during the session, and then the body spends the next 24-48 hours repairing and building them. You must give it that time or strength will not have a chance to develop.

Planning to begin a weightlifting routine

When you begin a weightlifting routine it is important to cover all of the muscle groups. Do not ignore the back. All muscles need to be strong to support each other and avoid injury while you are training. These are the main muscle groups and some of the exercises that work them:

Chest: chest press, bench press, pushups.
Shoulders: overhead press, raises
Biceps: curls
Triceps: tricep extensions
Abs: bicycle crunch, reverse crunch
Back: row machine, back extensions

How Much Weight for your Workout?

When it comes to the actual weight that you use, begin a weightlifting routine with light weights so that you can get used to the exercises and concentrate on form (that is, doing the exercises smoothly and safely, with everything in the right place).

After that, for muscle gain, take a weight that means you can only do 3 sets of 4-8 reps with a 1-2 minute rest between sets. Anything more will injure the muscles so the body has to spend all its time repairing, and never gets to build.

If you are more focused on losing body fat, not wanting to build huge muscles but just develop some definition, then take a lighter weight: say one that lets you do 1-3 sets of 10 reps with a half to one minute rest between sets. That means starting out with one set as a beginner, and increasing up to three sets as you become more advanced in your weightlifting routine.

I know that this seems like a lot of broad strokes but when you begin a weightlifting routine you will need this and then the details will come as you get a few workouts in.

Categories
Weight Loss Exercise

Breaking through your Barriers

I was listening to a podcast today where the fellow was talking about comfort zones and how to picture them. The way that he explained it was that to be comfortable you need to have a top and a bottom level to your comfort zone and when you get close to either you start to feel uncomfortable.

I have never heard it explained this way. I alway think that we have barriers to break through but in this analogy the guy was saying if you feel pretty good you will grab that piece of cake, if you feel not so good compared to the top of your comfort zone then you will pass on it.

I like cake, but the example is great when we take emotions out of the equation.

So really what you want to do to break through your barrier in this example is to say – “I want to lose 5 pounds, this will be uncomfortable but I will pass on the next 20 pieces of cake to do this”

Does that make sense?

I sometimes stumble personally because I will break down things like this logically. Workout, eating, food type or exercise type decisions are all rational but when the time comes is when the emotion comes. The stress of getting out of that comfort zone.

Getting out of your comfort zone, the way I look at it is simply to hold your breath and jump. There is no way that we are going to avoid stress or discomfort and those really are the emotional side of breaking through your barriers, let that be, know you will be uncomfortable, and do it anyway.

I can give a great example and that is my workout schedule. I love to and know that I have to workout hard and heavy. These workouts make the difference between me being in ok shape and being in great shape. But to do these workouts means that I have to make it to the gym and then once there I need to lift as heavy as I can. I know that there are many excuses that I can make so I try to just set a time to go and then not even think twice about hitting the gym. I know that thinking twice about going to the gym means that I am going to be able to come up with great and useful excuses not to go. Very easy for me to skip with a huge headful of excuses.

Once I hit the gym there are still chances not to give it my all and I have to admit sometimes I don’t get that last rep in our skip the last set.

The important thing to remember though is that everything you do is the most important thing at that moment. If you can just make the little change, just this once, it proves to your brain that change is in fact possible.

So in the end I say this. Figure out what is truly important to change, find out what your real challenge is, you know the thing that makes you scared and nervous, and push through. Prove to your emotions AND your brain that you can push your boundaries that one inch farther.


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General Weight Loss Tips

Buy Burn the Fat Feed the Muscle EBook – 4 Tips You Need to Know

If you want to buy Burn The Fat Feed The Muscle eBook – then you must realize these 4 tips on how to successfully handle Burn The Fat Feed The Muscle by Tom Venuto:

1. Unlike other weight loss eBooks or diet programs – Burn The Fat Feed The Muscle is created by a recognized health and fitness expert in his field.

2. When you do buy Burn The Fat Feed The Muscle – Start off by focusing on the nutrition information. When it comes to weight loss, good nutrition will account up to 80% of your fat loss.

3. If you’re not aware of it, Burn The Fat Feed The Muscle is information packed, some say it is information over-load. Fact is, because it is written by a recognized expert, Tom is sharing his wealth of knowledge. Because of this, most readers will get lost in the pile of information.

The best way to get a solid grasp of the eBook is to read it over two to three times. And as mentioned in point 2, focus your nutritional needs first to get started. In fact, even if you don’t grasp the whole truck load of nutrition information – just start off with the simple facts you’ve learnt, and gradually implement the rest over time.

It’s really about getting into a good habit, and staying consistent – in fact if you can master at least 50% of what Tom puts out to you – you’re well on your way to losing the inches off your waist. This is the key to grasping Burn The Fat Feed The Muscle eBook.

4. Lastly, once you have a good handle of the nutrition aspect – get into the training. Again, this is not a race to master the eBook, just take it one small step at a time, and clock up your workout schedule over time! Again, if you do buy Burn The Fat Feed The Muscle – read it a couple of times and jot down the steps you start with. It’s about building momentum!

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