Today I want to talk about the fourth and final component to fitness success. Once again I truly believe that we should focus on things that we can personally control. So far we have discussed the first three components; Believing in Yourself, Nutrition, Functional Strength Training. The final component deals with a topic that has gotten a lot of media the last year or so. You have probably been told that you need to do cardio training but like most are probably a little confused as to what is the most effective. Hopefully this clears things up for you.
Cardio Training
The final fundamental component is cardio training. I know I can hear it now: “but it’s so boring.” It may be boring but it is a necessity to getting leaner and stronger. Your cardio session doesn’t need to be long- It needs to be effective. You need to utilize interval training to help burn calories, no more than 25 minutes. Here is an example, say I am going for a wog (my clients call it a wog, the combination of a walk and jog). I would start with a minute walk at a fairly brisk pace; after the minute is up I will jog for 30 seconds. Repeat this 12x and walk for an extra minute at the end, 25 minutes and your done. The amount of cardio you do depends on your goal and how quickly you want to see results. As I stated earlier, cardio training doesn’t have to be long, boring, and monotonous. It needs to be effective.
by Aaron on September 20, 2009
in Fitness
My last blog post was about the second fundamental component to fitness success. Building on that last blog, today I want to talk about the third component: Functional Strength Training.
Functional Strength Training
Notice the word functional in the last sentence. Most programs give you exercise prescriptions; bench press this then, lat pull that, blah, blah, blah. Those programs train you from the outside. You need to find a program that will train you from the inside out. Here’s what I mean: In order to properly do any exercise you must have strong abs, postural muscles and stable shoulders. Most programs don’t take that into consideration. I love watching the “Biggest Loser.” It is very motivating. But let’s be honest, the stuff they have 300 pound individuals do is outright dangerous. They take these contestants from a sedentary lifestyle to performing high intensity exercise way too quickly. I often cringe when I see what they have them do. Most of us have been or train that same dangerous way. We don’t take time to build a sound, solid core. Oh yeah I know, “You do crunches to work your core.” Well my friend what I am talking about here goes way further than just crunches. Each workout should start with a warm-up where you not only get the blood going but actively improve flexibility. After your warm-up you should work your core, not just crunches but shoulders, low back, the whole core. Then, and only then, should you do your weight training.
