cardio

Erik's Weekly Fitness Tip | Cardio Is Not The Answer!

 

How NOT To Lose Weight

If you want to lose weight, doing cardio every day for hours at a time is NOT the way to do it.

How TO Lose Weight

Instead, try lifting heavy weights.

What does lifting do for your body besides make you stronger? It helps you build lean mass. Muscle building burns calories. 

When most people try to lose body fat, they tend to make the same mistake; they go all out on the elliptical but never make their way to the weight room. You will lose weight this way, but you will also lose important lean muscle mass. Your number one priority when attempting to lose weight is to maintain the muscle mass you have. Lifting heavy weights will help you maintain that muscle mass.

Fun Fact

Ten pounds of muscle burns 50 calories per day (that’s 350 calories a week)!

Call me to help with your strength training 310.251.7420 

Image Credit: Molly Taylor

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Erik's Weekly Fitness Tip | Don't Make These 5 Mistakes

 

Focus

With all the noise out there, it can be hard to focus on the things that really matter when it comes to becoming and staying fit. Below are 5 of the most popular training mistakes that I have seen clients fall victim to. Don't be one of them!

1. TOO MUCH AB WORK

Lose the obsession with your mid-section. Total body exercises (like squats or deadlifts) will burn more calories than crunches. Always. Period. End of story.

2. TOO MUCH CARDIO

Now don't get me wrong, cardio is great, but balance is important. Cardio does not make you stronger nor does it increase bone and tendon density, that's what the weight room is for. 

3. WORKOUT MONOGAMY

Do you do the same 4-mile loop at the same pace or lift the same amount of weight in the same succession every gym sesh? In order to progress you need to add variety to your workout routine. That means lifting harder and training in intervals.

4. WORKOUT PROMISCUITY 

Doing every exercise you know every time you enter the gym isn't efficient. Instead, adopt a simple training plan. Do your research and narrow down your routine to 4 or 5 exercises for each muscle group. Train a different muscle group every day. 

5. FEAR OF FOOD

Food is life. You aren't going to make gains if you aren't feeding your body the nutrients it needs. Food helps build muscle and aids your body in recovery.

Image Credit: Blondinrikard Fröberg via Flickr

Get in touch if you'd like help focusing on the right things to do 310.251.7420

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Erik's Weekly Fitness Tip | Weight Loss Stalled?

 

In the beginning stages of weight loss most people will find:

  • a 1-2 pound loss on the scale each week
  • better energy
  • motivation to continue the journey 

Momentum Falls Off

You have been riding on the momentum of the weight loss wave until the last few weeks hit.  That damn scale hasn’t moved a fraction of an inch and you are stuck.  Panic is starting to set in and you are thinking of taking drastic measures to ensure you reach your goal.  Take a breath and let’s take a logical approach to dealing with the inevitable plateau.  

If you have gone more than 2 weeks without the scale budging it’s time to change things up. 

Bust Through That Plateau

1.  Decrease Calorie intake - The easiest place to start is to cut more calories out of your daily allowance.  The mistake most people make is they cut too many calories out at once.  Instead take a conservative approach, decrease your calories by 100 per day.  You must make sure that you are eating adequate protein and fat levels every day, so to cut calories, decrease the amount of carbs you are eating.

2.  Lace up your shoes - The 2nd place to help promote fat loss is by increasing your cardio.  How much cardio should you be doing and what types of cardio should you be doing - HIIT (High Intensity Interval Training) or LIIS (Low Intensity Steady State)?

The answer is both, but I give HIIT the advantage.  2-3 days of HIIT is more than enough to accomplish the job.  An example of this would be 5-8 reps for 25-45 seconds at a 90% + effort is plenty to get the job done.  You will need to rest for 1:30-2+ minutes before attempting another rep. 

HIIT Workouts

  • spin bike
  • sprints
  • sled
  • tire flips
  • stairs
  • rowing
  • running hills

LIIS workouts

For those less experienced exercisers or for those cardio haters LIIS probably is a better way to go.  3-5 times a week, 45-60 minutes.

  • stroll
  • easy bike ride
  • recumbent bike

3.  Change your goals - Maybe it is time to switch things up.  Being in calorie deficit can take a toll on you psychologically and affect your social life.  Let’s assume you now have healthy levels of body fat, maybe it is time to focus on another goal that is motivating and has you excited. 

One of the better fitness goals that I can tell you to do is to focus on strength training, the benefits of being strong are endless.  Remember skinny does not mean fit.  Your strength has a direct affect on how you interact with your environment.  Strength training will do the following:

  • increase bone density
  • improve your posture
  • improve your work capacity
  • build some serious self-confidence

Let It Go

Strength training is the best thing you can do when taking on father time. 

Constant dieting can be a daunting task. It might be time to let go of the idea of perfection.  If you have been at it for a while change things up and focus on just eating well, exercising, moving everyday, and having some fun. 

Contact me if you need help getting over the weight loss hump. I can design a personalized fitness & nutrition plan for you. 310.251.7420

Image credit: Sebastian Molinares on Unsplash

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