It has been a month since I started getting serious about my fitness routine again at the gym. Week after week, I find that the tape measure (who never lies!) confirms that my midsection is going back to its original girth and my chest and arms are getting bigger (yahoo!). After some research and putting into practice what I learned, I’m going to share some tips that actually worked for me. Again, as always I’m going to emphasize the importance of seeing your physician before you try anything. Baby steps, guys!
Tip 1: Try to have a shorter workout time. A lot of people spend half a day at the gym (mostly sitting around and chatting), yet accomplish little. Make sure to have your routine down pat; alternate which muscle groups you will be working on. For example, you do the chest, abs and legs today, then do shoulders and triceps the next visit. Doing everything all at once will just strain your muscles, I doubt if you’ll be able to walk around the next day.
Tip 2: Use sustained, fluid movements. I used to use the momentum (think swinging pendulum) to help lift the dumbbell. Sustained movements will allow you to work that muscle properly, the right movement (direction and fluidity) will prevent injury.
Tip 3: Having shorter rest periods will allow you to have a more intense workout.
Tip 4: Don’t overdo it. No need to visit the gym everyday. Twice or thrice a week is ok. It’s the manner you work out that makes the difference, not so much the frequency. Your muscles need to repair themselves.
Tip 5: This might get a bit expensive but I always recommend having a trainer with you. They know what they are doing, and can assist you (I have been doing this thing called “Pyramid” where one increases the weight on the barbell three times, decreasing the repetitions as the weights increase).
Tip 6: Remember what I said about fitness being a lifestyle? Complement your workout with the right diet. Just because you work out doesn’t mean you can eat pork 24/7! You won’t see results right away after a month (depends on the person), so try not to expect too much or you will get discouraged. Try not to think about it too much and just sustain this new, healthier lifestyle. One day you will just be pleasantly surprised that your clothes fit better and you’ll appreciate your new form.
Tip 1: Try to have a shorter workout time. A lot of people spend half a day at the gym (mostly sitting around and chatting), yet accomplish little. Make sure to have your routine down pat; alternate which muscle groups you will be working on. For example, you do the chest, abs and legs today, then do shoulders and triceps the next visit. Doing everything all at once will just strain your muscles, I doubt if you’ll be able to walk around the next day.
Tip 2: Use sustained, fluid movements. I used to use the momentum (think swinging pendulum) to help lift the dumbbell. Sustained movements will allow you to work that muscle properly, the right movement (direction and fluidity) will prevent injury.
Tip 3: Having shorter rest periods will allow you to have a more intense workout.
Tip 4: Don’t overdo it. No need to visit the gym everyday. Twice or thrice a week is ok. It’s the manner you work out that makes the difference, not so much the frequency. Your muscles need to repair themselves.
Tip 5: This might get a bit expensive but I always recommend having a trainer with you. They know what they are doing, and can assist you (I have been doing this thing called “Pyramid” where one increases the weight on the barbell three times, decreasing the repetitions as the weights increase).
Tip 6: Remember what I said about fitness being a lifestyle? Complement your workout with the right diet. Just because you work out doesn’t mean you can eat pork 24/7! You won’t see results right away after a month (depends on the person), so try not to expect too much or you will get discouraged. Try not to think about it too much and just sustain this new, healthier lifestyle. One day you will just be pleasantly surprised that your clothes fit better and you’ll appreciate your new form.
4 comments:
hmmmn. any insight on yoga?
I'm way behind my sched ; ) I was supposed to do a review on New York Style Yogilates, but I still haven't started.. Thanks Josh, soon, I promise
Nice content.
I gacked this entry ;)
Im adding you in my list
Thanks Reign!
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