With weight training, it’s not how much you lift or how many reps, but how hard you work the muscles

Posted on February 24, 2020February 23, 2020 by Sol

woman athlete weight training / Image source: Leon Martinez/pexels.com

With weight training, it’s not how much you lift or how many reps, but how hard you work the muscles

This post originally appeared March 25, 2019.

Lifting weights is an essential part to achieving any fitness goal — and this includes losing weight. Once my clients embrace the benefits of weight training, they begin researching how they should lift weights. Apart from queries about good form, the most common question I get about weight training is: should I lift heavy or should I lift light?

And believe me … everyone has an opinion about this. Websites will debate this in forums with the bodybuilders encouraging people to lift as much as they possibly can with holistic fitness forums praising lighter weights at multiple reps. But I am going to set the record straight.

You might have heard that lifting heavy weights for a low number of reps builds muscle, while lifting lighter weights more times tones them. But what is muscle tone? This is just an expression to describe how firm a muscle looks. But the fact is that your muscle tone doesn’t change — exercise or not. The way your muscle looks depends on two things: the amount of fat that covers it and the elasticity of your skin. So your goal shouldn’t be toning your muscle. It should be reducing the amount of fat that covers the muscle. Muscles closer to the surface, without a barrier of fat, will be more visible — and look more “toned.”

But really, it’s not about how much your lift. You can lift heavy or you can lift light. What really matters is how much effort you put into the exercise. Regardless of how much weight you feel you should be lifting, the real key is to fatigue your muscles by taking each set to the point where you can’t do any more with good form. How hard you work is what it’s all about.

This means you have to get uncomfortable and challenge yourself through using a heavier weight or performing one or two more reps. Light weights will be effective in the beginning, but this will eventually wane. It can be hard to force yourself out of your comfort zone, but without gradually increasing weight or reps, your progress will stall. By lifting heavier weights, you build more muscle, and more muscle leads to a faster metabolism. Stay in the comfort zone and get used to being comfortable. You need to challenge yourself for real progress.

How hard you work is the secret to maximizing weightlifting efficiency. Forget heavy versus light. Like most things in life, with weightlifting what you put in is what you get out.

If the shoe fits, wear it out: what to look for in athletic shoes

Posted on February 17, 2020February 16, 2020 by Sol

If the shoe fits, wear it out: what to look for in athletic shoes

When we think about workout gear, we like to make sure that it’s durable, supportive, and appropriate for the activity. But what about your shoes? For many of us, we have a designated pair of shoes that lives at the gym and only comes out for workouts. But how do you know when it’s time to say goodbye to those shoes? Do your shoes need to be falling apart before you replace them?

When judging if it’s time to consider buying new athletic shoes, you need to consider how often you use them, where you use them, and what they are used for. Here are some tips to help you decide if you need a new pair…and what to look for when you’re facing a rack of identical kicks.

Running

Average lifespan: 6 months

When should I get a new pair?

You can estimate your shoe lifespan by the distance you run and where you run. A shoe that’s being used outside in the elements will have a different lifespan from one that lives on the treadmill. If you find your shoes have less response on surface contact, there are visible signs of wear on the sole, and the upper part covering your foot is showing signs of breaking down, it’s time to invest.

What should I look for in a new pair?

Running shoes are designed for cushioning and to disperse forces upon landing. Look for shoes with a good cushion and a heel rise that is slightly higher than the toes to facilitate forward motion.

Weightlifting

Average lifespan: 1 year

When should I get a new pair?

Your weightlifting shoes have to be able to properly support your form. The upper part of the shoe will be the first to demonstrate wear, losing rigidity and offering less support.

What should I look for in a new pair?

Weightlifting shoes have a raised heel which allows you to squat into a deeper position through increased ankle range of motion. Weightlifting shoes are also more stable than your typical barefoot or minimalist shoe. This ensures you have a strong and consistent base to land on, push through, and push out into.

General Gym Activities

Average lifespan: 6 months

When should I get a new pair?

From jumps to lunges to squats to your treadmill warmup, your gym shoes do a lot of work. Lateral movements and weight-bearing steps also decrease the stability of your gym shoes. Usually the front or the side of the shoe are the first to show signs of wear. If you are seeing holes, it’s time to replace them.

What should I look for in a new pair?

A shoe with a basic cushion is all you need. An ankle cut shoe will support your foot as you go through your routine. This allows for maximum flexibility without compromising stability.

Take care of your shoes to make them last and remember that function should always come before fashion when purchasing athletic shoes.

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How accurate are the calorie counters on fitness equipment?

Posted on February 10, 2020February 9, 2020 by Sol

How accurate are the calorie counters on fitness equipment?

I don’t know if anyone accepts cardio machine calorie counters as 100% accurate. They are only a guide, based on assumptions and formulas of averages. However, there is an emotional connection to seeing our effort displayed numerically.

When you begin your cardio machine workout, the machine will probably ask you to enter in your current weight and gender. Based on these answers, it will estimate how much effort is required to burn calories. However, several essential factors are not part of this equation, including fitness level, body composition, muscle mass, body size, and age. Without these details, your calorie count is one-size-fits-all.

But are all cardio machines created equal when it comes to caloric misrepresentation? A recent study named the elliptical the least accurate when it comes to calorie counting estimates. Most machines overestimate your burn by almost 40%.

Stair steppers are also guilty of inflating effort because most people lean on the display. Stair steppers can decrease your total calorie burn by as much as 50%. Even if you stand up straight and avoid placing any pressure on the machine frame, most stair steppers are overestimating your total burn by about 20%.

But there is good news. Experts agree that the calorie counters on treadmills are reasonably accurate, especially if you have entered in your weight and don’t use the handrails. Using the bars, especially on higher inclines, can throw off your reading by as much as 40%.

Stationary bikes often calculate based on technical data like METs (metabolic equivalents) and watts (which measures power outputs). Stationary bikes are the most accurate of all cardio machines, with an overestimation of only 7%.

Cardio exercise is essential to a balanced fitness routine. It strengthens your heart, boosts your mood by releasing endorphins, helps sleep, reduces joint stiffness, and may help manage high blood pressure, heart disease, and diabetes. When using a cardio machine to calculate effort, it’s best to use the number on the display as a guide. A couple of weeks ago, we talked about heart rate training and advised how you can make the most of your workouts by working in the different zones to assess effort. By applying this approach to your cardio workouts, you can maximize your time. By not using handrails, making your program instead of using presets, maintaining proper posture, and doing interval sprints, you can use these machines to your advantage.

It’s often hard for us to separate ourselves from the bright displays that reward us for our efforts. However, if you don’t have a heart rate monitor and are using calorie counters on your fitness equipment, you may be overestimating how hard you are working.

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Feeling the squeeze: the benefits of compression sportswear

Posted on February 3, 2020February 6, 2020 by Sol

Compression leggings / Image source: The Sports Edit

Feeling the squeeze: the benefits of compression sportswear

Many of us have a couple of outfits that we regularly wear to exercise and will rotate depending on the activity. Maybe you have a favourite top that stays in place during your downward dog or a pair of socks that gives you extra support on longer runs. And we don’t really consider how our clothing can help us achieve our fitness goals.

If you aren’t familiar with compression sport clothing, it’s time to learn about how these specialty design products may elevate our workouts.

Compression garments are skin-tight, yet flexible clothing made of supportive fabric like Spandex and Lycra. It is graded in its tightness to ease blood flow, it features wicking properties to reduce sweat pooling and keep you warm, whilst still allowing freedom of movement. Compression sportswear molds to your body to prevent the oscillation of the muscle during impact and increasing blood flow to the area. This is thought to prevent energy waste and assist in alignment. Additionally, the increase of blood flow ensures muscles are receiving a constant supply of oxygen, which helps sustain performance or enhance recovery.

Benefits of compression sportswear gear have been reported to include a reduction in muscle fatigue and soreness, faster recovery, reduction of swelling, improvement of blood flow, muscle strain prevention, skin protection, improved joint stabilization and muscle alignment, an increase in agility, and regulating body temperature.

That’s a lot to put on a pair of tights or a long-sleeved top … but is it true? Well, yes and no.

While there have not been conclusive studies on compression garments, and much of the evidence is with small groups of people or anecdotal, studies do exist that show the benefits of oxygen uptake to working muscles. There is also a small amount of research documenting how compression wear has reduced blood lactate levels after workouts.

And then, there’s our old friend the placebo effect. Any perceived performance improvements may be a result in how you feel wearing compression gear. Because you feel supported, you allow yourself to squat deeper or run longer. As we know, so much about exercise is mental rather than physical. Compression sportswear garments can stop the voices of self-doubt in your head and that’s a benefit we can all embrace.

Compression clothing is more expensive than what you’ll find in trendy workout stores or on the rack at Winners so you need to decide if it’s actually worth investing in a few key pieces to supplement your wardrobe. If you feel like a $150 pair of leggings is out of your budget (and for many of us it is), check the sale sections on websites like EC3D Sports or 2XU. You will be able to order last season’s products at a discount and make a decision if they are right for you.

If you have a race or big event coming up that will require extra support, a mental boost, and a speedier recovery, it might be time to treat yourself. After all, you don’t need to worry about hiking up your shorts as you dash through an obstacle at Tough Mudder. Just make sure that you have an opportunity to take your purchase on a test drive first to ensure that you like its fit and feel.

TrainingSpaces

Month: February 2020