Weight Training For Physique Transformation

Weight Training is Superior to Cardio For Physique Transformation – Here’s Why

If you ask any physique or fat loss expert they will likely tell you that weight training is superior to cardio for toning up, dropping body fat or anything physique related.

However, the general public still believes cardio to be the best solution. This is probably because early research showed cardio burns more fat within the workout; however, they did not account for fat loss over the course of a day, week or year.

Further, this does not account for the overall result, with weight training helping you add muscle, tone up, improve strength and look far better overall. If you really want to improve confidence, (or simply look better naked), weight training, or a combo of both, is going to be key.

Since this initial research, new evidence has further supported the use of weight training for fat loss or physique enhancement. This is because it boosts fat burning hormones, increases your metabolism, improves insulin sensitivity (carb tolerance) and other benefits that cardio simply doesn’t provide (1)!

If you are still on the fence or unsure what’s really best, this article will provide a breakdown of the benefits and review cardio vs weight training for fat loss.

Aerobic vs Anaerobic Training & Energy Systems

Before we break down the unique differences and benefits of weight training vs cardio here’s a brief overview of the energy systems required and how our body provides fuel during cardio or weight training.

In short, cardio utilizes the aerobic energy system as it is performed at lower intensities. This energy system allows you to perform it for prolonged periods of time. In contrast, resistance training utilizes the anaerobic energy system which only lasts 2-3 minutes but provides much more energy in the form of ATP.

Some of these distinct differences between aerobic vs anaerobic energy help explain why weight training is superior to cardio. For example, anaerobic training will burn greater amounts of ATP energy, which is generated from the breakdown of food sources or macros (carbs/protein/fat) through different energy pathways (2).

Benefits of Cardio Training vs Weight Training

Firstly, though, I would like to emphasize that weight training and aerobic training both burn calories and have a multitude of benefits; however, your body responds to these two types of training in completely different ways.

The physiological adaptations associated with aerobic training consist of (2):

• Increased cardiac output
• Reduced heart rate
• Increased stroke volume
• Increase in type 1 muscle fibers
• Increased mitochondrial density
• Increased myoglobin activity.

In contrast, the physiological adaptations associated with anaerobic training consist of (2):

• Increase in type 2 muscle fibers
• Increased anabolic hormone production
• Increased bone mineral density
• Increased motor unit recruitment
• Increased strength and power output
• Increased excess post-exercise oxygen consumption (EPOC)
• Increased resting energy expenditure.

While cardio is still useful for burning calories and cardiovascular health, sadly, it will not help add muscle tone or preserve muscle tone while dieting; in fact, it can actually increase muscle loss if you are not careful.

To optimize our body composition, we want to reduce body fat while maintaining, and in many cases even slightly increasing, lean muscle mass or tone. Resistance training is far superior for achieving this.

Additionally, weight training increases your hormone levels, metabolism and EPOC, carbohydrate tolerance and your resting energy expenditure. All of these will help you reach your physique goals more efficiently and most importantly, help you maintain them.

Weight Training Boosts Your Metabolism to Enhance Fat Loss

Remember, to lose fat efficiently you must be in an energy deficit.

There are multiple ways in which you can enter into an energy deficit. For example, you can increase your physical activity levels or, as most people do with a diet, decrease calorie consumption.

Along with this, another effective way is to increase your resting energy expenditure or the amount of calories you burn at rest!

One of the reasons why weight training is so effective for fat loss is because it quickly increases your metabolic rate, helping you burn more calories that day or the day after. Now, if you perform weight training every day, you will have an elevated metabolism forever (or, at least until you stop training) (3)!

Additionally, research has shown that as you increase muscle mass your resting energy expenditure goes up. So you begin to burn more calories at rest, without even adjusting your food intake (4)! Remember, this won’t happen from 1-2 LB of muscle, but, after a couple of years and 10LB + of muscle gained, you will see more of a significant difference!

Although cardio training does help boost your metabolism in the short term, this only lasts for a couple of hours after exercise, not for the whole day or even into the next day like resistance training (5).

Here’s a graph to demonstrate this:

Finally, remember, cardio doesn’t help add muscle and can even cause muscle loss when it’s combined with a low-calorie diet!

The Research on Cardio vs Weight Training

One group of researchers investigated the effects of cardio vs resistance training during a low-calorie diet and the effects on muscle mass and weight loss.

Both groups lost a significant amount of body mass (as mentioned earlier calorie deficit is key for fat loss).

However, the cardio group lost 4kg / 9lb of muscle mass whereas the weight training group did not lose any, indicating that all of the weight lost in the resistance training condition was fat mass. In other words, the weight training group lost 9lb more fat and preserved all their muscle mass!

Finally, these researchers also demonstrated that calorie expenditure was significantly greater in the weight training condition compared to cardio, supporting the points discussed in the chapter above.

So is Cardio the Enemy of Fat Loss?

Cardio has an immense amount of health benefits for the body and can still be effective for fat loss when used correctly (7).

Remember, if your goal is to optimize fat loss then you should focus more on weight training and increasing muscle mass and energy expenditure. This isn’t to say the odd bit of cardio won’t be effective. You could still do 2-3 sessions on top of weight training or do a 10 minute warm up and cool down after your main weight training session.

The main point of this article is to clarify that 5x cardio sessions vs 5x weight training sessions will yield very different results over weeks and months on your physique, metabolism and muscle mass.

Ultimately, you will not look or feel the same if you just perform cardio. It’s also worth noting this site is about advanced and optimal results, not ‘average’ results. Sure, if an individual is 40LB overweight and just starting out, even 3 cardio sessions a week will work wonders.

In summary, cardio isn’t bad – it is just that it should be used strategically and, ultimately, should reflect your own personal goals and ideal physique.

What About HIIT Cardio Training?

If you are familiar with HIIT or High Intensity Interval Training you will know it’s a great form of cardio that actually produces results more like weight training.

Dozens of studies have shown that HIIT provides superior results to cardio, and in less time. In fact, research has shown that HIIT increased fat loss by 930% compared to steady state cardio (8).

The key with HIIT training is it mimics weight training by performing short intervals at high intensities. Therefore, if you’re still looking for that fix of cardio or the heart/health benefits that cardio provides, a combo of HIIT and weight training is perfect.

For more information on HIIT and all of its health benefits check out my latest article here: hiit-every-benefit-in-one-article

Example Workout Plan & Split

Day 1: Weight Training Lower Body

Day 2: Weight Training Upper Body

Day 3: HIIT (5 – 10 intervals, 3 min rest)

Day 4- OFF

Day 5: Weight Training Lower Body

Day 6: Weight Training Upper Body

Day 7: HIIT (5 – 10 intervals, 3 min rest)

Summary

There you have it – hopefully, you can now see why, for fat loss, weight training is the superior choice to basic cardio. Here are a few points to remember:

• Ultimately, weight loss will occur with a calorie deficit; however, we want to focus on fat loss not just weight loss (losing muscle isn’t cool!)

• Weight training creates more fat loss and increases muscle mass & resting energy expenditure / your metabolic rate.

• Normally cardio may decrease muscle mass and resting energy expenditure over the long run, especially when combined with a calorie deficit or insufficient protein intake.

• If you want to be lean and toned, or lean and muscular, weight training must be your main priority.

• Some cardio on the side is still fine, plus HIIT is a very effective add-on to still reap the heart, lung and health benefits of cardio!

References

1.) Donnelly, J. E., Blair, S. N., Jakicic, J. M., Manore, M. M., Rankin, J. W., & Smith, B. K. (2009). Appropriate Physical Activity Intervention Strategies for Weight Loss and Prevention of Weight Regain for Adults (vol 41, pg 459, 2009). Medicine and Science in Sports and Exercise, 41(7), 1532-1532.

2.) Haff, G. G., & Triplett, N. T. (Eds.). (2015). Essentials of Strength Training and Conditioning 4th Edition. Human kinetics.

3.) Peterson, M. D., Sen, A., & Gordon, P. M. (2011). Influence of resistance exercise on lean body mass in aging adults: a meta-analysis. Medicine and science in sports and exercise, 43(2), 249.

4.) Hunter, G. R., Wetzstein, C. J., Fields, D. A., Brown, A., & Bamman, M. M. (2000). Resistance training increases total energy expenditure and free-living physical activity in older adults. Journal of Applied Physiology, 89(3), 977-984.

5.) Holloszy, J. O. (1973). Biochemical Adaptations to Exercise; Aerobic Metabolism1. Exercise and sport sciences reviews, 1(1), 45-72.

6.) Wilkinson, S. B., Phillips, S. M., Atherton, P. J., Patel, R., Yarasheski, K. E., Tarnopolsky, M. A., & Rennie, M. J. (2008). Differential effects of resistance and endurance exercise in the fed state on signalling molecule phosphorylation and protein synthesis in human muscle. The journal of physiology, 586(15), 3701-3717.

7.) Warburton, D. E., Nicol, C. W., & Bredin, S. S. (2006). Health benefits of physical activity: the evidence. Canadian medical association journal, 174(6), 801-809.

8.)  Tremblay, A., Simoneau, J. A., & Bouchard, C. (1994). Impact of exercise intensity on body fatness and skeletal muscle metabolism. Metabolism, 43(7), 814-818.

https://www.rudymawer.com/blog/weight-training-superior-cardio-phyqiue-transformation/

Are You Strong Enough to Run? Part 2

As a runner you may think that strength training doesn’t necessarily apply to you as running is all you need to either stay or get in shape.  I had that thought once, and it didn’t work out too well for me.  Achy knees and a lot of hip pain from poor mechanics.  Don’t let my mistake be your downfall.  Let’s learn from it.

Mechanics or Phases of Running

Breaking down the mechanics of a stride, it’s a series of single leg exercises, with 2 different phases:

Stance- This is where the all your bodyweight is on a single leg and typically where breakdowns occur.  This phase can also be broken down into smaller phases:

Initial Contact- Your foot first hits the ground, and as you touch down, the knee and ankle flex a little to absorb the force of the ground, and the foot pronates or turns in slightly.  This can create the first break down if we don’t have a requisite amount of strength or motor control.

Midstance-  Once the foot and leg are underneath the hip, you enter what is the midstance phase.  This is where all your weight is on the one leg.  Again, there is potential for injury here.  An over pronation at the foot can cause a chain reaction up the leg into the knee and hip.  Hip stability is also vital here as you need to be able to load the base leg in order to set yourself up for the propulsion phase.  It’s a basic load and explode situation.  Your muscles, tendons, and fascia are all storing up elastic energy from the previous phase, waiting to use it.  Lacking necessary joint stability and strength will hinder your stride, and really, your ability to run efficiently.

Propulsion- The final stage where the foot starts to come off the ground, starting with the heel.  This is where you will use all that stored/absorbed energy and push off to get into the next phase.  The ankle, knee, and hip all go through extension in order to achieve this.  Additionally, your foot/ankle should supinate, however this doesn’t always occur due to poor mechanics or poor shoes.  Either way, this is another instance in which we need to corrections during running.

Swing- From the moment your foot loses contact with the ground, till the moment it touches down again is the swing.  In this phase, your body needs to prep the leg and foot for that initial contact phase again.

There is a third phase where both feet are simultaneously off the ground, and if you freeze frame a runner, they appear to be floating or hovering off the ground.

So as you can note above, each phase of running comes with the potential for injury if the right mechanics aren’t in place.  This means a combination of strength, stability and mobility.  Thankfully we can incorporate strength training that focuses on those three aspects, and we can likely avoid injury or any aches and pains.  Then we can get back to doing what we love, which is running.

The Training

Putting together a strength program for a runner is a little tricky as you want to build as much strength as you need to avoid injury and resist the forces of running, but without putting on weight that may potentially slow you down.

Single Leg Exercises–  Being that running is largely a single leg exercise repeated over and over again, it’s important to include these into your program.  That doesn’t mean eliminating bilateral exercises like squats and deadlifts, as those will set a large strength base.  It just means adding in more single leg variations to maintain or improve hip stability.

Examples:

Lunges

Single Leg Deadlift

Step-up

Split Squats

Core Strength & Stability– Everyone uses these terms, but no one really knows what they mean.  In terms of running, the core needs to be strong and stable in order for the body to transfer forces from the lower body to the upper body, otherwise we just look like one of those wacky inflatable tube guys outside car dealerships.  And no one wants to look like that when they run.  Nor do we want to have any injuries or pain when we’re running.  If we lack the necessary core stability, meaning the control of the movement of the hips, it could result in hanging out on passive structures instead.  Have you ever gone for a run and your back was killing you halfway in or when you finished?  Yea that’s one, poor mechanics, but also lack of muscular strength and the ability to stabilize the hips.

Examples:

Anti-Extension – Plank

Anti Lateral Flexion – Side Plank

Bird/Dog

Anti Rotation – Pallof Press

Chops

Hip Extension Activation & Strength– The main mover for hip extension should be the glutes, however many end up predominantly using their hamstrings.  Hamstring injuries occur in part because they aren’t strong enough to control the eccentric contraction of the muscle, meaning a contraction as the muscle lengthens.  But also because the hamstrings compensate for a lack of glute strength.  It’s vital to the health of your hamstrings to get your glutes strong.  Then you can focus on strengthening the hamstrings via eccentric exercises.

Glute Bridge

Hip Thrust

Lateral Band Walks

Clamshells

Supine Hip Extension

Nordic Curls

Hamstring Curls via TRX, Glide Discs, Stability Ball

Running is a simple way to exercise and probably one of the most accessible to those of all levels, from beginner to advanced.  Now that the weather is getting nice, more and more people will be out there running.  Just because you can run, doesn’t mean you have to run or should.  Take account of your strength and stability, but also look at your own mechanics to see if running is for you.  Then you can move on to what could be the most important, whether or not you actually enjoy running.

http://amp-training.com/are-you-strong-enough-run/

Are You Strong Enough to Run? Part 1

What does strong enough mean?  Or in the case of this title, strong enough to run?  Would deadlifting 200lbs make you strong enough to run?  Maybe, maybe not. When it comes to running and being strong, expressing strength is more a matter of resisting forces put on it, than creating them. although you will create force into the ground to push you forward.

Everybody runs or can run, but not everyone that runs does so efficiently with good form.  Sometimes it looks a little wonky, like Elaine Benes trying to dance or like a calf trying to walk for the first time.  While running is a natural movement (for some), it does require a number of things to work synergistically so as not to get injured.  How often are you thinking of stride length, frequency, how your foot is landing, hip shifts, arm movement, etc when you go for a simple run or jog.  Or maybe its yogging, it might be a soft ‘J.”  Probably never.

Strength has more to do with running than you think, and it doesn’t just stop at the legs.  Think of running as a full body exercise, where all your muscles are coordinated to fire to ensure you absorb the forces appropriately.  And if there is a weak link in the chain, you can bet that your body will find it, and expose it.

Everyone can run, but not everyone SHOULD…..right away.

Thigh Exercises For Losing Fat

How to Tell If You’re Overtraining or Just Sore

You’ve likely heard the saying, “no pain, no gain.” If you’ve gotten the impression that some soreness while working out is normal, you would be correct. But it can be a fine line between when that soreness becomes classified as pain. Walking this line correctly is the difference between pushing just the right amount and overusing your muscles. Even though everyone’s threshold for pain is different, there is an answer that’s universal.

WHY OUR MUSCLES GET SORE

As our muscles repair themselves, one of the side effects many people experience is a dull, aching pain. Known as delayed-onset muscle soreness (DOMS), no one is immune from experiencing this pain, but the severity will vary based on type of activity and how much the muscles have adapted to that activity over time.

“It is theorized that the eccentric motion (or lengthening) of the muscles repeatedly is the actual cause of DOMS,” explains Kyle Golden, owner and personal trainer at Work It Personal Training in Austin, Texas. “During this movement, the muscle tissue incurs small tears, which breaks down the muscle so that it can rebuild to get bigger and stronger. It is this breakdown and rebuilding process that is thought to cause the delayed soreness we experience.”

The American College of Sports Medicine recommends progressing slowly when starting a new exercise routine to reduce the severity of DOMS — and advises that the soreness experienced rarely requires medical attention.

FATIGUE VS. OVERUSE

How DOMS relates to muscle fatigue and how you can gauge pain to prevent injury lies in the difference between fatigue and overuse.

Muscle fatigue is common in exercise and is the feeling you get when you can no longer perform a specific movement. DOMS and “feeling the burn” during a workout can both fall into this category.

“Both of these sensations are positive changes taking place within the muscle fibers,” says Jennifer McCamish, a Pilates instructor and personal trainer who owns Dancer’s Shape in Austin, Texas. “You unfortunately need to experience some discomfort to build muscle mass.”

With muscle fatigue, the burning sensation usually subsides shortly after you stop the movement — such as lifting weights — and your body uses this to signal that the muscles are too tired to continue.

Overuse, however, involves pushing your muscles past the point of fatigue — and this is what can lead to injury. It doesn’t just involve straining the muscle during a workout, but it can happen when you don’t give yourself adequate time to rest and recover.

“Overuse of a muscle may result in many types of damage including muscle strain, tears, tendonitis and stress fractures,” says Golden. “Most of the time, these injuries are accompanied by fairly acute and sometimes severe, long-lasting pain.”

GOOD VS. BAD PAIN

With pain being a common denominator in the discussion of fatigue versus overuse, it is important to distinguish good pain from bad pain. Of course, pain is relative and will vary from person to person, but there are some general guidelines that athletes should know.

“In general, good sore muscle pain is a dull mild pain sensation that usually begins about 24–48 hours after exercise,” notes Golden. “With a little use and stretching, the muscle soreness should subside a little and may last a couple of days before going away completely.”

It is when the pain gets more severe, that may be a sign that an injury has occurred or that something has been strained. This bad pain can indicate that the muscles were overused.

McCamish adds that if you are experiencing consistent sharp or nagging pain that does not go away, you are most likely overtraining and have developed some type of minor injury that needs to be addressed.

HOW THIS KNOWLEDGE AFFECTS YOUR WORKOUTS

Varying your workouts is key to prevent overusing your muscles. McCamish explains that cross-training helps you to avoid the likelihood of the same muscles experiencing the same repetitious movements, which causes injuries.

There is no one-size-fits-all workout or rule of thumb for everyone, though the signs of overtraining can be felt no matter the workout regimen. Golden explains that how you exercise your muscles and to what point depends on your goals — and working to at least a light fatigued state is often part of reaching them.

“Once you start to feel the burn, due to lactic-acid buildup, you will know you have worked your muscles to their fatigued point and should consider easing up or stopping,” he concludes. “If you experience any acute pain, you are physically unable to perform a motion or exercise you could before, or are having difficulty with usual muscle function, you should stop exercising and get seek medical attention and advice.”

McCamish echoes that because everyone’s goals are different, in this case, pain should be your guide. If you experience chronic pain, it is an indication that you may have overused your muscles, and a break is warranted (if not also a medical evaluation).

“If you mix it up and do different things every day with one or two days off in a week, you should feel good and energized after working out,” she says.

http://blog.mapmyrun.com/how-to-tell-if-youre-overtraining-or-just-sore/

5 Tips to Stay on Track When Life Gets Busy

25 Ways You Could Get Back on Track Today

Don't Give Up on Your Goals!

Not long ago, you were energetic and determined to start your healthy lifestyle. Starting with enthusiasm and hope, you watched your food intake diligently, exercised like it was going out of style, and even avoided the temptation that seemed to lurk around every corner. You were confident that you were going to reach your goals once and for all!

Then certain tragedy struck! You ate an extra piece of birthday cake. Realizing you had “blown” your diet, you ate another and another and couldn’t get it together the next day either. Or worse, you missed one workout, and that turned into a whole week away from the gym. After that, your momentum to start over again was gone, and your gym bag hasn’t left the closet since.

Every time you misstep on your healthy journey, you have two choices: to keep walking backwards, which will surely take you even further away from your goals; or to accept your lack of perfection as normal and forgivable, and take not one, but two positive steps down the path that brings your closer to the future you want.

If you’re reading this, you might have been walking backwards for a while. But instead of waiting for the next day, week, month or even year to overhaul your habits, start TODAY. And start small. You can’t go from the recliner to running or from burgers to Brussels sprouts in an afternoon. But you can do one, two or even a handful of small things that will help you regain your momentum for healthy living.

When you feel like getting back on track is overwhelming, try one (or more) of these small steps each day.

1. Try a short workout. Even five minutes is better than nothing. For ideas browse our video library or workout generator.

2. Try a new recipe. Cooking healthy foods can be fun and it never has to be bland.

3. Eat a healthy breakfast. Your morning meal sets the stage for the rest of your day, so start if off right! Get lots of breakfast ideas here.

4. Drink your water. Try to aim for 8 cups each day and you’ll feel the difference!

5. Look at Motivational SparkPages. Seeing how others overcome similar struggles and obstacles can be a great source of motivation.

6. Track your food today. No matter how it adds up, you’ll learn from it.

7. Update your SparkPage. It’s a visual way to track your ups and downs, but also your progress.

8. Share your goals. Whether you post them on the Message Boards or share them with a friend, you’ll be more accountable.

9. Exercise for 10 minutes. Jump rope, march in place, or do some crunches. Small amounts do add up to something big!

10. Find a buddy. Get support from friends, whether you need someone to listen or a mentor to give you ideas and encouragement.

11. Take a walk. Don’t worry about how long or far you go—just get out there!

12. Create a motivational collage. Include pictures of your goal and reasons why you want to get there.

13. Go shopping for some healthy foods. Use this shopping list for ideas.

14. Check the nutrition facts before you go out to eat. That way, you can make an informed choice.

15. Ride your bike. Even a leisurely ride has benefits for your body and mind.

16. Work in the yard. Gardening and yard work is a great way to add activity to your day.

17. Take the stairs. Even if this is the only thing you do all day, you’ll feel stronger for it.

18. Rack up those SparkPoints! You earn them for every healthy task you do on the site—talk about motivating! Aim for a certain milestone, such as 100 points, and then reward yourself with a SparkGoodie!

19. Listen to an inspirational song. Better yet, make a playlist of them so you can turn to it whenever you need a boost.

20. Re-start your SparkPeople program. Sometimes it’s easier to get back on track when you have a clean slate.

21. Measure your portions. It’s a simple way to learn how much you’re eating.

22. Eat a piece of fruit. Even if 5-9 servings of fruit and vegetables sounds impossible to you, one is doable.

23. Slow down during meals. You’ll be less likely to overeat and more likely to enjoy your meal.

24. Play! What kids call “play,” we often call “exercise.” Play a sport, a game, or use the playground equipment to bring the fun back into fitness.

25. Learn something new. Sometimes simply taking a quiz or reading an article about nutrition, fitness, or health can change your mindset and get you back on track.

In tennis, losing one point isn’t the end of the world. It happens to the best of them. In fact, if you can consistently win a few more points that you lose, you may end up in the hall of fame. With healthy eating and exercising, as long as you’re consistently out-stepping your steps back, you’re ahead of the game. If you expect perfection (and many of us do), you’re setting yourself up for disappointment and guilt.

You CAN get back on track today. Even if you’re moving slowly, you’ll be moving in the right direction! 

http://www.sparkpeople.com/resource/motivation_articles.asp?id=1062&page=2

Only 12 Minutes a Day and Your Legs Will Be Irresistible! Exercises That Fit Everyone

At the beginning of the spring, apparently everyone is concerned about the body weight. In the case of women, the most problematic parts of the body include their thighs and hips, as it is extremely difficult to lose extra centimeters from these areas.

However, there is no doubt that you should follow three golden rules if you are trying to lose weight and burn excess fat on your thighs:

• You should reduce the calorie intake
• You should drink lots of water
• You should regularly do some exercises.

What is best about out exercises today is the fact that you can do them at home, so you do not need to visit the gym.

We guarantee that this set of exercises for your legs will provide incredible results, and due to that, numerous women all around the world do exactly the same exercises on a daily basis!

Namely, in only 12 minutes a day, you will lose a centimeter in the thighs and hips a week!

The video below will provide all the needed instructions, and even though the exercises may appear intense and difficult at the beginning, you will definitely be thrilled with the results!

Do You Really Need a Rest Day After Exercise?

Rest days are a standard part of exercise programs, but they’re not the only way to avoid overworking yourself. Let’s look at the difference between rest and recovery, and when you can bend the rules.

The Reason for Rest Days

Most strength-focused programs like weightlifting either work your whole body and then skip the next day, or else they have you split up your workouts so that, for example, your arms get a rest on leg day. The idea is to let each muscle recover from a workout before you ask it to do the same thing again.

But not every activity works this way. Runners, for example, often run every day, and may only take one or two true rest days a week. But within that pattern, they will alternate days of hard running (like speedwork, hill running, or long runs) with easy runs that feel less challenging to the body.

Other sports may fall somewhere in between, but nobody expects to work every body part to exhaustion every day. Even when elite athletes do workouts every day that look killer to us, it’s because our “hard” is their “easy”. You can bet their coaches schedule in just enough of the easier workouts to keep the athlete’s progress on track with minimal risk of injury.

Rest days and splits help us to pace ourselves. Too much hard running, if you’re not used to it, sets you up for tendonitis and other overuse injuries. And too much exercise of any kind can lead to a syndrome called overtraining where your body may develop flu-like symptoms and disturbed sleep because it just can’t keep up with the demands you’re putting on it.

There’s Nothing Magic About Resting for One Day

Taking a single rest day after a hard workout isn’t the only way to keep yourself from overtraining. There are a few reasons it’s a good rule of thumb, though:

 

• Delayed-onset muscle soreness often takes two days to peak. If you did a too-hard workout on Monday, you might be feeling only a little bit sore on Tuesday and think you’re okay to work out some more. If you waited until Wednesday instead, you would have a better sense of how sore or injured you are. Then you would be able to make a better judgment call about whether, and how hard, to work out again.
• Resting every other day means only half of your days will be hard workouts. The other half will be rest days or easier days, so the schedule keeps your total workout intensity manageable.
• Mentally, it’s easier to stick to a workout when you enjoy it. Hard workouts aren’t always fun, and you may need to psych yourself up to try something really challenging. It’s okay if you don’t feel up to that every day. Having some easier, almost relaxing days can help you stick to your schedule.

If you can accomplish those goals with another schedule, though, feel free to do so. If you enjoy all your workouts, even the hard ones, slowly include more hard days in your schedule. If you feel okay with that, keep doing it! But if you end up sore or fatigued, listen to your body and put those rest days back in.

If soreness is your problem, be aware that skipping one day may not be the best way to deal with it. Soreness peaking at 48 hours is just an average, and the true timeframe can vary. Your muscles might only feel sore and weak for one day, or if you tried something new and difficult, you might feel it for a week. At the beginning of a new workout routine, you might even need three or four easy days.

Recovery Doesn’t Have to Mean Total Rest

Some people prefer the term “recovery” to “rest” days, because total rest isn’t necessarily your goal. After all, lifting a fork to your mouth is a similar action to a bicep curl, so if you just did a heavy arm day, would you be unable to eat? Clearly, some amount of activity is fine on a rest or recovery day.

This is where you have to calibrate your own sense of effort. If you’re new to exercising and you just did a day of heavy squats, a five mile bike ride is probably not a great choice for the following day. But if you bike five miles to work every day, you should be able to keep doing that even on your “rest” days.

When I did push-ups every day for 30 days, a few people suggested that I was setting myself up for injury by not taking rest days. But as I wrote in that article, I ramped up my fitness very carefully. A few sets of pushups every day is my new normal, and it’s no more taxing to me than a bike ride is to a bike commuter. Some days I might try a more challenging type of pushup or I might do more reps than usual; but I balance out those harder days with, you guessed it, easier days that are closer to my baseline effort level.

As you learn your own strengths and limitations, you too can alter your workout schedule according to what works for you. That might mean you only take one or two rest days per week, or it might mean you do mega-hard workouts and then lay low for a few days. If you’re getting a reasonable amount of exercise in total, and if you aren’t getting sore or injured, you’re probably doing okay.

http://vitals.lifehacker.com/do-you-really-need-a-rest-day-after-exercise-1792349953

What Is The Best Comeback Workout?

People dedicate years of their life to strict training, and the entire bodybuilding lifestyle. Unfortunately, the habit can be broken. Get a workout and tips from our forum members to help you break through and reignite the passion.

THE QUESTION:

Exercising can be truly addicting. Once you start, it's a hard habit to break. People dedicate years of their life to strict dieting, hardcore training, and the entire bodybuilding lifestyle. Unfortunately, sometimes the habit is broken. Health reasons, hectic schedules, a needed change in life, work, family problems, loss of motivation, and stress are all things that can break the habit. Eventually, one may want to get back into the game. They clearly aren't going to be the same as they once were. They need a solid routine to help trigger muscle memory and get back in shape.

What is the best comeback workout? Be specific.

How long could it take to build the muscle back that you once had?

How can one prevent breaking the habit, never needing a "comeback" workout?

Bonus Question: What is the main reason you got off track or completely stopped you training program?

INTRODUCTION

We try to avoid it, but that does not stop it from happening. It's the time when for some reason, we get sidetracked off of our workout routine and never get around to getting back into the groove.

Each passing day of not working out makes it more difficult to start back up. Without even realizing it, we gain body fat and lose muscle mass. It isn't until we see past pictures of ourselves or receive a negative reaction from someone we haven't seen in a while that we realize how we've changed. Instead of getting those great "Wow you've been working out" compliments, we get the "Did you stop working out?" reactions.

It is then that we build up our past fuel for working out, and decide to make a commitment to get back in shape. At this point we are not in as bad of a position as it seems. Factors such as muscle memory and past experience will get you back into shape faster than you think.

So what is the best way to maximize your muscle memory and past experience to get back into shape faster? What workout is best to accomplish this goal? These subjects are what this article will cover.

So grab yourself a protein bar and learn how the best way to get back into the elite of society ...

PART 1:

WHAT IS THE BEST COMEBACK WORKOUT? BE SPECIFIC.

When preparing a comeback routine you should realize you aren't in the shape as you once were, however that is not a reason to do as little working out as possible. Your body has been at a lethargic state for a long time, meaning your body's muscles are completely healed and good to go for weightlifting.

Along with healed muscles, your muscle memory is another reason to not workout at a minimum. Simply put, muscle memory is the body's ability to activate the muscle fibers quickly due to having done it so many times in the past.

Let's divide muscle building into five stages:

1. Sedentary
2. Light
3. Moderate
4. High
5. Genetic Limit

Furthermore let's say for an average person to achieve these levels it takes; 3 months, 6 months, 2 years and 5 years from completion of the previous stage, respectively.

For instance, a person achieves a certain level of muscle and then stops. Some time later, if that same person gets back into the workout, he/she will gain muscle mass that he/she has already obtained in the past at a much faster rate. This can be seen visually as:

5 Stages Of Muscle Building.

This is how muscle memory plays a role in weightlifting. While these are not hard numbers, it serves as an illustration on how muscle memory works. So we make a routine based around our experience and the total usage of muscle memory.

This routine, as seen below, consists of 3 stages, each 4 weeks long.

• The first stage is getting your body back into shape. It includes easier exercises at high reps in order to increase muscle size by taking advantage of muscle memory.
• The second stage includes little harder exercises at moderate reps. Compound exercises such as pullups and dips, in order to increase muscle strength and prepare your body for more advanced exercises.
• Finally the third stage is consists of the more advanced exercises, such as weighted pull-ups and dips. They are done at low reps in order to be able to use high weight, which is optimal for strength gains.

WORKOUT TIPS:

1. While on this routine, one should use the maximum weight possible for the rep ranges called for.
2. Rest between sets should be about 90 seconds. Rest between exercises should be about 3 minutes. Thus a day's workout should not last longer than an hour.
3. Each exercise should be done with proper form coming before added weight. For descriptions of these exercises and more visit the Bodybuilding.com Exercise Database.

COMEBACK WORKOUT - 3 DAY SPLIT, 12 TOTAL WEEKS:

WEEKS 1-4, 12-15 REPS

DAY 1

Back - Cable Pulldowns, Cable Rows

Shoulders - Front Dumbbell Raises, Side Lateral Raises, Bent Over Rear Delt Row

Day 1 Log.

DAY 2

Triceps - Close-Grip Bench, Tricep Extensions

Legs - Barbell Squats, Dumbbell Calf Raises, Lying Leg Curls

Day 2 Log.

DAY 3

Biceps - EZ-Bar Preacher Curls, Hammer Curls

Traps - Barbell Shrugs

Chest - Incline Bench Press, Dumbbell Flies

Day 3 Log.

WEEKS 5-8, 8-10 REPS

DAY 1

Back - Pullups, Barbell Rows

Shoulders - Seated Dumbbell Press, Side Lateral Raises, Cable Seated Rear Lateral Raises

Day 1 Log.

DAY 2

Triceps - Bench Dips, Tricep Pushdowns

Legs - Barbell Lunges, Barbell Calf Raises, Standing Leg Curl

Day 2 Log.

DAY 3

Biceps - Chin-ups, Concentration Curls

Traps - Close grip barbell shrugs

Chest - Dips, Dumbbell Flies

Day 3 Log.

WEEKS 9-12, 4-6 REPS

DAY 1

Back - Weighted Pullups, Bent Over Dumbbell Rows

Shoulders - Barbell Military Press, Side Lateral Raises, Bent Over Rear Delt Row

Day 1 Log.

DAY 2

Tricepts - Tricep Dips, Lying Tricep Extensions

Legs - Barbell Squats, Dumbbell Calf Raises, Stiff Legged Deadlifts

Day 2 Log.

DAY 3

Biceps - Barbell Curls, Hammer Curls

Traps - Dumbbell Shrugs

Chest - Weighted Dips, Dumbbell Flies

Day 3 Log.

NUTRITION:

Along with the actual weightlifting, you must ingest the proper nutrition. Good training with a bad diet will yield little results or even ruin your comeback.

Usually when one stops working out, they also stop eating right. Remember to eat right you need a healthy balance of carbohydrates, protein, and fats. A good percentage would be sticking to 40% carbs, 40% protein, and 20% fats.

Depending on your body type and your goals, you then need to decide if you want to bulk up or cut. If you decide to bulk up, then set your daily calorie goals to 800 calories over your daily usage. If you decide to cut, then set your daily calorie goals to 800 calories under your daily usage.

Now that you have a template of your diet, it's time to talk about what to eat. As I mentioned before you should concern yourself not only with the amount of protein, carbs and fat but the quality of it also.

CARBOHYDRATES:

Carbohydrates supply your body with readily needed energy. However consuming carbohydrates over what your body uses will result in fat gain. Also it is important to eat the right quality of carbohydrates. Generally speaking, if it's brown it's good; if it's white it's bad.

Bad (simple) carbohydrates include white bread, white rice and sugar. Good (complex) carbohydrates include wheat bread, brown rice, nuts and whole grain cereals. The factor that separates the good from the bad is that the simple carbohydrates will spike your blood sugar, thus resulting in fat gain; whereas complex carbohydrates will gradually raise your blood sugar level, rather than spiking it.

PROTEIN:

While having to watch what carbohydrates you eat, protein is close but different. Protein in general is good for you; there is no bad type of protein. However what you eat that has protein in it determines if it's a good food or not. A McDonald's hamburger may have protein in it, but it's also loaded with saturated fats and simple carbohydrates.
On the other hand a chicken breast has a great deal of protein in it, and it's a lean source too which makes it a great bodybuilding food. There are two main types of protein, whey and casein. Whey protein is absorbed fast by the body, which makes it great for post-workout nutrition. Casein protein is absorbed slowly, which makes it great for long periods when you will not have anything to eat, such as when sleeping.

FATS:

Fats are the final nutrient. Fats, like carbohydrates have their bad forms and good forms. Saturated fat, which is found in cooking oils and butter, is the unhealthiest form of fat. The healthier fat is called monounsaturated fat. This fat is found mainly in olive oil, sesame oil, nuts, avocados and fish oil.
Another type of healthy fats is the EFA's (Essential fatty acids). These are found mainly in flaxseed oil, leafy vegetables, fish, shellfish and nuts. Fats should always be a part of your diet, as they maintain healthy skin and hair, maintain body temperature, promote healthy cell function, and are the only way your body can absorb vitamins A, D, E, and K.

SLEEP:

So we now have our workout set & our diet set - there is one more thing that will complete our comeback. That is proper rest. There is not much science behind sleep; basically 8 hours per day of uninterrupted sleep is recommended to maximize muscle gains and replenish your energy.
If you have trouble falling asleep, try keeping your bedroom cooler, avoid naps during the day, drink as few liquids as possible before bed, release tight fitting pants on your bladder, try not to sleep on your stomach and try sleep supplements such as ZMA or melatonin.
Combining the right workout, diet and sleep will make your comeback seem so much easier, and go so much smoother.

PART 2:

HOW LONG COULD IT TAKE TO BUILD THE MUSCLE BACK THAT YOU ONCE HAD?

As shown in the pyramid diagram earlier, the time it takes to build back the muscle you once had depends on how much muscle mass was achieved in the past.
If Jimmy only worked out for a month and achieved little added muscle mass, Jimmy would only have muscle memory spanning to that previous point. That position may take a short time to get there (2-3 weeks), however once that point is achieved Jimmy will be in unchartered territory. From that point on, his gains would take the same amount of time as most people's gains would.
However if Eva works out for 2 years before stopping, her muscle memory spans all the way to the High Muscle Mass level (as shown in the diagram). While a normal person takes 2 years to get there, she might achieve that same level in only 1 year because her body's muscle mass has been at that point before.
Whatever the amount of time you may have worked out in the past, it is a known fact that muscle memory will help you get to that level much faster than the average person. This alone gives you an excellent reason to get back into weightlifting.

PART 3:

HOW CAN ONE PREVENT BREAKING THE HABIT, NEVER NEEDING A "COMEBACK" WORKOUT?

Breaking yourself from any habit, including weightlifting, happens mainly because you take a break and never get back into it. One day of not working out becomes a week, which becomes a month and so on.
Many things can be done to prevent yourself from breaking your routine. These factors include:
• Preventing overtraining
• Keeping yourself motivated
• Prioritizing your daily schedule
• Having the right mindset

PREVENTING OVERTRAINING:

In brief terms, overtraining is working out too hard and too long without a break. Overtraining can lead to many problems such as:
• Loss of motivation
• Muscle loss
• Insomnia
• Depression
• Loss of appetite
• Immune disturbances
All of these factors can contribute to breaking a routine. While a rest from the routine is what is needed to cure overtraining syndrome, this break often spans a few months or years.

TO PREVENT OVERTRAINING:

Have a healthy, balanced diet; take breaks after 10-12 weeks of weightlifting and manage your workout routines wisely. For instance this means not to train arms 5 days a week. Extremely detailed information about overtraining can be found here:

KEEPING YOURSELF MOTIVATED:

Without motivation, you will not stick to a routine. Motivation is possibly the most important factor in keeping yourself from never straying from weightlifting.
To Keep Yourself Motivated:
Some tips to keep yourself motivated are:
• Getting a training partner
• Setting goals
• Take progress pictures every 3 months or so
• Use mirrors in when working out
• Keep a workout log to track progress
• Stick to a balanced diet in order to keep a healthy mindset

PRIORITIZING YOUR DAILY SCHEDULE:

A set daily schedule will help tremendously in keeping yourself in a routine. If your days are unplanned then you are unlikely to have something to do when it comes time to workout. For example, you usually workout at night and you put off studying for an exam until the end of day. It now comes down to either working out or studying, in this situation studying should come first; however it could all have been avoided by just studying earlier.

TO PRIORITIZE YOUR SCHEDULE:

Devote a certain time of day to working out. During that time of day you must not plan anything else, it would be as if this period did not exist. This time of day should include a free hour before and after the workout as to not have to rush during your training. For example if you workout from 10-11 a.m., then from 9 a.m.-12 p.m. there should not be anything planned.
Training Split Articles:
• Training Splits: Which One Is Best? - By Jim Brewster
• Finding The Ideal Training Split! - By Sr. Squat
• Basic Rules Of Split Training! - By AnimalPak
• Other Training Split Articles...

HAVING THE RIGHT MINDSET:

As if combining all of the above factors, having the right mindset is working out for the right reasons. You should workout for reasons such as your health, physique, and accomplishing goals. However you shouldn't go into workouts with the mindset of getting them over with as quickly as possible, just to say you worked out. If you do, then one of the above factors could be the reason why your workouts are not at their fullest potential.

TO HAVE THE RIGHT MINDSET:

Whether you workout at a gym or at home, the weightroom should be an escape from the real world. It's a place where you can leave all of your troubles behind and relieve stress. It is important to go into your workouts with this mindset, and the fact you are constantly improving your body.
After a workout you should know you have more muscle mass or less body fat than you did the day before. Each day is more and more progress to your goals.

PART 4 - BONUS QUESTION:

WHAT IS THE MAIN REASON YOU GOT OFF TRACK OR COMPLETELY STOPPED YOUR TRAINING PROGRAM?

I did not only get off track, or just completely stop my routine. I actually got sidetracked and later on completely stopped. Here is my story ...
Rewind back 2 and a half years ago. I was working out, however not with the right mindset. I'd just go through the motions in order to get it done with as quickly as possible. The only thing that was keeping me going was my training partner, since we worked out at his house. Back then I wanted to play games, watch TV or hang out with friends rather than working out.
The desire to take recreation time over workout time is the reason I got off track from my routine. However I did not stop working out, only because my workout partner would encourage me to keep going. If it wasn't for him, I would have completely stopped my routine long before I did. This is why I highly recommend workout partners for motivation.
So anyway I kept at the half-@ssed workouts for a few months. It was then I would completely stop training, my workout partner could not weightlift at the same time as I could due to a change in his work schedule. Once I didn't have him to push me anymore I stopped working out all together.
During this time I played computer games and hung out with friends, all sedentary activities. I kept telling myself I'd start working out again, but as time went on it got easier to not workout. Days turned into weeks, weeks turned into months. I had gained body fat and lost muscle, however without realizing because I would see my body everyday. It wasn't until two concurrent events that I was able to break this cycle of lethargy.
One day at work, one of my friends that I haven't seen in months visited me. One of his first comments to me was, "Whoa you stopped working out?" That was a wakeup call for me. Even though I didn't notice I was getting out of shape, it was obvious others did. After all of the positive compliments I received in the past, I had actually gotten a negative comment. That was the point where I told myself I was going to start working out again.
Not a week after that wakeup call, behold another good occurrence. My workout partner had his work schedule changed, meaning we could workout together once again.
The first day of getting back into my routine was a Monday. I know this because Monday is the day we do a full-body workout. Included in this workout are supersetting push-ups and pull-ups. Supersetting is doing a set of push-ups followed immediately by a set of pull-ups. It's something I could endure in the past, however this workout was different.
I was so out of shape that after the three sets I felt as if I had to puke. It was a horrible feeling to actually see how much I had gotten out of shape.
When I got home after that workout I told myself I'd never stop working out again; I shouldn't have to feel completely exhausted after a few pull-ups and push-ups. It's been about two years since that incident, and I have never stopped working out. The only break I had was a month and a half off, because I had to get surgery on my back. (Nothing too serious, I just slipped a disc when squatting with improper form. Better form beats more weight, but that's another story)
Two years later I still have the motivation to stick to my routine, probably even more than before. You will not see results on a day by day basis; however when you see past pictures of yourself all out of shape, it is proof that working out is paying off.
I hope this article will help some of you who may be stagnating in their workouts or completely stopped. Getting out of your workout routine may be the easier path to take, but it isn't the smartest. Even though you may have an extra hour in the day free, you'll feel like crap ... which in my opinion does not come close to that wonderful feeling you get after a workout.
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