Exercise: Too Much, Too Little, Just Right

In an era filled with countless new exercise programs, new exercise methods, and newly designed exercise equipment, our choices to get fit are numerous. The issue is definitely not a lack of effective fitness programs available to us, but more of a lack of understanding of just how much exercise do we need to get and stay fit.

Almost every single bit of literature and information available to us about exercise is about making sure we get enough exercise but there is very little that addresses doing too much. Here’s a number for you; over half of the people that I see exercising on a regular basis are over training. That’s right, OVER training.

So, how do we know the amount of exercise that’s just right for us? Your exercise routine should match your fitness goals and your routines and goals are far too many to address here. But, no matter your fitness routine or goals, I have listed some guidelines that tell you if you are doing too much, too little, or just right.

1. Include off days – every exercise program needs to include off days. I recommend that you take two full days off a week and split them up across the week. For example: 3 days of exercise, 1 day off, 2 days of exercise, 1 day off. Your results are determined by how well your body is recuperating; you need days off to fully recuperate.

2. Exercise Durations – get at least 30 minutes a day for five days a week of moderate exercise and on the other end of the scale, do not exceed an hour and a half a day for five days a week.

3. Soreness – you may experience muscle soreness the next day or even 1-2 days after exercise which is called delayed onset muscle soreness (DOMS). But, you should not have soreness in the same muscle for more than three days. Soreness is NOT an indicator of a “good” workout; just make sure your soreness is not in your joints.

4. Avoid Pain – You should NEVER experience pain when exercising. Pain can be and is a sign of over training and injury. There is discomfort with exercise such as getting out of breath, experiencing the burning sensation in your muscle during exercise, fatigue, being tired, and mental exhaustion but you should never have pain. If you do have pain, stop exercising and let your doctor diagnose this pain. Make sure you aren’t doing too much and that you are recuperating enough from exercise.

5. Your Immune System – the right amount of exercise can and does strengthen your immune system. However, too much or too little exercise can weaken your immune system and make you more susceptible to bacteria and viruses. If you are exercising and you frequently get colds, you could be over training. Check your training frequency and intensity and make sure you are recuperating from exercise. If you are not exercising, starting a fitness program can and will strengthen your immune system. And, don’t forget to wash your hands after exercise and keep your hands out of your face.

6. Eat Well and Understand Nutrition – eating good food is only part of eating well, the other part is eating at the right times. My new exercise program, It’s All Heart, has a 45 minute nutrition segment which details not only what to eat, but when to eat. Make sure you are eating an hour and a half t0 two hours before you exercise and immediately after exercise. Read and understand how the different foods affect your body and energy, this is very valuable information and will improve your workouts.

7. Monitor Your Heart Rate – Invest in a heart rate monitor or start taking and recording your heart rate several times during your workout. Also, start taking your heart rate at different times of the day including before you go to sleep and right before you get out of bed in the morning. An elevated resting heart rate can mean you’re not exercising enough or that you are exercising too much as well.

8. Listen to Your Body – In addition to your heart rate, your body has other ways of telling you if you are doing the right amount of exercise. Pay attention to your energy levels throughout the day, how well you are sleeping, and monitor your emotions, moods, and mental energy. When you are exercising right, your energy, mood, sleep, and feelings of well being are very high but when your exercise levels are not what they should be, a downward spiral of feelings can become the norm.

Exercise and eating well are the keys to living as long and well as you can, just be sure that your exercise program or the way you are exercising isn’t actually taking years off your life. Treat your body now how you want it to treat you later in life and I’ll see you on your next exercise day.

Burn Baby Burn; The Truth About Lactic Acid

It seems that almost every conversation about resistance training or anaerobic activity always centers on “The Burn”. I’m talking about that deep burning sensation in your muscles that feels hot or stingy when reaching muscle exhaustion during weight training or short burst energy activities like sprinting. What exactly causes that burning sensation and is it a sign that you’re exercising correctly?

Photograph courtesy of Shutterstock

Without getting too technical, that burning sensation is caused by a buildup of lactic acid. When we do exercise for short periods of time (up to 3 minutes), our bodies are in an anaerobic state. Anaerobic means “without oxygen” and means that when we need immediate energy, oxygen is not a readily available source of energy. So, our body relies on another form of quick release energy called glucose. When this happens, glucose is broken down into pyruvate and when we are in anaerobic activity, pyruvate is converted into lactate. When your body has high levels of lactate (lactic acid), there is also an increase in the acidity of the muscle cells themselves which creates that burning sensation. This is exactly why when you are truly in an aerobic state, you do not feel “The Burn”.

Although there are those that believe lactic acid is what causes us to have DOMS (Delayed Onset Muscle Soreness), it has never been proven that this is the case. Muscle soreness is caused by microscopic muscle fiber damage. When you have muscle fiber damage from exercise, your muscles become inflamed and swell which is what causes the soreness you feel from exercise during the next 2-3 days afterwards.

There you have it, the truth on lactic acid. It’s a perfectly natural part of exercise and is the direct result of spent energy during anaerobic activity. So, the next time you here a conversation pairing that burning sensation with muscle soreness; you can step right in and tell the burning truth.

Is Your Workout Working Out?

Ultimately, your effort in fitness should match your goals and your level of success. Unfortunately, what I have seen in my 21 years in the fitness industry is a lot of efforts headed in an undesired direction and being undermined by the way people exercise. I’m referring to people exercising with a program or in a way that will not yield their desired results simply because of two reasons; the program they are using does not match their fitness goals and/or they are not giving their bodies what it needs to get the most out of their workout. To help you maximize your effort and your results out of your exercise, I have listed the top two things you need to do to ensure your exercise routine is truly paying off.

• Match your program with YOUR body and genetics – we all have different genetics and predispositions when it comes to body types so you must pick a program that best suits your physiological makeup. For example: for those of you who gain weight very easily and have a hard time losing weight, pick a program that keeps you moving with high repetitions and very little rest time. On the other hand, if you have a hard time gaining muscle and body weight in general, pick a program that is much slower paced with mostly low repetition resistance exercises and moderate cardiovascular activity. Find your best match.

• Preparation and recuperation – this is the biggest short fall and most common mistake in fitness; not giving your body what it needs to prepare for exercise and what it needs to fully recuperate after exercise. Exercising is great for your body and is essential for optimal health but you have to give your body what it needs to get healthier both before and after exercise. This means eating the right foods at the right times, getting plenty of sleep, and managing your stress on a daily basis. If your body and your mind are not prepared for exercise your exercise routine will be much less affective. And, if you do not give your body and mind what it needs to recuperate fully after exercise, your exercise program will be much less affective and even potentially harmful. Start strong, finish stronger.

As I tell people almost on a daily basis, most of your success in fitness is determined by what you do outside of your actual exercise program. To make sure your workout program is actually working out you must first of all make sure your program actually “fits” you. And, once you know you have the right program, treat it right; it will do your body good.

The Bottom Line

You know that 360 degree look you get of yourself in the dressing room as you’re trying on new clothes and you see angles of your body that you do not see on a daily basis? In most cases it’s really hard to see what your backside looks like and, in my experience in personal training, it’s the number one body part that people (mostly women) want to look good. So, I want to give you my top three tips to keep your “bottom line” in shape.

1.) Squat and lunge – the two best glute muscle builders and shapers. When doing squats, keep your feet wider than shoulder width because when your feet are wide, the emphasis is more on your hips and glutes than your quads. Press off of your heals instead of your toes and go slow during the entire exercise without bouncing. When doing lunges, go slow and press off your heals instead of your toes. Spread your feet out so that your knees are behind your toes when lunging and go slow without bouncing at the bottom.

2.) Stop running or reduce your running time – depending on your body type and genetics, running can cause you to lose muscle mass in your legs and glutes. Instead, substitute a stationary bike or do some kick boxing to replace your running.

3.) Avoid over training – over training can and will rob your body of muscle and this will show up or be noticeable in your legs and glutes. Your legs and glutes are the biggest muscles in your body and are the muscles that will deplete and reduce if over trained. Make sure you are getting plenty of protein and log your training and training durations.

The idea is to keep as much muscle as you can especially when trying to lose weight. The areas of your body with the most muscle are also the areas which will be most affected when exercising too much or the wrong way. We all want to look good in all areas of our body especially those areas we cannot see but others see all the time. And, that’s the “bottom line”

Muscles: Which Kind are Best?

Muscles! Everybody wants them but the means to get them is different for everybody. There are different types of muscle in our bodies and each has a specific job or use. Understanding the different types of muscle in the human body and different types of muscle fiber will help you in determining which types of exercise and how much of each type are right for you.

Let’s start with the different types of muscle:

1. Cardiac Muscle – you guessed it; this is the type of muscle that makes up your heart and is found nowhere else in your body. This muscle is involuntary and never stops working.

2. Smooth Muscle – this muscle is found mostly in your digestive system and is involuntary as well

3. Striated (skeletal) Muscle – this is the muscle that you see on your body which is attached to your skeleton and is voluntary. This type of muscle has two main types of fiber and each type has a specific ability during exercise.

• Fast twitch – this type of striated muscle is for short burst of energy like low repetition strength training and sprinting. If your fitness goal is to add muscle size, this type of fiber is where you need to concentrate; low repetitions (6-8 reps and less) during your strength training is where you need to be with longer rest times (2-3 minutes) between your sets. This fiber puts out a lot of energy in a very short amount of time; this is your strength fiber
• Slow twitch – this fiber is for long periods of energy like high repetition strength training, jogging, running, biking, or any activity which is extended in time; this is your endurance fiber. If you want to tone, shape, and lose body fat, this is the muscle fiber on which you need to concentrate. You would want to do high repetitions (15-20) during your strength training with very short rest periods (30 seconds – 1 minute) between each set. Circuit training with cardiovascular activity is a very good way to work your slow twitch muscle fibers.

I suggest that no matter whom you are or what your fitness goals are, you should work both types of striated muscle fiber to achieve body and muscle balance. However, if your goal was to gain muscle and size, I would concentrate on fast twitch fibers for about 75% of my program. If my goal was to trim up, shape, and tone, I would concentrate on slow twitch fibers for about 75% of my program. Be sure to write down everything you do in exercise especially your resistance exercises, sets, reps, and amount of time between your sets. All of these variables can be manipulated to get you to the body you want; just make sure what you tell your body matches what your body is hearing.

The Heat Is On; The Truth About Burning Body Fat

It seems without a doubt that everyone involved in various forms of exercise all have one definite goal in common; to lose body fat. At the same time, it is very obvious as to why many people are confused and misled when it comes to understanding and knowing how to lose body fat in a healthy way. For this very reason, I have listed the three essential variables you must employ and provide for your body to truly lose body fat and keep it off.

1.) Feed the Muscle – A big mistake many people make when trying to lose weight and body fat is they cut too many calories across the board. The first thing you should do is make sure you are getting plenty of good clean protein to support your muscles which should be about 1-1.5 grams per pound of body weight. Next, do not eliminate complex carbohydrates from your diet. On a molecular level, protein needs complex carbohydrates to truly build and maintain lean muscle mass. And, make sure you are getting plenty of good unsaturated fats in your diet. Every cell in your body relies on good fats to support your cell health and your immune system. Do Not Starve Your Body; Feed It.

2.) Time Your Eating – Eat smaller and more often. When your body has too much food at once, your digestive processing slows down and so will your metabolism. Eating smaller amounts of food 4-5 times a day every 3-4 hours will ensure a higher metabolism and will keep your body from storing more fat. Also, reduce calories at the end of your day (dinner) and omit starchy complex carbohydrates and fruit, and eat a very small amount of good clean unsaturated fat. Stick with clean protein and green vegetables for dinner.

3.) Avoid Over Training – I see this all of the time, people doing way too much exercise. When you over train, your body will actually reduce the amount of fat it burns because it senses a physical threat and will reserve body fat for the very high energy needs you have placed upon it. Not only for the energy you need to exercise, but also the energy your body needs for basic functions and blood support.

Where there’s smoke, there’s fire. Go ahead and turn up the heat on burning body fat, just be sure it’s body fat your truly burning.

Find Your Groove

It happens in music, sports, business, and all walks of life. People who find their groove succeed at high rates and seem to effortlessly exceed averages and expectations. They make it look so easy and they seem so smooth by the way they master their craft that it seems without challenge for them. It’s true; we all have things that seem easy to us and other things that are very difficult and that’s called predispositions. But, when you truly find your groove, it shows and you feel good.

Your body has a groove too. As a matter of fact it has many grooves called joints and when you treat it right with fitness it rewards you with health and feeling great. But, when you treat it badly, you feel bad and your health suffers.

It all comes down to exercising in a way that is natural for your body; a way that is correct in form and technique and sound in movement. Your body has a natural groove in every one of its joints including all vertebrae and all of these joints are very susceptible to injury. If you have bad form and technique when exercising, your joints will create a bad groove which will cause you health issues and be with you for the rest of your life.

When you exercise, follow these key points to help your body find its best groove:

1. Slow down

2. Take notice of your posture; make sure one side of your body mirror images the other throughout the entire range of motion of every exercise

3. Always keep your neck straight and your head up

4. Control your body and control the motion of the exercise

5. Avoid jerking and popping your joints

6. Warm up and stretch

Finding your groove at whatever you do is a great feeling and your entire life gets better. Finding your groove at exercise is truly amazing and will be rewarding for the rest of your life as long as it is a good groove. Your body has been creating and finding grooves every sense you were born and those grooves will be with you for the rest of your life. Listen to your body, treat it well, and do what you do best; succeed!

It’s Not You – It’s Me

Every body is different, and your exercise program should be designed and adjusted to meet YOUR INDIVIDUAL NEEDS. I have listed some guidelines below to help you find the perfect exercise program for YOU. 

• Understand your physical limitations – Always get a release from your doctor before starting any exercise program. Keep in mind your past and or present injuries, and the areas of your body in which you have pain.

• Learn the correct and incorrect ways of performing exercises – The first thing you need to do is learn the correct and incorrect ways of performing your exercises. Incorrect form and technique can cause injury now and later in life, so be sure you are well educated on correct form and technique.

• Start slowly and you will finish strongly – You should begin an exercise program slowly with light resistance, and only increase resistance when you have mastered form and technique on all exercises. Control your body, and control the movement of the exercise.

• Exercise for YOU – Exercise according to your abilities and needs, and be careful of what you are told in terms of exercising. It’s YOU, not ME!

 

Exercise: Train Right or Train Wreck?

Bang! Pop! Slam! Crack! These are the sounds I hear when I go into any gym or fitness center. You probably think I’m talking about the weights and machines making these noises but, I’m not. Oh it’s obvious why you think of machines and weights making these noises but what I hear are people’s joints making these noises by the way they are exercising. And, I instantly think of a train wreck because that’s where most people are headed unless they correct the way they exercise.

I’m talking about incorrect form and technique and over training. Here’s a number for you to think about; 95% of the way I see people exercise is incorrect; both in their form and technique and frequency. From a very early age, we learn by watching, duplicating what we see especially if the source from where we are learning looks beneficial for us. Unfortunately, when it comes to learning how to exercise, watching someone else is the last thing you want to do.

You can’t see what’s wrong, until you know what’s right. So, how do you learn what’s right? I’m going to teach you right now. There are two things you have to do when performing resistance exercise; control your body, and control the motion of the exercise. No matter which resistance exercise you are doing, always count 1 second on the concentric (the flex or lift) part of the exercise and 2-3 seconds on the eccentric (the lowering or release) part of the exercise. In addition, pause for a full second at the top and bottom of each repetition. Control your body and don’t swing or use momentum and keep the rest of your body completely still except for the muscle or group of muscles you are working. Going slow causes you to use less resistance, but exercising this way will keep the stress in the muscle and out of your joints.

Every single resistance exercise in my It’s All Heart fitness program is done in this exact fashion which not only teaches people how to exercise correctly, but it adds time and quality to their lives because it promotes joint health and mobility. Give it a try the next time you do resistance exercises and see how much more effective exercising in this way really is. It’s amazing how much quieter it would be inside the gym if most people exercised correctly. And, all of those trains would stay on their tracks.