It's been a while since I've posted anything because I have been doing what I love - working with athletes to help them get stronger. I'm learning a ton by working with as many as five teams a day and I couldn't be happier with how busy I've been with that, school and my part time job.
Anyway, on to the topic of this post.
I've been working with many athletes who have never even seen the inside of the weight room, which, as I've told them, is better then being taught how to lift weights before they are actually ready to do so. When athletes are young, many are given the same program sports teams have done for years without any type of progression. Do they get stronger doing this? Yes, many do. But many are often building strength on top of dysfunction (Got that from learning all about the Functional Movement Screen).
So when I get these athletes, many cannot squat do a depth anywhere close to parallel and can't perform a perfect set of 20 push ups. So my job is to start them back at the basics. I want to see them get into a nice squat position, with their thighs below parallel, before they goblet squat. I want them to be able to do 15 push ups with a 45 pound weight on their back and their feet on a bench before they bench press (that, I believe is from strength coach, Mike Boyle).
They need to be able to pump lunge with a 45 pound plate over their head without losing their balance before they have dumbbell's in their hand for walking lunges.
These are some of the progressions I have learned from others that I have my athletes work through. Many can perform these perfectly within the first few sessions, but some need more work which could include holding certain positions, stretching or just some technical form correction. But whatever it is, I want my athletes to be able to move as close to perfection as possible before adding difficulty or weight to exercises.
This will also pay off in the long run. By getting athletes to move through a better range of motion now, they should be able to stay healthier throughout their careers, as opposed to gaining a lot of strength on top of faulty movement patterns that do not put them through a full range of motion.
What I want you to take away from this post is: Move your body through a range of motion first, and once your technique is flawless, that is the time to add weight, but at the same time, you don't want to lose that range of motion.
For more progressions, questions or comments, be sure to email me or leave a comment at the bottom of the page.
I'll be trying to post at least once a week, so keep checking back and thanks for reading!
Monday, September 13, 2010
Thursday, August 5, 2010
Another Diet and Warm-Up
I'll start with a great article I read last Friday on a way to think about your diet. It comes from EliteFTS.com and if you are interested in anything that has to do with training, sign up for their newsletter. Here's the link to the diet...
http://articles.elitefts.com/articles/nutrition/the-mountain-dog-diet-%e2%80%93-a-healthier-way-to-get-leanadd-muscle-or-both/
I also wanted to touch on warming up before training. Too many times I see people walk into gyms and weight rooms and just begin their training. This drives me nuts, to see competitive athletes and every day gym-goers starting their workouts without properly preparing themselves.
A warm-up serves two purposes: To get the body physically prepared and to get the mind mentally prepared. By warming up you get the joints and muscles ready for training by increasing blood flow throughout the body. And this is the time that should be a signal from your brain to your body saying, "its time to get to work". This is your time to concentrate on what you need to accomplish during the training session.
Warming up can be done in 5-10 minutes and does not have to be as boring as riding a stationary bike (although that is better than nothing). It also does not include static stretching, unless flexibility is a concern.
Here is the warm-up I have my athletes do prior to strength training and/or agilities and conditioning.
For this warm-up I have them take their shoes off (Why I, and many other trainers do that is for another post).
This is done from sideline to sideline on a basketball court.
Each exercise is done for 1 length.
Toe walks
Heel walks
Forward lunges
Backward lunges
Side lunges - Left foot lead
Side lunges - Right foot lead
1 leg deadlift walks
Quad grabs
Frankenstein walks
Knee hugs
Ankle pulls
Skips
backward skips
High knees
Butt kicks
Then they get on their hands and knees and I put them through a couple core and glute activation exercises I learned from Kettlebell Master David Whitley (who is also a strong man and does shows. Youtube his name and prepare to be amazed).
Then they will put their shoes back on and we will start out training session.
I will add and take out things that I see from other trainers, or sometimes I will think of something that I believe is new myself until I type it into youtube and see somebody else was doing it 6 months ago.
Now you don't need to do all of the exercises for a warm-up. This was an example. Personally, I do an abbreviated warm-up based on what I am doing that day. I start every session with some corrective exercises since my hips have been pretty terrible for years now. Then I go through a number of the above exercises and go through this jump rope routine:
100 regular jumps
50 left foot
50 right foot
100 alternating
50 high knees
100 regular
This is from Dave Tate's 5/3/1 Manual and I really like it as the last piece of my warm-up.
The point of the warm-up is to get a good sweat going. The guys I work with now would be jumping into first-step exercises or will be warming up for a heavy lift next so they need to be mentally and physically prepared. And this isn't just for athletes, as anybody going into a training session with the goal of getting better needs a solid warm-up.
Be sure to leave any questions and comments below or on Facebook.
http://articles.elitefts.com/articles/nutrition/the-mountain-dog-diet-%e2%80%93-a-healthier-way-to-get-leanadd-muscle-or-both/
I also wanted to touch on warming up before training. Too many times I see people walk into gyms and weight rooms and just begin their training. This drives me nuts, to see competitive athletes and every day gym-goers starting their workouts without properly preparing themselves.
A warm-up serves two purposes: To get the body physically prepared and to get the mind mentally prepared. By warming up you get the joints and muscles ready for training by increasing blood flow throughout the body. And this is the time that should be a signal from your brain to your body saying, "its time to get to work". This is your time to concentrate on what you need to accomplish during the training session.
Warming up can be done in 5-10 minutes and does not have to be as boring as riding a stationary bike (although that is better than nothing). It also does not include static stretching, unless flexibility is a concern.
Here is the warm-up I have my athletes do prior to strength training and/or agilities and conditioning.
For this warm-up I have them take their shoes off (Why I, and many other trainers do that is for another post).
This is done from sideline to sideline on a basketball court.
Each exercise is done for 1 length.
Toe walks
Heel walks
Forward lunges
Backward lunges
Side lunges - Left foot lead
Side lunges - Right foot lead
1 leg deadlift walks
Quad grabs
Frankenstein walks
Knee hugs
Ankle pulls
Skips
backward skips
High knees
Butt kicks
Then they get on their hands and knees and I put them through a couple core and glute activation exercises I learned from Kettlebell Master David Whitley (who is also a strong man and does shows. Youtube his name and prepare to be amazed).
Then they will put their shoes back on and we will start out training session.
I will add and take out things that I see from other trainers, or sometimes I will think of something that I believe is new myself until I type it into youtube and see somebody else was doing it 6 months ago.
Now you don't need to do all of the exercises for a warm-up. This was an example. Personally, I do an abbreviated warm-up based on what I am doing that day. I start every session with some corrective exercises since my hips have been pretty terrible for years now. Then I go through a number of the above exercises and go through this jump rope routine:
100 regular jumps
50 left foot
50 right foot
100 alternating
50 high knees
100 regular
This is from Dave Tate's 5/3/1 Manual and I really like it as the last piece of my warm-up.
The point of the warm-up is to get a good sweat going. The guys I work with now would be jumping into first-step exercises or will be warming up for a heavy lift next so they need to be mentally and physically prepared. And this isn't just for athletes, as anybody going into a training session with the goal of getting better needs a solid warm-up.
Be sure to leave any questions and comments below or on Facebook.
Sunday, July 25, 2010
Sunday Thoughts
I've been studying and studying for my CSCS exam which has led me to a lot of interesting topics that I could talk about. So instead of just hitting you with one, I'll briefly discuss a few thoughts I have had in my last week or so of studying.
Do something every day
Cartilage in joints has the least amount of blood flow and needs activity to get the necessary nutrients to keep it healthy. My high school basketball coach used to say this to my team all the time, to do SOMETHING even on our days off. Now this makes sense, especially as we all get older.
General Adaptation Syndrome and Progressive Overload
You have to place demands on the body that your body has not felt before to improve. This means you need to add weight, add reps or decrease rest periods in order to get anything out of your resistance or aerobic training sessions.
Stop looking in the mirror
It takes 16 training sessions before hypertrophy (increases in muscle fiber size) to occur. Yes, after a workout you will feel pumped, but go into each session working on gaining strength and the muscle will be sure to follow it.
Training differences between males and females
There aren't any. The only real differences between training males and females are that females should incorporate a bit more prehabilitation to protect the knee joint. Other than that, females have the same potential to build strength as men do. Don't worry, ladies, resistance training won't make you look like a bodybuilder because of the 10x difference in testosterone production that men have. But, the same rules apply: Progressive overload is a must.
That's all I have today since I have to get to the gym myself and tackle a couple of practice exams tonight, along with some finance homework.
If you have a question or comment, be sure to leave it below.
Do something every day
Cartilage in joints has the least amount of blood flow and needs activity to get the necessary nutrients to keep it healthy. My high school basketball coach used to say this to my team all the time, to do SOMETHING even on our days off. Now this makes sense, especially as we all get older.
General Adaptation Syndrome and Progressive Overload
You have to place demands on the body that your body has not felt before to improve. This means you need to add weight, add reps or decrease rest periods in order to get anything out of your resistance or aerobic training sessions.
Stop looking in the mirror
It takes 16 training sessions before hypertrophy (increases in muscle fiber size) to occur. Yes, after a workout you will feel pumped, but go into each session working on gaining strength and the muscle will be sure to follow it.
Training differences between males and females
There aren't any. The only real differences between training males and females are that females should incorporate a bit more prehabilitation to protect the knee joint. Other than that, females have the same potential to build strength as men do. Don't worry, ladies, resistance training won't make you look like a bodybuilder because of the 10x difference in testosterone production that men have. But, the same rules apply: Progressive overload is a must.
That's all I have today since I have to get to the gym myself and tackle a couple of practice exams tonight, along with some finance homework.
If you have a question or comment, be sure to leave it below.
Friday, July 16, 2010
K.I.S.S.
Many of you have probably heard this acronym.
Keep It Simple, Stupid!
With so much information available to us, its easy to over analyze things. So I just want to remind everybody to keep it simple.
One way to keep it simple is with your diet. I read an article yesterday on tmuscle.com called, The Green Faces Diet. Probably the simplest whole foods diet I've seen. You can read the article by following the link at the bottom of this page, but the cliffnotes version was this:
1. If its green, eat it.
2. If it had a face, eat it.
3. If it isn't green and never had a face, don't eat it.
Sounds like it would be terrible. But go to the page and read the list the author gives. Looks like a pretty great idea, where you cut out refined carbs and get tons of great fiber, protein and essential fats.
Simple, and there's no doubt in my mind that it could work wonders for somebody trying to lose some body fat.
Another area where we need to keep it simple, is with our exercise selection. It's easy to pick up a bodybuilding mag and check out a 'roided up lifters program and use it. But the vast majority of people who strength train don't need to directly focus on the lateral part of their quadricep. The vast majority need to get strong all over. What's the best way to do that? Big, compound movements. If you have been lifting for less than 5 years or haven't gained any mass or strength from lifting no matter how long you've been doing it, these exercises, or some progression of them, should be about all you need for a while:
Squat
Deadlift
Bench press
Pull up
Military press
Row
A trainer I've read articles on who I can't recall right now, recommended, to spend 5 minutes at the end of your workout focusing on whatever you want, like your calves or biceps, just so you can work some smaller muscles you may feel need extra improvement. But 5 minutes is the max.
Keep it simple, keep it consistent and progress week to week and you can make improvements in any area of your life, especially in the weight room and with your body.
Got a question or a comment? Leave it below or shoot me a FB message or email.
Keep It Simple, Stupid!
With so much information available to us, its easy to over analyze things. So I just want to remind everybody to keep it simple.
One way to keep it simple is with your diet. I read an article yesterday on tmuscle.com called, The Green Faces Diet. Probably the simplest whole foods diet I've seen. You can read the article by following the link at the bottom of this page, but the cliffnotes version was this:
1. If its green, eat it.
2. If it had a face, eat it.
3. If it isn't green and never had a face, don't eat it.
Sounds like it would be terrible. But go to the page and read the list the author gives. Looks like a pretty great idea, where you cut out refined carbs and get tons of great fiber, protein and essential fats.
Simple, and there's no doubt in my mind that it could work wonders for somebody trying to lose some body fat.
Another area where we need to keep it simple, is with our exercise selection. It's easy to pick up a bodybuilding mag and check out a 'roided up lifters program and use it. But the vast majority of people who strength train don't need to directly focus on the lateral part of their quadricep. The vast majority need to get strong all over. What's the best way to do that? Big, compound movements. If you have been lifting for less than 5 years or haven't gained any mass or strength from lifting no matter how long you've been doing it, these exercises, or some progression of them, should be about all you need for a while:
Squat
Deadlift
Bench press
Pull up
Military press
Row
A trainer I've read articles on who I can't recall right now, recommended, to spend 5 minutes at the end of your workout focusing on whatever you want, like your calves or biceps, just so you can work some smaller muscles you may feel need extra improvement. But 5 minutes is the max.
Keep it simple, keep it consistent and progress week to week and you can make improvements in any area of your life, especially in the weight room and with your body.
Got a question or a comment? Leave it below or shoot me a FB message or email.
Tuesday, July 6, 2010
The Deadlift
Every couple weeks I will discuss some of my favorite exercises, as well as exercises that I think work best for certain goals. So to start, I chose my favorite exercise, the deadlift.
I have already mentioned on this blog that this is one lift that everybody should do some form of. The benefits can be tremendous from an athletic standpoint, as well as from a muscle building standpoint.
Athletically, it works your posterior chain (glutes and hamstrings), which is chronically weak in young athletes who are more quad dominant. This will also act as an injury prevention exercise because a lot of knee injuries involving the ligaments of the knee can be prevented by strengthening the hamstrings. The posterior chain can help with speed development, which any athlete should want more of. It will also strengthen the core because of the stabilization necessary while executing the lift.
From a muscle building standpoint, how many other exercises work almost every muscle in your body? Other than the Olympic lifts, which are more technical and harder to learn, I can't think of a better exercise to increase overall muscle mass.
Now if you have never done deadlifts before, you need to find a good coach to teach the lift to you. There are a number of things I would look for while putting somebody in position to deadlift that I will not dive into extensively today, but one thing that I see with my athletes is that they are not able to maintain a neutral spine when going to start the lift. This can be caused by a number of things, like a lack of ankle or hip flexibility. If either of those are the case, then I would give a few corrective exercises to help that area.
As far as programming, beginners can deadlift two times per week. Once you get the form down start with 3-4 sets of 6-8 reps. I really don't like going higher than 8 reps because if form breaks down on this exercise it could be detrimental for days after the training session.
Work your way up to deadlifting your weight for 6-8 reps, then start using more weight and less reps one time per week. Try 5x5 for 4-6 weeks. Then try 10x3 for 4-6 weeks. As long as you keep your form tight and are continuing to increase weight, just keep lifting.
Nothing, in my opinion, gets me more amped up than deadlift day. So when you know you are going to deadlift, get in the gym, crank up your headphones, don't look at anybody else, and be focused on every rep. If you go to a gym that does not allow deadlifts, let them know you will not be back.
As much as I love the deadlift, it shouldn't be the only lower body exercise you use. Be sure to have a single leg exercise every lower body day, or if you are training 3x per week, at least two of those days should have a single leg exercise after the deadlift.
Be sure to leave any questions or comments down below, or hit me up on Facebook and leave them there.
I have already mentioned on this blog that this is one lift that everybody should do some form of. The benefits can be tremendous from an athletic standpoint, as well as from a muscle building standpoint.
Athletically, it works your posterior chain (glutes and hamstrings), which is chronically weak in young athletes who are more quad dominant. This will also act as an injury prevention exercise because a lot of knee injuries involving the ligaments of the knee can be prevented by strengthening the hamstrings. The posterior chain can help with speed development, which any athlete should want more of. It will also strengthen the core because of the stabilization necessary while executing the lift.
From a muscle building standpoint, how many other exercises work almost every muscle in your body? Other than the Olympic lifts, which are more technical and harder to learn, I can't think of a better exercise to increase overall muscle mass.
Now if you have never done deadlifts before, you need to find a good coach to teach the lift to you. There are a number of things I would look for while putting somebody in position to deadlift that I will not dive into extensively today, but one thing that I see with my athletes is that they are not able to maintain a neutral spine when going to start the lift. This can be caused by a number of things, like a lack of ankle or hip flexibility. If either of those are the case, then I would give a few corrective exercises to help that area.
As far as programming, beginners can deadlift two times per week. Once you get the form down start with 3-4 sets of 6-8 reps. I really don't like going higher than 8 reps because if form breaks down on this exercise it could be detrimental for days after the training session.
Work your way up to deadlifting your weight for 6-8 reps, then start using more weight and less reps one time per week. Try 5x5 for 4-6 weeks. Then try 10x3 for 4-6 weeks. As long as you keep your form tight and are continuing to increase weight, just keep lifting.
Nothing, in my opinion, gets me more amped up than deadlift day. So when you know you are going to deadlift, get in the gym, crank up your headphones, don't look at anybody else, and be focused on every rep. If you go to a gym that does not allow deadlifts, let them know you will not be back.
As much as I love the deadlift, it shouldn't be the only lower body exercise you use. Be sure to have a single leg exercise every lower body day, or if you are training 3x per week, at least two of those days should have a single leg exercise after the deadlift.
Be sure to leave any questions or comments down below, or hit me up on Facebook and leave them there.
Thursday, June 24, 2010
Wanna improve? Lift Heavy!
I got a chance yesterday to get in the weight room, something I will not have the opportunity to do a ton this summer because of my busy schedule. Now this doesn't mean I won't be training, as I've learned how to use anything I can find to get a training session in. However, I always love getting back in the weight room because it gives me a chance to move some heavy weight. I'm not saying I'm He-Man, but I do understand that in order to get reach my goals, I need to work with heavy loads.
A misconception that I hear a lot is that when people want to improve in any area, they tend to stay away from lifting heavy. Somebody trying to "just tone" their muscles (which is another post for another day) does high reps, as does a person trying to lose weight. Somebody trying to jump higher, does endless jumps with their bodyweight. There is a better way to improve strength, body composition, in-game performance and build muscle, and its working with heavy weights.
I am not suggesting that somebody with no experience goes in and tries to squat 300 pounds. What I am saying is that after you have built up a level of strength where you can squat and deadlift your weight for 10 perfect reps, you need to start working with heavier weights. Instead of continuing with the programs that most beginnners are on of 3 sets of 10 reps, or doing a program you find in a muscle mag that calls for slow reps that last 30 seconds, start adding weight with 3 sets of 6-8 reps. After a few weeks of that, 4-5 sets of 4-5 reps. What many advocate, including somebody that after finding his website got me really interested in training as a career, Joe Defranco whose site is linked below, is working up to a 3-5 rep max on the big lifts of bench press, squat and deadlift and their variations. For more on this type of program, leave me a comment below.
Do not do all 3 of these lifts with heavy weights every session, but pick one to start out with and make it your heavy exercise for the day. If you improve on those 3 exercises then the rest of the improvements will be sure to follow.
Before you do anything, find a qualified coach that can teach you how to perform certain exercises and put you on a program to work up to a level to begin heavy lifting. If you are already at that level, start adding weight to the bar!
The benefits of heavy lifting are numerous, like an increase in ligament and tendon strength and an increase in testosterone production, as well as an increase in the speed you are able to move lighter loads. Also, the dirty looks you get from 140 pound trainers for deadlifting because it will hurt your back or the increase in times your asked how you met Barry Bonds' trainer. (Ok, the last one was a stretch, but I had to have some fun, I just got out of the car after 8 hours. But the first one WILL happen. When it does, smile, grip and rip that bar off the floor!)
So add some weight to the bar when you're ready. And it doesn't need to be a lot. A 5 pound increase in your deadlift, squat or bench every month for 5 years is 300 pounds. That may sound like a long time, but remember, this is a journey, not some quick fix.
If you have questions about exercises, programming or either of the two for a certain goal or sport, be sure to leave them below, as well as any comments!
I don't know if I will be able to post next week because I'll be working basketball camp in the Pocono's, but I'll be sure to get you some good stuff after the 4th!
A misconception that I hear a lot is that when people want to improve in any area, they tend to stay away from lifting heavy. Somebody trying to "just tone" their muscles (which is another post for another day) does high reps, as does a person trying to lose weight. Somebody trying to jump higher, does endless jumps with their bodyweight. There is a better way to improve strength, body composition, in-game performance and build muscle, and its working with heavy weights.
I am not suggesting that somebody with no experience goes in and tries to squat 300 pounds. What I am saying is that after you have built up a level of strength where you can squat and deadlift your weight for 10 perfect reps, you need to start working with heavier weights. Instead of continuing with the programs that most beginnners are on of 3 sets of 10 reps, or doing a program you find in a muscle mag that calls for slow reps that last 30 seconds, start adding weight with 3 sets of 6-8 reps. After a few weeks of that, 4-5 sets of 4-5 reps. What many advocate, including somebody that after finding his website got me really interested in training as a career, Joe Defranco whose site is linked below, is working up to a 3-5 rep max on the big lifts of bench press, squat and deadlift and their variations. For more on this type of program, leave me a comment below.
Do not do all 3 of these lifts with heavy weights every session, but pick one to start out with and make it your heavy exercise for the day. If you improve on those 3 exercises then the rest of the improvements will be sure to follow.
Before you do anything, find a qualified coach that can teach you how to perform certain exercises and put you on a program to work up to a level to begin heavy lifting. If you are already at that level, start adding weight to the bar!
The benefits of heavy lifting are numerous, like an increase in ligament and tendon strength and an increase in testosterone production, as well as an increase in the speed you are able to move lighter loads. Also, the dirty looks you get from 140 pound trainers for deadlifting because it will hurt your back or the increase in times your asked how you met Barry Bonds' trainer. (Ok, the last one was a stretch, but I had to have some fun, I just got out of the car after 8 hours. But the first one WILL happen. When it does, smile, grip and rip that bar off the floor!)
So add some weight to the bar when you're ready. And it doesn't need to be a lot. A 5 pound increase in your deadlift, squat or bench every month for 5 years is 300 pounds. That may sound like a long time, but remember, this is a journey, not some quick fix.
If you have questions about exercises, programming or either of the two for a certain goal or sport, be sure to leave them below, as well as any comments!
I don't know if I will be able to post next week because I'll be working basketball camp in the Pocono's, but I'll be sure to get you some good stuff after the 4th!
Wednesday, June 23, 2010
A Few Simple Steps to Fat Loss cont'd
Sorry for the delay, but between my brothers bachelor party weekend, driving back down to VA for class last night and the USA's dramatic victory this morning, I've been swamped!
But as promised, here is the second installment of Simple Steps to Fat Loss...
5. Eat breakfast every day
This can't be emphasized enough. Breakfast does a number of things to promote fat loss. First, its starts off your metabolism early in the morning. Second, it will help you feel more full later in the day, which should decrease the chance of over eating at later meals. A lot of people say they just aren't hungry in the morning. I understand that, but force yourself to have something. Then there are people who say they don't have time. To those people I say that they are not committed to changing their body. When you don't eat breakfast, your metabolism slows down and you will end up stuffing yourself at lunch and dinner. You know what that sounds like to me? A sumo wrestlers diet. They train in the morning only to eat piles of food for over an hour in order to gain weight and slow down their metabolism. Do you want to look like a sumo wrestler? Didn't think so. So eat breakfast.
6. Small meals throughout the day
Much like starting the day with a meal, you want to keep your metabolism working all day long. You never want to feel starved because that's when your prone to over eat and/or grab something from the vending machine. The only way you can do this is by preparing yourself each day to do so. Bring fresh fruit with you to work. Drink a shake in between small meals. I'm not saying this is easy to do, but it can work wonders for fat loss because you never allow yourself to get extremely hungry or extremely full.
7. Fibrous foods first
Start lunch and dinner off with a salad, or make it lunch and dinner as you get used to eating smaller meals. Salads are great because they are low in calories, provide a feeling a fullness and most of us don't eat nearly enough vegetables anyway. And be creative with what you put in your salad. Mix it up from week to week. Fresh vegetables are great this time of year so go out and try some new things and try them in your salad. As great an idea as salads are, don't ruin them with heavy, creamy dressings. Use a splash of olive oil and vinegar and the real flavor of your salad will come out.
8. Water only
This is what I tell people to start out with when attempting to lose fat. Get rid of the empty calories in sugary drinks. I allow myself coffee in the morning with milk and sugar and a post-workout shake, but other than that, it's water throughout the day. Most of us don't drink the recommended amount of water anyway, so I recommend keeping a bottle on you all day long. Get a water filter and use water fountains at work to fill up and try to avoid buying bottled water daily. There have been studies done on the harmful affects of drinking from plastic water bottles. But by drinking only water throughout the day you can cut as many at 500 calories! So drop the soda and energy drinks and stick to water!
This has been a short list and the things you can do to lose weight are endless. But I feel that taken one at a time, these can help jump start your goal of fat loss and a healthier lifestyle. Remember, building the body you want does not happen overnight, but can happen by being consistent and disciplined in what you do on a daily basis.
Because this post came later in the week, look for another one very soon!
But as promised, here is the second installment of Simple Steps to Fat Loss...
5. Eat breakfast every day
This can't be emphasized enough. Breakfast does a number of things to promote fat loss. First, its starts off your metabolism early in the morning. Second, it will help you feel more full later in the day, which should decrease the chance of over eating at later meals. A lot of people say they just aren't hungry in the morning. I understand that, but force yourself to have something. Then there are people who say they don't have time. To those people I say that they are not committed to changing their body. When you don't eat breakfast, your metabolism slows down and you will end up stuffing yourself at lunch and dinner. You know what that sounds like to me? A sumo wrestlers diet. They train in the morning only to eat piles of food for over an hour in order to gain weight and slow down their metabolism. Do you want to look like a sumo wrestler? Didn't think so. So eat breakfast.
6. Small meals throughout the day
Much like starting the day with a meal, you want to keep your metabolism working all day long. You never want to feel starved because that's when your prone to over eat and/or grab something from the vending machine. The only way you can do this is by preparing yourself each day to do so. Bring fresh fruit with you to work. Drink a shake in between small meals. I'm not saying this is easy to do, but it can work wonders for fat loss because you never allow yourself to get extremely hungry or extremely full.
7. Fibrous foods first
Start lunch and dinner off with a salad, or make it lunch and dinner as you get used to eating smaller meals. Salads are great because they are low in calories, provide a feeling a fullness and most of us don't eat nearly enough vegetables anyway. And be creative with what you put in your salad. Mix it up from week to week. Fresh vegetables are great this time of year so go out and try some new things and try them in your salad. As great an idea as salads are, don't ruin them with heavy, creamy dressings. Use a splash of olive oil and vinegar and the real flavor of your salad will come out.
8. Water only
This is what I tell people to start out with when attempting to lose fat. Get rid of the empty calories in sugary drinks. I allow myself coffee in the morning with milk and sugar and a post-workout shake, but other than that, it's water throughout the day. Most of us don't drink the recommended amount of water anyway, so I recommend keeping a bottle on you all day long. Get a water filter and use water fountains at work to fill up and try to avoid buying bottled water daily. There have been studies done on the harmful affects of drinking from plastic water bottles. But by drinking only water throughout the day you can cut as many at 500 calories! So drop the soda and energy drinks and stick to water!
This has been a short list and the things you can do to lose weight are endless. But I feel that taken one at a time, these can help jump start your goal of fat loss and a healthier lifestyle. Remember, building the body you want does not happen overnight, but can happen by being consistent and disciplined in what you do on a daily basis.
Because this post came later in the week, look for another one very soon!
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)