The Rule of 25

You've heard it before, thousands of different ways to get fit. Body exercises are best, free weight is best, out door exercise is best. There are too many different ways to be in shape to be concerned with the "how". Unless you are training for something specific like olympic strongman or specific sports training doing anything physical that gets your heart rate up with suffice. But, what happens when you have been doing this for so long that you aren't seeing results and are actually going backward?

I had a client who came to me after a year of returning to the gym and swimming. He was an athlete in his youth and had initially seen good results upon his return to the athletic arena. He lost some weight, his energy increased, his physical appearance was more svelt and defined. This was great for him and he was loving it. However, after about 6 months time he had become tired with working out. He still continued to go but it was no longer fun. His body had also turned against him and was now looking more like its old self. He was considering giving up altogether and returning to reruns of two and half men.

This is not uncommon. Many people become addicted to exercise because you not only feel better but because you can make physical changes you can literally see and you can build on them. When both of these things seem to turn against you even though you continue to exercise the feeling can be crushing. Luckily, this individual found me.

I explained to him a few simply rules of how the body operates. The body prefers to be comfortable and will strive to be in as comfortable position as possible. Exericse to achieve goals can be tough depending on the goals of the individual. If it were easy then everyone would be a fitness god, cut like Ryan Reynolds and ready for their shot at Hollywood. I explained that the body needs to be challenged constantly. Not only does this alleviate boredom but it triggers a response from the body to continue growth and development in your muscles. This in turn increases hormone activity, metabolism, and on and on.

With this understanding he was again excited. We went back to the time tested functional training working multiple muscle groups. I explained one great way to get out of a slump, which is where he was now, was the rule of 25. Increase the amount of weight you use and you will stimulate the muscles out of their "comfort zone" and be back on your way. This does not mean that those who wish to be lean and mean will grow into the hulk. This is a simple way to maintain that lean muscle mass but not get stuck in a rut both with your ongoing development and willingness to continue training. After 4-6 weeks you will have crossed your plateua and returning to a routine with less weight will not only allow you to increase the numbers of reps you did but do so at a slightly higher weight. This is true from biking to weight lifting, from swimming to yoga. It applies just for muscles and the body in general.

You can mix it up her as well. Either shoot for 5 set of weights you can handle for 5 reps or build up with 1 set of 8 then 1 set of 6 then 1 set of 5 etc. The point is that with these heavier weights you will trigger muscle growth and stimulate the muscle and body. Shoot for 25 as the golden rule. The weight should be so you can not do one more rep on the last rep, you are shooting for fatigue. rest for 1-3 minutes in between depending on your fitness level. If you attempt this with a weight only 10% above your current highest level you will not see the results because you will still be working in the higher rep range. Get low and mean on the weight to get over the wall you have hit with training.

This can be accomplished with cycling as well. Interval training on the bike is great. Drop into a higher gear and push out 25 hard reps for each side of the leg. No matter how you get there or if you go beyond 25; 25 has been found to be the number that has to be reached to get you over the hump. Shoot for this and take your work out All The Way.

Get Smaller to Get Bigger

Fitness fans! For the guys and girls that want to get bigger but are having problems consider this...

Getting smaller to get bigger is a true statement for those that want to look bigger but think they have to lift massive weights or eat 10lbs of protein a day to become lean and gain a lot of muscle. Truth be told one of the ways you actually obtain the look of “size” is by losing weight. When weight is lost properly it lowers body fat percentage but maintains and builds lean muscle mass. By doing this you obtain the perception of a larger body while still losing total weight. Follow these 3 simple rules to reach your goals.

Rule 1:

Maker certain you are losing weight properly. Starving yourself will not achieve lasting results. What you need is a meal plan that you can stick to, that is realistic and tastes good. Start with small changes. Increase the amount of veggies on your plate during the day and evening while reducing simple carbs like bread and pasta. Reduce the amount of juice and soft drinks while introducing more water. The more gradual the changes the more likely you will be able to maintain them and not only reach your goals but maintain them.

Rule 2:

Don’t focus on exercise that target only one muscle group. Cross training is not only mor exciting, which will allow more variation and therefore reduce boredom with training but it also can accomplish more bang for your buck. Try compound exercises such as squats, dead lifts, bench/push ups, pull ups/chin ups and core work outs. There are a million variations in theses. You can burn fat, build muscle but stay lean all while looking larger.

Rule 3:

Stay consistent. People tend to lose focus when the results fade. This is natural and easy to overcome by following rule 1 and 2. Consistency is the key to any weight loss lean muscle gain program. If you can continue with a program you establish for 21 days then it will become a habit you can continue going forward.

Those 3 rules will govern the majority of all lean muscle weight loss programs to help you lose weight and look larger. This is obviously geared for the guys and girls that want to look larger. For those just looking to slim down this same 3 rule plan will also work, just avoid heavy lifting to really increase size and focus on correct form with higher repetitions. There is of course always the Arnold route but of course that requires the use of illegal anabolic steroids so I don’t condone that as part of a natural program.

Don't Let Embarrassment Stop You From Reaching Your Goals

Today I was out walking my dog and saw something I see all the time from people out jogging or riding or working out in the gym. This individual was clearly starting a run and was doing some simple warm ups outside of her apartment. She was doing some side steps, some knee highs, the normal stuff. But, as she turned backwards on the sidewalk to very clearly do some simple backward sprints it happened. SHE SAW ME! This caused a collapse of the entire pre-workout routine and she simply turned around and started her job.

Now was this a bad thing that was going to adversely affect her jog? Probably not. I saw her doing enough to get the blood pumping and muscles warmed up but that wasn't the point. The point was she saw me walking towards her with my dog and it threw her off completely. Clearly she thought no one was watching and she was in a state of comfort but as soon as she saw me watching her, simply walking down the street, she stopped and took off. This isn't something that will make or break your one workout but it reaches to a much deeper point in the whole scheme of things that can affect your long term goals.

Embarrassment is a Deterrent

Clearly many people are affected by what others think of them and this is a large reason why a lot of people never get out and exercise. If you are a rather fit individual and you are reading this and thinking, what? I don't care what anyone thinks! Then you aren't the person I'm referring to. Many people who are only mildly overweight and who have never participated in a gym, rode a bike since they were a kid or simply remember how to move at a quick pace feel embarrassed or down right foolish attempting to get back into the game surrounded by others they perceive to be more fit and more advised.

Here is what I say to those people. Its in your head. Surprisingly or not, no one is actually watching you unless you are a bombshell, guy or girl, in which case you are probably use to the staring by now. Just get started. The feeling of accomplishment in beginning something new, creating the body you want and living well will actually build a self esteem you will wonder how you lived with out. Even if someone is watching you, what difference does it make? They don't know your exercise routine. They don't know who you are. For all they know you could be a 10 time world champion power lifter who took a year off and decided to eat cheeseburgers with Jimmy Buffet in Key West for all that time and just now decided to start again.

Everyone Has Felt This Feeling

Just like with everything else, you are not alone in this feeling. Everything that can be done in the world has been done to some degree. You think you are the first guy to sky dive from 5k feet? I guarantee that at some point in history some extreme situation came to pass that had a guy shot 5k feet into the air and he did it first, although it probably ended worst for him. The point being, even I have felt this way. Every time I go into a gym I still look around. I assume people are looking but they aren't, they are busy with their own work outs.

I wasted years in the beginning watching other guys do it wrong. I wasted years seeing monstrous guys walking by me thinking, "wow, they must think I'm stupid for putting up this puny weight in this way" only to find out late they never even though about what I was doing. They were absorbed in their own workouts, which is what I should have been concentrating on.

That guy or girl you stare at in the gym doing their work out is probably staring right back at you thinking the same thing. Don't let your fears of what others may be thinking control the level at which you exercise. This will make or break your routine. Get into the groove, follow what your plan is and move on from there. It does not matter what someone else thinks of your work out.

If you have questions about what you are doing or want ideas you can email me here at allthewayfitness@gmail.com. Remember, what will determine if you follow through in any endeavour is your outlook. Keep positive and know your plan is the correct one for you and you will do fine. Just remember to take that workout all the way!

Weight loss good for the joints and understanding is key

Its no surprise to anyone that weight alone can cause discomfort and lead to a negative attitude. In fact, beginning a simply work out routine with dietary changes can provide relief from a multitude of symptoms. For instance, a client I work with had suffered from knee pain for over a decade. This individual had issues with arthritis that he was on a many medications for. This is a common way to treat symptoms but does very little to address the actual problem. By starting a dietary plan based on more alkaline foods (to avoid acidic overload on the body) he was not only able to work out at a more intense level but saw some of his symptoms alleviate. This is the kind of physical transformation that motivates those who believe they can't accomplish anything to move forward.

This individual continued to progress with a diet that provided more relief, as he knew that this was helping him, and eventually came off all his medications. The diet alone did not provide him the relief or the simple beginnings of an exercise program focused on low impact interval training. A significant reason for his pain reducing was the additional load on his knees had been removed. In the first 8 weeks this individual lost an astounding 40lbs!

Dietary changes and understanding basic body chemistry is necessary for continued correct eating habits but it is not the end all be all of symptom relief. We must incorporate not only lifestyle and exercise changes but the understanding of how and why these changes effect the body in a positive way. Many exercisers don't care and that is fine but he problem with this mentality is their assumptions about what works are not always founded on what is best for them to reach their goals. Because of what people "know" to be true some people exercise straight into serious injury or waste years never reaching any goal they reached for and then proceed to dangerous diets or pharmaceuticals. Spread the word on what works and take it all the way.