Yesterday, I promised to critique Oprah's current exercise program (or at least the parts she mentioned on her show on Monday).
The Good:
* Oprah said she is doing more strength training than previously. Yes!
* She also said that she's cut back on her cardio (to 20 minutes, I think). If I remember correctly, a few years ago she had worked up to an hour a day so this is definitely a step in the right direction.
* Although she didn't mention intervals, Oprah performs her cardio at a decent pace. I'm pretty sure you wouldn't see her reading a magazine while she exercises.
The Bad:
* Oprah demonstrated some of her strength training exercises. She did exercise after exercise, one right after the other with the same weight, which didn't look real challenging for any of them. I realize that she might not work out that way - it may have just been to demonstrate some moves for the camera- but I doubt it. Ladies, stop wasting time with light weights and lots of reps. If you want to reshape your body, you need to challenge it.
* Even though there was a short article in her magazine a few months back praising cardio interval training, I don't think she's doing it. Even if you're working hard, your body will adapt to doing the same time on the same machines at the same pace, etc.
The Worst
* The worst aspect for me was when she mentioned that she works one or two body parts a day. Noooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo! Oprah, you are not a bodybuilder. Your goals right now are dropping body fat and overall health. You should be doing three non-consecutive total body strength training workouts a week, concentrating on compound exercises. Big movements, that work multiple muscles will burn more calories and get you out of the gym quicker. With your schedule, you need efficient, effective workouts not time wasters.
If you live in the Lancaster, PA area and have the same goals as Oprah and want to get maximum results for minimum time, call me at (717) 509-7777. If you aren't in my area, check out Craig Ballantyne's Ultimate Turbulence Training Fat Loss Solution which I blogged about below. If you grab it before midnight tonight, you'll still get all the terrific bonuses.
Mickey
Showing posts with label total body workouts. Show all posts
Showing posts with label total body workouts. Show all posts
Wednesday, January 7, 2009
Wednesday, November 19, 2008
Collected Fitness Wisdom
Lately I've been saving bits of articles or e-mails that really nail a topic. I hope one or more of them helps you see something in a new light.
From Paul Scott:
(On using machines and training muscles in isolation)
"Most of us are neither crippled nor on the verge of entering the Mr. Olympia competition, so why do we train as if either is the case? The answer is a combination of the gyms' desire to maximize profits, and our own desire to find workouts that don't involve work."
From Alwyn Cosgrove:
"If you cheat: get right back on track. A lot of people think after cheating- I've blown it- so I might as well REALLY blow it! Let me ask you- if you get a flat tire do you get out of your car and slash the other three? Hey, you have a flat tire- might as well have four, right?"
From Rocco Castellano:
"There is nothing in the world that will change your life, not a piece of equipment, not a diet, not a personal trainer, not a workout...nothing will do the work for you.
You need to take action. YOU can only make YOUR life better."
From Mike Geary:
"In several of my newsletters in the past, I've given examples of how choosing your foods based on the glycemic index can be misleading and useless in many cases.
Case in point...
Watermelon has one of the highest measured GI's of all foods (much higher than even cake and ice cream). However, a normal serving of cake and ice cream may give you a whopping 700 or 800 calories, whereas a typical serving of watermelon may give you 50 or 60 calories max!
Trust me... watermelon isn't making anyone fat!
The lesson... GI is almost useless when you're not considering "Glycemic Load", which also factors in the quantity of carbohydrates ingested in a typical serving."
From Rachel Cosgrove:
(On how her body changed from doing lots of steady state cardio when she was training for a triathlon)
"I now have first-hand experience that steady-state aerobics is absolutely, completely, utterly ineffective for fat loss. After working my way up to twenty training hours a week, I can tell you that long, steady-state endurance is not the answer for a defined, lean physique and it's a waste of time if your goal is fat loss.
It's only the answer if your goal is to complete an endurance event."
From Vern Gambetta:
"If you have a limited amount of time to work out, you're better off ditching the machine to do different kinds of body-weight and whole-body exercises. You'll get more caloric burn for your time spent."
.
From Paul Scott:
(On using machines and training muscles in isolation)
"Most of us are neither crippled nor on the verge of entering the Mr. Olympia competition, so why do we train as if either is the case? The answer is a combination of the gyms' desire to maximize profits, and our own desire to find workouts that don't involve work."
From Alwyn Cosgrove:
"If you cheat: get right back on track. A lot of people think after cheating- I've blown it- so I might as well REALLY blow it! Let me ask you- if you get a flat tire do you get out of your car and slash the other three? Hey, you have a flat tire- might as well have four, right?"
From Rocco Castellano:
"There is nothing in the world that will change your life, not a piece of equipment, not a diet, not a personal trainer, not a workout...nothing will do the work for you.
You need to take action. YOU can only make YOUR life better."
From Mike Geary:
"In several of my newsletters in the past, I've given examples of how choosing your foods based on the glycemic index can be misleading and useless in many cases.
Case in point...
Watermelon has one of the highest measured GI's of all foods (much higher than even cake and ice cream). However, a normal serving of cake and ice cream may give you a whopping 700 or 800 calories, whereas a typical serving of watermelon may give you 50 or 60 calories max!
Trust me... watermelon isn't making anyone fat!
The lesson... GI is almost useless when you're not considering "Glycemic Load", which also factors in the quantity of carbohydrates ingested in a typical serving."
From Rachel Cosgrove:
(On how her body changed from doing lots of steady state cardio when she was training for a triathlon)
"I now have first-hand experience that steady-state aerobics is absolutely, completely, utterly ineffective for fat loss. After working my way up to twenty training hours a week, I can tell you that long, steady-state endurance is not the answer for a defined, lean physique and it's a waste of time if your goal is fat loss.
It's only the answer if your goal is to complete an endurance event."
From Vern Gambetta:
"If you have a limited amount of time to work out, you're better off ditching the machine to do different kinds of body-weight and whole-body exercises. You'll get more caloric burn for your time spent."
.
Monday, September 29, 2008
What's Wrong With Bicep Curls?
Someone recently took issue with some advice I gave an exercise newbie on an online forum.
I basically posted that if your main goal is fat loss, I recommend 3 total body strength training sessions per week on non-consecutive days.
As I've written about before, although many of us did body part splts back in the day, many of the best fitness pros now believe total body workouts are superior for fat loss.
I also said that the majority of your exercises should be compound movements- exercises that use multiple muscles and joints. Examples would be Squats, Pulldowns, Deadlifts, Presses, Lunges, Pullups, Rows, etc.
As I stated on the thread, all of those exercises are more effective for fat loss than the type of exercises most women seem to gravitate toward - Bicep Curls, Tricep Kickbacks, Abduction / Adduction machines, etc.
One poster seemed to have a problem with my advice and along with some other comments asked, "What's wrong with Bicep Curls?"
Nothing's "wrong" with Bicep Curls, especially if people have lots of time to spend in the gym. For efficiency and fat loss, however, I recommend compound exercises- they work more muscles and burn more calories. Rows and Pulldowns will work the biceps along with the back so I prefer those over Bicep Curls, especially when time is a factor.
Does that mean that I think people should never do Bicep Curls? No but unless you're a bodybuilder or figure competitor, you're going to get more bang for your buck with compound exercises.
You'll see better results from a shorter but more challenging workout than a longer, less intense one. So, if you're primary goal is fat loss, concentrate on the exercises that will give you a bigger metabolic boost like Squats, Lunges and Deadlifts (rather than Leg Extensions and Leg Curls) and Rows, Pullups, Presses and Pulldowns (rather than Bicep Curls and Tricep Kickbacks).
I basically posted that if your main goal is fat loss, I recommend 3 total body strength training sessions per week on non-consecutive days.
As I've written about before, although many of us did body part splts back in the day, many of the best fitness pros now believe total body workouts are superior for fat loss.
I also said that the majority of your exercises should be compound movements- exercises that use multiple muscles and joints. Examples would be Squats, Pulldowns, Deadlifts, Presses, Lunges, Pullups, Rows, etc.
As I stated on the thread, all of those exercises are more effective for fat loss than the type of exercises most women seem to gravitate toward - Bicep Curls, Tricep Kickbacks, Abduction / Adduction machines, etc.
One poster seemed to have a problem with my advice and along with some other comments asked, "What's wrong with Bicep Curls?"
Nothing's "wrong" with Bicep Curls, especially if people have lots of time to spend in the gym. For efficiency and fat loss, however, I recommend compound exercises- they work more muscles and burn more calories. Rows and Pulldowns will work the biceps along with the back so I prefer those over Bicep Curls, especially when time is a factor.
Does that mean that I think people should never do Bicep Curls? No but unless you're a bodybuilder or figure competitor, you're going to get more bang for your buck with compound exercises.
You'll see better results from a shorter but more challenging workout than a longer, less intense one. So, if you're primary goal is fat loss, concentrate on the exercises that will give you a bigger metabolic boost like Squats, Lunges and Deadlifts (rather than Leg Extensions and Leg Curls) and Rows, Pullups, Presses and Pulldowns (rather than Bicep Curls and Tricep Kickbacks).
Sunday, March 16, 2008
How To Get The Most From Your Workout
If you are like the average person interested in dropping some body fat, improving your health and getting stronger, then follow these guidelines to get the best results from your workouts:
* Always begin a workout with a full warmup. A good dynamic warmup prepares the muscles for what’s to come and allows you to work harder and with less risk of injury. If you are short on time, cut back on your working sets, never on your warmup.
* Perform a total body workout 3 times a week with at least one day of rest in between. Forget the bodybuilding mags and their body part routines. Muscles work in groups and trying to isolate them during a workout is a waste of time for the vast majority of people.
* Concentrate on compound exercises. Exercises like Squats, Lunges, Deadlifts, Pushups, Rows, Pulldowns, Presses, etc. work multiple muscles at a time, are more functional, and burn more calories than isolation work.
* Forget about the "low weight, high reps to tone" B.S. that is still floating around out there. Challenge your muscle using a resistance that you can only perform 6-10 times with good form. (There are some exceptions, of course.)
* Make sure your strength training program is balanced between opposing muscle groups. Don't ignore exercises you don't like or do extra sets just of those that you do like. Either scenario can cause muscle imbalances.
* Choose cardio intervals over slow, steady state cardio for shorter, more productive workouts. However, limit interval training to 3 times a week, 4 if you are advanced exerciser.
* For fat loss, increased strength and energy, and overall good health, incorporate good nutrition into your lifestyle. Exercise without healthy nutrition will produce mediocre results. Remember, you can’t out-train a bad diet.
.
* Always begin a workout with a full warmup. A good dynamic warmup prepares the muscles for what’s to come and allows you to work harder and with less risk of injury. If you are short on time, cut back on your working sets, never on your warmup.
* Perform a total body workout 3 times a week with at least one day of rest in between. Forget the bodybuilding mags and their body part routines. Muscles work in groups and trying to isolate them during a workout is a waste of time for the vast majority of people.
* Concentrate on compound exercises. Exercises like Squats, Lunges, Deadlifts, Pushups, Rows, Pulldowns, Presses, etc. work multiple muscles at a time, are more functional, and burn more calories than isolation work.
* Forget about the "low weight, high reps to tone" B.S. that is still floating around out there. Challenge your muscle using a resistance that you can only perform 6-10 times with good form. (There are some exceptions, of course.)
* Make sure your strength training program is balanced between opposing muscle groups. Don't ignore exercises you don't like or do extra sets just of those that you do like. Either scenario can cause muscle imbalances.
* Choose cardio intervals over slow, steady state cardio for shorter, more productive workouts. However, limit interval training to 3 times a week, 4 if you are advanced exerciser.
* For fat loss, increased strength and energy, and overall good health, incorporate good nutrition into your lifestyle. Exercise without healthy nutrition will produce mediocre results. Remember, you can’t out-train a bad diet.
.
Tuesday, January 22, 2008
The Superiority of Total Body Workouts
Lately, I keep seeing people posting on online forums about breaking up their strength training routines in all kinds of "creative" ways.
A decade ago, like many people (although not many women), I used to split my weight training into body part splits like Legs, Back and Biceps one day and Chest, Shoulders and Triceps the next. When I think about it now, it doesn't surprise me that so many serious lifters ended up with shoulder injuries. (Luckily, I wasn't one of them.) Our body works in an integrated fashion and true muscle isolation is pretty much impossible so lots of shoulders were being overtrained, big time.
Back then, besides your basic circuit program, most workouts were based on the bodybuilder model. I don't know why because it really makes little sense if you think about it but that's how it was done. But as Maya Angelou says, "When you know better, you do better" so I have moved on from that method of training and now spread the gospel of total body training. :-)
Most people's main objective is dropping fat. Three total body strength workouts per week will help you accomplish that better than body part splits. (If you really want or need to divide your workouts, go with a lower / upper body split.) Concentrate on compound exercises, which are those that use more than one muscle. Your program should primarily consist of exercises like Squats, Lunges, Presses, Rows, Pushups, Deadlifts, Pulldowns, etc. Besides the fact that those exercises are more functional, you'll burn more calories doing them than you will isolation exercises like Bicep Curls and Tricep Kickbacks.
.
A decade ago, like many people (although not many women), I used to split my weight training into body part splits like Legs, Back and Biceps one day and Chest, Shoulders and Triceps the next. When I think about it now, it doesn't surprise me that so many serious lifters ended up with shoulder injuries. (Luckily, I wasn't one of them.) Our body works in an integrated fashion and true muscle isolation is pretty much impossible so lots of shoulders were being overtrained, big time.
Back then, besides your basic circuit program, most workouts were based on the bodybuilder model. I don't know why because it really makes little sense if you think about it but that's how it was done. But as Maya Angelou says, "When you know better, you do better" so I have moved on from that method of training and now spread the gospel of total body training. :-)
Most people's main objective is dropping fat. Three total body strength workouts per week will help you accomplish that better than body part splits. (If you really want or need to divide your workouts, go with a lower / upper body split.) Concentrate on compound exercises, which are those that use more than one muscle. Your program should primarily consist of exercises like Squats, Lunges, Presses, Rows, Pushups, Deadlifts, Pulldowns, etc. Besides the fact that those exercises are more functional, you'll burn more calories doing them than you will isolation exercises like Bicep Curls and Tricep Kickbacks.
.
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