Fit For Life: Don’t Cut Gym Time This Summer
Monday, May 07, 2018
To truly get fit, you need to do more than gardening, walking the dog, or strolling in the park.
Just as important as good nutrition, you still need three to five days of strength training, some functional movements, metabolic circuits, in order for you have a great program to get you strong, fit, and moving well.
- What is metabolic training?
- What is strength training?
- What does cardio mean?
- Run, life cycle, elliptical??
Usually when people in a gym environment or the people that exercise outside say they did cardio, this consists of 30-60 minutes of some redundant movement pattern on some motorized piece of equipment lining the walls of the gym, equipped with tv and magazine racks or they are walking the park or neighborhood at a low intensity pace.
Now don’t get me wrong, getting outside in the fresh air and doing some extra steps throughout the day IS beneficial, but no substitute for intense exercise.
Unless you are running sprints, hiking hills and trails, or doing some power biking, you can’t say it replaces a structured exercise program.
Metabolic or HIIT training is what it takes to make a difference.
The body responds much better to short bursts of intense activity, followed by brief periods of rest, using different movements and routines.
Exactly what we program at my gym!
This makes the heart and lungs stronger by involving peak contractions, similar to the way you train other muscles.
Doing cardio at the same pace only teaches the heart and lungs to be efficient, not stronger.
Exercises such as dumbbell rows, squats, med ball slams, and band rotations can be performed in a sequential order either for time or reps, followed by brief rest periods.
The rest is important for recovery, allowing you to work out at a higher intensity, therefore netting better results.
Strength training or resistance is the most important type of exercise you can do.
When asked, I always recommend strength first. Not only does this make you more stable, exercises like squats, and lunges make you move better.
Resistance and intensity varies, depending on the clientele.
For instance, all my clients press and squat, but a 21-year-old rugby player would work at a higher intensity then the average Mrs. Jones, trying to improve overall fitness.
Another big reason for strength training, is that it builds muscle and muscle is a more efficient tissue, and burns more calories at rest, thus allowing us to look better and appear leaner.
Build muscle and burn fat are the results of strength and metabolic training and that is what it takes to get fit.
So, before you decide to substitute outdoor activities for a structured exercise program, think of all the benefits you will be missing.
Yes, get outside, and yes, enjoy our short summer, but don’t put the program that will get you true fitness results on ice for the season.
Related Slideshow: The 7 Best Health and Fitness Apps
Here is a list of some of the most obsession worthy health apps.
Related Articles
- Fit For Life: Take a Deep Breath. Start Again
- Fit for Life: Summer Swimsuit Syndrome
- Fit For Life: Thank You For Asking…
- Fit for Life: The Cycle of Life
- Fit For Life: The Three Commandments of Gym Etiquette
- Fit for Life: The INside and OUTside of Fitness
- Fit For Life: Spring Forward…Now, REST!
- Fit For Life: So, Tell me How You Really Feel…
- Fit For Life: Opportunity Knocking…
- Fit For Life: One Extra Degree – Makes all The Difference
- Fit For Life: Prevent That Plateau in The First Place
- Fit For Life: Resist the Negative!
- Fit For Life: Simplify!
- Fit for Life: Right Mindset – Right Result
- Fit For Life: The Triple D Will Take You There…
- Fit For Life: Tick-Tock
- Fit For Life: Yes, You Can!
- Fit For Life: Write Your “Done” List
- Fit For Life: Your Decision
- Fit For Life: “Adversity Introduces a Man to Himself” (Albert Einstein)
- Fit For Life: Proactive. Reactive. Your Choice.
- Fit for Life: “Almost” Doesn’t Cut it
- Fit For Life: Work Smarter Not Harder
- Fit For Life: What’s Wrong With You?
- Fit For Life: Time to Take Responsibility!
- Fit For Life: Time for YOU!
- Fit For Life: We All Need to Get Better…
- Fit For Life: What if I’m The Bad Guy?
- Fit For Life: What’s in Your Toolbox?
- Fit for Life: What Is It To You?
- Fit For Life: No Excuses…
- Fit For Life: New Year, New Successes, Stay the Course
- Fit For Life: DES·TI·NY
- Fit for Life: Cost-Free Ways to Get Healthier
- Fit For Life: Diets I’ve Known, Loved and Hated
- Fit For Life: Discipline, Drive, Desire
- Fit For Life: Don’t Believe Everything You Think
- Fit For Life: Do This – Don’t do That
- Fit For Life: Claim Your Independence!
- Fit For Life: Be UNSTOPPABLE
- Fit For Life: 25 Tips to Avoid the Holiday Bulge
- Fit For Life: 7 Step Plan For Weight Loss…
- Fit for Life: Accentuate the Positive - Eliminate the Negative
- Fit For Life: Avoid the Negativity
- Fit For Life: Are You Worth it?
- Fit For Life: Eat Drink and Be Thankful
- Fit For Life: Get Addicted, be Obsessed
- Fit For Life: How You do Anything…is How You do Everything…
- Fit for Life: How Perfect Can You Be?
Follow us on Pinterest Google + Facebook Twitter See It Read It