When it comes to Resistance Training there are endless ways to go about setting up programs, different methodologies, training splits, exercise selection, and so much more. One of the most common prescription of sets (number of “rounds” per exercise) and reps (actual times one lifts a weight) always seems to be along the lines of three sets of ten with fairly moderate weight. The reason being is because most people associate “toning up” with this training prescription. The purpose of this article is to familiarize one with different rep schemes, loads, and percentages of 1RM. Strength, Power (Force=Mass*Acceleration, Work=Force*Distance, Power=Work/Time, in short how quickly one can move a given weight in the direction in which force is applied), Hypertrophy (muscle growth/size increase), and Muscular Endurance can be achieved when lifting weights, however ones rep range and percentage of ones 1RM will elicit greater effect on each particular area if applied appropriately.
Banana Pineapple Sorbet
Yield | 4 servings |
Time | 5 minutes |
Tools | · food processor or blender · 4 bowls, chilled |
Ingredients | o 2 ripe bananas, sliced and frozen o 3 oz pineapple juice o 3 oz frozen pineapple juice o 2 T shredded coconut |
Directions | Place all ingredients in food processor or blender and purée until smooth. Serve immediately. |
Travel and exercise
Travel and exercise doesn’t always seem to workout the way we want it to, you get to your destination late, the hotel doesn’t have a gym, you don’t have time to workout, etc… Well now your troubles and worries are over. There are so many exercises that you can do that do not require any equipment and that will give you a good 30-60 minute workout, without even leaving your room. Here are a some different choices, choose a couple of exercises from each category, you will want to put a aerobic exercise between the anaerobic exercises to help keep your heart rate up during the workout.
Cardio choices:
Jumping jacks
Mountain climbers
Burpees
High knees
Scissors
Jump rope (without a rope)
Knee tucks
Upper body choices :
Push-ups
Incline push-ups (on a chair)
Decline push-ups (on a chair)
Tricep push-ups
Triangle push-ups
Superman
Arm circles
Dips
Lower body choices:
Squats
Lunges
Step-ups
Hip raises
Calf raises
Plie squats
Skater squats
Hip abductors
Hip adductors
It’s been a pretty long and cold winter and hopefully it will be over soon. I know that this winter weather makes it hard for a lot of people to get out and do any physical activity, either because it’s too cold and you don’t feel like going out of the house if you don’t have to, or because the roads are bad and you don’t feel safe going out. If this applies to you, you are not at a loss of hope. You can still get a great workout in the comforts of your own home and you don’t need a lot of space. You can even workout in your own bedroom. You can get a complete full body workout with the use of very little or even no equipment. All you need is yourself and some will power.
There are many exercises you can do with your own bodyweight whether you’re trying to get a cardio workout or build strength, or a combination of both. Some examples of bodyweight exercises you can do for your lower body are bodyweight squats, lunges, leg raises, calf raises etc. If you feel that these exercises are too easy, you can make them more challenging by going slower through the movements or holding the toughest position of the exercise for a certain number of seconds on each rep. You can also make the squats more challenging by doing them on one leg.
Some good upper body exercises to do are push-ups, rows, shoulder press, lateral raises, triceps extensions, bicep curls etc. If you are not sure how to do any of these exercises, I recommend looking them up on You Tube or hire a trainer and they can instruct you through proper technique. Some of these exercises will require dumbbells or some form of resistance but you shouldn’t need more than ten to fifteen pounds. You should be able to find a nice pair of ten to fifteen pound weights for around twenty dollars.
There are many exercises you can do for cardio also such as jogging in place, jumping jacks, high knees, jump squats, mountain climbers, jumping rope, or anything that gets you heart rate up to its target zone and lasts for at least twenty to thirty minutes. Now you don’t have to do any specific exercises to get a cardio workout. You can get a cardio workout by doing something more fun such as playing a sport, boxing, dancing, or whatever you love to do. As long as you get the heart rate up and keep it up for at least twenty to thirty minutes you will still get a cardio workout. And chances are that if you are doing an activity that you like to do you will probably do it longer and do it with more intensity.
I recently watched a special on ESPN about Cleveland High School wrestlers Leroy Sutton and Dartanyon Crockett. Leroy is an amputee and Dartanyon is legally blind. They both have conquered enormous obstacles, because of their “never give up” attitude. Dartanyon carries his friend Leroy on and off the bus, through every gymnasium, and onto every wrestling mat. They are training partners that push each other both physically and mentally. One is the other’s eyes and the other his legs.
With tears in my eyes, I realized how much I take for granted. Many times we make unnecessary excuses for why we can’t do things. I’ve always despised failure. Oftentimes, we choose to not do something for the fear of messing up, but that is the only real failure. Quitting is not an option! Either keep going or start over. Like the cliché, “Practice makes perfect.”
This is the time of year where those New Year’s resolutions start becoming very challenging. We all must realize that set backs aren’t failures. It may take longer than initially to reach our goals, but the important part is getting there, that’s why setting short-term goals is so important. It takes awhile to lose the 50 lbs, but with motivation it’s worth every drip of sweat. A good short-term goal could be instead of eating out seven times this week, you could only eat out twice.
I encourage everyone to get an accountability partner. It’s very easy at the end of the day to find a million other things you could be doing besides jumping on a treadmill. To have someone to call and asked if they want to hit the gym or share their fitness frustrations with, is a great motivational tool. It makes the time pass by faster, when you have someone you can relate to. Just take these two friends, Leroy and Dartanyon, as an example.
-Melissa Kramer, CPT
Below is a link to watch this special story:
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