Bay Area Mud Runs

Bay Area mud runs have exploded in popularity over the past few years. You may even be thinking of signing up for a mud run if you can run up to 12 miles, which is the distance of most mud run.  But beware of the obstacles that are going to present themselves throughout the run. This is what you want to be training for.

It is incredibly important that you incorporate running into your training regime. This is going to help build up your stamina and hopefully keep you in the race until the end. You will need to run at least three or four times a week and build up the amount you run on a day by day basis. You need to constantly improve yourself to ensure you can run over the distance of the race.  Remember, some of your stamina is going to be taken up by the obstacles.  This means that if you are running a three mile race, you should be able to run at least seven miles. Make sure that you run up hills, up stairs and up anything else which will make the run more challenging. Try not to run on flat surfaces constantly – that isn’t the best training for obstacle courses.

Being agile in water is also important. A few mud runs involve swimming, so be prepared for any challenge. In addition, swimming is a great way to build up your stamina, and every little bit is going to help towards a successful run.

You also need to build up your upper body strength since the majority of courses include some sort of pulling obstacles (e.g. climbing ropes, climbing over walls, cargo nets, etc).  Combine push ups with your running activities for more upper body strength.  For a fun challenge, devise a course for yourself (e.g. run some, do push ups, run some more, do a different type of exercise, and so on).

Work on your agility! Mud runs tend to involve a lot of obstacles to jump across or avoid. Don’t just jump up and down. Learn to jump from side to side. Work on that footwork and don’t stop working on it.

Remember, in most cases a mud run isn’t a race. It is a challenge to get to the end. This will be one of the most physically demanding things that you have ever done in your life.  If you can train to the point where you can make it to the end, you are already doing better than most people.

If you’re looking for a mud run in San Jose, the Gladiator Rock ‘n Run will be held on June 15th-16th, 2013.  The event is for all shapes and sizes. Perfect for anyone who wants to have a great time and challenge themselves. Save $5 off the registration by providing promo code: LIFESPORTFIT5 (must be in all caps).

Good luck in your training!

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Renew Your Routine

Revamp You Goals and Workout Routine for the New Year

As we enter the New Year most people are beginning to think about their resolutions and more importantly, how to make them stick this year. Though it is easy to set goals and feel inspired to make the changes, remaining faithful and diligent to them can be a challenge. The shortcomings of yester-year may have little to do with your commitment and more to do with how you set those goals in the past. This year, redefining those goals and having a different point of view on how you will meet them may be in order.

Be Specific
It isn’t enough to say “I want to lose 10 pounds this year.” Many people fail to meet their goals because they are too vague. Humans are innately conditioned to meet small objectives and then move on to the next one. This year structure your goals a little differently and set target dates for each milestone instead of trying to meet the goal as a whole.

Although you probably want results sooner rather than later, practicing patience will do you and your workout goals well. For weight loss and fitness that will last, a safe amount to lose is between 1-2 pounds per week. So set that as your initial goal. This way when each week ends you have something to measure and you can check it off your list. Meeting small goals often will work much better than an arbitrary goal that is just hanging in the breeze.

Even though you are setting smaller goals, still remain focused on the large one as well. Give yourself a specific number of months to complete the goal. Don’t just say “I want to lose 10 pounds in three months” but reframe your objective as “I want to lose 10 pounds by May 1st” or whatever day you choose. This will keep you focused on something specific so you can average how many pounds per week you need to lose to meet that goal.

Faking It
While some do well with regimented schedules, most of us live hectic lives and trying to fit in a workout regime often proves to be more difficult than we originally thought. Even more evident is that some of us simply dread working out in general. This year take the fake it approach; not with your routine and eating, but fake your body (and more so your brain).

Rather than joining a gym that you probably will end up donating your money to, commit to a fitness regime that you actually enjoy and that will offer cardio and strength training benefits. One that doesn’t feel like you’re working out. Think about what you love to do and then find a creative way to turn it into a workout.

If, for example, you love to dance join a local Zumba or Salsa class and maybe invite a friend to join with you. The social aspect of a group class makes it feel less like work, and since our brains respond to music in such a positive way, you will burn calories and not even know it.

If you like to eat your lunch outside in the fresh air, cut your eating time in half and then spend the other half of your lunch speed walking around your work place. Initiate a weight loss lunch group so you and your co-workers can still chat during lunch but it will be a double duty thing-losing weight and gossiping.

By disguising things that you love as fitness goals we are more likely to stick with them than if they feel like work or something we are forcing ourselves to do.

If you really want to join a gym, consider joining one that is multifunctional. Many gyms have a regular workout room, but also join one that has a racquetball or basketball court, possibly a swimming pool and some group classes. This way you will have a whole host of activities available to you. The less you tire of your routine, the more apt you are to stay with it and you will learn some new skills too!

If you can’t afford a gym consider some of the new apps that are available on your mobile device or join a free support club online. Connecting with others who are working towards the same goals as you will offer support and you can track your progress easily.

Revamp Your Kitchen
Purchase a juicer and incorporate more fruits and veggies into your diet. If your kitchen in equipped with things designed to make healthy foods you can’t help but notice them and use them. Throw out any fattening equipment such as fryers.

Do a New Year’s sweep of your cabinets and fridge and throw out or better yet donate your food to a soup kitchen. Get rid of sweets or any foods that will get in the way of your new goals and replace them with healthy snacks and foods.

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Good Mornings

Nobody likes waking up right? After all, it signals the start of a brand new day which may be filled with nothing but hard work and misery. However, wouldn’t you just love to turn that whole notion of a bad morning upside down? Wouldn’t you love to be setting that alarm clock a little earlier rather than hitting that snooze button? Then you absolutely need the information in this article. I am going to run you through a couple of exercises which are going to make you feel great when you wake up in the morning. In fact, they will have a considerable impact on the rest of your day. Let’s take a quick little look at them.

Truth be told, you can perform almost any exercise that you want in the morning. It’s not like exercises don’t like being performed before a certain time. However, I do suggest that the majority of your focus is placed on Cardiovascular Exercises. These have long been regarded as some of the best types of exercise that you can perform if you are looking to get healthy, and thus give you a fantastic start to the day.

One of the best exercises in my opinion is a simple jog outside. There is nothing more exhilarating than smelling that delicious morning air while you are working out. To cap it off, jogging will release endorphins into your body which is going to make you feel absolutely fantastic and ready for the day ahead. Of course you could also attempt to substitute jogging for another type of cardiovascular exercise such as cycling or even rollerblading. Basically, anything that is going to get your heart pumping and those lungs breathing. You will want to leave enough time to do these types of exercises for at least thirty minutes in order to get the best effect.

If you don’t feel like heading outside and tackling the world right now then there are plenty of exercises that you can perform within the comfort of your own home which will help release those endorphins as well.

One of the top exercises amongst many people is yoga. This is perfect for relaxing, and many people claim that it helps make the body feel much longer. If you aren’t that flexible yet then it might be wise to research some basic yoga positions before you advance on to the bigger things.

You can also look to perform some ‘traditional exercises’ such as jumping jacks or push ups. Some people even love to do squats, but not everyone can face doing that in the morning. Basically, you want to perform exercises that you feel comfortable with doing in the morning. It may take a while to get into the routine, but once you do, you will absolutely love it.

Trying just a few of these exercises in the morning will squeeze a bit of extra life into you. Couple this with a hearty breakfast and you will feel great for the rest of the day! How fantastic is that?

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Fit at Any Age

Managing to stay fit at any age presents its own set of hurdles and challenges, particularly in our older years when metabolisms begin to slow down and our muscles, bones and joints aren’t as strong as they once were. Far too many people associate being fit with being skinny, but there are definitive differences between them, and this is never more apparent than during the later years of life when some forms of exercise simply aren’t an option anymore.With age our joints, muscles and bones will inevitably become frailer and thus are more sensitive and prone to injuries than in younger years. Because of things like arthritis and osteoporosis, we may find that are options are limited when it comes to staying fit, but there are still plenty of exercises that one can do in their 50’s and continue to do well into their 80’s or 90’s.

Your 40’s

Although your 40’s are the new 30’s say some, this decade can be difficult and you will likely notice some drastic changes in your body. This is the age when metabolism really starts to decrease and men and women notice their waists expanding for no apparent reason. This decade can also be one that is stressful, and stress causes our bodies to hang on to fat like never before and then store it in the most inopportune places like the belly and thighs.

Your 40’s is when you should be focusing on cardiovascular activities such as brisk walking, bike riding, aerobics and swimming because this is also the time when our risk for heart disease increases. Having and maintaining a healthy heart will help to keep such diseases at bay. Since most are still active and healthy in their 40’s take advantage of this time and engage in at least three cardiovascular exercise regimes per week.

You will also need to pay closer attention to what you are eating. Cutting back on sugar and sodium and increasing your fruit, lean protein and veggies can help you remain fit and healthy.

Your 50’s

For women especially, more changes are to come with this decade because of the onset of menopause. Menopause will also slow down your metabolism and cause your hormones to run rampant. Night sweats can often cause lack of sleep which will automatically make you feel more fatigued, but now more than ever, you need to get as much solid sleep as possible and stay active. Your 50’s are a pivotal time when heart disease rears its ugly head and the elasticity within the skin decreases, which will cause a loss of firmness and an increase in wrinkles.

For your diet it’s important to eat more fiber to regulate the digestive system, eat complex carbohydrates which will vamp up your energy level and also eat more dairy which helps combat osteoporosis. Bones need to be healthy and strong in order to sustain physical activities.

You may notice now that your joints and muscles cause some pain and discomfort where they didn’t before and thus you will need to be more creative when it comes to cardiovascular exercises. The idea of cardio exercise is to increase your heart rate and keep it there, but to not put too much force or pressure on aching body parts.

Swimming, bike riding and walking are all great cardio exercises for those in their 50’s and each can be modified to suit your level of fitness.

Your 60’s

During your 60’s you will likely have to contend with balance and strength issues and will again have to alter your exercises. Because bones and joints are more susceptible to injuries, take caution to not do any exercises that could jeopardize your health or cause you to break bones.

Walking is still a good way to get some cardio but you may not be able to walk for as long or the same distance and that is okay. You should also consider some exercises that help with strengthening core muscles, massaging joints and will help with balance, but are low intensity such as Yoga or Pilates. Both of those will help your muscles remain strong and toned, are moderate or low impact and really help with focus, breathing and balance.

Swimming is another great exercise to burn some calories and work in some cardio as well without over doing it.

Your 70’s

Exercising and staying fit in your 70’s is still possible, but again doctors caution their patients to take it easy. By this point in your life the focus should be more on healthy eating habits and less about cardio exercise because there is a risk of broken or dislocated bones. Dementia is also a common concern at this age so you may be limited if you don’t drive or are forgetful.

But exercise is the one thing that has been proven to combat dementia and Alzheimer’s so if you can manage it, definitely do it. Focus on low impact anaerobic exercises like walking which will keep your heart rate up, but also mix in some exercises that will keep you balanced and maintain your posture.

Swimming is still a good option, as are doing some leg lifts and even lifting some one or two pound weights for toning. Just be sure to not overdo it and listen to your body. If joints and muscles begin to ache stop what you are doing and resume a day or two later.

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Take A Hike

Many people spend hours and hours in the gym because they believe that this is best way to get into shape. To a certain extent it is, however, there are a number of reasons why you may want to incorporate hiking or walking into your exercise regime. Let’s take a little look at a few of these reasons.As you can probably guess, hiking and walking are cardiovascular exercises. This means that this exercise gets your heart pumping and your lungs working. As a result, it will have a much greater effect on reducing heart disease and the chance of heart attacks. You will not get this same sort of benefit by weight lifting alone.

Walking is also fantastic for relieving stress. If you choose to walk in a beautiful area, you won’t even know that you are exercising! Walking is well known for releasing some of the ‘feel good’ chemicals such as adrenaline and endorphins. These help to boost your happiness levels, and of course make you feel less stressed. When you’re feeling over worked and stressed out walking can help clear your head while at the same time incorporate exercise into your busy day.

It can also be a social activity. You can go out walking with your friends and use that time exercising to catch up and trade stories. Just like running clubs you can also find walking or hiking clubs in your area. Joining these clubs is a great way to meet new people and improve your health. When you combine exercise with social activities it keeps you motivated to carry on with your exercise program.

I know I have already mentioned some of the benefits that hiking can bring, but let’s take a little look at them in even greater depth:

  • Improved Cardiovascular System, for example, your blood will flow better, heart will work more efficiently and your lungs as well. In short, you will be much fitter.
  • Improved Muscles. Hiking is great for building up the muscles, and is a fantastic break from the gym. You won’t be putting your muscles under too much of a strain either.
  • Combats various problems with the body. For example, the chance of type 2 diabetes, high blood pressure and high cholesterol.
    <li.One of the best methods for weight loss. In just an hour you can burn 370 calories, not a lot compared to some activities, but it won't really feel like a 'workout' and is a great starting point for people who haven't exercised before.

  • Great for sleeping better. Studies have shown that those who regularly engage in hiking tend to sleep better at night.

In order to feel the benefits of hiking or walking you don’t really need to devote much time to it. All that is required is around 30 minutes a day for five days of the week. Surely you can manage that amount of time? Trust me, incorporating hiking into your exercise regime could perhaps be one of the best decisions that you have ever made.

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Workout Smarter

A lot of people at the gym feel they are putting maximum effort into their workouts but aren’t getting the results they were hoping for. The main reason for this is that they are not working out efficiently. In this article we are going to take a little look at how you can get the most out of your workout sessions, so you can achieve your fitness goals faster.Many people who are attempting to lose weight by cardiovascular exercises go about it the wrong way. They attempt to push their body to the max. What ends up happening is that they can’t maintain that level for long enough. In order to get the weight loss benefits you have to keep your heart rate at an elevated level, but not at max, for at least 30 minutes. Instead, you should slow down the pace to something which you are comfortable with and are able to do for longer periods of time. This is one of the most efficient ways of losing weight and building up your fitness levels. Once you’ve increased your fitness levels and have lost any excess weight you may be ready to move into higher intensity workouts. High intensity workouts should be done under supervision because when intensity is increase often form decreases and there is a greater chance for injury.

One tip for your cardiovascular exercises is to try to incorporate interval training. This is where you work out at a slower pace to begin with, then you do a quick burst of high intensity work out, and then return to a slower pace. You do this for set time limits. This is an incredibly effective way of working out, and you will most likely be able to go for long periods of time. This type of training is going to be of particular benefit to runners.

Did you know that strength training exercises can also help improve your workout sessions? For example, a short strength workout can burn off many more calories than a longer cardiovascular workout. This is because muscle tissues are used which require more energy to work than any other tissue in your body. There are plenty of easy to follow strength workouts which you can incorporate into your regime. Remember, strength training doesn’t necessarily mean you are going to get big and bulky. In fact, this only happens if you continuously push yourself over the edge and vastly increase your protein intake. Of course, for the most efficient workouts you will want to combine strength with cardio training. You may also want to look into ‘super sets’ which pack more into your workout in a shorter space of time.

One of the biggest tips I can offer for training more efficiently is to go in with a training plan. Know exactly what you are going to do and when, and stick to it! Start by choosing your fitness goal and work out a regime, with the help from a Trainer. Once you’ve reached that goal you can set another goal and adapt your workouts to reach that goal. Going in with a plan will keep you focused and bring purpose to your exercise routine.

There are many ways to train more efficiently and effectively. Fitness Trainers and Fitness Consultants have the knowledge to help you achieve your goals safely without injury. Use them to improve your workout routines.

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Anti-Gravity

Your backside is usually a point of fascination for the opposite sex and most likely, you have your your share of self-examination in a new pair of jeans. It is practically a worldwide activity and if you need to attract, you need to develop well-rounded buttocks by having a good set of glute exercises. There is such a great demand for glute exercises and moves that entire magazines have been dedicated to them. Glute moves are what everyone is crying out for. The gluteus maximus or glutes for short is the bum muscle. It is also the largest muscle in the body. Everyone wants a ‘toned’ bum but not many people know really how to work the glues. What moves are readily available for improving your glutes?

Forget about your long cardio workouts because they don’t do too much for muscle growth. Intensity and resistance are what makes the muscles grow. Brisk walking on a treadmill with incline to add some resistance is a great way to work out your butt muscles. If running on a treadmill has been your classic cardio workout then you can modify it with high intensity interval training.

Instead of light running for 30-60 minutes, you have to run in intervals that range from 5-10 minutes of jogging, and sprinting from 30-60 seconds. After sprinting slow down to a walking speed and slowly boost your intensity until you reach sprinting speed again.

Exercises to Improve Your Glutes

  • Glute Kickback – This is a good starting place for glute exercise and you’re able to do utilizing solely your body weight.
  • Sideway Squats – This is a variance of the squat which I find effective during my workouts. What you do is stand with both feet close together, take a big step to the right with your right leg and squat down, bending both knees together. As you rise, bring your left foot over to stand next to your right. Repeat the exercise but this time take a big step to your left with that leg. You can hold a dumbbell in both hands at the front of your body to add resistance to this exercise.
  • Swiss Ball Squats – This sort of squat is carried out with a Swiss ball against your back and against the wall. As you squat the Swiss ball will roll down with you against the wall. This is also a wonderful variation if you are a beginner.
  • Flutter Kicks – Favored by females since it involves no weight lifting, this kind of activity is a fantastic way to start building your glutes. You’ll find it an excellent option for beginners as you only work with your weight however that is no reason to underestimate it. The major muscles usually tend to fatigue very quickly therefore you will end up in sweats if you execute a couple of sets!
  • Backward lunges – This is an outstanding lower body exercise and it works your legs completely, not just your glutes. To do a backward lunge, all you need to do is to stand straight with both feet close together, take a step back with one leg and bend your front knee to a 90 degree angle. Your body should remain upright so you descend toward the ground with your back straight and eyes looking forward. You can keep your arms straight at your side, or place them on your hips.

Add in glute moves to your workout program 2 to 3 times a week for best results. Make sure that you adapt your nutrition with your muscle growth plan.

Your body needs food and calories so it can grow and low calorie diet will only have negative effect, and your muscles will start shrinking. The key to creating a backside you can be proud to show-off is consistency. You probably won’t create an award-winning butt in a week, but with consistent effort and determination, you should see some fantastic results within a month or two.

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Variety in Program

If you think back to your last few weeks or even days of workouts and the exercises you performed, do you find yourself performing the same exercises over and over, week after week? Our bodies are extremely adaptive to all physical conditions and stress, and it always tries to expend the least amount of energy to perform any physical activity. It will build the bare minimum amount muscles needed to allow you to perform any repetitive exercise that you do week after week.Our bodies are our temples. It is the only thing we truly own during our lives. And if we don’t take care of it, we will pay a large price for it, there is no doubt regarding that. Fitness is an essential part of properly caring for our bodies.

With our busy schedules sometimes it seems hard enough to eat properly or get enough sleep, let alone fit in an exercise regime. Poor health has become synonymous with modern living and it is understandable that people cannot find sufficient time for working out. Nevertheless, it is very important that we make some time for physical activity and it’s even more important to add variety into your fitness routines.

Variety is essential in a fitness program because it allows for your body to be challenged on a consistent basis and to get over a plateau. A plateau occurs when the body has become accustom or used to doing the same repeated exercises again and again. To overcome a plateau the combination of new exercises and placing new demands on the body will improve the intensity in addition to promoting new muscle mass growth.

Change the activity
Many activities can be used to change your aerobic, muscle-conditioning, and overall flexibility plans. If you are getting bored with walking, try swimming or an aerobics course. If you are bored with your muscle-strengthening exercises, try doing more gardening instead. Or try using various weight equipment or hand weights for unique exercise. Try some of these exercises below to add wide variety, and break your normal routine to develop more muscle mass.

  • Weighted Dips: Using your body weight to do dips may not be enough to promote muscle growth. Use a weight attachment belt and add some heavy weights to your regular dips. Start off adding 10 to 25% of your body weight – you should aim to add enough weight that allows you to only do 4 to 6 repetitions.
  • Dead Lifts: Dead lifts are an additional exercise that works wonders to build more muscle and strength. Add them to your routine, if you’re not already doing them. Rather than the regular lat pull downs or seated rows, dead lifts will work the rest of the your body along with your back.
  • Front Squats: How frequently do you see anyone do front squats? I bet seldom, and if you’re not doing them, then you’re missing out on one of the best exercises for quad development. The main difference between squats and front squats is that the barbell is resting on your front shoulders instead on your back.

Differ the time
Do your exercises at different times and for different quantities of time. If you become bored with your noon walk, try working out in the early morning or after work or school. Instead of doing one 30-minute session, do a few 15-minute sessions.

Vary the location
Try a new route for walking or biking or even a diverse room for your exercises or stretching. By having several options, you can pick one that suits your feeling or routine.

Variety is necessary for psychological and physical development. The mind needs variety in motion and any fitness class. Boredom often happens when people lose interest in exercise. Doing various programs is exciting and prevents boredom. The body also needs different exercises so it doesn’t adapt to the same stress placed on the muscles and bones.

Different systems of energy are also used when we move and therefore different exercises will change the pace of the heart. Multiplanar movements will stimulate all muscles evenly therefore decreasing injury risk. Make your fitness class fun but organized.

Stay motivated!! This may be the most important fitness tip of all. Nearly all people drop out of Fitness Programs and workouts over time. Do not fall victim to this! Keeping an eye of your goals is a way of staying with your program. Remember that motivation gets you started and routine keeps you going.

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A Balancing Act – Motherhood and Pro Sports

Unless you are born with miraculous genes, childbirth will inevitably result in vast changes to your body; even top notch athletes and fitness gurus face challenges post baby delivery. A misconception is that athletic people manage to bounce back to their pre-pregnancy weight with little to no effort. The fact is however, that most women will have to put in considerable time and effort to whip their bodies back into shape. Balancing motherhood and pro sport is still challenging, but many athletes know some tricks of the trade that help them get there faster.

Athletes simply have a competitive and healthy mindset that all pregnant women could benefit from. First and foremost, their bodies are trained and conditioned prior to conceiving a child, whereas non-athletic mothers’ bodies may not be. That already gives a woman a leg up since they are starting with a low body mass index.

Athletes also take care in their diet and eating habits, so the likelihood that they will continue to eat well during pregnancy is high. Women who get pregnant often take the phrase ‘eating for two’ too literally. In actuality, a fetus gets its nutrients from the foods the mother eats and therefore there is no need to eat twice as much as you normally would, though many pregnant women do. To their disappointment and the demise of their waistlines, this results in double the amount of daily caloric intake and the expansion of their waistlines.

Pro sport moms or soon to be moms are highly tuned into their bodies and know when enough is enough. Since they constantly train and condition, they are more apt to know when their limits are being tested; on the other hand, they also have a keen and innate awareness of how far they can push their bodies without harming themselves or their fetus.

It used to be that medical professionals advised pregnant mothers to stop exercising altogether for fear that it would impose too much stress on a fetus. However in the recent years studies and research has been published proving the opposite. In fact, exercises when done properly can increase oxygen through the body, which is beneficial to both the mother and unborn child.

Body after Delivery

For pro athletes that maintain a healthy body weight and indexes throughout their pregnancy, the post body recovery and maintenance is far easier since they remained active throughout their pregnancy. During pregnancy pro athletes will typically decrease their exercise regimes in order to remain in a healthy state but not pose threat to their unborn babies.

Traditional stretching exercises are omitted as these can be damaging, and cardiovascular exercise is still maintained, but to a less exhaustive degree. One thing that most athletes have in common after delivering babies is that they take the recommended six weeks off post delivery and then commit to resuming their training schedules right after, which are always rigorous.

They also have to be crafty and creative in order to balance motherhood and the demands of exercise. Finding time for self care can be challenging so it may be that you have to rise before the kids get up to fit in a run, or exercise later in the day when they are in bed.

Maintaining an active fitness level with your kids is also important for pro athletes. Running strollers are a great way to fit in some cardiovascular exercise while at the same time spending time with their children.

Other pro athletes finagle fitness and motherhood by joining gyms that also have a daycare center. That way their fitness regime is not compromised and they still have reputable care for the young ones as they continue to train for post pregnancy athletic events.

Most important for pro athletes who want to balance motherhood and fitness is organization. Since motherhood takes a considerable amount of time and dedication, as does training, many increase the intensity of workouts so that if they have to miss one, they are still exercising at optimal levels.

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Training Intensity

One of the most important factors in any type of muscle and weight lifting training is intensity. Beginners to muscle and weight training must always adhere to low levels of intensity and progressively adopt new and higher levels of intensity as they experience the results that they are trying to achieve. Once you have achieved higher levels of intensity in your training you should always focus on keeping a consistent muscular development with this same training intensity, otherwise the results that you have experienced will start to deteriorate over the long run. Keeping an adequate balance of training intensity can be effectively achieved by practicing the following strategies and techniques.

The first step in the process of training intensity is to appropriately understand the exact definition of high intensity training and overtraining. There exists a very important threshold between high intensity training and overtraining. In basic terms, training at high intensity levels simply means to reach for the maximum potential within yourself while lifting weights, accelerating your rest periods and experiencing the fatigue to a healthy yet optimal level. Overtraining on the other hand refers to the process of surpassing the maximum potential of strength to the point where muscle development, toning and other beneficial effects are reversed and the opposite occurs, damaging muscle tissue and feeling restless without the desire to obtain higher levels of intensity and benefits.

Due to these reasons, it is very important for you to have a proper balance by augmenting your training intensity to levels where you feel comfortable and feel that you are doing so in a very healthy manner. Once you have determined this level and balance of intensity and training, the next step is to increase intensity through more repeated sets in a short period of time. Doing more sets is simply engaging yourself to increase the number of repetitions that you do in each weight training exercise. Always remember to increase progressively as you experience more results and feel comfortable in doing so.

Another important factor in training intensity is the proper negative balance and interval sets that provide intensity of effort and intensity load. These involve doing several repeated sets of intense training intensity over a short period for time and then continuing to do low level intensity reps for a prolonged period of time, repeating the cycle for several minutes until the point of muscle fatigue and pain starts to kick in. Emphasizing your level of muscle training by lifting weights and counting for at least six seconds is the best way to augment the greatest amount of effort and an intense workout session where your muscles develop to tremendous levels of prolonged intensity and growth overtime.

Moving our discussion now to aerobic exercise, it is highly recommended to adhere to aerobic exercises that emphasize a high intensity training level as cardiovascular exercises, such as jogging, running, swimming or bicycling. A high intensity training period of this kind can be effectively achieved when these types of exercise are done for at least 30 minutes 3 to 5 days per week; especially when you are breathing heavily and you feel fatigued after a session.

High-intensity training involves short but repeated bursts of running or cycling activities, some of the best steps to effectively undergo this process are explained in detail below:

  1. Use a ten minute period to warm up, cycling or doing any kind of aerobic activity at a slow pace where your heart rate begins to slowly increase.
  2. Cycle through the activity at least up to 85% of the overall maximum effort that you can undergo, this will give you the chance to increase each interval that you do in a very effective manner. Try your best to repeat this cycle for at least 5 times.
  3. Once you finish the cycle repetitions, you have to recover yourself at a slower pace as you have effectively done so in step 1. Let your body rest a little bit at a slow pace.
  4. Cycle once again for fifteen to thirty seconds and rest for twenty seconds. Cycle through this step at least 10 times in order to effectively gain results.
  5. Rest once again as in step one and continue the entire steps 1-5 that we have just mentioned.

These strategies are directly focused on helping you achieve your maximum potential in the long term through direct high intensity training levels. Do not underestimate the power that you can have as an individual to achieve these strategies in a very effective manner. Keep in mind that working hard and maintaining the discipline needed in a high-intensity training environment is one of the best ways to obtain your desired level of strength or fitness.

Some of these benefits include but are not limited to changing your body shape, losing weight, losing total body fat and toning muscle tissue. In the long run, you will experience other potential benefits such as the expansion of your muscle tissue, muscle growth and development, a higher self-esteem and a wide variety of health effects that are desired by many people around the world.

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