Are You Getting The Most Out Of Your Workouts?

So you have a great workout routine down, you’re committed, your spending lots of time in the gym, and maybe you’re even enjoying it. But how much attention are you paying to everything that goes on outside the gym that can make or break your results? Don’t underestimate the importance of what goes on in the hours you’re not in the gym and the impact it has on reaching your goals.

Sleep

Do you train hard only to go home and sleep for 5 hours? You could be sabotaging a lot of your training and diet. Aside from not having energy and undermining your body’s ability to heal itself after working out, numerous studies have shown that too little sleep can actually lead to weight gain, even when your diet is on point.

Nutrition

Diet is an important part of reaching goals, whether they are performance or body composition based. As they like to say, “you can’t out work a bad diet” (or something along those lines). But it’s true- even if your workouts are great, if you over eat a lot of junk, it will show.  Likewise, if you’re not eating quality foods with sufficient protein, fats, and carbohydrates, it can severely affect your performance in the gym and impede your body’s ability to build muscle and heal itself after an intense workout.

Soft tissue/mobility work

Foam rolling, massages, and other forms of soft tissue work can help your body repair and feel better after a tough session. Mobility work plays an important role in your ability to move well and feel good- inside the gym and out. Yes, they take time and are kind of boring but they will pay off in the long run.

Time Spent in the Gym

You could be working out too much. Yes, that is a thing. Obviously working out too little is a problem but at a certain time, you hit a point of diminishing returns on the other end of the spectrum.  In the gym for 4 hours? Benching every day and your bench isn’t going up? If you’re not making progress, this could be an issue you need to address.

 

Make sure you pay as much attention to what you do outside of the gym to ensure you get the most return from your hard work.

-Coach Lily

 

http://well.blogs.nytimes.com/2013/03/18/lost-sleep-can-lead-to-weight-gain/?_php=true&_type=blogs&_r=0

 http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC2951287/

 

 

Training Switch-Up- An Intern's Blog

Coach Lily's blog entry the other day inspired my topic for this blog. She explained how stepping out of your comfort zone in the gym can lead to benefits both physically and mentally, in the gym as well as outside of it. I happen to agree with her 100%, and I'd like to add on to her thought process a little.

Sometimes we can get caught up in the things that we are comfortable doing in the gym without really questioning whether we are actually making progress doing these things. We all have heard "Stick to the basics! That's the key to success!" While I do agree that the basics are extremely valuable tools in your arsenal, not everyone can progress day after day using this methodology. Eventually, you will hit a stagnation point where your progress will slow to a halt and your body will get worn down with little to show for your effort.

If you aren't making progress doing a certain program or a specific exercise, why keep doing it? Now I'm not saying that if your squat has stalled then do banish it from your program forever, but why not change up your exercises? Whether it be to switch to box squats for 6 weeks or to squat later in your routine with sub-maximal weights, the key is variation. Now I understand that this can be a tough decision especially if you have an attachment to a certain exercise (I have had to adjust my lower body routine away from squats due to knee pain), but you may be able to reap the rewards of a revitalized central nervous system as well as new found strength from other exercises.

If you've hit a plateau then switch it up and watch your motivation, energy, and possibly even strength go up!

Bryce Calvin- Strength and Conditioning Intern

Top 10 articles of the week for 11/6/13

A "must read" for our 'over 40' clients so you train smart.

http://articles.elitefts.com/training-articles/three-more-reasons-why-getting-old-sucks/

A great article on training and one's desire and motivation for doing it. So why do you train? Is it a ritual or a habit?

http://articles.elitefts.com/training-articles/a-lion-in-iron-training-ritual-or-habit/

Why cardio may be sabotaging your strength gains.

http://www.stack.com/2013/11/05/cardio-exercise/

3 obvious fat loss tips you are ignoring.

http://www.romanfitnesssystems.com/blog/free-fat-loss-tips/

What is the big deal with dead bugs?

http://www.tonygentilcore.com/blog/deadbugs-the-what-why-and-how/

Interesting article on music and training.

http://well.blogs.nytimes.com/2013/10/23/how-music-can-boost-our-workouts/?_r&_r=1&

How to find an extra hour of the day.

http://www.gretchenrubin.com/happiness_project/2013/11/want-an-extra-hour-in-your-day-heres-a-painless-way-to-get-it/

So when is the best time to train?

http://breakingmuscle.com/strength-conditioning/when-you-train-and-what-it-might-mean-about-you-and-your-exercise

How to manage your priorities and your efficiency.

http://mashable.com/2013/10/31/entrepreneur-productivity-tips/

Solutions to 3 common training mistakes.

http://www.stack.com/2013/11/04/workout-mistakes/