Strickland Fitness

Is one of your New Year’s resolutions to lose weight? The best way to conquer this goal is to slowly change your lifestyle. What most people do is immediately go on a diet. Let’s just say the diet works and you reach your ideal weight. What do you do then? Most will fall back to old habits and gain all the weight back. That is why they don’t work in the long run. Diets are just a short term solution. If your resolution is to lose weight, try changing it to lose weight and keep it off.

Losing weight and keeping it off comes from changing your lifestyle. Healthy eating habits, getting plenty of rest, having a consistent cardio and resistance program, and keeping stresses down are all the components of a healthy lifestyle. These are the things that will help you lose weight, keep it off, and live a healthy life for good. You will feel great and you will look great.

How do you successfully change your lifestyle? The answer is to set yourself up for success. Most people use the New Year to try and change everything all at once. This is a very difficult thing to do. The best way is to make small changes over time to give you and your body the time to adapt and implement them into daily life. Make a list of all the things you need to do or change in order to meet your goal. Then start with one. Once this change has become part of your new lifestyle, move to the next one. Move through each change as the previous one becomes normal to you. Over time, all the changes you have made will not feel like changes anymore because they will be part of your lifestyle. Have you ever noticed how gyms get really crowded at the beginning of the year and then taper off to normal crowds by March? This is a perfect example of people trying too much all at once. They give up because they say it’s too hard to do all the things needed to reach their goal. This may not be the fastest way to lose weight, but it will have the longest success.

How can you stay in shape if you are traveling during the holidays? The most important thing is to stay active and make sure your calorie intake doesn’t exceed your calorie output. If you are staying at a hotel, try and stay at one that has a gym. That way the weather will not get in the way of working out. If the weather isn’t a problem, get outside. Do some intervals around the block. Walk up some steep hills that might be around. You can also do some body weight stuff for your resistance training. Pushups, planks, dips, body squats, back raises, and crunches are great body weight exercises. Don’t wait for the New Year to come to start training again. Keep yourself going and then step it up once you get home.

I am going to Oregon on a snow shoe and snowboarding trip. Next post will be Mon. the 29^th. Happy Holidays!!!

What you see in the mirror is just a reflection of how you feel. So what does this mean? You have to change the inside in order to change the outside. Most people find this statement to be backwards. You are probably saying; if I look good then I will feel good. Think about it for a minute. Ask anyone (or yourself) who has an overeating problem when they binge on food. It’s usually when they are sad, mad, stressed, depressed, or have simply given up on their goal. Those are bad feelings which cause a bad behavior.

Go take a look in the mirror right now. What do you see? Does the outside match the inside? Very few people look in the mirror and say; I look fat but I feel great. Or on the other hand, say; I look great but I feel like crap. I am in great shape, but I know on days I don’t feel great, the image that I see usually reflects that.

No matter what your fitness goals, first start with the inside. Get plenty of rest so you start each day feeling refreshed. Eat well to have the energy to complete your day and stay healthy. Do all the things that make you feel fresh, energetic, and motivated. Those feelings will take you to the gym, help you make good eating decisions, and start to change what you see in the mirror.

The core is not a muscle. That is the major misunderstanding people have. Core is the relationship of a group of muscles and how they function together. The core or Lumbo-Pelvic-Hip-Complex (LPHC) is made up of two categorized muscle groups: Stabilizers and movers. The stabilizing muscles of the core are the transverse abs, internal obliques, lumbar, pelvic muscles, and diaphragm. The movers are the lats, hamstrings, rectus abdominus (abs), hip adductors and abductors, and external obliques. All of these muscles make up the core.

Having a strong core is vital to movement, posture, and prevention of injury. Just like most muscle groups, you have to stabilize the core before you train or move it. Strengthening the muscles as individuals and as a group will help to ensure optimal and efficient movement of the body.

Some basic core stabilizing exercises are bridges and hip abductions. Some basic core strengthening exercises are crunches, back extensions, and twists. Remember, doing a bunch of ab exercises is only part of core work. Just as much time needs to be spent on your back, sides and deeper muscles of each. Safe and efficient movement starts and ends with the core. If you have any questions on how to strengthen your core, feel free to email me.

When you go to the gym, make it count. The more intense your workouts, the more calories you burn and the more lean muscle you build. Keep in mind what your goals are while exercising. That should help motivate you in to giving it your all. If you are on the treadmill, don’t watch TV or read a book. Concentrate on hitting your heart rate and not the channel button. Dedicate your workout time to your body and not to catching up on your shows.

I love the feeling of heading to the showers tired and sweaty. I always feel accomplished and motivated to do it again. Doing something is better than doing nothing, but I always feel the difference between working hard and just working. You will always find time to relax. So when you find time to go the gym or workout at home, work hard!

There is a lot of talk about the differences between interval and cardiovascular or aerobic training. People are unsure which is better in terms of calorie burning. Studies have shown that interval training is the most optimal method for burning calories.

So what is interval training?

Interval training is a process of raising and lowering your heart rate between two pre-set numbers. This can be done by running, rowing, riding a stationary bike, or any other apparatus that can raise your heart rate.

There are many different formulas used to find your minimum and maximum heart rate. One of the most effective formulas is the Karvonen Formula. First, determine your maximum heart rate (MHR). 220-your age = maximum heart rate. Next, determine the intensity at which you plan to train. Beginners or a low level of fitness should train at 40-70% of MHR. Intermediate levels of fitness should train between 50-80% of MHR. High or advanced level of fitness should train between 60-85% of MHR. Lastly, find your resting heart rate (RHR). The Karvonen Formula is as follows: (MHR-RHR) x intensity + RHR = training heart rate. So for an intermediate fitness level, you would train at a minimum heart rate of 50% and a maximum heart rate of 80%.

Let’s put the formula into place and do an interval. We will use running for this example of how to interval train. John is 30, has a resting heart rate of 75 and has an intermediate fitness level. His MHR would be 190 (220-age). 190-75 (MHR-RHR) = 115. 115 x .50 (intensity) = 58 + 75   (RHR) = 133. This would be John’s minimum heart rate. His maximum heart rate would be 115 (MHR-RHR) x .80 (intensity) = 92 + 75 (RHR) = 167. John’s maximum heart rate would be 167. John would interval train between a heart rate of 133 and 167. Let’s take John to the track. After a good warm up, John starts his intervals. He runs as fast as possible until his heart rate hits 167. He then stops and slowly walks until his heart rate hits 133. Once it hits 133, he starts sprinting again until his heart rate hits 167. He stops and walks until 133 and goes again. This is interval training. After 8 of these sprints, John is exhausted.

Extras:

The best way to monitor your heart rate would be to get a heart rate monitor. It is much easier than trying to take your pulse while working out.

If you are new to fitness, try walking or jogging for the first 2 weeks before starting to interval train.

You can run, bike, row, or step for interval training.

Remember to consult a physician before beginning any fitness program.

Interval training is far more effective and time efficient than static exercise. You will burn far more calories in a less amount of time and you will continue to burn calories even after you have finished.

If you have any questions or need more info about interval training, please email me.

This is my workout for today: Weight training with some intervals in the pool.

3 sets of 10 deadlifts. Heavy weight.

2 sets of 1 minute side planks on each side.

3 sets of 20 body weight calf raises.

3 sets of 8-10 lat pull downs. Heavy weight

3 sets of 20, 1 leg pelvic raises.

3 sets of 8-10, 1 arm rows. Heavy weight.

10, 50 meter sprints in the pool.

Today, I focused on hamstrings and back with a little work on calves and core. Intervals in the pool will finish me off. Workout time: 1 hour and 15 minutes.

I have a goal of losing 20 pounds and so far I have lost 10. I seem to have hit a wall and the weight has stopped coming off. What should I do?

Well, if you are losing weight, then your nutrition is probably really good. What needs to change is your cardio and weight training. Our bodies adapt to the stresses placed on it, so that is a good possibility of why you hit a plateau. If your body has adapted to your training, surprise it. Try doing some interval training for your cardio and mix up your weight training routine.

Do diets really work?

Diets are a short term answer to a long term problem. The only diet that really works is a lifestyle change. Try making subtle adjustments to your nutrition so your body and mind can adapt. Keep making the changes until you have a healthy diet everyday…not just for the next couple weeks.

When should I weigh myself?

You should weigh yourself in the morning. That is the time of day you will get the most accurate number. The most important thing is weighing yourself at the same time of each weighing day.

I got really tired and light headed right when I started working out, what’s going on there?

One possibility is you have low blood sugar. If you haven’t eaten within an hour of working out, your body doesn’t have the fuel to perform. Try eating a balanced healthy meal an hour before working out.

Is running on a treadmill the same as running outside?

It is a good alternative, but it is not the same. Treadmills are moving so it is actually helping you along. Most people can run faster on a treadmill than they can on the ground. You will also burn a bit more calories on the ground than on the treadmill.

To really define your chest, you have to hit it from all angles. A lot of people focus on one or two chest exercises to work the pecs. In fact, the list of chest exercises is long, ranging from light to intense. There are also ways to challenge yourself outside of just adding more weight. Let’s take a look at a few common and a few not so common pectoral exercises.

Most gyms have stationary machines and free weights. Each of these can vary how you work your chest along with the rest of your body. The stationary machines where you sit down and press the weight forward are very one dimensional. They stabilize the rest of the body while focusing the isolation on the chest. This is great if you are doing very heavy weights or are a beginner to weight lifting. The chest fly machine is also great for chest shaping and isolation while stabilizing the rest of the body. In both of these exercises, the shoulders will be working as well to move the weight, but the little muscles that help stabilize the muscles in the shoulders aren’t as active.

The next set of chest exercises add a little less stabilization of the shoulders causing them to work a little harder. A standard flat bench press is a great chest builder. Being that the bar is free in movement, the shoulders have to work to keep the bar in one plane of motion. The rest of the body is stabilized by the bench you are laying on. When doing the bench press, concentrate on keeping your spine in a neutral position and not letting it arch when pressing the weight up. An incline bar press changes the angle at which you work your pecs and adds a little more shoulder work than a flat bench. To finish it off, hit the decline bar press for an all around chest blast.

The last set of exercises adds size and shape to the chest while forcing the shoulder stabilizers to work extra hard. A dumbbell press on a flat, incline, or decline bench leaves the arms to move in all directions while pressing or lowering the weight. This is what causes the shoulders to work even harder while trying to keep the weight in one plane of motion. Using cables for a chest press or flys are great for the pecs, shoulders, and the core. Being that you don’t have a bench to lay on, the cables force your core to engage.

For an all around strong and defined chest, mix up the chest workouts. Do some with free weights or bars to keep the shoulder stabilizers strong. Use cables to work your core. Use machines to hit it hard. Again, if you are new to working out, begin on the machines and work your way up to the free weights and cables.

Believe it or not, you have a 6-pack. You may not see it, but it’s there. When you see someone with ripped abs, you are seeing what fat normally hides. Crunches, sit ups, leg raises, and all the ab machines you see advertised on TV strengthen and shape your abs, but it’s the eating right and fat burning that makes them appear. If you look carefully, anyone with rock hard abs has a low fat body to go with it.

Eating right and doing intense cardio (preferably intervals) are crucial partners to all the exercises you do to get ripped abs. All three help in the fat burning process necessary for your abs to come through. You could do thousands of crunches a day, but without the first two elements, you will have strong ripped abs underneath any fat you have over them.

Now let’s look at our “abs.” This term is short for Rectus Abdominus. This muscle is responsible for flexing the lumbar spine and the muscle you see on fit people. So you shouldn’t only train your abs for looks, but for postural support as well. A common misconception is doing exercises to train your lower and upper abs. The Rectus Abdominus is one muscle with no dividing line between upper and lower. There are other muscles that make up the complete abdominal area. These are the Transverse Abdominals, the Internal Obliques and the External Obliques. Different exercises train these different areas. You should be sure to train these other muscles as much as you train your Rectus Abdominus. This will keep your posture strong and help to give you a slim waist to match your new 10-pack!