Easy Ways To Make Your Workout Harder!
Are you on exercise autopilot? Routinely going into the gym and doing the same old routine week in week out. Sure this philosophy served you well initially as a beginner, but have your results slowed or even stopped?
The most popular way to progress a weight-training program is to simple up the weight you are lifting. But what if you can’t lift any more weight. Does that mean you have reached your genetic potential and you should stop.
Nope! You’d be surprised how simple changing tactics and adopting another progression method can help you break through plateau’s and start lifting more.
Below are three ways in which you can do this increase your total volume and as a result increase your strength levels without increasing the weight.
- Add Reps
Exercise 1 – Squats 3 sets of 10 reps using 100kg
Exercise 2 – Dumbbell Chest Press 3 sets of 10 using 100kg
If we add one rep to each of these exercises the total volume for the workout will increase by 600kg! (Workout Volume = (reps*weight)*sets
- Add Sets
Exercise 1 – Squats 3 sets of 10 reps using 100kg
Exercise 2 – Dumbbell Chest Press 3 sets of 10 using 100kg
Now let’s say we add one set to each exercise. This is a more advanced version of step 1 and will result in a much higher total workout volume increase.
Adding one set to each exercise so you are now performing 4 sets increases the workout volume by 2000 kg for just these two exercises alone!
- Reduce your rest period
Exercise 1 – Squats 3 sets of 10 reps using 100kg
Exercise 2 – Dumbbell Chest Press 3 sets of 10 using 100kg
Let’s say you take 30 seconds per exercise and have 60 seconds rest between exercises. Using an alternating set workout system.
E.g.
One set of Squats taking 30 seconds followed by 60 seconds rest and then one set of bench press taking 30 seconds followed by 60 seconds rest.
To complete all 3 sets of each exercise will take 9 minutes.
Now if we reduce the rest period by just 15 seconds so you now only get 45 seconds between exercises it now takes you just 7.5 minutes to complete the same amount of work!
This method doesn’t make a difference to the total workout load but increases the intensity of the workout by having you complete the same amount of work in a shorter period of time.
All three methods place a different stress upon your body that forces it to adapt if it wishes complete the exercise. If it doesn’t adapt the work won’t be done and the body will not be in a state of balance. Which is what it always strives to be in. Therefore your body must adapt!
PUTTING IT ALL TOGETHER
Week 1
Complete 3 sets of 10 of each exercise with a 60 second rest.
Week 2
Increase the reps in each set by one keep the rest at 60 seconds.
Week 3
Maintain the reps and rest but add one set to each exercise.
Week 4
Reduce the rest period to 45 seconds keep the reps, sets and weight the same.
These progressions over a 4 week period of training will lead to the following increases in your workout program with these hypothetical weights.
Do not use these weights unless they are what you would normally use. They are only used for the sake of this example!
Week 1
Workout Volume = 6000kg
Time Taken = 9 minutes
Week 4
Workout Volume = 8,800kg
Time Taken 7 min 30 seconds
| This brief over view in the take above shows how simple manipulation of training variables rather than weight or exercises can result in strength gains without over complicating matters or dangerously trying to increase weight past the point that you can safely handle. |
We have just increased the amount of total work you do in the workout without adding weight to a bar! So if you have hit a plateau or workout at home and have simple run out of weight. Simple changing these training variables can help you make big progress.
Different methods of progressing exercises are very useful and will prevent overtraining and injury.
The key to progress is overload, and this can be achieved by many ways It’s not just about adding weight!
November 25th, 2011 by Andy Perkins
Tags: Exercise Tips, get fit guernsey fitness camps, kaos
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Rules Of Training
1) We’re not apes
Don’t undo thousands of years of evolution by slumping over at work or during your workout. This will lead to injuries! Stay tall, if you can’t and your rounding or arching your back the weights too heavy and you shouldn’t be lifting it!
2) Get Intense
There is no need to work out for any longer than an hour. Get in do your workout and get out. Stay focused get in there and do what you went there to do and get on with the rest of your life. Studies show that workouts lasting over 30 minutes exactly increase cortisol levels in your body that will lead to muscle breakdown, slower metabolisms and a fatter figure. So don’t lust after the hot girls on the cardio equipment you’ll just get a reputation as a pervert. Don’t stare at yourself in the mirror flexing your muscles or checking out your abs, you’ll just get a reputation as being arrogant and the girls you are trying to impress will avoid you like the plague.
GET IN, DO YOUR WORKOUT AND GET ON WITH YOUR LIFE
The gym shouldn’t be your life but it should be part of a healthy lifestyle.
3) Train Hard Rest Hard
You don’t improve or change shape during a workout. The changes from a workout occur during the 48 hour window once you finish your workout. Meaning what you eat and how much sleep you get effect how much you get from your workout. If your going to train hard don’t waste it by eating rubbish food and staying up late. Look after yourself, go out have a good time occasionally but don’t undo your hard work by eating rubbish and staying up late every day.
4) Keep Your Body Guessing
Your body will adapt to a training program in as little as 4 weeks. Once this occurs you need to shake things up and tweak your program. Failure to do so will result in any results you see being very small if you see any at all! Switch up your program every 4 weeks to keep your body progressing by providing a new stimulus each month. There are more ways to progress a workout then just by adding weight to the exercises. In fact just by modifying your reps, sets, tempo and rest we could give you at least 6 months of programs!
5) Get mobile
A warm up should not consist of stretching. Vladamir Janda a well respected physiotherapist noted that during gait (walking) a ligament called your ligamentum teres fired before any muscles. This changes the way you should think about a warm up. Forget the stretching mobilize your ankles, hips and thoracic spine to stay pain free and improve your performance in the gym and as a result the progress you see from your training.
6) Think About It Or Forget About It
If your going in to a workout with other things on your mind your aren’t going to perform well Studies show that men who focused on their workout lifted more weight than those who had a wandering mind. The only exception to this rule is steady state cardio (which unless you have a specific reason for doing isn’t necessary) studies showed by tuning out of the workout it made the activity easier.
Leave whatever else is on your mind at the door and get on with your workout.
7) Don’t Be A Hero
Carrying on whilst something hurts is the biggest mistake guys make in the gym and is one of the most common causes of long term serious injury. If you carry on when you feel a twinge you risk putting yourself out of action for longer than you would if you stopped when you felt it and got it seen to. A good coach should be able to identify the problem and work around it or refer you out if need be.
Consistency Is The Key
Men who schedule their workouts and keep them consistent as part of a lifestyle get better results than those that do it randomly. If you are looking to maintain your current fitness level 2 times per week is fine. If you are looking to improve and progress 3 – 4 times is necessary.
9) You Snooze You Win
A lack of sleep will hamper your results in the gym. You should regularly be getting 8 hours a night if you want to get the most from your workout program. Staying up watching late night TV no matter how much protein you eat or training you do will cause muscle break down to some degree.
November 23rd, 2011 by Andy Perkins
Tags: fitness tips, get fit guernsey fitness camps, kaos
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Rules Of Nutrition
November 23rd, 2011 by Andy Perkins
Tags: kaos, nutrition tips
Posted in Blog, Kaos | No Comments »
BUILD MUSCLE FAST!!
Want to add muscle but frustrated at your lack of progress and can’t understand why 3 sets of 10 isn’t working for you?
Take the tips from this article and put them in your training plan to see results fast!
Our bodies don’t want to adapt, they are happy in a state of balance. We are still genetically cavemen looking to conserve as much energy as possible and not waste energy by carrying excessive muscle. Our bodies don’t understand that there is plenty of food to go around and the chances of us starving in modern western civilisations are very slim. Our bodies are stubborn and really don’t want that excess muscle, it’s perceived as a threat to our survival.
Therefore to force your body to grow we have to do a few things
- Eat enough food to meet the nutritional requirements to grow new muscle.
- Use supplements wisely to help grow, forget protein powder, eat whole foods and use BCAA’s. They’re what cause muscles to grow.
- Progress your training week by week.
For the purpose of this article we are going to focus on the third point. A program that doesn’t increase in intensity week on week is at best just maintaining the gains you achieve during the first week.
Remember your body doesn’t want to grow so if it adapts enough to cope with the demands you place upon it with a workout in the first week it will stop there. Why progress anymore and use more calories and energy. It’s happy, it can cope with the stress you placed upon it and can function optimally for a low caloric output. Anymore is just greedy!
If you wish to carry on progressing and see your muscles grow you must continually push the boundaries and challenge yourself. You see some workout programs that say push the weight each workout but if you don’t have a coach there to spot you this isn’t such a great idea and should only be used by experienced lifters. Your best bet is to increase weights weekly or look at manipulating other training variables. It’s not just the weight that you are lifting that effects muscle growth any of the following factors can also cause your muscles to grow and keep you progressing when you can’t lift anymore weight.
- Rest Period
- Sets
- Reps
When you apply training principles correctly they work just as consistently as gravity.
All 3 are constantly manipulated in our Kaos training programs to keep our members body’s in a constant state of progression, helping them achieve results fast through application of proper training principles that work everytime.
When you apply training principles correctly they work just as consistently as gravity.
November 23rd, 2011 by Andy Perkins
Tags: build muscle fast, kaos
Posted in Blog, Kaos | No Comments »
Fat Burning Meals In Minutes!
Does this sound like one of your days?
You get home late. Your tired and cooking is the last thing on your mind, it’s just too much effort. So you’ll just put something in the microwave.
We all eat ready meals from time to time but the problem is we are now consuming more than ever! Statistics from a company called Mintel show that 1.8 million people eat a ready meal every day! whilst 1 in 4 of us eats a prepared Christmas dinner.
Research from Cambridge university also found that we think ready meals aren’t that bad for us despite their links to rising obesity levels and new figures indicating that our daily salt intake is 25g per day, 4 times the recommended daily allowance of 6 grams!
To help fight this trend here are some sample meals from our Drop A Dress Size meal plan each of which will be on a plate in front of you ready to eat in 20 minutes or less!
Berry Banana Smoothie
1 small banana
100g fresh or frozen berries
250ml raw goats milk (tastes like cows milk but with more nutrients! it’s not the same goats milk you buy from the shops!)
3 Tbsp Organic Yogurt
Directions
Combine all ingredients in a blender and blend to desired consistency.
For more information on the benefits of raw milk please click here. (Skip the videos and get to the article beneath)
Grilled Chicken Taco’s
Serves 4
1 Tbsp. Extra Virgin Olive Oil
1 Tbsp. Lime juice
2 tsp. chili powder
1 tsp salt
2 boneless skinless chicken breasts
1 can (15oz.) low sodium black beans, drained
1 Tbsp salsa
2 Tbsp. chopped fresh coriander
8 whole grain tortillas
2 Tbsp 2 % shredded cheddar cheese
2 Tbsp. fat free sour cream
Directions:
1) Heat grill. In shallow dish, mix oil, lime juice, chili powder and salt. Add chicken breasts, turning to coat. Place chicken on grill.
2) Cover grill; cook over medium heat about 12 minutes, turning once, or until juice of chicken is clear when center of thickest part is cut.
3) Remove from heat; slice crosswise into strips. Meanwhile, in 2 medium sized saucepans, heat beans, salsa, and coriander over medium heat, stirring occasionally, until thoroughly heated.
4) Divide chicken evenly half of each tortilla; top with beans, cheese, and sour cream. Fold tortilla in half over filling.
Sauteed Tilapia (or cod) with pan seared peppercorn sauce
125ml fat-free, less-sodium chicken broth
1 Tbsp fresh lemon juice
1 teaspoons peppercorns, lightly crushed
1 teaspoon butter
1 teaspoon vegetable oil
2 (6-ounce) tilapia or sole fillets (available from Checkers in Admiral Park)
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
2 teaspoons butter
Lemon wedges (optional)
Directions:
1) Combine first 3 ingredients.
2) Melt 1 teaspoon of butter with oil in a large nonstick skillet over low heat.
3) While butter melts, sprinkle fish fillets with salt and black pepper. Place the flour in a shallow dish. Dredge fillets in flour; shake off excess flour.
4) Increase heat to medium-high; heat 2 minutes or until butter turns golden brown.
5) Add fillets to pan; sauté 3 minutes on each side or until fish flakes easily when tested with a fork. Remove fillets from pan. Add broth mixture to pan, scraping to loosen browned bits.
6) Bring to a boil; cook until reduced to 1/2 cup (about 3 minutes). Remove from heat. Stir in two teaspoons of butter with a whisk. Serve sauce over fillets.
7) Garnish with lemon wedges, if desired.
October 21st, 2011 by Andy Perkins
Tags: get fit guernsey fitness camps, nutrition tips, weight loss tips
Posted in Blog, Weight Loss | No Comments »