100 Day Squat Challenge and Ab/Core challenges DON’T REALLY WORK!
“WHAT DOES WORK THOUGH?”
Let us clear a few things up for you and share some of our insight towards FAD fitness challenges – they don’t really work – simple and plain. If they work, then why is it that bodybuilders, CrossFit athletes, professional sports athletes and powerlifters don’t follow them? A few reasons why they don’t work is because they’re not efficient enough in providing a proper stimulus to your muscles to wear and tear and force growth. Another reason is that you will be OVER training a particular muscle group over and over again without giving it time to rest, recover and grow! Our advice to you is stay FAR FAR away from online or social media sources that do not really back up or prove their recommendations/theories/findings; instead, invest your time and efforts with a personal trainer or a trusted and proven source! That being said, we will give you our 5 TIPS about PROGRAMMING and WORKOUTS!
- Create a Program
A program is designed to hold you accountable and follow a specific plan catered to your goals. Whether you want to GAIN or LOSE weight – write down a 3 to 5 days a week program and JUST DO IT! Your program should roughly consist of 4-6 exercises, about 3 sets of 8-12 reps of each exercise, rest times and a “winning strategy”. Some winning strategies may include thinking long term and programming accordingly. For example, it’s not enough to just create a workout program such as CHEST DAY, BACK DAY and LEG DAY. What about next week? Will you be doing the same exercises over and over again? Therefore, plan ahead and create a few workouts to follow and make sure you are progressively pushing your program to its limit and challenging yourself. Here at The Markham Gym we provide programs with our memberships – don’t be afraid to ask!
- Train Hard
Push yourself! Whether you base the success of your workouts through sweat, hitting PR’s (personal records) on your 1RM (1 rep max) or fatigue, you should keep pushing yourself within your limits and sometimes beyond it. You want to create a stimulus and force growth to your muscles and to your central nervous system, otherwise you will just be maintaining. You never know what your capable of if you don’t push hard! So find a spotter, a training partner and even a trainer to help you burn that energy!
- Fuel Up
As we discussed in the last blog, there are simple and complex carbs and they both provide energy BUT what is the best option BEFORE and AFTER exercise. First, of course you have to have your protein to properly recover muscle tissue, keep you full and fuel your muscles to do better next session. Then we have the CARBS; Simple carbs are quickly absorbed into your body and give you energy fast! Some simple carbs include white toast, jam, ice-cream and a can of pop. Complex carbs take a longer amount of time to digest and breakdown in your body. Some complex carbs are beans, barley, oatmeal and whole-wheat products. However, both kind of carbs give you energy and eventually get broken down in your body and used as fuel for your day. Finally, do not neglect your HORMONES and the DELIVERY of nutrients to your body – eat your FATS! They’re great for you in so many ways. Don’t throw away your egg yolk, enjoy butter and go for that cheese! Balance and a piece of sanity will fuel you the right way and allow you to have better workouts, especially if your body is in a healthy state of homeostasis.
- Track your Progress
Log in your workouts, reps and sets. Keep a track of your weight, make sure to write down how much weight you lifted and log in your calories too. Sometimes progress is happening on such a miniscule level and it may discourage you but if you log things in, overtime you will see that any progress is good progress – at least you’re getting better and moving towards your health and fitness goals.
- Rest and Recover
If you train hard, you need to REST. Give your body time to remove lactic acid, grow back muscle tissue and relax your nervous system so that you may perform better next session. If you constantly train abs everyday, how can they regrow and repair? Growth only happens when in a resting mode like napping and sleeping. Make sure to pair up your rest days with the proper foods, grab a foam roller, and a yoga mat too. Stretch, hydrate and recover!
The Markham Gym
The Mall at Langham Square,
8339 Kennedy Road, Unit 2800
Markham, Ontario
L3R 1J5