Because you've tried everything else
I like when I find new workouts online, particularly ones that work the midsection without having to do any crunches. I came across this cool workout below that contains some exercises that I've never tried before but they look very effective. All that is required is a some kind of timer or stopwatch as each move is done for about 30 seconds a piece. After the first run through of all 6 exercises, they can be repeated two or three more times.
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It can happen to all of us - you're starving, running late, and need food now and the only options are fast food restaurants. We know that almost all fast food restaurants don't offer the healthiest of meals but if you go in prepared, you can probably save yourself some fat and calories by knowing what to order.
I discovered this helpful web site called Fatburgr. It lists several popular fast food restaurants and the calories, fat, carbs, and fiber of their menu items. The cool thing is if you are an iPhone user, you can download their app and if you find yourself in a fast food place, you can pull up the data instantly.
This is good to know considering some menu items that sound healthy like a grilled chicken salad can still have over 1,000 calories in some restaurants.
Check out the site below:
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I've read before that if you are trying to burn more fat and build a more muscular physique then it's wise not to overdo it on your cardio sessions. I enjoy cardio workouts very much but at the same time, I still want to keep and build the muscle that I do have. When I belonged to the gym, I would run on the treadmill and then sometimes lift weights right after. I've read that this isn't a good idea. It's more effective to separate your workouts so that you do cardio one day and weight training another.
Better Cardio for Less Muscle Wasting
When you spend long sessions doing a cardio workout, you do burn a lot of calories. However, you are also probably burning through muscle. The thing with long cardio routines is that you can burn a lot of calories during that session but when you lift weights, you will burn more calories during rest. More muscle means a faster metabolism which burns more bodyfat.
Having a Good Balance
In order to have a good balance of cardio and weights, it's probably better to skip the long cardio sessions and replace them with interval training. I used to do that a lot on the treadmill by warming up with a light jog for 5 minutes then running as fast as I could for about 1 minute. I'd repeat that about five times. It made the time on the treadmill a lot less boring. If I got bored with the treadmill, I would do the same on an elliptical machine.
I would then do some weight lifting on the next day and alternate days between cardio and weights. This is probably a better balance if you are trying to maintain muscle and burn more fat.
What is your routine like? Are you doing too much cardio or not enough?
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I no longer belong to a gym but I still think gyms are great because being a member of one is what got me off my butt. My entire attitude changed once I began going. I work out at home now, but looking back, I realize some mistakes that I made and maybe you are experiencing the same things:
Doing the same workouts
This was a huge mistake for me because I wasted a lot of my time and money by not utilizing the gym. My routine was running on the treadmill for 2 miles or more and leaving. Every now and then I'd change it up and do 10 minutes on three different cardio machines, however, I would barely use any of the weight machines.
Feeling like I had to workout ever day
I enjoyed going to the gym but because I made myself go every day, I would feel guilty when I didn't go. Since I went every day, I didn't push myself as hard when I did workout and I wouldn't try new exercises. I was stuck in a rut.
Exercising with a cold
Yes, this is a very bad idea. I used to believe that exercising with a cold would make it go away faster but in reality, you are making things worse. Your immune system isn't running at 100% when you exercise. It's working to repair muscles. It is much better to rest and get over a cold before hitting the gym again.
Those are the main things that I can remember and would do differently if I were still a gym member.
Have you made some gym mistakes in the past?
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One of my favorite things about running this blog is being able to interview fitness professionals and learning about their tips for staying fit. When I conduct these interviews, I always ask the question, "Is there a fitness myth you would like to debunk?" Their replies are really interesting and I thought I'd highlight all of the fitness myths from past interviews below:
Taimak (Martial Artist): Yes, don’t workout every day is a myth. If you’re getting your rest and you feel great, that’s your measure right there!
Stew Smith (Former Navy SEAL): SWEATING WATER IN SAUNA, SWEAT SUITS IS GOING TO HELP YOU LOSE WEIGHT. WRONG – IF YOU ARE RETAINING WATER THE BEST WAY TO GET RID OF IT IS TO DRINK MORE WATER SO YOUR BODY WILL NATURALLY EXCRETE IT THROUGH THE KIDNEYS. I HAVE SEEN PEOPLE LOSE 20 LBS OF WEIGHT IN ONE WEEK BY ONLY ADDING WATER TO THEIR DIET. NOW THEY WERE EXTREMELY DEHYDRATED / BLOATED FROM NOT DRINKING WATER / HIGH SODIUM DIET. JUST ADD WATER IS THE ANSWER.
Melissa Allen (BS, CPT): Yes–more is better. More is not always better. Progression is the key to a safe and effective workout program. If you overdo it & you’re out for 3 months with a hamstring injury, then what have you accomplished?
Rick Seedman (PT): Yes, everybody is capable of being in great shape. No excuses. Stop finding reasons not to do it. Look up Kyle Maynard for inspiration and motivation if you think you have a good reason.
Mehdi of Stronglifts.com: There are too many myths to list. But those I hear the most are probably:
Justin Seedman (CPT): Don’t wait until everything in your life is perfect to start a workout routine because that day will never come. Today is the day! Remember at the end of the day your health should be your number one priority.
Son Trinh (Doctor of Physical Therapy): “Jocks are dumb.” While I can’t speak for everyone, I do know this: IF jocks are dumb, they would be even dumber if they stopped exercising. Physical activity doesn’t just help your muscles. It makes your bones stronger, your heart healthier and your brain better at processing information. Braun and brain can definitely go together.
Aaron Harris (CPT): The myth that conventional strength training shortens muscles and that Pilates lengthens muscles. First of all, exercise itself is the best thing to counter “muscle binding.” Individuals become “muscle bound”, inflexible through inactivity, not exercise. I have nothing against Pilates, just its proponents that try to hype it by making it sound superior to other forms of exercise such as resistance training or weight lifting by making false claims. It is impossible to lengthen your muscles through exercise.
They are attached at their origins and insertions, and you should want them to always stay there! They can experience hypertrophy or atrophy, their tone can improve or decline, but to say you can change the length is just false.
HIT of Calisthenics Kingz: Yes. the fact that calisthenics doesn’t build muscle. There are an abundance of calisthenics exercises, and there are enough for a complete body workout. For example Push ups can be performed in different ways to hit different muscles. For instance, a wide hand placement would hit the chest more, whereas a narrow hand placement would hit the triceps more. Just because you are doing calisthenics, it doesn’t mean you can’t add some weight into the mix in the form of something. If you want to continue gaining size, I recommend using a weight vest for added resistance and you can increase the number of repetitions and sets, and decreasing your rest period in between sets with each exercise and it’s have the muscle building effect that free weights have.
What are some myths you want to debunk?
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