1. Supplements - BSN Syntha-6 protein blend. Great tasting (banana), have one first thing in the morning. Pre-Workout: BSN NO-xplode, got free trial. Giving it a go. Like what it's doing. During-Working: Scivation Xtend, great mix of electrolytes and BCAAs. Takes my workouts to the next level. Was using RapidDrive from GNC. Post-Workout: Dymatize Elite Whey Protein Isolate and NOW Sports Dextrose Powder, blend both of these two in a shaker bottle for my post workout meal. Before Bed Snack: If I need a little more protein for the day, I take some casein protein. Right now I'm using Dymatize Pure Casein. I am currently cycling-on with some creatine monohydrate. Some GNC tablets. Picked up some in a package deal. Might try it again once I go through the clean cycle. I also take a sport multi-vitamin. GNC Pure Sport. Seem to help. Might try a different brand.
2. Equipment: Cheap digital watch. Make sure it has a stop watch function. Jump Rope: Great for warm ups, cardio sessions, and interval training. 180" Hand Wraps: A must have for heavy bag workouts. Keeps your hands from getting beat up. A must have. And cheap. If you are short-ish you can get away with the 108" wraps. A good pair of head phones. Music helps me stay motivated. Can tune out distractions. Find ones that don't slip out of your ears. Compression shorts. Especially for extended cardio sessions. Keeps the chaffing down.
3. Apps. Two are must haves. One is JeFit. This is a great workout database and tracker. Provides animations for lifts so you can see proper form. Keeps logs of your workouts so you can see what you did, and push yourself for one more set or a higher weight. I also recommend MyFitnessPal. Helps to track calorie intake, what you burn working out, as well as nutritional information. Super easy to use. Both of these apps are available on Android and from the AppleStore. Spotify is a great music app. I use it. Not a must have.
Saturday, December 24, 2011
Workout Tips Learnt the Hard Way
Here are some random things to consider when working out:
1. Get a cheap digital watch. This is great for keeping yourself on pace. When lifting, I love to use mine to keep my rest period at a minute between sets.
2. Don't be afraid to try something new. I have. I love it. But. Research it. Make sure you have both the right form and equipment to do it properly. An injury can really hurt your training.
3. Ask for help. Need help trying something new? Squeezing out one more rep? Just ask. People in the gym are more than happy to help you out.
4. Take advantage of technology. There is an app for that. Seriously. Google new workouts. YouTube proper form.
5. Get the right nutrition. Make sure you are getting enough calories. Make sure you are getting the right calories. Again. There is an app for that. Maybe you need better post-workout nutrition. Maybe you need a pre-workout. Maybe something for during your workout. It makes a difference when you have the right nutrition.
6. Sleep. Let your body rebuild.
1. Get a cheap digital watch. This is great for keeping yourself on pace. When lifting, I love to use mine to keep my rest period at a minute between sets.
2. Don't be afraid to try something new. I have. I love it. But. Research it. Make sure you have both the right form and equipment to do it properly. An injury can really hurt your training.
3. Ask for help. Need help trying something new? Squeezing out one more rep? Just ask. People in the gym are more than happy to help you out.
4. Take advantage of technology. There is an app for that. Seriously. Google new workouts. YouTube proper form.
5. Get the right nutrition. Make sure you are getting enough calories. Make sure you are getting the right calories. Again. There is an app for that. Maybe you need better post-workout nutrition. Maybe you need a pre-workout. Maybe something for during your workout. It makes a difference when you have the right nutrition.
6. Sleep. Let your body rebuild.
My Toughts On My New Found Passion For Working Out. Hard.
Ugh. That used to be my thoughts on working out. I did it because I knew it was good for me. Sometimes I enjoyed it. Most time I wanted to get the eff out the gym. A couple months ago I found that I had some more free time on my hands. I was also tired of being big. My BMI ad body weight put me back into the obese category. Woof. Back when I took the coaching job at DACC, I was in the neighborhood of 250 pounds. This crept up a little bit due to my lack of activity and unhealthy diet. Last Christmas time, I stated hooping with the girls and started to drop some weight. This is when things started turning.
After the holidays I joined a local gym and started working on the regular. I had a couple weight lifting routines that were more focused on keeping the heart rate up and some total body stuff. Meh. It was alright. I'd mix in some cardio and some abs and call it good. I kinda stayed up on this routine for a while. Took a month off here and there. I cut myself down to about 232-235 in July. Came home for a week. Got promoted at work. And boom. No more workouts.
When I came back to the gym in late October, I was about 235. No real muscle definition and I noticed I had lost some strength. So I decided to start lifting hard. I found a lifting plan I like (Four sets of eight, with a fifth set to exhaustion) and a schedule that had me lifting each muscle "group" twice a week. This meant I needed to lift six days a week. I have been able to do this pretty well.
Next, I stepped up my cardio. Added some new elements and extended the time. I mix up my activities so that my body doesn't get used to a particular exercise. I have also added two new elements to my workouts. I now swim once a week and I also do a heavy bag workout once a week. Both have these have helped with strength gains. Especially in the shoulders. Loving the results.
The final part of my workouts that I needed to work on was my core. I needed to add some strength here, as well as some flexibility. This is the one part that was always the easiest to cut out for me, especially if I was short on time. But. Since I have learned the value of interval workouts in cardio as well as some quick, but effective, ab workouts, I don't have to trim any part out. I can get a complete workout. Also. Yoga has been a nice addition. Can tell that I am adding some flexibility that wasn't there before.
Long story short. Set your goals. Find a plan. Make the time. Do it.
After the holidays I joined a local gym and started working on the regular. I had a couple weight lifting routines that were more focused on keeping the heart rate up and some total body stuff. Meh. It was alright. I'd mix in some cardio and some abs and call it good. I kinda stayed up on this routine for a while. Took a month off here and there. I cut myself down to about 232-235 in July. Came home for a week. Got promoted at work. And boom. No more workouts.
When I came back to the gym in late October, I was about 235. No real muscle definition and I noticed I had lost some strength. So I decided to start lifting hard. I found a lifting plan I like (Four sets of eight, with a fifth set to exhaustion) and a schedule that had me lifting each muscle "group" twice a week. This meant I needed to lift six days a week. I have been able to do this pretty well.
Next, I stepped up my cardio. Added some new elements and extended the time. I mix up my activities so that my body doesn't get used to a particular exercise. I have also added two new elements to my workouts. I now swim once a week and I also do a heavy bag workout once a week. Both have these have helped with strength gains. Especially in the shoulders. Loving the results.
The final part of my workouts that I needed to work on was my core. I needed to add some strength here, as well as some flexibility. This is the one part that was always the easiest to cut out for me, especially if I was short on time. But. Since I have learned the value of interval workouts in cardio as well as some quick, but effective, ab workouts, I don't have to trim any part out. I can get a complete workout. Also. Yoga has been a nice addition. Can tell that I am adding some flexibility that wasn't there before.
Long story short. Set your goals. Find a plan. Make the time. Do it.
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