Goal Setting

In this article I am not going to talk about the nuts and bolts of training but how to set realistic goals and progress in your quest to achieve fit and well toned body. It’s always been a pleasure helping people training to get in shape, be it a college going kid, IT professional or even a middle aged businessman everybody wants to get in shape investing very minimal time. Now as trainer and someone who has been training for years, I can tell you there are no shortcuts to achieving that rock-hard physique, but yes there are few things that we can do to quicken the process. In my day to day interaction with people, lots of guys come up to me and ask questions like; can I have a six-pack in a month’s time? Or have a well toned body say with 8% body fat in couple of months? Now my answer to those people is simple, have a realistic and well defined goal.


Goal setting is a vital aspect of training which is always overlooked , goal setting not only saves time and endless effort you Putin the gym but also gives you a positive outlook towards your training. Now let’s say, your arms are 13inches and you want it to be 16inches in couple of months, that’s not something which would be realistic until unless you are ready to gain fat and not lean muscle mass. When someone sets such unrealistic goals they end up getting frustrated with little or no result, same goes for weight loss following crash diet and all those crazy stuff. I would urge all you people who are trying to reduce weight or gain muscle mass, you need to set realistic goals in phases, example you will reduce 3pounds in a month’s time investing at least 25-30minutes cardio thrice a week along with the weight training. Now the same theory can be applied to getting your arms to 16inches, first you have to train them for couple month or so to bring it up to say 14inches and then move on altering your arms workout to take it to the next level. To have well toned body, you not only need to set goals, train hard but also train smart. Training smart means to making sure you don’t over workout or train less frequently, but striking the balance which is apt for conditioning you. Before you plan your workout take a moment and set some realistic goals and I’ll bet it would be rewarding.

Why to Stretch

Stretching is a vital aspect in your daily workout, if you are trying to maximize your muscular development and fitness. People who already invest say ten minutes a day stretching need not worry to read this article. Stretching helps you strengthen & develop quickness, endurance and most importantly flexibility. Stretching is awesome activity that can be used to avoid injuries and muscle damage. Ever wondered why martial artist emphasize on stretching? Not just to do those fancy kicks. Yes stretching is what makes them develop speed, power and balance. Those round house kicks are not only great to watch but are also very powerful. Best example would be martial arts expert & Hollywood action star Jean-claude Van damme also known as “muscles from Brussels”.

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First important thing one must do is to thoroughly warm-up before stretching. Stretching a cold muscle is not a good idea, muscles are like rubber band. If you stretch a rubber band when it’s cold, it won’t stretch beyond a certain point and it breaks, same applies to muscles. So way to stretch is to warm-up first, then do the stretching exercise followed by your workout or you can do post- workout stretching. The best thing about post-workout stretching is that your muscles are already warmed-up and trained so need not bother about improper warm-up.

One of the biggest misconception about stretching is it’s mistook for warm-up. Now warm-up and stretching are two different things, Stretching is not warming up! It is, however, a very important part of warming up. Warming up is elevating the body temperature to a specific degree say about 1.5 to 3 degrees Fahrenheit. Stretching is beneficial in avoiding injury to joints, muscles, and tendons, reduce muscular soreness and muscular tension. Helps develop kinesthetic senses, enhances physical fitness. If you stretch too aggressively, it reduces flexibility and can cause injury, thus the way to stretch correctly is to avoid the pain threshold. Help yourself in a position where the target muscle feels tight but still comfortable and hold this position for 10-20seconds, and then release the stretch. Once you’re done with earlier discussed way of stretching then move further to bit intensify the stretching technique. Stretch the same muscle group again for say around 20 to 30seconds but focus on greater relaxation; it helps loosen up the muscles. 2-3 circuits of this system of stretching are enough to warm-up and cool down your body. Some of the body parts you can stretch before starting any weight training would be: Achilles tendon, Hamstrings, Adductors, Hip flexors, Lateral torso. We’ll try implementing these techniques in your daily quest for fitness and trust me will notice a difference.

 
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How Important is cardio

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How Important is cardio ? this is the question I am often asked by clients or anybody who likes to train.  Well Cardiovascular workout is exercising your body so as to elevate your heart rate to anywhere ranging from 60-80% maximum. As long as you keep your heart rate high, say 55-60% should be suffice to burn of the fat & 70-80% to stay fit with no fat on.

Cardio is one of the vital aspects in achieving total fitness & peak conditioning, which unfortunately is ignored time & time again. If you ever marveled how bodybuilders & fitness models maintain there awesome washboard abs, the key is cardio. Having a fit body to achieving six packs, cardio is critical. Workouts keeps you fit & works in developing individual body part, however cardio would be the tool which helps showoff the hard earned muscle ripping away the fat.

The beauty of cardio is that it can be performed anywhere any time, be it at the gym or in a small room while your on vacation. It especially can easy & interesting while you’re on vacation, where you don’t have access to any exercise equipments; well i would discuss that in my next article on cardio, but as of now let's focus on How Important is cardio. The key main factor for effective cardio session is intensity, you can choose to do cardio in gym or outdoor, which ever suites your needs.

The cardio performed in the gym can be:

Treadmill

Stepper

Rower

Stair climber

Stationary bicycle

The cardio performed outdoor can be:

Swimming

Power walking

Mountain biking

You just need to make sure you give in good 45minutes for cardio say 3 times a week, again various from person to person how mach fat they are carrying. Make sure you don’t over do it and burn off to much of hard earned muscle. Do what's been outlined in the article and you will realize How Important is cardio. Achieving your ideal physique isn’t that complicated, but involves lots of hard work and training consistently.