Workout Types

WEIGHT LOSS

Burn off those extra pounds and get a leaner and slimmer you.

Despite the way it feels, losing weight isn't a mysterious process. It's a simple matter of burning more calories than you eat. But, if it were really that simple, none of us would have a weight problem, would we? Weight loss can be such a struggle that we start thinking we have to do something drastic to see results -- diets, pills or those weird fitness gadgets on infomercials that promise instant success. The true secret to weight loss is this: Make small changes each and every day and you'll slowly (but surely) lose those extra pounds. The key is to forget about instant results and settle in for the long run.

To lose one pound of fat, you must burn approximately 3500 calories over and above what you already burn doing daily activities. That sounds like a lot of calories and you certainly wouldn't want to try to burn 3500 calories in one day. However, by taking it step-by-step, you can determine just what you need to do each day to burn or cut out those extra calories. Below is a step by step process for getting started.

1. Calculate your BMR (basal metabolic rate). Your BMR is what your body needs to maintain normal functions like breathing and digestion. This is the minimum number of calories you need to eat each day. Keep in mind that no calculator will be 100% accurate, so you may need to adjust these numbers as you go along.

2. Calculate your activity level. Use a calorie calculator to figure out how many calories you burn while sitting, standing, exercising, lifting weights, etc. throughout the day. It helps to keep a daily activity journal or you could even wear a heart rate monitor that calculates calories burned.

3. Keep track of how many calories you eat. Use a food journal to write down what you eat and drink each day. Be as accurate as possible, measuring when you need to or looking up nutritional information for restaurants, if you eat out.

4. Add it up. Take your BMR number, add your activity calories and then subtract your food calories from that total. If you're eating more than you're burning, (your BMR + activity is 2000 and you're eating 2400 calories) you'll gain weight. If you're burning more than you eat, you'll lose weight.

MUSCLE BUILDING

Gain weight and build muscle in a safe and scientific manner.

Initially muscle building can seem complicated and even intimidating to the average person. We have all seen professional body builders and the results of their hard work. Yet most people aren't interested in getting those types of results. Instead they want to be stronger and have a leaner looking body. You can accomplish that if you understand the basics of muscle building.

Think about what you wish to accomplish and what it is going to take for it to happen. You need to learn the dietary needs for muscle building as well as the various types of exercises that will get your results. Work different sets of muscles on different days of the week too. You want to have at least one day of rest for each muscle group before you work it again. Continue to increase the amount of weigh you are using in your workouts as you feel you can.

Push the number of repetitions as well so you can see significant changes with your muscle building exercises. You may find you can fit more with certain muscle groups than others.

Don't worry about that as you will improve as you get healthier and stronger in those muscle areas. In order to prevent injuries you need to learn the right way to do your muscle building exercises. If you don’t have a friend or a trainer to show you then turn to other resources. Many books have illustrations that show you how to position your body. You can also watch videos on the internet for step by step instructions. Each of your workout sessions should be short but very intense. You want to really work your body as you do the exercises. Make sure you are working on specific target groups of muscles at different times during your work out session.

You don't want to spend too much time working on just one specific area of the body. That way everything will be proportional and in balance. Make sure you always perform warm up and cool down exercises as well. While you may be excited to jump right in with muscle building exercises that isn't going to benefit your body at all.

Get into the habit of eating 4-6 small meals each day when you are muscle building. That way your body has all the protein, vitamins, and nutrients it needs to accommodate such efforts.

Watch what you eat and drink as well to get the most from your efforts. You want to eat plenty of lean meats for the protein. Fresh fruits and vegetables are also a priority.

Eliminate high amounts of carbs, caffeine, and sugar from your diet. It may be difficult to make such changes at first but after a few days you will be used to it. Effective muscle building procedures can work for both men and women. Find those exercises you enjoy doing so you will be motivated to continue. As you start to see the results of your efforts you will definitely want to continue with them. Pay attention to safety as well as your own body so that you can get the most from your muscle building efforts no matter what goals you have set for yourself.

CORE STRENGTH

Increase strength and flexibility throughout the body.

One of the hot buzzwords flying around the gym these days is 'core strength.' While dancers and athletes have long known the advantages of having a strong torso, the idea of core strength is only now trickling down to the rest of us.

You may be wondering what exactly is core strength and why should you worry about it? One reason is this: all of our movements are powered by the torso, the abs and back work together to support the spine when we sit, stand, bend over, pick things up, exercise and more. The torso is the body's center of power, so the stronger you are in that area, the easier your life will be.

WHAT IS THE CORE?
When someone talks about the core, they're referring the muscles deep within the abs and back, attaching to the spine or pelvis. Some of these muscles include the transversus abdominis (TVA), the muscles of the pelvic floor, the lats and the obliques, just to name a few. These muscles are where movement originates and it's also the source of our stability. Whether you're running, lifting weights or picking up your toddler, these 'core' muscles help keep your body stable and balanced.

With this focus on core strength, the fitness industry has moved towards training the body as a whole, rather than focusing on separate muscle groups. This means incorporating torso training throughout your workout, rather than just doing the usual standard crunches. This type of functional training can be seen everywhere as more people use things like stability balls and wobble boards in their regular workouts.

Core training has many benefits including:

• More functional workouts that translate into daily life activities 
• Improved performance in sports 
• Reduction in the risk of injury 
• Better ability to function each day 
• Interesting workouts that challenge you in new and different ways

SPEED TRAINING

Speed training systems for athletes and coaches.

What is speed? It is the ability to reach a high velocity of movement in whatever mode of locomotion running, cycling, skating swimming etc.

Very often, agility is more relevant to successful sports performance than all-out speed. Agility is the ability to explosively brake, change direction and accelerate again. Another element of fitness closely related to speed training is speed endurance. Many athletes must maintain a high velocity for longer than 6 seconds or produce repeated sprints with minimal rest periods in between. The combination of speed, agility and speed endurance an athlete requires is determined by his or her sport. But regardless of the event, there are several modes of training that are integral to developing a fast athlete:

Practising moving and accelerating faster helps to condition the neuromuscular system to improve the firing patterns of fast twitch muscle fibers. Two variations of basic speed training are assisted and resisted speed training. Assisted training (also called overspeed training) helps to improve stride frequency. Resisted speed training helps to improve speed-strength and stride length.

Strength & Power Training

Speed is chiefly determined by the capacity to apply a large amount of force in a short period of time. This is also known as power. Many athletic movements take place in 0.1 to 0.2 seconds but maximal force production takes 0.6 to 0.8 seconds. The athlete who can apply most force in the short period of available time is said to be the most powerful. Strength training increases maximal force production. Assuming as a result, more force can be produced in the same period of time, strength training alone can increase power. However, it makes more sense to increase both maximal force production and the rate of force development. This can be achieved through power training. Both strength and power training are integral to improvement of speed.

Agility Training

Most team sports consist of very few movements that occur only in a straight line. Nor do those movements occur at a fixed pace or for a fixed length of time. Agility and quickness training improves an athletes ability to change direction, brake suddenly and perform sport-specific skills with speed and dexterity.

Compare speed training to strength training for a moment. A sport-specific strength training program will first aim to develop basic strength. This is on the premise that a solid base of strength offers greater physical potential to work with when converting it to sport-specific strength later on. Basic speed training along with power training maximises the athletes ability to move rapidly. Agility training helps an athlete to apply their speed to sport-specific scenarios.