What do NFL superstars do for their in-season workouts? Do they lift hard or do they skip workouts during the season? Well, Terrell Owens, a wide receiver for the Dallas Cowboys, is a firm believer in discipline and making working out a priority in his life regardless of whether his team is in-season or not. Terrell was traded to Dallas from the Philadelphia Eagles a few years ago and has made a significant impact on the team’s success.
Terrell believes that success all comes down to three things: eating right, sleeping right, and maintaining healthy workouts. Low carb, high protein meals and six to eight hours of sleep each night are a few of the keys to his success.
The weight loss battle is long, tough, and requires a lot of dedication and motivation on your part to be successful. I’ve seen so many people struggle with the ups and downs of weight loss over the years. Watching weight is a never ending battle due to the fact that body weight fluctuates so much. I weigh 170 pounds and I can gain or lose five to six pounds in a day’s time.
I strongly believe that focusing on how you feel and INCHES lost is a much more successful and motivating way to track your progress.
Have you seen the movie, “300?” Well if you have not, I totally recommend it. The movie is about a Spartan King and a force of 300 men that take on the Persians back in 480 B.C. I believe it is Rated R due to the graphic battle scenes and adult content, but it is still a great movie.
Before filming, the actors and stunt-men were required to pass a vigorous workout that took months to prepare for. The “300″ workout consists of several movements and lifts totaling to 300 repetitions without stopping or resting. This test combined physical strength and endurance with mental strength and endurance. The men recruited for this film ranged from young body builders and those in perfect lean fighting shape to men 40 to 50 pounds overweight. With proper diet and tough workouts, the men in this film were well prepared for the big screen.
What is the difference between free weights and machine weights? They both can increase muscular strength and endurance as well as tone and define. So, which is better? Free weights (dumbbells) are a more advanced way of weight training while machines control your movement and limit your range of motion. The greater and more difficult the range of motion, the more effective the exercise is, due to the fact that your body has to work harder to perform that specific movement. Depending on the goal of the exercise, you can determine whether free weights or machine weights are more beneficial.
Several studies have been published over the years about the epidemic of obesity taking over America. One study stated that the percent of overweight people jumped nearly ten percent from the 80s to the 90s. Experts from similar studies state that America’s overweight population (ages 15 and up) is currently at 65 percent, while 31 percent is obese. These are scary facts and we as a nation we need to do something about this epidemic. It’s predicted that by 2015, 85 percent of America will be overweight. According to Forbes.com, America is currently ranked the ninth overweight nation in the world.
Which is better, lifting weights or taking a fitness class? Well, I can take both sides on this one!! Weight training is a great exercise for the body and can help prevent so many injuries and future problems. Lifting weights has been proven to increase muscular strength and endurance, improve body composition and heart strength, increase bone density, improve flexibility and mobility, and improves sleep and energy levels as well. Lifting weights can also improve posture and postural imbalances.
Fitness classes, as in step aerobics or body pump, are also a great workout for the entire body. These classes are a great way to meet new people with common goals and interests and a great way to keep from becoming bored with your exercise.
Over the next few weeks I am going to introduce and discuss new workouts that may help change up your routine a little bit. This will ”shock” the body and will also help keep your workouts from getting boring and monotonous.
The “Power Of 10” workout, created by Adam Zickerman, focuses on building lean muscle mass as well as muscular strength and endurance. The goal of this workout is to find a weight that you are able to perform 8 to 10 repetitions with at a very slow rate of movement. This workout consists of a ten second cadence; ten seconds out and ten seconds back all while keeping the muscle contracted the entire time. Try to focus on not stopping at either the top of the exercise or the bottom as well.
According to Zickerman, there are 10 commandments to this workout:
1. Speed: 10 seconds up and 10 seconds down
2. Breathing: Freely and evenly
Work weeks are busy these days and sometimes rather impossible to fit in a decent workout. Busy mornings, short lunch breaks, and family time at night leave the exercise life empty handed. But, what about a sweat free workout over lunch? This will allow you to get your needed exercise without a shower or a change of clothes. Obviously, by not sweating you are not getting the heart rate up for a good cardio workout, but a short, sweat-free workout is better than no workout.
What can exercise do for me? What a popular question this is; how many answers can you come up with? One, two, five, twenty-five? Honestly, there are so many benefits of exercise that it is nearly impossible to name them all. What is the definition of exercise? Well to me, exercise means any activity that requires physical or mental exertion, especially when performed to develop or maintain fitness. Exercise not only increases physical fitness, but helps increase mental strength and fitness as well.
Exercising is great for the body on so many levels it’s not even funny. It helps strengthen the heart, the mind, and the body. There are two categories of exercise; one of which being aerobic and another being anaerobic. Anaerobic refers to the type of exercise that does not need or use oxygen. This type of exercise usually consists of short powerful bouts such as a tennis serve or a sprint. The second category of exercise is aerobic, which means “with oxygen”. An example of this would be longer, but less intense bouts of exercise. This type of exercise usually consists of a fitness step class or a three mile jog. Both of which are great for the body.
The benefits of exercise are:
Reduces the risk of premature death
Improves sleep patterns
Being active is very important and requires a huge commitment to find time every day to exercise. I am going to have you rate your physical activity on a daily basis. The physical activity guidelines state that an individual should exercise at least thirty minutes a day for three to five days a week. That is just a guideline though; recommendations for physical activity are as follows: forty-five to sixty minutes of exercise for five to six days a week.
These guidelines and recommendations are tough to achieve and will definitely take a lifestyle change if you have not already done so. The daily rating scale is as follows:
Each day is worth 20 points:
- If you exercise for an hour you get 20 points
- If you exercise for forty-five minutes you get 15 points
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