Performance Benefits

Caffeine’s greatest exercise benefit is on your body’s aerobic endurance, or your ability to maintain a certain exercise intensity for a greater length of time. Numerous studies have demonstrated that caffeine intake prior to, and during, exercise results in greater exercise duration, reduced fatigue, and greater time to exhaustion. Similar effects have been shown for short-duration exercise intervals as well.

Some research suggests that caffeine can improve sprint and power events, but the findings are somewhat equivocal. Furthermore, the number of studies examining caffeine’s role in these types of events (e.g., weightlifting, 100m dash, etc…) are scarce.

How it Works

Caffeine is believed to improve aerobic endurance performance by increasing the body’s ability to use its fat stores during exercise. It is well understood in exercise science research that the greater use of fat for energy prevents the depletion of glycogen — the stored form of glucose that we receive from consuming carbohydrates. The more glycogen we are able to conserve in our muscles, the more energy we will have later on in an event.

Dose

Research has demonstrated that the most effective caffeine dose prior to exercise is about 1.5 to 3 mg per 1 lb. of body weight. Keep in mind that a cup of drip coffee contains about 150 to 200 mg of caffeine, while a cup of tea contains about 50 mg.

Consuming more than 4.5 mg of caffeine per 1 lb. of body weight may cause adverse symptoms, according to the National Strength and Conditioning Association (NSCA). The NCAA penalizes athletes who have more than 15 micrograms of caffeine per 1 mL in urine samples, and consumption of more than 10 g is believed to be fatal for most humans. You’d need to consume about 8 cups of coffee to exceed the IOC’s caffeine limit.

Source

Caffeine appears to be more effective when consumed in tablet form than from food sources such as coffee. Consider purchasing pure caffeine tablets for the most optimal effects. If coffee, vitamin water, or energy drinks are your preferred caffeine modality, you’ll just have to consume more. According to Graham and colleagues (1998), coffee may contain a compound that limits caffeine’s chemical response in the body.

Warnings

Not all people react to caffeine the same way. Some individuals may experience heightened nervousness, irritability, and anxiety after consuming high amounts of caffeine. Some sources of caffeine, such as coffee, can cause stomach problems, such as gas, bloating, and cramps. In severe cases, caffeine can lead to heart problems.

Caffeine is also a diuretic, and increases the risk of dehydration and heat-related conditions in hot temperatures.

Graur Razvan Ionut / FreeDigitalPhotos.net

There is much confusion in fitness centres regarding what the best methods are for reducing body fat. So many people are using terrible training and nutritional protocols that I cringe every time I step foot in a gym! This article aims to help abolish some of the common misconceptions people have regarding fat loss, as well as offer some appropriate guidelines to achieving a more toned physique.

If I eat less and less, I will weigh less and less!

This is NOT the ideal method towards achieving fat loss! By starving yourself, you allow anabolic hormone production that is responsible for metabolism to go down. While it may be true that you will lose some weight initially, your metabolism controls the total amount of calories you burn on a day to day basis. Allowing your metabolism to slow down will actually make it more difficult to burn fat! There are several studies which examine this phenomenon. For example, one study held by the American Society of Clinical Nutrition measured the resting metabolic rate to lean body mass ratio in 6 six women over 3 weeks on a very low calorie diet. The study found that resting metabolic rate to lean body mass ratio decreased to an average of 82% of the original values within just 3 weeks! Assuming you had a basal metabolic rate of 2000 calories a day (the amount calories your body burns in a day), at 82% of that you would only be burning 1640 calories per day! So assuming you were to starve yourself, you may be able to lose weight at the beginning, but your metabolic rate would slow down and cause you to easily put the weight back on.

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If I do Strength Training I will get Hyuuuuge!

Your body composition will change according to the amount of calories you put into it. People who are looking to burn fat are usually on a light to moderate daily caloric restriction and restricting calories is not conducive to muscle growth. For instance, you can strength train all you want, but you will not gain inches on your biceps if you are eating salads all day. However, strength training does have its usefulness in a fat loss program in that it can help to increase metabolism, and maintain fat free mass (lean muscle).

Aerobics are the Only Exercise I Need to Lose Weight!

Aerobics are an effective weight loss tool, but only when used in conjunction with strength training. Excessive aerobic exercise will cause you to lose muscle mass which is responsible for giving your body a healthy and defined look. So in other words, while you may be able to lose weight doing exclusively aerobic exercise, your body fat percentage will remain high because you will lose muscle mass as well. Strength training must be used in conjunction with cardio in order to attain a lean physique. Furthermore, the higher the intensity of the exercise protocol, the greater the effect on exercise post-oxygen consumption (EPOC). Your metabolism increases as your oxygen consumption increases, so what you ideally want is a large in increase in EPOC after exercise. Therefore, if you want to optimize your cardio, the best way to go about it is using high intensity exercise methods. I have my clients include interval training as cardio in conjunction with weight training. Aerobics alone are not as effective!

Guidelines for Effective Fat Loss

• DO NOT starve yourself! Your body needs calories in order to maintain a healthy metabolism and hormone production.
• DO perform strength training. A full body program which utilizes compound movements (exercises which work several muscle groups) will increase metabolism as well as maintain fat free mass.
• When performing cardio it is best to use high intensity interval training for fat loss. This method elicits a greater oxygen consumption response within the body which will in turn burn fat.

References

Effects of strength or aerobic training on body composition, resting metabolic rate, and peak oxygen consumption in obese dieting subjects

http://www.ajcn.org/content/66/3/557.short

Energy-metabolism adaptation in obese adults on a very-low-calorie diet

http://www.ajcn.org/content/53/4/826.short

Strength training increases resting metabolic rate and norepinephrine levels in healthy 50- to 65-yr-old men http://jap.physiology.org/content/76/1/133.short

The effects of intensity of exercise on excess postexercise oxygen consumption and energy expenditure in moderately trained men and women http://www.springerlink.com/content/rgk7421182182pjm/

I think I'll stay at home, thank you.

Gyms are great. I love putting on gym clothes, walking to my car, driving 20 minutes, finding a parking sport, doing 30 minutes of cardio, performing a weightlifting circuit, and then heading back out in the cold to drive home again (it’s really cold where I live right now). Since I have so much time to kill in my life, I try to take a one hour workout and turn it into two.

Okay, I’m being a bit tongue-and-cheek. Gyms offer a lot that you can’t find other places. However, if you don’t have time to kill, can’t make it to the gym, or want to avoid paying membership fees, you can get the same — or better — workout by replicating some common exercises at home. Read below to find out how you can substitute some simple body weight exercises for many of the lifts and routines you perform in the gym.

Cardio

This is an easy one. Instead of the exercise bike, you can ride a real bike (gasp!). Or you can go for a jog instead of using a treadmill. The one thing you’ll likely want is some biofeedback, however. I find it motivating to be able to see the distance I’ve covered, my heart rate, and even my power output when working out. You can find a variety of toys that provide this data, but I’ve always really liked Garmin’s products. They’re a bit pricey, but there’s no substitute for a really good GPS system. If you have a smartphone, you can also find a number of apps that will provide this data for you as well.

Resistance Training Exercises

Bench Press

Pushups. These are almost identical to the bench press in both muscles used and plane of motion. When you perform a pushup, you’re supporting about 50 to 70 percent of your body weight. If you weigh 200 lbs., a pushup is the equivalent of benching about 100 to 140 lbs. You can increase the weight of this exercise by wearing a backpack loaded with books. You’ll probably never be able to perfectly replicate the bench if you can lift more than 300 lbs. or so, but you can come close.

Rows

Body pulls. Just like the bench, body pulls are almost identical to rows in the muscles they recruit. However, body pulls work muscles in a different plane of motion. Unless you’re a rower, you probably won’t care much, so go ahead and substitute these exercises for traditional seated and one-arm rows.

You’ll need to find a table or bench about three feet off the ground. Lie on your back and grab the edge of the table or bench. Keeping your body erect, pull yourself up to the top until your arms are completely flexed, then return to the starting position. Similar to the bench, you’re supporting about half your body weight with this exercise, and you can increase the load by wearing a weighted backpack.

Leg Press

Body weight squats. Most people can lift a lot more with their legs than they can with their upper body, so it will be somewhat difficult to load this exercise to replicate what you can do in a gym. To get an effect from this exercise, you’ll want to find a way to squat at least your own body weight (and preferably 1.5 times your body weight). A squat supports about half your body weight, and you can wear a weighted backpack to increase the load. If you weigh 200 lbs., however, you’ll need the pack to weigh at least 100 lbs. to get the same effect as you would with a leg press machine.

Perform a body weight squat by starting with your feet just wider than shoulder width apart. Keeping your back straight, bend at the hips and waist until your thighs are about parallel to the ground. Extend your hips and knees to return to the starting position.

Plyometrics

This is another easy one. Plyometrics are the classic body weight exercise and you can do them just about anywhere. This exercise modality, which capitalizes on the body’s natural stretch-shortening cycle, is highly effective for increasing explosive power. Research is continuing to reveal the effects of these exercises in a variety of sports, and this form of exercise is also a really fun way to burn calories and lose weight.

Plyometrics include workouts such as repeated jumps in one place, multiple forward leaps in straight or diagonal patterns, clap pushups, box jumps and depth jumps. You don’t need any fancy equipment to perform these, and if you’re looking for a fun way to mix up your workout program, I highly recommend them. Aim to perform four to six of these exercises per workout, with about 100 contacts (repetitions) per session.

Olympic Lifts

If you’re an athlete, or are just really into performing more hardcore lifts, Olympic lifts (i.e., snatches and cleans) are for you. These highly complex maneuvers help increase power, and require a great deal of flexibility and coordination. To move the weight you need to compete in major sports, you simply cannot replicate these without being in a gym. But if you’re looking for a fun way to increase power, as well as muscle coordination and speed, consider trying them.

Deadlifts

Though not an actual Olympic lift itself, the deadlift provides the foundation for all Olympic lifts. Start with these, and instead of using a weighted bar, you can easily perform dumbbell deadlifts using paint cans or buckets. Place them on the ground in front of you, with each handle about four to six inches wider than your shoulders. Perform the deadlift as normal, bending at the waist and squatting with the lower body to grasp the handles. Extend your knees and hips fully and then extend your back until it is erect to complete the lift.

Snatches

Because you don’t need much weight to achieve maximum power outputs in Olympic lifts, replicating these maneuvers is simply a matter of finding a convenient weight to grab. Again, paint cans or buckets will do the trick. Perform a snatch in the same manner you’d start a deadlift. Because of the complexity of the movement, only use one arm at a time. Grasp the handle, and as you lift, explosively drive with the legs, hips, and gluteals until the weight is off the ground. Extend your body once the weight reaches the pelvis area. This extension will create enough force that the weight should continue to propel upwards overhead. Your arm should be an extended position overhead when the lift is completed, and your knees should flex to absorb the weight as it returns downwards.

Cleans

Just like snatches, perform these with just one arm using paint cans or a bucket. Begin in the same position you would a deadlift or snatch. Drive the legs, hips, and gluteals to get the weight off the ground. Once the weight reaches the mid-thigh, extend the body, which will propel the weight upwards. As the weight is moving upwards, lower yourself underneath the weight and flip your wrists so your arms are about parallel to the ground. The weight should be resting against the clavicle when the lift is completed, and your knees should be slightly flexed to absorb the weight as it returns to the ground.

Weight loss does not have to be complicated.

While women and men tend to differ in body size and composition, as well as hormonal characteristics, they do not differ in measures of relative strength, nor do they differ in their responses to exercise. The same weight loss principles, therefore, apply to both sexes.

Is There a “Best Weight Loss Program?”

Much debate exists regarding the best weight loss programs. Advocates of Atkins, Paleo, Ideal Protein, and other low-carb diets attest that carbohydrates are the main dietary culprits in weight-gain, and you need to keep these nutrients to a minimum if you want to reduce body fat and total weight. More traditional dietary programs advocate reducing fat, particularly saturated and trans fat, to cut total body fat and weight.

Whatever the current dietary trend, in almost all cases you can find research that both supports its principles as well as research that contradicts them. For example, you’ve probably heard, and may even know, people who have lost weight as a result of engaging in one of these diets. However, the Mayo Clinic asserts that these diet fads are generally successful simply because they cause people to pay more attention to what they eat, they become more physically active, and they naturally reduce the amount of food they consume.

Any dietary program that places an unusual emphasis on any one particular nutrient, whether it be carbs, protein, fat or a vitamin or mineral, has the potential to harm your body. In reality, regardless of your current weight and health status, your body needs a balance of macronutrients and micronutrients to operate efficiently and to meet its variety of metabolic needs.

So what constitutes an effective diet? The National Strength and Conditioning Association (NSCA) explains that there are two tried-and-true principles for losing weight in the majority of individuals, and you’ve heard them before.

1. Be More Active

If you want to lose weight, stop focusing on what you eat so much and go get physical. My diet almost never changes. I eat a lot, all the time. Yet my weight consistently fluctuates throughout the year according to how much exercise I get. During the summer, when I’m kayaking a lot and leading several practice sessions throughout the day, I tend to lose a lot of weight. During the winter, when the season is over and I’m focused on writing and designing training programs, I naturally gain weight. I’m sure most people have similar reasons for gaining or losing weight at certain times.

Much of the reason adults put on weight as they grow older is not because of the natural process of aging, but because their metabolism slows down due to less and less physical activity over time. Adults lose muscle as they age, not because of time, but because they simply are not out running around all day jumping over things, playing sports, and swinging on monkey bars like they did when they were kids.

The American College of Sports Medicine (ACSM) recommends achieving a minimum of 30 minutes of vigorous aerobic activity each day to maintain cardiovascular fitness and a healthy weight. Recent research actually suggests that people need closer to an hour of aerobic exercise each day. How many of us really achieve this much? Moderate exercise for 30 minutes can burn 250 to 500 calories, about as much as an entire meal.

2. Restrict Calories

While becoming more active will help you lose weight over time, you’ll lose weight more quickly if you cut calories. The caloric-deficit rule of cutting 3,500 calories to lose 1 lb. of body fat, while perhaps overly-simplistic, is correct. Each 1 lb. of body fat contains 3,500 calories, and you need to ultimately need to achieve this negative energy balance to lose weight.

Cut about 500 calories from your diet each day, and you’ll lose 1 lb. each week through diet alone. But, you do not need to place particular emphasis on restricting any one nutrient. While a variety of factors influence your weight and metabolism, no rule is as important as obtaining this caloric deficit (NSCA, 2008). You need to obtain about 50 percent of your calories from carbohydrates, 30 percent from fat, and 20 percent from protein. You can calculate these percentages regardless of what your total caloric consumption is.

For example, if your body requires 2,000 calories to maintain its current weight, and you want to lose 1 lb. each week, you need to achieve a daily caloric deficit of 500 calories. You can do this by limiting your caloric intake to 1,500 calories a day, exercising more, or both. Pretend you get 30 minutes of exercise each day, which burns 250 calories. You need to cut 250 more calories from your diet each day to lose 1 lb. a week. If your diet now calls for 1,750 calories, you need to consume 875 from carbs, 525 from fat, and 350 from protein.

Final Words (of Wisdom)

The best weight loss program for men and women is a program that you can adapt permanently into your lifestyle. Don’t listen to all the marketing hype of a new revolutionary finding that will let you use 10 lbs of fat in a week. If it does work, it can’t be healthy. You didn’t gain all that weight in week so don’t expect to lose all that weight in a week either.

Ambro / FreeDigitalPhotos.net

Running requires endurance and flexibility, but strength also plays a significant role in running performance — especially for women. Because women carry the majority of their weight in their hips and lower body, strength in these areas can enhance their running stride and efficiency, while minimizing fatigue and injury.

You can improve both muscular strength and endurance in the gym through resistance training. To improve endurance, however, you first need to increase the cross-sectional area of the muscular fibers — a goal referred to as hypertrophy. Also, running is primarily a lower body sport and much of your time in the gym should be spent strengthening the muscles in your legs, but a strong gluteus maximus, abdomen and back can also improve your running ability. A well-rounded strength training program for runners should include exercises that target these areas as well.

Here’s a sample 2-month strength training program for women that first emphasizes muscular strength and hypertrophy, and then focuses on increasing muscular endurance.

Weeks 1-4: Strength and Hypertrophy (increase load by 5% and decrease repetitions by 2 each week)

Day 1

Squats, 3 sets of 10 @ 70% 1RM

Vertical chest press, 3 sets of 10 @ 70% 1RM

Lunge with dumbbells, 3 sets of 10 @ 70% 1RM

Abdominal crunch, 3 sets of 10 @ 70 % 1RM

Leg curls, 3 sets of 10 @ 70% 1RM

Machine back extension, 3 sets of 10 @ 70 % 1RM

Day 2

Leg press, 3 sets of 10 @ 70 % 1RM

Bench press, 3 sets of 10 @ 70% 1RM

Toe-raises, 3 sets of 10 @ 70% 1RM

Incline sit-ups with plate, 3 sets of 10 @ 70% 1RM

Hamstring curls, 3 sets of 10 @ 70% 1RM

One-armed dumbbell row, 3 sets of 10 each arm @ 70 % 1RM

Day 3

Straight-leg deadlift, 3 sets of 10 @ 70% 1RM

Decline press, 3 sets of 10 @ 70% 1RM

Reverse walking lunges with dumbbells @ 70% 1RM

Oblique twists with dumbbell or plate, 3 sets of 10 @ 70% 1RM

Lat pulldowns, 3 sets of 10 @ 70% 1RM

Lateral shoulder raise, 3 sets of 10 @ 70% 1RM

Week 5

Rest

Weeks 6-9: Endurance (increase repetitions by 2 and decrease load by 5% each week)

Day 1

Walking lunge with dumbbells, 3 sets of 12 @ 65% 1RM

Pushups, body weight, 1 set for max reps, 2 sets @ 80 % max reps

Abdominal crunches, 3 sets of 12 @ 65% 1RM

One-legged squats, body weight, 3 sets of max reps (use a partner for assistance)

Leg press, 3 sets @ 65% 1RM

Machine back extensions, 3 sets @ 65% 1RM

Day 2

Overhead squat, 3 sets of 12 @ 65% 1RM

Pullups, 3 sets of max reps

Incline sit-ups without plate, 1 set of max reps, 2 sets of 80% max reps

Toe raises, 3 sets of 12 @ 65% 1RM

Lateral shoulder raises, 3 sets of 12 @ 65% 1RM

Plank, 3 sets of 1 minute

Day 3

Straight-leg deadlift, 3 sets of 12 @ 65% 1RM

Oblique twists, 3 sets of 1 minute as many reps as you can

Dumbbell chest flies, 3 sets of 12 @ 65% 1RM

Seated row, 3 sets of 12 @ 65% 1RM

Hamstring curls, 3 sets of 12 @ 65% 1RM

Reverse walking lunge with dumbbells, 3 sets of 12 @ 65% 1RM

Additional Tips

• Women runners who are completely new to the gym should only perform two well-spaced resistance training sessions per week.
• Women runners with a lot of experience in the gym can perform four sessions per week.
• Warm up for 10 to 15 minutes before beginning lifting weights, and make sure to walk through a series of dynamic (moving) stretches that replicate movements you will be performing in the gym.
• Increase the amount of weight you lift when you can successfully perform two repetitions beyond your target number for two consecutive sets of an exercise.
• Once you gain sufficient strength, hypertrophy, and endurance you can focus on more advanced training goals in the gym such as power and speed, as well as more intense circuit training routines to improve endurance.
• The amount you rest between sets counts. Rest about 2-3 minutes between sets to promote strength and hypertrophy, and 30 seconds to 1 minute between sets to increase muscular endurance.
• There are many strength training programs out there. Pick one, complete it in its entirety, then decided if you want to switch programs. Contrary to the recently marketing hype. Your muscles do not need to be constantly “confused” to gain performance.

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The next time you’re exercising, take some time to notice what your mind is doing. What are you thinking about, if anything? Are you focusing on the activity at hand, or are you lost in the sounds of your iPod? Are you aware of the sensations in your body, or are you intently focused on a newscast on one of the monitors above the treadmill? What you are focusing on during exercise can make a difference in what you get out of your workout. Some elite athletes spend hours each week practicing attentional skills so they can focus on the right activities at the right time, as well as refocus when they become distracted. You don’t need to spend that much time practicing these skills, but knowing some basics and becoming aware of what attentional styles bring forth your best effort can help you achieve better workout results.

What is Attention?

Attention is one of five mental skills, or mental attributes sport psychologists believe have a direct influence on exercise performance (the other four are motivation, self-confidence, energy management and stress management). Attention is an incredibly sophisticated process with neurological, behavioral and environmental influences. However, attention can be summarized as merely a process by which an exerciser directs her senses at one particular object or thought, at the expense of a seemingly endless number of others.

How Attention Works

While attention is complex, it essentially has four dimensions. When exercising, your can either focus internally, such as on the sensation in your left leg, or externally, such as a point in the distance you are running toward. Similarly, you can either maintain a broad focus, attempting to take in several stimuli at once, or a narrow one, selecting one or two relevant stimuli.

The Best Strategy

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Attention is individual and one pattern of attention may work for one person and not for another. Research has demonstrated that elite athletes tend to perform better when they have an internal focus and when their attention is narrow. For example, an elite distance runner is so in tune with her body that she prefers to maintain an internal focus on her bodily sensations, even when they are painful, in order to adjust her pace during a race. Common exercisers, on the other hand, tend to perform better when they maintain an external focus — usually on a distracting device such as an iPod or TV show, to take their mind away from the painful sensations of exercise.

The ideal attentional strategy becomes even more complex when considering the type of activity being performed. Tasks that require fine motor skills, such as golf, are generally better-performed when the athlete maintains a narrow, internal focus. Activities that require high-intensity bursts of strength, such as Olympic weightlifting, are generally best-accomplished when the athlete maintains a broad, external focus.

A Quick Drill

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Practice your ability to shift from one attentional style to another with a quick drill. Close your eyes, and focus on your breathing. Don’t try to control your breath, but notice each inhale and exhale. Maintain focus on your breath for 10 seconds. This is an internal focus. Now let your attention gradually draw away to whatever sounds you hear in the room. Maintain focus on these sounds for 10 seconds. This is an external focus. Now, open your eyes and look at the nearest wall. Try to get a picture of the whole wall, without singling out any particular item. Maintain this focus for 10 seconds. Then let your attention draw in to one particular item that catches your attention. Focus intently on this item, noticing each small detail, and maintain this focus for 10 seconds. Master refocusing your attention from one style to the next by practicing this drill several times a day.

Next time you are exercising, especially when the activity is particularly straining, take a moment to reflect on where your mind tends to go. The average exerciser will tend to perform the best when distracting herself from the activity at hand with a broad external focus, while more advanced exercisers will generally achieve their best workouts when maintaining a narrow, internal focus and keeping in tune with their bodies. If your mind is attending to something that is hurting your performance, like a negative thought (a narrow, internal focus), practice changing your attention.

Of course, music is a great distraction and motivator for almost all levels of exerciser. Check out this excellent article on how to best incorporate music into your workout program.

Photo © Wikimedia commons

Why Do Timed Sets Work?

Timed sets with weights work because they force you to use your body’s anaerobic energy system heavily. The net effect of fat loss is much greater because of EPOC (excess post-exercise oxygen consumption). When your body is consuming more oxygen, your metabolism is higher, allowing you to burn more fat. With standard aerobic training it is typical for your body to return to normal oxygen consumption within a few hours. After heavy anaerobic training it is typical for your body to be in a state of EPOC for 2-3 days! This means a longer fat burning window and more toning for your body.  Additionally, timed sets in the weight room help you to build and maintain muscle. The more lean mass your body holds, the faster your metabolism will be.

Fartlek

Fartlek is a Swedish  term meaning “speed play”. In fartlek training you combine brief spurts of high intensity anaerobic exercise with longer spurts of lower intensity aerobic exercise. This method of training is outstanding for burning fat as well as raising your anaerobic threshold. For this reason fartleks are very popular with runners and cyclists. As a former sprinter performing fartleks helped me to get better base conditioning before track season. These workouts were hard, but rewarding in the end. An example of a fartlek is stationary bike sprints. You can sprint all out for 20 seconds of work and take 40 seconds to rest for a set amount of time.

EDT

EDT stands for escalating density training. EDT is an interesting take on timed sets. You have to complete the maximum amount of reps possible in a set time. For example: maximum amount of chin ups you can perform in 15 minutes. By exercising using this method you are able to increase total workload by performing many sub-maximal sets. My suggestion would be to figure out exactly how many reps you plan to do per minute. This way you can control your fatigue levels. In the last minute or two, shoot for more reps if you have energy. The objective is to surpass the amount of work you did in the previous workout.

Circuit

Perform an exercise for a set amount of time then move onto another. When all the exercises in the circuit are complete take a rest break. The time you work on each exercise should be kept short (under 1 minute), so that you can work at high intensity.

Tabata

Tabatas are difficult but have a profound effect on fat loss. They are usually performed as 8 all out sets of 20 secs of work and 10 secs of rest. The total time of one tabata should last 4 minutes. Tabatas can be utilized as a good finisher for a workout.

The Workout

The following workout is an intense, fat burning experience that will leave your legs shaking and your stomach turning! Make sure to bring some water and a towel along for the ride!

Here are some things to think about when it comes to hills:

• 

  Photo @ morebyless

  Devote an entire workout to hills about once every three weeks.  More experienced runners may go a little more frequently, perhaps once every ten days.  But for novice and intermediate runners, too much hill intensity can be detrimental and increase the likelihood of injury.

• Go out of your way to find some hills during your easy runs and LSD runs.  However, adjust your pace to account for the increase in grade.  This is the best tip anyone ever gave me about hills.  If your easy pace is a 9’00 mile and you are running up a quarter mile hill at a 4.5% grade, keep the 9’00, 0% grade effort level.  Your new pace may be closer to 9’30, but you are exerting the same effort as a 9’00 mile.
• Run stairs.  Stairs are a great alternative to running hills.  They don’t work exactly the same muscles, but will give you the same cardio benefits.  Be careful when choosing which stairs to run.  Some stadium stairs, for instance, require you to vastly change your natural stride because of the distance between steps.
• Learn how to run downhill.  Downhill running is a different animal altogether and isn’t really given enough attention by most runners.  But proper downhill running technique is just as important as uphill running.

Be creative when putting together your hill workouts.  Some of my favorite workouts have just been made up on the fly.  Here are some ideas that work great on the treadmill:

Hills Workout #1

1 mile warm-up

4 x 800m at marathon pace (MP) or half marathon pace (HMP), starting at 4.5 incline and increasing 0.5 with each interval; 800m recovery jogs

1 mile cooldown

Hills Workout #2

1 mile warm-up

Ten (10) 1-minute intervals at 10k pace and 5.0 incline; 1-minute recovery jogs

1 mile cooldown

Hills Workout #3

2 mile warm-up

Four (4) 200m hill repeats at 10k pace and 5.0 incline; 1/8 mile recovery jogs
Four (4) 400m hill repeats at HMP and 3.0 incline; 1/4 mile recovery jogs
Four (4) 200m hill repeats at 10k pace and 5.0 incline; 1/8 mile recovery jogs

2 mile cooldown

PROS

• Low impact – The elliptical puts less stress on the joints of the ankle, knee, and spine.  It is therefore appropriate for people with pain and people who are sensitive to impact activities.
• Increased upper body muscle activation – The elliptical is a whole-body workout.  It encourages simultaneous resistive movements of the upper and lower extremities, which means more muscles are working.  A recent study (Sozen H, 2010) demonstrated that muscle activation of the biceps, triceps, pecs, and trapezius were all greater in people using an elliptical than in people using a treadmill (makes sense).  People working out on an elliptical need to involve both upper and lower extremities to get the best results.
• Cardiovascular endurance and weight loss - The elliptical is an appropriate mode of exercise for improving cardiovascular endurance and burning calories.
• Rehabilitation – The elliptical is appropriate earlier in many rehabilitation protocols than an impact activity such as running or agility exercises.

CONS

• Low impact - I know, we said this was a “pro”.  However, impact activities are a stimulus for bonegrowth and increasing bone density.  This is important as a means of preventing osteoporosis.  There is a place for the “impact” in an exercise program, assuming that pain is not limiting the activity.
• Not sport-specific - Unless you are a cross-country skier, there is little carry-over from using the treadmill at the gym and playing soccer, basketball, or many other sports.  Training has a huge bearing on how you perform.
• Decreased lower body muscle activation - The same study I mentioned above also found increased activation of the gastrocnemius (calf) and gluteus maximus while running on the treadmill vs. using the elliptical.  However, the elliptical did show increased activation of the rectus femoris (one of 4 “quad” muscles).  The elliptical places more of an emphasis on hip flexion compared to running, which emphasizes hip extension.
• Rigid – The elliptical removes some of the degrees of freedom of movement that running and other activities allow.  This can limit compensations and assist in cases of poor stabilization; but improving stabilization and moving without compensations should be addressed through other means if not through this mode of exercise.

Often times it comes down to this: What machine will provide a better workout, and what machine will help burn more calories?  Another study (Brown et al, 2010) showed when subjects exercised at the same rating of perceived exertion on a treadmill and an elliptical, oxygen consumption and energy expenditure were roughly equal, although heart rate was higher for those people using the elliptical.   This means that if you are working out at the same intensity on a treadmill and on an elliptical, you will be burning about the same number of calories.  Burning calories and getting a good workout is more about the intensity with which you exercise compared to what equipment you use.

The elliptical is an acceptable alternative to a treadmill.  It just depends on your goals of training.

There are many benefits to circuit training. It is fun, can be performed alone or in groups, allows for a large variety of exercises/movements, is a great way to get a whole-body workout, and can expedite any training session! Most importantly, circuit training exercise routines are functional, as they target both our aerobic and anaerobic metabolic systems.

Energy Metabolism 101

When we train, our bodies function along a continuum of aerobic and anaerobic metabolism. (There is a third primary pathway, the creatine-phosphate system, but we will not discuss that here). Generally, aerobic metabolism supplies most of our ATP for long duration, low intensity activities. This is because the body has enough time to transport oxygen to the working muscles (hence aerobic). In aerobic metabolism fats, carbohydrates, and, to a very small extent, proteins, are converted to ATP to meet the energy demands of the activity. As the intensity of an activity increases, and the amount of oxygen available is no longer sufficient to sustain aerobic metabolism, there is a shift to anaerobic metabolism. Carbohydrates are the sole source of ATP production under anaerobic metabolism, and lactic acid is the by-product (lactic acid causes muscle fatigue and soreness). We are never using just one metabolic pathway or the other. Rather we are using different proportions of each pathway depending on the intensity and duration of each activity.

Life demands a balance between these two systems. Circuit training targets each metabolic pathway through the principle of ‘active rest’. Each exercise in a circuit targets a different muscle group or movement, allowing certain muscle groups to rest while others are working. This type of training favors anaerobic metabolism in the working muscle groups while the entire system is stressed continuously, integrating aerobic metabolism. Because of its ability to trigger aerobic metabolism and anaerobic metabolism at the same time, circuit training is often used to supplement a weight loss exercise routine. Some personal trainers even recommend circuit training as exercise routines for women who want to tone up their shape.

HOW TO CIRCUIT TRAIN?

Circuit training is easy to do, and can be done anywhere. Here are some things to consider when setting up your circuit:

• Warm-up: this should be low-intensity and gradual, 5-10 minutes; include activities such as jogging or gentle stretching.  A proper warm-up increases blood flow to working muscles, increases elasticity in those muscles, and ‘primes’ the body for physical activity.
• Available resources: do you have access to equipment at a gym, or do you simply have your body-weight?  Either way, you can create a circuit!. A gym workout routine is preferred over a body-weight workout routine because the more equipment you have access too, the greater the potential variety for your circuits.
• Exercise stations: once you know what resources you have available to you, choose exercises that target large muscle groups, such as push-ups or squats.  Try to pick exercises that target different muscle groups to add variety.  Each exercise chosen will be considered a station.  See sample circuit below for an example.
• Circuit progression: here are two options for progressing through your cicuit:

1. By repetition: decide to perform a certain number of repetitions at each station before moving to the next one (for example; 10 repetitions at each station).
2. By time: decide to remain at each station for a specified duration (for example; 30 seconds at each station).  For group circuit training, this method generally works better.

• Rest time: remember to move from one station to the other without a rest.  This allows for ‘active rest’ and combined emphasis on the aerobic and anaerobic metabolic systems.  However, after completing the entire circuit (every station), it is a good idea to take a break.  Recommendations for rest durations vary, but rest at least one or two minutes.
• Circuit repetitions: decide how many time you are going to complete the circuit.
• Cool-down: take 5-10 minutes to jog, walk, or stretch to get your heart rate back down to baseline.

SAMPLE CIRCUIT

1. Station 1: push-ups (targets chest, arms, core)
2. Station 2: free squats (targets legs in sagital plane, core)
3. Station 3: side planks with leg lift (targets core and hip stability/strength)
4. Station 4: pull-ups (targets upper back, arms, core)
5. Station 5: lateral lunges (targets legs with lateral movement, core)
6. Station 6: jump rope (mild plyometric-type activity; agility training targeting quickness)

For Medium Intensity = Spend 45 seconds at each station > Rest 2 minutes after circuit completion > Repeat circuit 5 times

Other Recommendations

• Remember to emphasize different muscle groups at each exercise station in order get the best whole-body workout you can.  Also, feel free to integrate different techniques such as plyometrics, pilates, or yoga postures at the different stations. With enough variation, your daily exercise routine can just be a bunch of different circuit training routines.
• Start slow!  If you are new to working out, don’t overdo it.  For example: set up 4 exercise stations, spend 30 seconds at each station, and repeat the circuit 3 times with a 5 minute rest between circuit repetitions.
• Keep track of your progress
• For aerobic and resistance training guidelines, read this article!
• Make sure you have some whey protein readily available for post-workout recovery protein shakes.
• For people with an aggressive weight loss goal, check out how to lose weight fast by adding the right supplements to your circuit training.