1. Keep it Simple

When if comes to lifting weights, you don’t need to overcomplicate matters — at least, not at first. Once you become an advanced lifter, you can focus on more difficult lifts and rep/set schemes, but for now, simplicity is your goal. Focus on lifts that target your major muscle groups first, such as your chest, back, and legs. You can then narrow your program down to smaller, stabilizer muscles. Here are some easy lifts for each major area of the body:

Chest: Bench press, incline press, decline press, pushups

Back: Seated row, bench pull, cable row, lat pulldowns

Legs: Leg press, squats, knee extensions, hamstring curls, calf raises

Arms: Biceps curls, triceps pushdowns, shoulder raises, dips

Abs/Core: situps, weighted crunches, Russian twists, back extensions

2. Aim for Balance

Hit each of these areas of the body every time you go to the gym to promote balance. When you get some experience, you’ll want to focus on one are of the body during one session and then allow one to two days of rest while your focus on other areas. But for now, pick one or two exercises for each major area each session. If you focus only on your chest muscles, for example, it’s easy to develop a hunched posture that places excessive pressure on the thoracic spine.

3. Warm Up and Cool Down

Always start your workout with at least 10 minutes of cardio before you lift to get your heart rate and body temperature up. Mix up the cardio as well. Jog one day, bike another, and row on the third. I can’t tell you how many people I see in the gym who don’t warm up before working out, only to complain of nagging tweaks and aches in their bodies later on. You know you’re sufficiently warmed up if there is sweat dripping down your forehead.

Also, cool down following a lifting session by stretching. This helps initiate the recovery process and can improve the elasticity of your muscles. Perform about two to three separate static (holding the position in one place) stretches for each major body area. Hold stretches for a minimum of 10 seconds and repeat.

4. Use Machines

I never recommend machines to anyone except absolute beginners, but for safety and learning purposes, start out only using these helpful pieces of equipment. Machines typically have pictures of the muscle groups they target, making exercise selection fairly simple, and they come with a significantly lower risk of injury. If you want serious results, you’ll have to forget about machines later on, however.

5. Progress Slowly

There’s no need to rush it. Focus on the quality of your lifts versus how much you are lifting or how fast you are progressing. Start out by performing two, nonconsecutive weightlifting sessions each week. For the first month, focus on very light weights and don’t worry about increasing the load. Just perform each lift slowly and with an even tempo, making sure to use a full range of motion.

First Week Program

Here’s a sample program to get you started for your first week:

Session 1

10 minute jog on treadmill

5 minutes of dynamic stretching (arm circles, leg swings, windmills, toe touches, torso rotations)

3 sets of 10 reps of: bench press, lat pulldowns, leg press, dips

10 minutes of static stretching

Notes: allow 2 minutes of rest between sets, 3-5 minutes between exercises. Use about 50-60 percent of your maximal load for each lift.

Session 2

15 minute elliptical

5 minutes of dynamic stretching

3 X 10: Incline press, seated row, squats, decline press, calf raises, weighted crunches

10 minutes of static stretching

Notes: allow 2 minutes of rest between sets, 3-5 minutes between exercises. Use about 50-60 percent of your maximal load for each lift.

1. Garmin Forerunner 910XT

Why: It’s really, really cool. With all the features of its predecessors, the 910 XT is sleeker, smaller, and has a number of additional functions the previous versions don’t. Most of the previous GPS watches were incredibly bulky, making the watch awkward and annoying — especially if you plan to wear it when not working out. Plus, may people complained that sweat around the wrist caused the watch to malfunction (something I know firsthand from paddling). Apparently the 910XT no longer has that problem, and its barometric altimeter can help improve the mapping data during ascents/descents. Plus, the swim mapping features can be transferred to the kayak stroke — which is perfect for me. At a retail price of $449, however, this is not a cheap toy.

2. A Juicer

Why: Anyone who’s read my posts knows I’m not really into fad diets, but I’ve seen variations of the juice-diet work firsthand. My sister, my sister’s boyfriend, and my mom have all lost over 20 lbs. on juice diets, and have never looked or felt better. I’ve had the juice blends, and they’re quite tasty. If you’re looking for a quick and convenient way to pack an amazing amount of nutrients into a small, low-calorie meal, I highly recommend “juicing.” Juicers range from about $75-$200.

3. Vibram Five Fingers Bikilla LS Shoes

Why: I’ve begun to see these shoes more and more in gyms and on local trails and running routes. Designed to mimc the barefoot marathon runners of Kenya and Ethiopia, I’ve known many people who swear by these and will never return to regular running shoes. Evidently barefoot running, when executed properly, is better for the foot’s natural arch and curvature and many people say these shoes are substantially more comfortable than more traditional versions. Vibram’s latest version was recently named one of the top fitness products of 2011 by Health.com. You can generally find these for under $100.

4. A Lifetime Supply of MET-Rx Bars

Why: I tend to favor “real” food, such as roasted seeds, nuts, and fruit slices to boost my energy during long workouts, but I’ve also used MET-Rx bars for years. As I’ve posted in prior articles, you don’t need nearly as much protein to balance the protein cell degeneration cycle following a workout as nutrition suppliers would have you believe, and carbohydrates are probably more important both during and following a workout. Therefore, high-protein bars aren’t of much value, in my opinion. But I’ve always thought the classic MET-Rx bars have the best flavor and consistency of any workout bar on the market — much more easily dissolvable than the rubbery Power Bar. I recommend these if you don’t have time to prepare a real snack for your workout or training. The classic MET-Rx bar was also named Askmen.com’s top-rated fitness bar in 2011. The chocolate chip cookie dough flavor is my favorite, and a box is about $20.

5. A GoProHD Camera

Why: Ok, this isn’t really a fitness product, but it’s still a really fun toy. The world’s leading sports action camera, the GoPro is ideal for the extreme sports athlete who wants to recapture and relive their physical heroics. So why am I interested in it? Well, I am a kayaker and I’ve found that stopping to pull out a camera from my waterproof compartment is a bit of a hassle. Plus, most waterproof cameras take pretty poor pictures. While the GoProHD cannot match that of a really good non-waterproof camera, it’s close. Plus, with a camera mounted on either my boat or my person, I always feel inspired to work out harder and venture into areas I wouldn’t normally go. This may work for you, too. Like the Garmin, it’s pricey at just under $300.

There’s my list. I’d love to hear about your favorite fitness products as well. And if you’d like to know where you can send me gifts, please send me a message.

Circadian Rhythms

Circadian rhythms are the mental, physical, and behavioral changes that revolve around the 24-hour cycle of our daily lives. Similar to the concept of the “biological clock,” our circadian rhythms are primarily influenced by light cues. All living organisms have circadian rhythms, including people, primates, pets, and plants. Circadian rhythms can affect our body’s sleep cycles, hormone levels, body temperature, and a number of other physiological processes.

Effects on Exercise

In their review, Weipeng, Newton, and McGuigan (2011) found that circadian rhythms can influence your exercise results in a variety of ways. Perhaps the most significant finding was that enhanced exercise performance typically occurred in subjects during the early evening hours. These researchers also found that individual hormones, specifically testosterone and the stress hormone, cortisol, had their own natural circadian rhythms. Past research has shown a direct relationship between these hormones and exercise, with higher levels of testosterone boosting exercise performance, and cortisol hindering it.

Circadian rhythms were also significantly related to body temperature. Past research has demonstrated that prolonged warmups that allow the body to reach higher temperatures resulted in increased power output and decreased fatigue during exercise.

Finally, while Weipeng and colleagues did not discuss the issue of light, other research (e.g., Leproult et al., 1997) has demonstrated that increased lighting can enhance exercise performance, although this finding was significantly related to the amount of exposure time.

What This Means for You

Most people already know that warming up before exercising is wise, as it can prevent injuries. However, increasing body temperature appears to have a hormonal effect that can have you working out longer and harder than you ever thought possible. While each person has his or her own chronotype, or a specific, innate, time of day at which they function best, your hormonal profile is likely to be more conducive to optimal exercise performance during the twilight hours of the day, under bright lights, and after a sufficient warm-up.

If you’re a morning exerciser and find yourself in a lull, try working out in the evening. If you never warm-up before you hit the weights, make sure to get that body temperature up first. Finally, get plenty of sleep. Your body’s master clock, known as the suprachiasmatic nucleus, controls the production of melatonin, the chemical that makes you feel sleepy. The SCN is located just above the optic nerve, which receives information about the amount of light coming in. When under dim lights, you are more likely to feel sleepy than when under the bright neon lights in the gym. The amount of sleep you receive has a significant effect on your hormone levels, which can be the difference between a good workout day and a bad one.

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.

Graur Razvan Ionut / FreeDigitalPhotos.net

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/

Remember that core stability training is not the same as performing crunches or other traditional abdominal exercises. While these exercises are effective for improving abdominal strength, they do not improve stability in the lumbopelvic region of the body to the extent of specific ore stability exercises.

Free Weight Core Stability Training

This form of core stability training is performed on stable surfaces with the intention of increasing core strength and power. These exercises are simple and can be performed by just about anyone.

Examples of classic core stability exercises include the plank, side plank, bridge, and superman. Another great core stability exercise is the overhead press, as the muscles of the rectus abdominus must remain activities to maintain posture while the weight is supported overhead.

Perform these classic exercises unilaterally (using only one side of your body) to further improve the core stability effects. For example, perform a one-hand overhead press while standing on one foot.

Unstable Surface Core Stability Training

These exercises are performed on balance boards or air discs. Research has demonstrated higher core muscle activity when performing core exercises on unstable surfaces, as motor units within the smaller, stabilizer muscles must engage to not only lift weight, but maintain posture.

You can turn just about any traditional free weight exercise into a core stability exercise by using an unstable surface. For example, perform biceps curls or shoulder extensions on air discs to engage the core region. The BOSU balance trainer is also a highly effective device for improving core stability. Perform the plank with your feet and hands on air discs to increase the physical demand and core requirements of this exercise.

Swiss Ball Exercises

The Swiss ball is another too that forces the core muscles to activate at a higher rate to maintain spinal posture throughout any exercise. According to Cosio-Lima and colleagues (2003), using a Swiss ball to perform classic free weight exercises results in significantly greater activation of the core musculature.

As with air discs and the BOSU balance trainer, perform the plank, side plank, or overhead press on a Swiss ball. Try maintaining balance on the Swiss ball with your feet off the ground, and then perform shoulder presses, curls, and chest presses to promote core stability.

Medicine Ball Passes

A lesser-used strategy for enhancing core stability is to perform medicine ball throws. You will need a partner to perform many of these exercises, but you can also throw the ball against the wall.

Try the classic medicine ball twist exercise by sitting on the floor with your feet crossed and slightly off the ground. Holding the medicine ball, twist from side to side so you feel a workout in your abdominal muscles. For increased activation of the core musculature, perform this exercise on a Swiss ball (make sure to have your partner help balance the ball). Additional medicine ball exercises include kneeling passes and one leg twist passes, which can be performed on a Swiss ball or suing balance discs as well.

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.

Ambro / FreeDigitalPhotos.net

The goal of building muscle in weight lifting is known as hypertrophy. Different than simply increasing strength or power, hypertrophy is an increase in the size of the muscle’s contractile area as a result of greater contractile proteins and a greater number and size of myofibrils in each fiber. Unlike maximal strength training, hypertrophy is best-achieved with just moderate loads. Therefore, to build the most muscle, you don’t always need to lift more. Here are the basic components of a hypertrophy program for beginners:

Exercises

Because you are not taxing your muscles too much with each workout, you can perform a greater number of exercises than you would with a maximal strength or power training program. Choose about six exercises each weight lifting session, targeting all areas of the body. Because your goal is to increase size, focus on larger muscle groups such as the lats, pecs, gluts and quads.

Load

Research has demonstrated that maximal hypertrophy occurs with moderate loads, at about the 65 to 82% of 1RM range. If you don’t know your 1RM for a given exercise, use the NSCA’s calculator.

Sets and Reps

Once again, sets and reps don’t need to be high to achieve maximum hypertrophy. Perform two to three sets of six to 12 repetitions of each exercise.

Rest

The amount of time you rest in between sets plays an important role in the way your muscles will adapt. Minimal rest between sets will improve muscular endurance, while maximal rest will improve strength and power. With hypertrophy, think moderation. About two to three minutes between sets is sufficient.

Increasing Load

For continued muscle growth over time, you’ll need to increase the amount of weight you lift. You can increase the amount of weight you lift for each exercise by about 5 to 10 percent when you can perform two additional repetitions beyond your target number for two consecutive sets (known as the 2-for-2 rule). For example, if you are performing the bench press with 150 lbs., and your goal is three sets of 10 reps, you can increase the load by about 8 to 15 lbs. when you can perform 12 repetitions twice in a row.

Volume

Absolute beginners should only perform two resistance training sessions per week to allow the muscles time to recover and grow. It’s during the rest periods that muscles grow, not while lifting. More advanced lifters can perform three sessions, and elite lifters can perform four or more.

Tempo

The tempo you perform each lift is also important. For example, to improve muscular power, you need to perform lifts fast and explosively because power is a result of force, distance and time. Maximal strength, however, is best achieved when performing lifts slowly. Hypertrophy is highest when lifts are performed at a moderate tempo. However, research has demonstrated that the eccentric phase (sometimes called negatives) promotes greater hypertrophy than the concentric. The eccentric phase of a lift is the one in which the muscle lengthens, while in the concentric phase the muscle shortens.

For most lifts, the concentric phase is considered the lifting phase, while the eccentric phase returns the weight to its starting position. With the bench press, for example, pressing the bar to the sky is the concentric phase and lowering it back to the chest is eccentric. Perform lifts at a time ratio of 1:2 for the concentric vs. eccentric phase to promote maximal hypertrophy (i.e., a count of 1 on the way up, a count of 2 on the way down).

Sample Beginner’s Program

It doesn’t have to be super complicated when you’re just starting out. Think simple, moderate weight, and hit the major muscle groups. Make sure to warm up with 10 to 15 minutes of cardio and dynamic stretching before lifting weights.

Day 1

Bench press 3 x 10 @ 65%

Back squats 3 x 10 @ 65%

Bench pull 3 x 10 @ 65%

Leg press 3 x 10 @ 65%

Incline press 3 x 10 @ 65%

Leg extensions 3 x 10 @65%

Day 2

Chest flies 3 x 10 @ 65%

Overhead squats 3 x 10 @ 65%

Seated row 3 x 10 @ 65%

Straight-leg deadlifts 3 x 10 @65%

Decline press 3 x 10 @ 65%

Lat pulldowns 3 x 10 @65%

Week 2 Days 1 and 2

Same routine, but change to 3 sets of 8 at 70%

Functional Strength Training Exercises for the Core

Functional training is simply an exercise philosophy that seeks to replicate real-life movements that you can use in your daily activities. For a female firefighter, functional training might be running stairs, dead lifts to mimic picking up an injured victim, or pull ups, chin ups and muscle ups to replicate climbing ladders or pulling herself over a window sill. Functional training is in direct opposition to traditional weight-training, generally thought to be performing exercises on machines that isolate individual muscles. Seldom does real-life activity require work from just one small muscle group, however. Muscle groups are designed to work in a synchronous fashion, and functional training aims to capture this as much as possible.

Core training is actually one of the most misused terms in the fitness industry. When most people think of “core,” they think of abs, and maybe the lower back. Core is a sports term that actually refers to the primary muscles involved in a particular sport movement. For example, an Olympic sprinter’s core muscles would be primarily the quadriceps, hamstrings and gastrocnemius. As a graduate student, I interned with the University of Portland as a strength and conditioning assistant where I was lucky enough to work with their National Championship women’s soccer team. I noticed that I never once saw this team performing traditional ab exercises, such as crunches, sit ups, or any other exercise that isolated the abs. When I asked the head strength and conditioning coach about this, he said he felt ab exercises were overrated, and that by performing more advanced lifts correctly, you’re indirectly working out the abs anyways. As with all functional training, the abs are designed to work in unison with other muscle groups — helping to connect the upper and lower body — and it makes no sense to train them in isolation.

Therefore, to develop “core” muscles in a functional way, you don’t need to perform classic ab exercises. Instead, focus on these more total-body exercises that will help you perform your daily activities with more ease and efficiency, and with less fatigue and risk of injury.

Squats

It seems counter-intuitive, but squats can help you build your ab and lower back muscles. By tucking in your abs, arching your lower back and maintaining good posture throughout the exercise, you will promote stability and support in the spine. Contract your abs, place your hands behind your head to open up your chest and promote better posture and squat down to parallel every repetition.

Pushups

Once again, it seems counterintuitive, but keeping your abs contracted and tight, your back slightly arched and your back straight during a pushup will develop abdominal strength. Focus on performing pushups correctly, with your chest nearly touching the ground, your body as flat as a table and fully extending your arms and you’ll help promote core strength.

Plank

Perhaps no other exercise is more effective for developing the real-life postural support you need in your daily life than the plank. Perform the classic plank by resting on your elbows, with your body off the ground and in a straight line, and maintaining balance on the tips off your toes. Hold this position for at least 30 seconds, and up to several minutes. Variations of the plank include side plank, straight-armed plank and one-handed plank.

Overhead Press

Any resistance training exercise that requires lifting weight over your head places an incredible demand on the lower back. Sufficient strength in the abs can help you maintain posture and protect the spine. Keep your stomach tight and lower back arched while lifting weight directly over your head to develop the functional strength you need in your abs. Start with just light weight, place your feet shoulder-width apart, or slightly wider, and maintain a very straight, rigid posture.

Specific Ab Exercises

For those women who feel they must perform at least one or two specific ab exercises to get a six-pack, here are two of the best. The key with these specific ab exercises, however, is repetitions. Specific ab exercises do not increase strength much, but can help you build endurance. Always perform as many repetitions as you can (a minimum of 12 to 15 repetitions).

Crunches

No surprise here. This tried and true exercise will ultimately help you develop ripped abs. Place your hands across your chest, not behind your head (it’s not a neck exercise). Go up just far enough until you feel your abs contract and then slowly let yourself back down.

Russian Twists

I once had a client tell me she would not do any exercise with the word “Russian” in the title. These actually aren’t that bad, and will target the obliques, those long muscles on either size of the rectus abdominus. Sit on the back of your buttocks, keep your feet off the ground (crossing them helps), place your hands together and touch the ground on either side of your body as fast as you can for as many repetitions as possible.