Tuesday, June 21, 2011

Summer Is Here - Are You Beach Ready?


Well folks, today is the official 1st day of summer! Some of you have been hitting your workouts pretty hard and consistently which has resulted in a lean, muscular physique.

Others may be saying, “Holy Moly! It can't believe Summer is already here! I still have 15 pounds to lose. Time to hit the elliptical!”

For those of you keeping score, this comes to 52,500 calories (3500 calories multiplied by 15 pounds). To burn that many calories, that will take you about 70 hours on that lovely machine: 2 hours a day for over a month.

I wish you the best of luck with that!

Cardio is great if you're training for an event that requires cardiovascular endurance. It's also great as a supplemental exercise when you're trying to shed pounds. However, it's NOT a great tool for getting rid of excess weight.

Why? Here are 4 reasons:
  1. Anything you can do for an hour straight is, by definition, low-intensity (steady state)
  2. Once you stop, calorie burning is over; all of that stuff you've read about the continuing post-workout 'afterburn' has been debunked
  3. An hour straight of repetitive motion of anything leads to overuse injuries
  4. You don't build lean muscle tissue or “tone up” from low-intensity cardiovascular exercise 
If you're looking to torch body fat and build lean muscle, then you MUST step up your game and take your training to the next level! Period!

Don't be a victim to poor training practices as this will get you nowhere. Trust me! I see this all of the time. People who mean well and are eager to change their physique and lifestyle yet they neglect the importance of creating change.

People who are avid exercisers yet still look the same way as they did a year or two ago is a result of doing the same things/activities over & over again. Your body adapts to the stimulus that is being applied and becomes efficient at maintaining the muscle & fat you currently have. 

If you're looking to drop a few lbs. (which about 90% of people are) and develop lean muscle, then you'll need to revamp your training program from being 'easy' to more 'challenging'. 

That's right! This means that you'll actually have to work to see results! Things like HIIT, Tabatas, Compound Exercises, Hybrids, Complexes, etc.

Let's not forget the importance of good, clean nutrition. Remember, six-pack abs are made in the kitchen, NOT the gym! As I say, "Eat CLEAN to get LEAN!"
  1. Eat protein with every meal
  2. Increase your intake of greens and veggies
  3. Limit/decrease your starchy carbs - pasta, white rice, breads, cereals, etc
  4. Eats carbs in the morning and right after your workouts
  5. Eliminate all junk and processed foods - cookies, donuts, candies, pastries, etc.
  6. Eat healthy fats - fish oil, nuts/nut butters, seeds, olive and coconut oil, avocados 
  7. Drink at least half your body weight in ounces of water every day
Summer is here! Some of you are already good to go for the beach!

For the remainder of you....it's time to step it up so that we can get you beach ready as well. It's never to late to take it to the next level.

CRANK IT!!

-AR

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