Tag: workout

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The definitive tool for online training

The definitive tool for online training, Evernote, Evernote for fitness, workout, diet, online training

The definitive tool for online training

Technology is the tool that has made possible changes, in different areas, throughout history. Today, the personal training industry is experiencing a new change thanks to Internet, the most important technological advance in decades.

Since 2014, when many of my face-to-face clients were forced to emigrate from Spain to other countries, I asked myself if I would be able to train them online while maintaining the quality and efficiency of the service.

the definitive online training tool, Evernote, Evernote for fitness, training, workout, course

After trying several (many) applications, I found Evernote. Evernote is used by more than 225 million users worldwide. Evernote is an app designed to help anyone achieve their goals, whatever they may be, increases their productivity and allows to collaborate with other members in real time.

As a personal trainer, I understand that each client has a specific “project”, improve their physical appearance or their health, for example. My idea was to offer my clients training plans and online diets without losing quality in the service or personalized attention.

Considering the good results that my clients obtained with this new online “method”, I decided to create my online business and offer my services all over the world. Without a doubt, it was a wise decision that has given me many joys, professionally and personally.

the definitive tool for online training, Evernote, Evernote for fitness, training, workout, diet, goals, health

Is it possible to go from 10 face-to-face clients to 100 online clients?

It’s possible. Technology has made it possible. The Internet has affected all industries. Netflix or Spotify are good examples of how certain sectors have adapted to the new people´s needs and demands. Personal training must also find new ways in this new digital reality.

Will face-to-face personal training disappear? Surely not. Cinemas or vinyl records have not disappeared either. However, now the client may decide to go to the movies or watch a movie at home, at a time that suits him or her.

There are many areas where, unfortunately, there is no personal trainer nearby, or their prices are prohibitive. There will be clients who never do an online training session, because they neither like nor attract them. But millions of them will demand that service: online training with the quality of a face-to-face session. Or combine both types of training, alternating face-to-face classes and specific online programs to achieve a specific goal. According to a recent study conducted by Mindbody, 96% of clients believe that they are not training with the right coach to achieve their goals.

the definitive tool for online training, Evernote, Evernote for fitness, course, fitness, trainer

Here at chape.fitness, thanks to Evernote we put the client in the center of personal training, making the communication client-coach constant and effective and enabling the personal trainer to attend online with the same quality as if he did it in face-to-face sessions.

I have been serving clients online for years, is the public willing to move to the next level in online training? I’m sure. Are coaches willing to accept this new reality? It looks like it is. Right now I´m launching a course on how to use Evernote as the definitive tool for online training and the answer could not be more promising. Maybe, in a few years, customers from all over the world will be able to find the right coach for them thanks to this new digital reality.

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Plan your workouts like a pro

How to plan your workouts, fitness, cardio, strenght, sport, health
Today I´m going to explain how to plan your workouts like a pro. Planning your training sessions is key to succeed. I bet you´ve heard the famous quote “Failing to plan is planning to fail”. When it comes to fitness plans, “failing” means not meeting your goals and expectations. You have to plan ahead to meet your goals because it takes much more than motivation and goodwill to get there.
 
The technical term for this kind of planning is “periodization”. It is the process of dividing an annual training plan into specific time blocks. Each block has a particular goal. This allows us to create hard training periods and easier periods, to facilitate recovery. Periodization also helps us develop different physiological abilities during various phases of training.
 
Let´s say you have found a workout routine that works well for you. That´s great but, lately, no matter how hard or how often you work out, you just can’t seem to progress any further. You’re stuck on a plateau. This is because your body has adapted to the exercise you’ve been doing. You need to “shock” or “surprise” your body, give it a new challenge periodically if you’re going to continue to make progress. Instead of doing the same routine month after month, you change your training program at regular intervals, “periods”, or “cycles” to keep your body working harder, while still giving it adequate rest. That goes for both strength and cardiovascular training.
How to plan your workouts like a pro, training, workout, progress, success, sport, fitness, weightlifting, bodybuilding, health
The goal with periodization is to maximize your progress while also reducing your risk of injury. It also addresses peak performance for competition or meets. Periodization, if appropriately arranged, can peak the athlete multiple times over a competitive season (Olympic weightlifting, powerlifting, track and field) or optimize an athlete’s performance over an entire competitive season like with soccer or basketball.
 

Periodization cycles are classified by amounts of time: 

 
The macrocycle is the longest, and includes all four stages of a periodized training program: endurance, intensity, competition and recovery. All 52 weeks of your annual plan. For example, if you want to peak for an event one year from now, you can mark that date on your calendar and work backward to create a program that allows you to peak at that time. You can use the same process to identify several major events throughout the year and develop a plan that facilitates multiple fitness peaks.
 
The mesocycle represents a specific block of training that is designed to accomplish a particular goal.  Mesocycles are typically four or six weeks in length. For instance, during the endurance phase, you might develop a mesocycle designed to enhance your muscular endurance for six weeks.
 
A microcycle is the shortest training cycle, typically lasting a week with the goal of facilitating a focused block of training. Generally speaking, four or six microcycles are tied together to form a mesocycle.  
 
You can get the most out of your training by having a good understanding of each of the three cycles of periodization and then using these cycles to create a plan that allows you to peak for your most important events throughout the year.
For example, you can alter your strength-training program by adjusting the following variables:
  • The number of repetitions per set, or the number of sets of each exercise
  • The amount of resistance used
  • The rest period between sets, exercises or training sessions
  • The order of the exercises, or the types of exercises
  • The speed at which you complete each exercise

There are many different types of periodized strength-training programs, and many are geared to the strength, power and demands of specific sports.

You should also periodize your cardiovascular training for the same reasons: challenge your body while still allowing for adequate recovery time.
 
For example, you’re a recreational runner, running for fitness, fun and the occasional short race, you’ll want to allow for flat, easy runs, as well as some that incorporate hills and others that focus on speed and strength.
What you don’t want to do is complete the same run every time. If you run too easily, and don’t push yourself, you won’t progress. And chances are you’ll get bored. Conversely, too much speed or high-intensity training will lead to injury or burnout, and most likely, disappointing race results.
 
If you want to improve your time in a 10K or completing a half marathon or even a full marathon, you’ll need a periodized program geared to each type of race.
 
Specially designed periodized training programs are also available for cycling and many other sports.
 
Periodized training will ensure that you continue to make measurable progress, which will keep you energized and interested in reaching your goals.
 

Proven benefits of periodization:

  • Management of fatigue, reducing risk of over-training by managing factors such as load, intensity, and recovery
  • The cyclic structure maximizes both general preparation and specific preparation for sport.
  • Ability to optimize performance over a specific period of time
  • Accounting for the individual, including time constraints, training age and status, and environmental factors.

Plan your workouts according to your goals.

There are different types of periodization: 
 

Linear periodization

is the most commonly used style of training. This form of periodization gradually increases volume, intensity, and work by mesocycles in an annual training plan. Progressive overload is a major key to the success of this training style. This style is characterized by longer training periods, less reliance on super compensation, and a focus of more general training over specific.

This programming style is useful for building a strong foundation, progressing in one variable, and working towards a peaking point. Recommended for those who are newer to training, it’s definitely the easiest periodization style to understand.
 

Non-linear/undulated periodization

rely on constant change throughout training cycles. As opposed to a linear periodization that focuses on gradual increase of one variable, this style manipulates multiple variables like exercises, volume, intensity, and training adaptation on a frequent basis (daily, weekly, or even bi-weekly). Non-linear periodization is more advanced than linear and incorporates multiple types of stimuli into a training program.
This programming style is an excellent way of individually training one variable and secondarily training others at the same time. It’s often used for those with advanced training backgrounds and longer sport seasons. For example, think about a program that has you train strength one day, then power two days later – this is non-linear.
 

Block periodization

focuses on breaking down specific training periods into 2-4 week periods. It consists of a two-block design, accumulation and restitution.
In the accumulation blocks, the focus is directed toward supporting motor abilities while simultaneously developing certain strength qualities necessary for the athlete with a limited volume load.
The restitution block is essentially the opposite. They support strength qualities in the athlete, while addressing the development of specific, technical motor qualities with a limited volume load. These training loads must target different abilities (max-strength, explosive strength, max anaerobic power, etc.). 
The goal behind these smaller, specific blocks is to allow an athlete to stay at their peak level longer, since most sports call for multiple peaks. Within the training season, athletes will only focus on adaptations they need specifically for their sport, if an athlete doesn’t need endurance, they won’t train for it.
When trying to maintain a high level of athleticism for competition over an extended amount of time, block periodization can be a great tool. By frequently training specific training adaptations you work towards progressing in your sport with the variable you need, and avoid burning out.
 
Periodization has stood the test of time for the simple fact that there are so many progressions and ways to structure your training so that you can be at your best when it matters most. Failing to utilize any form of periodization for your training could lead to overtraining, failure to recover appropriately for progression, and the inability to see the progress you deserve from the time you put into training.

Help for beginners

To start planning your workouts, here is a linear periodization template, for free.

I know that planning workouts for the first time can be complicated, if you have any questions, do not hesitate to ask me and I will help you.

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Weight-Loss Mistakes That Could Make You Pile On The Pounds

weight-loss, mistakes, weight-loss mistakes, diet, food

Losing weight is easy, right? You just need to start increasing the number of workouts you do each day and start eating a bit less. That’s it, isn’t it? Well, in actual fact, it might not be as simple as that. There are a lot of mistakes that some people make without even realizing it, and these mistakes could lead to them actually adding on a few extra pounds. Depending on the mistake, that extra weight gain could even occur if you have increased your workouts and decreased your food intake.

Thankfully, it can be very easy to spot these mistakes and make the necessary changes to your lifestyle that are needed to get in better shape. Here are some of the most common mistakes when trying to lose weight – make sure you don’t make them yourself!

Image credit: Pexels

Doing Too Much Cardio

There are lots of people out there who believe that doing a lot of cardio workouts is the key to losing weight. True, the more you sweat and get out of breath, then the more calories you will be burning. However, just sticking to cardio isn’t good enough, as your body will become used to it, and it won’t be quite as effective as you would have hoped. So, it’s important to know how much cardio to lose weight is necessary. Generally speaking, two to three sessions should be enough. However, you need to make sure that you are also doing at least two strength sessions each week as well. Strength training is another effective way for your body to burn calories, and can also turn all that fat into muscle.

🎶 #HIIT me with your best Cardio🎶 I’m throwing in some light hand weights for this cardio blasting session 💦💦💦 All of these exercises can be done on the floor if you don’t have a step bench accessible. 👹Do not break between the 2 exercises in the circuits . ————- Circuit 1: burpees - 30 secs Squat jumps- 15 secs - - Circuit 2: side lunges - 30 secs Steps ups and down - 15 secs - - Circuit 3: travelling skiers - 30 secs Toe taps - 15 secs ————- Perform as many rounds as possible! Have fun!😅 👆🏻note: do you have a good eye for detail? Noticing anything different in a couple of the videos? Write your observation in the comments below 😊 . . . #hiitworkout #hiittraining #hiitcardio #exercise #fitspiration #fitnessjourney #fitness #homeexercises #cardio #momstrong #runnersofig #momswholift #fitnessworkout #fullbodyworkout #functionalfitness #strongwomen #igfitness #workoutideas #gains #homeworkouts_4u #cindyyufitness #fitmomsofig @workoutvideos__ @home_workouts_dailyx @home.exercises @hiitmax @gym_videos @gymresident @gununegzersizi

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Not Eating Enough Calories

If you ask anyone about what you need to do to lose any excess weight, I’m sure that they will tell you that it’s necessary to reduce the number of calories you eat every day. This is true to some extent, but you shouldn’t follow a too restrictive diet, or else you could actually find that your body stops burning off any fat. That’s because not eating enough calories will drastically slow down the metabolism and will also lead to muscle loss.

food, cooking, diet

Image credit: Pexels

Opting For Diet Foods

These days there are a lot of “diet foods” that say they have zero calories or fat in them. These may look very tempting when you are doing your grocery shopping in the supermarket as you will still be able to eat some of your favorite treats and not feel guilty about it. However, these foods are often highly processed, which isn’t good for the body. As well as that, all the highly calorific sugars are often replaced with chemicals and additives that are harmful for the body in various ways. Ideally, it’s best to stay away from these foods and stick to natural unprocessed foods that have the complete range of nutrients that your body needs.

Overestimating How Many Calories You Burn

When you come away from a very productive workout session, you will no doubt feel very out of breath and sweaty. They’re both signs that you worked super hard! And that means that you will have burned off a whole bunch of calories, right? Well, unfortunately, it can be very easy to overestimate just how many calories exercising actually does burn off. As a result, lots of people end up thinking that they burned off more than they did, and they don’t alter their diet accordingly. Generally speaking, most hard thirty-minute workout sessions will burn off between 200-300 calories. So don’t make the mistake of thinking that you burned off 800 and go away to treat yourself to a big meal!

weight-loss, mistakes, weight-loss mistakes, diet, food

Image credit: Pexels

Forgetting To Eat Enough Fiber

People know that it’s important to eat a good mix of both whole-grain carbohydrates and protein so that their body has all the necessary nutrients for energy and to aid recovery. However, you also need plenty of fiber in your diet as well, and this is something that many people often forget about. A diet rich in soluble fiber can actually help you feel a lot less hungry through the day as it reduces the appetite. So, you will find that you are less likely to overeat. Not only that, though, but lots of fiber in the diet can actually reduce the amount of calories that are absorbed by the body. So that means that you won’t be taking in as many calories, even if you are following a calorific diet!

Hopefully, you no longer make these weight-loss mistakes!

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Best Swimming Workout to Lose Fat

Now that we are enjoying the summer, it is hot and what we most want to do is dive into the water, Eva Forde brings us the best swimming training to lose fat:

One of the best ways to look great in a swimsuit is to slip into one for your workout. Swimming is by far one of the optimal types of exercise. Not only does it provide you with resistance you can work against to build more muscle and burn more fat, but it is low-impact, so any one of any age and any fitness level can do it.

Of course, you’re not going to lose much weight just dog paddling around the pool. If you want to lose serious fat, you need to slip into your best sports swim suit and ignite your fat burning engines. To do this, you need to tap into your anabolic system: that system that fuels your body without the presence of oxygen. Instead, you draw on your glucose and glycogen to fuel your movement. The result? You use existing energy stores instead of O2, and you burn more fat.

So, the question remains, how do you get an anaerobic swimming workout?

Read on to find out!

Interval training!

Interval training uses short, intense bursts of energy followed by a short period of active recovery (minimal intensity) to maximize your workout, and increase your fat burning gains. When you’re pushing yourself through those intense bursts, you’re working in your anaerobic zone, and you need to be pushing yourself to your limit. Remember: you won’t be doing it for long! You continue to cycle back and forth between your working sets and your active recovery sets until your time’s up.

Photo credit: https://www.pexels.com/photo/person-swimming-on-body-of-water-863988/

When is your time up?

That’s the other good news: when you interval train, you don’t have to workout for long. As little as 20 minutes can give you better long-term metabolic health than an hour on the treadmill.

Sounds great, right?

Of course it does. So suit up! Here’s your fat-blasting swimming workout.

You’re going to do this workout in a circuit. Start with exercise #1 and then move to #5. Cycle through the circuit 3-5 times, depending on your current fitness level, and then call it a day.

Photo credit: https://www.pexels.com/photo/water-swimming-competition-pool-56837/
  • Exercise 1: Front Crawl at maximum intensity — 1 minute. Treadwater or jog on spot in pool for 20 seconds.
  • Exercise 2: Butterfly at maximum intensity — 1 minute. Treadwater or jog on spot in pool for 20 seconds.
  • Exercise 3: Back crawl at maximum intensity — 1 minute. Treadwater or jog on spot in pool for 20 seconds.
  • Exercise 4: Flutter kick at maximum intensity — 1 minute. Treadwater or jog on spot in pool for 20 seconds.
  • Exercise 5: Reverse flutter kick at maximum intensity  — 1 minute. Treadwater or jog on spot in pool for 20 seconds.

A note on maximum intensity…

For this short and sweet workout to burn the fat and build the muscle that will keep your fat burning engines revved, you need to work hard. Super hard. On a scale of 1 – 10, with 1 being lying on the couch doing nothing and 10 being working so hard you’re ready to vomit, you need to be working at a 9. This is the only way you’re going to see the results you’re working toward.

Eva Forde

Eva Forde

Eva Forde is a dedicated and passionate freelance lifestyle blogger. She blogs over at evafordebeauty.blogspot.com about Fitness and Fashion.

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The common causes of muscle pain and how to avoid them in your exercise regimee

A couple of weeks ago, the guys at Bodytonic clinic contacted me because they wanted to expand their health and fitness related blog content. 

Specialist Osteopathy, Pilates, Massage, Health, Beauty and Fitness clinics based in the heart of London, Canada Water SE16, Wapping E1W & Stratford E15 (E20, Zone 2).

They are very nice guys and great professionals, if you have the opportunity because you live near or you travel to London, I recommend that you pay them a visit and enjoy their facilities and services.

For this occasion, they’ve put together an infographic about the common causes of muscle aches and pains in your fitness regime, specifically those which come about as a result of a poorly planned fitness regime.

Obviously, this wouldn´t happen if you´d hire a personal trainer to plan your fitness journey and help you all the way.

The common causes of muscle pain and how to avoid them in your exercise regimee

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Recoup Cold Massage Roller

Recoup Cold Massage Roller

The Recoup Cold Roller provides all the benefits of a traditional Self Myofacial Release (foam rolling) in combination with Cryotherapy (Ice Massage). These two forms of muscle therapy help to decrease inflammation, aid in post workout recovery, and allow specific treatment for areas in need.

By applying the pressure with the cold roller the muscle will release metabolic waste products and toxins which become build up in the muscle after exercising. In addition, Self Myofacial Release impacts the Golgi Tendon Organs and allows the muscle to relax. Once the muscle is relaxed the cold aspect of product allows for a decrease in inflammation.

Product Specs

  • Cold therapy + massage recovery
  • 2 hours in the freezer = 6 hours cold
  • Unscrew blue handle to use ball outside of handle
  • Use anywhere on the body
  • 3.4 oz cooling gel for safe travel
  • Handle free rolling
  • Ball 3.15 in. in diameter (a little larger than a baseball)

Injuries this Treats

  • Shin splints
  • Plantar fasciitis
  • Tight IT bands, quads, hamstrings
  • Neck pain
  • Carpal tunnel
  • Back pain

Benefits

  • Takes down inflamation
  • Faster muscle recovery
  • Lowers cell metabolism, saving energy
  • Helps to prevent tissue death
  • Stops pain
  • After muscles warm increasein blood flow
  • Muscle relaxation
  • Improve tissue recovery
  • Impruve neuromuscular efficiency
  • Regulate production of cytokines
  • Flush out lactic acid
  • Decrease muscle soreness

Regular price is 39.99$ 

If you want to get it just for 32.79$ send me an email to info@chape.fitness and I´ll get you the discount. As easy as that!

(US shipping only)

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Muscle Fiber Types

Muscle fibers
Are you a better distance runner or sprinter? Have you ever wondered why is that so?
 
The answer is simple: muscle fibers.
 
Skeletal muscle is composed of different muscle fibers and these are composed of functional units called sarcomeres. Within each sarcomere are the myofibrillar proteins myosin (the thick filament) and actin (the thin filament). The interaction of these 2 myofibrillar proteins allows muscles to contract.. Each myocyte contains many myofibrils, which are strands of proteins (actin and myosin) that can grab on to each other and pull. 
Muscle fibers

Muscle Fiber Types

There are three types of skeletal muscle cells:
Fiber Type
Contraction Speed
Time To Peak Power
Fatigue
Color
Type I (slow twitch)
Slow
100 milliseconds
Slowly
Red
Type IIA (fast twitch oxidative fibres)
Fast
50 milliseconds
Fast
Red
Type IIB (fast twitch glycolytic fibres)
Very Fast
25 milliseconds
Fast
White
  1. Type I fibers are characterized by low force/power/speed production and high endurance, The slow twitch muscle fibers are more efficient at using oxygen to generate more adenosine triphosphate (ATP) fuel for continuous, extended muscle contractions over a long time. They fire more slowly than fast twitch fibers and can go for a long time before they fatigue. Therefore, slow twitch fibers are great at helping athletes run marathons and bicycle for hours.
  2. Type IIB fibers are characterized by high force/power/speed production and low endurance. These fast twitch fibers use anaerobic metabolism to create energy and are the “classic” fast twitch muscle fibers that excel at producing quick, powerful bursts of speed. This muscle fiber has the highest rate of contraction (rapid firing) of all the muscle fiber types, but it also has a faster rate of fatigue and can’t last as long before it needs rest.
  3. Type IIA fall in between the two. These fast twitch muscle fibers are also known as intermediate fast-twitch fibers. They can use both aerobic and anaerobic metabolism almost equally to create energy. In this way, they are a combination of type I and type IIB muscle fibers.
This range of muscle fiber types allows for the wide variety of capabilities that human muscles display. On average, people have about 50 percent slow twitch and 50 percent fast twitch fibers in most of the muscles used for movement.

Motor Units

Muscle fibers are organized into motor units grouped within each muscle. A motor unit is simply a bundle or grouping of muscle fibers. When you want to move, the brain nearly instantaneously sends a signal or impulse through the spinal cord that reaches the motor unit. The impulse then tells that particular motor unit to contract it’s fibers. 
 
The body recruits the lower threshold motor units first (slow-twitch), followed by the higher threshold motor units (fast-twitch) and continues to recruit and fire motor units until you’ve applied enough force to do whatever it is you’re trying to do regarding movement. When you are lifting something extremely heavy or applying a lot of force your body will contract practically all the available motor units for that particular muscle.
Type I muscle motor units contract less forcefully and a little slower then type II motor units and they reach peak power slower. This is why you can sit and eat all day or play Playstation all day and never get tired!
 
The type II motor units are capable of greater levels of absolute force than type I and also fatigue a lot quicker. Type IIA and IIB are capable of roughly the same amount of peak force, but the IIA fibers take longer to reach their peak power in comparison to type IIB.
 
Fast twitch fibers don’t like high volumes or long durations of work. They don’t even like a high frequency of work. If we go back to our ancestral roots, fast twitch IIB fibers were used only in times of stress situations. These would include running away from a predator, fighting, chasing food, or other brief explosive muscle action. They were only active for a few minutes per day at most. Since they weren’t used often the body had no real need to sacrifice them for a more efficient fiber. Sedentary people are the same way and have more fast twitch IIB muscle than athletes as the use of their fibers is limited and there is no need for their bodies to make more efficient adaptations.

Changing size or fiber type composition

Muscle fibers can adapt to changing demands by changing size or fiber type composition. This plasticity serves as the physiologic basis for numerous physical therapy interventions designed to increase a patient’s force development or endurance. There is evidence that muscle fibers not only change in size in response to demands, but they can also convert from one type to another. This plasticity in contractile and metabolic properties in response to training and rehabilitation allows for adaptation to different functional demands.
 
Fiber conversions between type IIB and type IIA are the most common, but type I to type II conversions are possible in cases of severe deconditioning or spinal cord injury.
 
Less evidence exists for the conversion of type II to type I fibers with training or rehabilitation, because only studies that use denervated muscle that is chronically activated with electrical stimulation have consistently demonstrated that such a conversion is possible.
 
Changes in the muscle fiber types are also responsible for some of the loss of function associated with deconditioning.
Some of the loss of muscle performance (decreased force production) due to aging does not appear to be only due to the conversion of muscle fibers from one type to another, but largely due to a selective atrophy of certain populations of muscle fiber types. With aging, there is a progressive loss of muscle mass and maximal oxygen uptake, leading to a reduction in muscle performance and presumably some of the loss of function (decreased ability to perform activities of daily living) seen in elderly people. Age-related loss of muscle mass results primarily from a decrease in the total number of both type I and type II fibers and, secondarily, from a preferential atrophy of type II fibers. Atrophy of type II fibers leads to a larger proportion of slow type muscle mass in aged muscle, as evidenced by slower contraction and relaxation times in older muscle.
 
Fortunately, physical therapy interventions can affect muscle fiber types leading to improvements in muscle performance. Physical therapy interventions can be broadly divided into those designed to increase the patient’s resistance to fatigue and those designed to increase the patient’s force production.
 
Evidence is lacking to demonstrate that type II fibers convert to type I with endurance training, although there does appear to be an increase in the mixed type I and IIA fiber populations. Researchers have found that type I fibers become faster with endurance exercise and slower with deconditioning.
 
High-intensity resistance training (high-load–low-repetition training) results in changes in fiber type similar to those seen with endurance training, although muscle hypertrophy also plays an essential role in producing strength gains. Initial increases in force production with high-intensity resistance training programs are largely mediated by neural factors, rather than visible hypertrophy of muscle fibers, in adults with no pathology or impairments. Even so, changes in muscle proteins, do begin after a few workouts, but visible hypertrophy of muscle fibers is not evident until training is conducted over a longer period of time (>8 weeks).
 
Although the trends in fiber type conversions are similar for endurance training and resistance training, differences in physiological changes that occur with each type of exercise are also important. Endurance training increases the oxidative capacity of muscle, whereas training to increase force production of sufficient intensity and duration promotes hypertrophy of muscle fibers by increasing the volume of contractile proteins in the fibers.

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Glenda´s fitness journey

Dear David, When Milae wrote about you in her lifexperimentblog; she gave me the motivation and information to try and win a workout contest with Chape Fitness. She’s twigged me on to several new things but I have to say that winning this contest and being able to work out and chat with you for months has changed my life forever!  I want to thank you both for this golden opportunity! I might as well tell you; I’ve told everyone I know or meet about it🎉 I sent you a before and after photo. 😊🌟I cannot begin to tell you how wonderful I feel; all thanks to you and your online methods.

Glenda last summer
Before
Glenda May 19
After
I wanted to share with you a couple of the things that have made all the difference in my personal success. The first one being the DAILY DIARY of food intake.  Filling in the diary daily has made me study my intake of healthy food! Knowing that you were keeping up with it was like having a close friend to rely on to keep you on track. I love the variation in workouts so that every part of me was getting stronger! The weekly measurements became so exciting because I knew I was going to see improvements. I loved that you week by gave me body fat % and muscle % and improvements were on paper as well on and in me. I love that my husband and friends comment about the improvements in my size, my appearance overall and my self-confidence. I love that some of my small VERY young friends enjoy exercising with me. “Look what I can do, Gaga! ( the name little ones call me) Can you do this? “ and at close to 67; I can keep up, easily! The other amazing thing about all this that I had a minor injury before we started that we had to deal with an eye surgery, which I expected to really slow down my progress. But David, you told me how to handle my diet and changed my workout my workouts to meet my needs and my progress continued!!! I hope you can share some of my thoughts with others to encourage them to change their lives, too! THANK YOU !! THANK YOU MORE THAN I CAM EXPRESS FOR MY HEALTH!!!! ❤️Glenda K. I am sad my time is almost up BUT I plan to sign up and continue working with you in the fall!  

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Here are some ways to create a new you by Constance Ray

We’re now well into the new year, and how have your resolutions fared? Perfectly well, we’re sure. But in case you want to make 2018 the new year of you, here are some ways to make self-improvement a priority in your life. Just work on these few things, and you will feel like a new person in no time.

 

Join a gym — You know you need to exercise more, and you know a gym will help you do it. Start shopping around for a place to workout. Look for affordability, location and offerings. If you’re a person who likes group fitness classes, don’t join a gym with a weak offering. If you like weights, try to find one where bodybuilders and powerlifters workout. If you like having a personal trainer, check to see that the ones who work with that gym are certified. Most gyms will let you try it out first, so give it a whirl before you sign up. You should feel comfortable.

 

Upgrade your wardrobe — If you’ve been lounging around in jeans and sweatpants your whole adult life, it might be time to start looking like a grown professional. Just buy a couple of pieces every paycheck, and you won’t have to break the bank. Also, try to find pieces that can be mixed and matched with some stuff you already have, so you aren’t stuck with the same exact outfit over and over. Shop thrift shops and consignment sales, and you’re bound to find some great buys!

 

Kick that addiction — If you’ve struggled with addiction to drugs or alcohol and are now working on getting clean, there are ways to enhance your chances of staying that way. Studies have shown that diet and exercise can be a great boost to staying free of addiction. Yoga and meditation can also help you become more centered.

 

Quit smoking — This is the year you’ll do it! You know you need to, and you know it won’t be easy. Talk to your doctor about the best way to quit. She knows the latest in smoking cessation methods and which ones are backed by studies. She might offer to prescribe medication to make quitting easier, or she might direct you to a local support program. There are so many ways to quit, that if one doesn’t work for you, you can always try another. Just imagine all the money you’ll save. Don’t give up on your lungs.

 

Take some personal time — If you’ve been neglecting yourself for the sake of others, try to make some time for yourself. Go to a spa, get a facial, a mani-pedi and get your hair done. You don’t have to do it all at once, but taking time for yourself is important. It will help you stay refreshed so you can go about your day, as well as help reduce stress.

 

Get creative — Take an art class, write a book, start coloring or work on a long-forgotten project. Using the creative part of your brain will help you focus better on your daily life and boost your overall happiness. It forces you to use a part of your brain that you may not use very often, which is always good for continuing development. Some studies show that art education can even benefit you physically.

 

When you set a goal to improve yourself, you are committing to a better life. And who doesn’t want that? Take each goal a little at a time, and you’ll start to notice your success as you go. The more you take care of yourself, you increase the odds of living longer and living better. Don’t give up on your dreams: You can make this your best year ever.

Constance Ray

Constance Ray

Constance Ray started Recoverywell.org with the goal of creating a safe place for people to share how addiction has affected them, whether they are combating it themselves or watching someone they care about work to overcome it. The goal is to share stories of hope from survivors who know that the fight against addiction is one worth having, because no matter how it affects you, life can get better.

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The Priority Training Principle

The Priority Training Principle

Priority training is a Weider´s training principle, used when a muscle (or muscle group) is not developing at the same rate as the rest of the body. The difference between a good physique and a great physique is proportion, balance and symmetry.

The ideal physique is symmetrical, the upper and lower body are in proportion, and there are no muscles which stand out to the eye as over or under-developed in relation to the others. Unfortunately, the body doesn’t always develop evenly.  After a few months of starting a regular training program, most people have already noticed that some muscles grow faster than others. 

Two main factors cause this unbalanced muscle development:
  1. Genetics: meaning that even if you’re diligent about training every muscle equally with the same amount of intensity and consistency, you’ll probably see some muscles fall behind others. That’s simply your body following its natural genetic pattern.
  2. There’s also a natural (unconscious) behavior. Most people give certain muscles special treatment, while other muscles are neglected. The body parts you don’t focus on, your least favorite body parts, or the exercises you find most difficult or unpleasant often get left to last and trained as an afterthought, or blown off completely. If you recognize errors like these and correct them, you can develop outstanding proportion, balance and symmetry.
Balanced body
The good news is, even the most stubborn muscles can be improved by working hard and using the right training strategies. It’s all about making weaker muscle groups your top priority. Amateurs focus too much on their strengths. Priority training is a principle used to improve muscles that lag behind the others. 
 
Here is where priority training begins: with honest assessment. Your first assessment is right in the mirror and you can do that immediately. Next come photos, videos and the opinions of fellow athletes, trusted friends and expert coaches.
Once you’ve identified body parts to prioritize, you’re ready to start making changes to your workout schedule and using priority training techniques. In some cases, this means training completely the opposite of the way you’re used to. That will take an open mind and willingness to change your training habits.
 
Priority training is not a single tactic, but a group of them, designed with one purpose: to put more attention, energy and effort into training the lagging body parts until they come into balance with the rest of your physique. 
 
Here, you’ll find the best priority training techniques that I’ve used and which I’ve taught to my clients over the years. These are classic techniques, dating back to the Weider era, so they’ve been tested and proven for years. Some people start by choosing the one strategy that seems most logical or appropriate based on their situation. But keep in mind, to get better results, you can attack your weak areas using multiple strategies.

1. Change the order of your exercises (train your weak body parts first)

Whatever you train first in your workout usually gets trained the hardest simply because you have more energy and strength at the start of the workout. Whatever you do last in the workout is usually trained with the least effort.
 
Change the order of the exercises in your workout so that the body part that needs the most work is done first, when you are mentally and physically the freshest. Never train your weak body parts last.

2. Change exercises to emphasize specific parts of a muscle.

A muscle has different sides, angles or facets. Some muscles are more complex than others, with fibers that fan out in multiple angles or which have separate heads with different tendon attachment points.
 
For example, the deltoids are well known for being multi-angular with distinct movement patterns for the front, side and rear portion of the muscle.
 
How much you can isolate individual heads of each muscle is controversial, but we know it’s possible to place some added emphasis on different portions of a muscle by choosing the exercises that best activate those portions. 
If you carefully choose the exercises to work the part of the muscle that needs the most work, that one simple change, combined with persistence, can bring everything into balance and create an impressive muscle from any angle.

3. Use a body part split routine with dedicated days for your high priority muscles

Full body workouts are popular, effective and ideal for beginners, for anyone with strength goals or limited days per week to train. There’s nothing wrong with full body training in those cases.
 
However, body part split training is ideal in the case of priority training to bring up a weak muscle, it’s one of the best strategies. You simply choose or create a custom split routine that gives you an entire day dedicated to your prioritized muscle group.

4. Increase your training intensity for your prioritized body parts

This simply means putting more physical and mental effort into every set and every rep. The whole idea of priority training is that you don’t push harder for every exercise or body part; you conserve your energy and put the extra effort only into your prioritized body parts.

5. Increase the volume (more exercises, more sets)

Usually, when you think of progressive overload, you think of increasing how much weight you lift. But another way to increase overload is simply do more sets (increase the volume). That could be more sets of the same exercise, or additional exercises.
 
For priority training, simply do more sets for the lagging body part. More is not always better, but as long as you have the time to do more sets and to recover from the added volume, this is a simple and effective way to increase growth.

6. Train overdeveloped body parts with less volume, intensity or frequency

Although most of these strategies revolve around working harder on the body parts you want to improve, it is entirely possible that to balance your physique to the proportions and symmetry you want, you may also need to back off training your most well-developed muscle groups.
 
It’s ok to train some muscle groups harder, and at the same time train others lighter, if they are already highly developed.

7. Mentally train yourself to focus on improving your priority body part

Mental training is a vital part of achieving your muscle-building or fat loss goals. In the case of priority training, it’s important because many people develop negative belief systems about their “weak” body parts (often blaming them too much on genetics).
 
The mental training starts with believing it’s possible to grow and change your body. You must visualize it and mentally see yourself training hard and growing into exactly what you want to look like. 
 
Change everything to the positive. What you used to call a weak or lagging body part, you can start calling it a priority body part. Stop thinking about it as weak.

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