How do you know when you are working at a higher intensity? We have a built in mechanism that gauges that for us. It is called our heart rate. Many experienced athletes and fitness enthusiasts can tell when they are pushing themselves intuitively but others should acquire a heart rate monitor. At the end of the article I have listed the top rated monitors available at Amazon.com. The constant change in heart rate is very beneficial for our bodies because of the indirect effect that it has on our EPOC levels. EPOC stands for excess post-exercise oxygen consumption. EPOC occurs when the body’s metabolism is elevated for an extended period after exercise.

The intensity of the exercise is directly correlated with EPOC levels. Here’s a good motto to live by in regards to interval training; work harder don’t work longer. When you push your body for those brief but intense spurts it will continue to burn calories after the training session in order to replenish energy supplies. During training, you will have likely depleted all of your muscle glycogen (stored carbohydrates) and your muscles will need energy. The muscles begin to breakdown fat to restore their energy in a process called fat oxidation. We will go into more detail about fat oxidation later next week.

Five of the most popular heart rate monitors and a body fat analyzer to track your results:

If this post has helped you in anyway, please feel free to make a donation to our “Lose Weight, Save A Child” fitness challenge. We are raising money to help those who need it the most. Thank you.

How can you beat the odds? Outlined below are 8 things that you can do to ensure your success when beginning an exercise program. I have studied the habits of the people who have succeeded with their weight loss goals and noticed they performed many of the same activities. All of them didn’t do everything on this list but did most of them. That’s the beauty of diet and exercise. It’s not what you do all of the time, it’s what you do most of the time. Here’s the list:

1. Begin with the end in mind- Stephen Covey popularized this saying with his landmark bestseller, The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People. Beginning with the end in mind means knowing where you want to go in life and progressively taking steps towards that goal. Having a clearly defined vision of where you want to go is the key to any success. Nobody wakes up and accomplishes anything significant by accident. If you want to get in shape, figure out where you want be then focus on what you have to do to get there. Begin to draw up a blueprint of what you will have to do, what you will have to sacrifice, and why it is significant to you. He who has a strong enough why can bare any how. Also, figure out what is standing in between you and your goal. Knowing what obstacles or challenges you will have to overcome can help you adjust your plans accordingly.

2. Be Committed – After you have set your goal, be 100% committed to reaching it. I don’t care what life throws in your way keep your eyes on the prize. Be prepared to go over, under, around, or through any obstacle. When obstacles get in the way, change your route to reach your goal but not your resolve to reach your goal.

3. Keep a journal - You can’t manage what you can’t measure. How do you know if you’re doing the right things? Contrary to popular belief, the best way to tell doesn’t have to do with scales or measurements. Of course the results are a measure of the strength of the effort, but you must make sure you are on the right path. The best way to to know if you are on the right track is to focus on your activity. When you keep a journal for exercise/ nutrition you hold yourself accountable. That way you can always look back to see what you did to get in shape or what you didn’t do to get in shape. It’s easy to lose track of what you ate or how many times you workout during the week unless you write it down. I recommend you write in your journal daily. If you don’t think it is something you can do long term, try it for 30 days. I guarantee that you will find you’re more productive in those 30 days keeping track of what you do.

4. Prioritize your workouts – This ties in with being committed. At the beginning of each week, schedule your workouts. During those times, let everyone (including family) know that you are off limits. Anyone who cares about you should not complain about your unavailability for one hour a day four times per week. If they do, drop them! No, seriously though, I was once told that love is wanting the greatest good for someone else. Your family will be understanding and supportive of you in your fitness quest.

5. Find a workout partner – Finding a workout partner can be very beneficial to you. There is someone else to hold you accountable for showing up to the gym. Some days you may not want to go but will show up because you don’t want to let someone else down. They can help spot you on difficult exercises and give a much needed push when you are ready to quit. Personally, I am always in my best shape and at my strongest when I have a workout partner. There is one point to keep in mind about workout partners. You are at the gym to exercise not socialize! Spend a few minutes talking about your day, family, work, etc. before you start working out or save it for the cool down. You should keep small talk to a minimum between sets especially since you will be alternating equipment. While your partner works you rest and when you work your partner rests.

6. Train with the proper intensity level – This has to be the biggest mistake most people make when they are at the gym. They either workout with weights that are too much to handle or to little to make a difference. The former is typically committed by the males in the gym. We pride ourselves on our strength and athleticism but check your ego at the door of the weight room. Lifting too much weight than you are ready for will probably not benefit you. You will probably start to recruit other muscles to help lift the weight which can turn an isolation exercise into a full body workout. You will work up a sweat but won’t see any results. Even worse, you can possibly set yourself up for injury. I’ll tell you like my old high school coach told me; “Focus on weight and you’ll impress some guys in the gym, focus on technique and you’ll impress the girls on the beach”. That was enough for me, I’ve been refining my technique ever since! The best thing about lifting with proper form is that you will eventually become stronger than someone who just throws up weights recklessly. After a while, their progress will halt due to injury, muscle imbalances, and/or lack of stabilizer strength.

The latter mistake is done by everyone. Lifting a weight for 15 reps when you could have done 25 is a waste. Not only is that weight to light to trigger any significant adaption besides endurance, you didn’t fully challenge the muscle. Muscle growth occurs as a response to a stimulus, an overload. Many women lift very light weights because of a fear of bulking up like a man. In 99.2% of the women out there, this is not a valid concern. Women lack the amounts of testosterone needed to pack on as much muscle as the fellas. Even still most of the guys who they picture are professional bodybuilders who are using many “substances” to get that size. In my years, I have yet to meet an overdeveloped natural bodybuilder. Also, it is more than just training and rep ranges. You have to factor in your diet as well. Don’t eat like a horse if you don’t want to look like a pig.

7. Periodization – Periodization is the division of a training program into smaller, progressive stages. It sounds like an oxymoron but changing your routine up every few months prevents you from falling into a routine. Your body will keep adapting as long as you keep providing fresh stimulus. Have you seen people who go to the gym religiously and run an hour on the treadmill but can’t lose the pounds? It’s because their body has adapted to the workout. To keep seeing results and to stay motivated, change things up every 8-10 weeks at the max. Focus on endurance one month, strength the next, and so on.

8. Look forward to your workout – This is the final piece of advice. Don’t dread going to the gym like it is some type of chore. It is an active investment in your health and well being. Think about it like this, for every hour you spend in the gym, you are adding an extra day to your lifespan. Look at it in monetary terms, for every dollar you put in the bank you get twenty four back. That’s an awesome return you won’t find anywhere else. Factor in the magic of compound interest a.k.a working out continuously over the years and it gets even better. Start investing in your health today!

If this post has helped you in anyway, please feel free to make a donation to our “Lose Weight, Save A Child” fitness challenge. We are raising money to help those who need it the most. Thank you.

Your workouts should be a blend of cardio and resistance training. If you have an hour for the gym, 30-40 minutes should be used weight training and do cardio for the remaining 20-30 minutes. Begin your workout with a 5-10 minute cardiovascular warm up to get blood flowing to the muscles and to raise your body temperature. This will help reduce the chance of injury. Unless you have a muscle imbalance, save your stretching for after the workout. There is plenty of research showing that stretching before lifting weights reduces the strength of the muscle and its overall performance.

A good training split to follow is: Upper-Lower-Rest-Upper-Lower-Rest-Rest, rinse and repeat. On days labeled “Upper” you will focus on upper body exercises exclusively. Stick with compound movements that target the large muscle groups (chest and back). Do about 3-4 exercises each for chest and back, 2 exercises for shoulders/traps, and 2-3 for biceps and triceps. Abdominal and core training can be done with upper body or lower body but should not be done everyday. Many people will say that you can train abs everyday. You can, but how effective will it be? Your muscles don’t grow in the gym. The gym provides the stimulus for growth but it is your rest time outside the gym and good nutritional habits that will build lean tissue.

Lower body days will focus on your legs. Incorporate some balance and reactive (plyometric) training. Don’t forget to do single-leg exercises regularly to prevent muscle imbalances. It is estimated that some people who do bilateral exercises exclusively can have an imbalance with one leg up to 10% stronger than the other. This can lead to an awkward looking size difference or injury. Try to do around 8-12 total exercises during leg day. Play with the rep ranges frequently but try to stay in the 8-15 range for legs. From my personal experience, I have noticed that they respond better to slightly higher reps. That could be do to their constant use and supporting our body-weight on a daily basis.

To have your fitness questions answered, go to our contact page and type “Ask the Alchemist” in the subject line. Ask us any question you have regarding fitness and nutrition. Each week 2 questions will be selected and a response will be posted.

If this post has helped you in anyway, please feel free to make a donation to our “Lose Weight, Save A Child” fitness challenge. We are raising money to help those who need it the most. Thank you.

Most of our clients have one of the following things to say about their bum: 1) Help! My bum is too big; 2) Help! My bum is too saggy; or 3) Help! My bum is too flat.

Now let’s tackle each of these challenges with solutions that will give you the best booty ever!

I. Help! My bum is too big.
If you are suffering from an over sized behind then do the following 3 fat-blasting workouts to reduce, tighten and shape your bum.

Fat-Blaster #1: Run

Running is a great way to burn off extra body fat while developing strong glutes. Follow these 4 tips to target your glutes while running:

1. To target your glutes focus on extending your hips and keeping your chest lifted.
2. Roll all the way forward onto your toes with each step, in order to engage more of your glutes.
3. Run up hills, stairs, or on the treadmill at an incline.
4. Run on a sandy beach or gravel path – the uneven surface forces you to work harder to stabilize your lower body.

Fat-Blaster #2: Elliptical

The elliptical works well for streamlining your behind – but only when used properly. Follow these 4 tips to get the most from your elliptical workout:

1. Posture matters. Don’t drape your upper body over the front of the elliptical machine – this will bring the focus to your quads and lower back instead of your glutes. Instead keep your back straight and posture good.
2. Put the incline of your machine higher than seven percent. This will ensure that the emphasis is on your glutes instead of your quads.
3. Push down with your heels with each stride. Also sink down into a squat for 30 second intervals while striding.
4. Let go of the handles. This will force your core to stabilize you.

Fat-Blaster #3: Swim

Swimming laps is a sure way to burn tons of calories. Follow these 4 tips to get the most from your time in the pool:

1. Start each lap with an explosive push from the wall. Place the soles of your feet flat against the side of the pool, bend your knees and explode forward with your legs.
2. Use flippers. Sounds silly, but try a few laps with a kickboard and flippers and you’ll quickly feel the intense emphasis on your glutes.
3. Vary your kick. Go from flutter to froggy kicks to target all of your glutes.
4. Try some in-water squat jumps: stand in chest-level water with feet shoulder width apart, toes turned out. Bend your knees and lower your hips down then explode upward, pushing through your heels.

II. Help! My bum is too saggy.
The solution to a saggy bottom is to target your glutes. Try the following 3 bum-lifting exercises at home – these require no equipment.

Bum-Lifting Exercise #1: Hyperextension with leg curl
Lie facedown on the floor with your arms extended above your head and knees together. Bend your knees and curl your heels toward your glutes, contracting your glutes. Lower your feet back toward the floor, raise your chest and shoulders up and hold for one count before returning to the start position. Do 15 repetitions.

Bum-Lifting Exercise #2: Plank pull
Get into a plank position with hands directly under your shoulders and feet spaced shoulder width apart. Contract your core, lift your left leg with flexed foot, then raise your heel up in a quick motion for 15 reps. Keep your core contracted throughout the exercise and back flat. Repeat with right leg.

Bum-Lifting Exercise #3: Side-lying bicycle
Lie on your right side with your elbow directly under your shoulder and legs stacked on top of each other. Bend your right knee back slightly. Lift your left leg about 6 inches into the air, then draw if forward to a 90 degree angle, keeping your foot flexed. Swing your leg back, pointing your toe and extending your lower back. Do 15 repetitions and then repeat with right leg.

III. Help! My bum is too flat.
In order to build a shapely behind you’ll need to head to the gym. The following 3 booty-building exercises will give your bum a serious shape-changing workout.

Booty-Building Exercise #1: Dumbbell Squat
Place your feet wider than shoulder width apart, and turn toes out. Hold a dumbbell in each hand at your sides. Inhale as you squat down, keeping your back straight and tummy pulled in. Exhale as you press up through your heels and return to a standing position. Do 15 repetitions.

Booty-Building Exercise #2: Dumbbell Lunge
Stand with feet together and a dumbbell in each hand at your sides. Inhale as you lunge forward, keeping your lunging knee directly over your ankle. Exhale as you push off with your lunging heel, and return to the starting position. Do 15 repetitions and repeat on the other leg.

Booty-Building Exercise #3: Straight-legged Deadlift
Stand with feet shoulder width apart, a dumbbell in each hand with palms facing your thighs. Inhale as you bend forward at the hips, keeping your back flat. Lower the dumbbells down until you feel a pull in your hamstrings. Keep the dumbbells close to your legs as you exhale and straighten your legs, focusing on contracting your glutes. Do 15 repetitions.

Want to get your best booty as quickly as possible? Call or email me now to get started on a unique fitness program that will get you on the fast track to your best booty ever.