Posts Tagged ‘weight training’

How to Use Printable Workout Logs to Your Advantage

Sunday, January 10th, 2010

There are a number of different things that you can do which will help to enhance the amount of growth that you see when you go to the gym.  One thing that you might want to consider carrying on a regular basis is one of the printable workout logs that are available.  These can not only help you to see your progress as far as your immediate growth is concerned, it can also help to give you a glance into the past and see your progress over time.  Both of these are an excellent way to motivate yourself and to continue growing in the gym.

The difficulty is, there are so many different printable workout logs that are available, it can really be difficult to decide on which one you are going to use.  The majority of them are downloadable off of the Internet, and can easily be manipulated, depending on the program that was used in order to create them.  For example, Excel spreadsheets that are made into printable workout logs can easily be manipulated to your exact workout.  A PDF, on the other hand, is usually something that you can only print out as is.

You also need to keep in mind what type of workout it is that you’re going to be doing.  For example, a printable workout log that is for a cardiovascular workout and is going to be much different than one which is used for weight training.  Personally, I split my time at the gym and do a little bit of cardio and a lot of weight training and opposing days.  That is why I have two printable workout logs that I carry with me in my gym bag so that I always have them available.

Once you begin to log information from your workouts, you’re going to find that it is easy to tell how you are progressing.  One thing that you want to make sure that you do, however, is to be as detailed as possible whenever filling out the information.  You should not only write down things such as the amount of reps that you are going where the amount of weight that you’re lifting but also record how you were feeling that day and perhaps what you had to eat before you came in to the gym.  All of these things can really help you to nail down exactly why you’re feeling the way that you are feeling and can help you to enhance your workouts overall.

From time to time, it is also a good idea for you to mix up your workout in order to keep your body guessing.  It is a good idea for you to look for a new workout log from time to time in order to switch your workout.  This is an excellent way for you to realize new growth in the gym, especially if you have hit a plateau.  By switching up the exercises that you are doing, you keep your body from getting accustomed to the exercises that you regularly do.

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Weight Training Routines That Really Build Muscle

Thursday, December 17th, 2009

If you have read anything that I have ever written before, you would probably already know that I am a large fan of doing weight training routines that are a little bit different than what the mainstream media tends to push at us regularly.  If you follow my advice and train regularly by doing these routines, you will not only see massive growth in your muscles but you will also be able to tell that you are getting stronger, each and every time that you go to the gym.

I know that sounds a little bit out of the question, but the simple fact of the matter is that many of us are doing weight training routines that are not really benefiting us as much as they possibly could.  It is true, however, that almost any type of weight training that you are going to do is going to benefit your body in some way or another but most of us want to be able to see the maximum amount of results for the efforts that we put into it.  That is why I usually recommend that you do high-intensity training and that you get more than enough rest in between times did you go to the gym.

Introducing High Intensity Training

If you have never tried high-intensity as one of your weight training routines, you are really missing out on something that can push your body to the next level.  The unfortunate thing is, it seems to be something that is lost, for the most part, amidst a sea of information that comes to us in the bodybuilding magazines.  Most of them are telling us to push our body five days or more per week, perhaps even working out for hours at a time.  Is that necessary?

If you do high-intensity interval training for your weight training routines, you will not only be able to get more done in less time you will actually find that your only spending about a half hour per week at the gym.  Yes, you read that right, 30 minutes per week is all that is necessary in order to see massive growth.

The Colorado Experiment

You have probably heard about the Colorado experiment before but many people simply push this aside as being either something that only worked in a freakish sort of way or perhaps something that was overstated in order to make it sound more important.  The simple fact of the matter is, however, these basic principles that were set forth in the Colorado experiment not only work well for the average person in the gym it works very well.

During the Colorado experiment, two individuals, one that was athletic but had become sick and another that was average athletic worked out a maximum of 2 times per week, doing anywhere from six to eight different exercises per workout.  They worked the entire body and each set that they did was done to absolute failure and not repeated.

Along with the workouts that they were doing, they ate an extraordinary amount of food, packing in as much as they possibly could in order to feed the body that they were trying to build.  The results?  One of the men gained 34 pounds of muscle in a month while the other gained about 18.  Yes, some of this may be attributed to muscle memory but not all of it.

How Is It Done?

The type of weight training routines that most people do will have them doing anywhere from eight to 12 repetitions over three sets and perhaps even hitting the same set of muscles with another three sets of a different exercise.  With high intensity training, however, you’re going to do one set of exercises to complete failure.

One of the most important aspects of high-intensity training, and one that tends to be overlooked with other types of exercise is that each movement that you do must be slow and controlled.  You’re going to lift for five and then do your negative for five.  The negative is an extremely important part of becoming stronger and making sure that your muscles are worked to their maximum potential.

The Importance of Rest

One of the interesting things about working out in this way is the fact that you’re going to want to rest up to a week before getting back into the gym again.  If you go to the gym and do not recognize some kind of an advancement in either your strength or size, you did not rest enough.  Remember, we don’t get stronger whenever we are lifting we get stronger whenever we are resting and preparing to go back into lift again.

This is where most people tend to have a difficult time with these type of weight training routines.  They feel as if their muscles are going to waste away to nothing if they are not in the gym every day pumping iron.  Don’t believe it, it quite simply is not true.  Your body needs this rest in order to build itself back up to withstand the abuse that you’re going to put it through again.  Get the rest and grow.

Don’t Forget to Eat

No mention of these types of weight training routines would be complete without talking about the importance of eating the right types of foods.  Not only do you need to eat clean but you need to make sure that you are eating enough in order to fuel the body that you are building.  It takes an extreme amount of energy in order to build your body up in this way and the only way they can get that energy is through the foods that you are eating.

You should also make sure that you eat as balanced and clean of a diet as possible, one that would include plenty of raw fruits and vegetables.  These will give you the basic building blocks that you need in order to push your body to the next level and to build muscles as never before.

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