Category: Gay Fitness

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What Are Metabolic Conditioning Workouts And What They Do

What Are Metabolic Conditioning Workouts

Metabolic conditioning workouts, which are also referred to as High Intensity Interval Training (HIIT) teach the body to access energy stores effectively during and after a workout. These workouts consist of lifting moderate to heavy weights or performing callisthenics in sets with targeted timed recovery breaks. This style of exercise elevates the heart rate quickly, adding a cardio component to the strength training regimen, and causes the body to burn fat rapidly.

How Do They Work?

The body accesses energy based on the activity being performed. There are rapid, moderate, and slow energy burning modes within the metabolism. Metabolic Conditioning activates them synchronistically to maximize caloric burn.

Quick Energy

Power exercises, which are performed quickly, 10 seconds or less, utilize the creatine phosphate pathway to supply the body’s energy needs. Directing a lot of energy quickly to perform this type of exercise, for example a power lift, like the clean and jerk, is very demanding. The intensity of the activity requires a longer recovery time of about three to five minutes.

Moderate Burn

Intense activities of short duration, one to four minutes, access the glycolytic pathway. Examples of activities, which activate this energy pathway, are a lifting weights and running 400m to 800m. Recovery time for this energy pathway is one to three minutes.

Slow Burn

The aerobic energy pathway is the one most discussed and best understood by the average person. It supports activities of easy to moderate intensity. This energy pathway draws on stored fat cells to fuel the body’s activities. It can engage for hours. The rich fuel source of this energy pathway, fat cells, means its recovery time measures in seconds.

The variety of exercises involved in a Metabolic Conditioning workout, the level of intensity applied to them and the duration of recovery periods determines which energy pathway becomes activated. The objective of the exercises in a given session also determines the recovery period allowed for each exercise.

For example, doing bicep curls with a low weight, but high repetitions will access the aerobic or slow burn pathway. Since the objective of this type of workout is to keep the body in an adaptive mode, all the energy pathways become engaged at some point during the workout.

Results

Metabolic Conditioning workouts can be crafted to maximize desired outcomes: weight loss and fat burning, muscle growth, improved speed, power or endurance. They also provide faster results, because they apply knowledge of the body’s energy systems strategically.

Work and rest ratios should be applied to ensure the desired results:

Objective: Improve power
Focus: creatine phosphate pathway
Work to rest ratio: 1:10

Objective: Improve sports performance
Focus: creatine phosphate pathway
Work to rest ratio: 1:2

Objective: Improve endurance performance
Focus: aerobic pathway
Work to rest ratio: 4:1

Objective: Burn body fat
Focus: targets the creatine phosphate and aerobic pathways
Work to rest ratio: 1:2 and 3:1 workouts each performed once a week

Creating A Workout

Creating a workout is pretty straightforward. For example, weighted squats for power performance would be performed for 10 seconds followed by 1.5 to 2 minutes of rest. Three more power-building exercises, plyometric jumps, broad jumps and plyometric push-ups, would follow to form a circuit; each of the exercises would be completed with the same work to rest ratio. One set of all exercises included in a session forms a circuit. The circuit is usually completed 3 to 4 times.

Implementing Metabolic Conditioning Workouts

Metabolic Conditioning must be done at least two to three times per week to see results. This approach to exercise activates all three of the body’s energetic pathways during one workout. It is this component of the workout, which makes it so effective.

In addition, the post workout calorie burn associated with these types of workouts last up to 36 hours following exercise, and that is what makes this type of workout routine one of the best choices for burning fat. The workout needs to include 3 to 4 exercises performed in sets based on time intervals with energy pathway based recovery times.

These are intensive workouts and not ideal for beginners, who should take care and work up to the fitness level required to perform them. It is also important to check with your doctor before starting this type of fitness routine. While they are intensive, their effectiveness and results they provide from very short sessions of exercise make the effort totally worthwhile.

Sample workouts are widely available in fitness forums, online, on workout DVDs, and in magazines.

Photo by Anush Gorak: https://www.pexels.com/photo/man-holding-black-dumbbell-1229356/

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Five Ways A Workout Buddy Serves Your Fitness Goals

workout buddy

It is a well established fact that fitness is an important part of a healthy lifestyle. We hear this all the time from the excerpts, and those of us who engage in regular physical activity know how much better we feel and perform in your everyday lives.

However, finding the proper motivation for working out regularly can be extremely hard. If you’re struggling with this particular issue, then you might want to consider finding someone to be by your side during every training session. Even if you have the proper motivation and work out regularly, you may see some benefits from getting a workout buddy as well.

Having someone next to you while working out will most likely make it a friendly competition, which will help you stay focused on each exercise and will make it easier for you to tap into every bit of energy you have. Ideally, the workout body will also motivate you whenever you’re not in the mood for exercising.

However, before you start convincing the first person that comes into your mind to become your workout partner, you will need to examine a few things. The first reason why you’ll have to be picky is because you will need someone who can keep up with you (or who you can keep up with).

You’ll also have to know that your workout buddy will be reliable and won’t miss a workout just because he or she doesn’t feel like it. However, once you find the right workout partner, you will see how easier it will be to reach your fitness goals.

Here are the five most notable ways a workout buddy will impact your fitness goals.

You’ll Push Yourself To The Limits

A study conducted by the Kansas State University in 2012 found that people who were working out with someone exercised for up to 200% longer and harder than people who worked out by themselves. This is mostly because we are all naturally competitive, so it’s always interesting to see who handles a certain exercise better.
If your workout body is fitter than you, then you will push yourself even harder, as your goal will constantly be to surpass them in physical strength and endurance.

Workouts Will Start Being Really Fun

Hitting the gym or going for a jog are not the only ways you can exercise with your workout buddy, as one-on-one sports are great as well. Playing tennis, squash, or basketball are all great ways to work out without it feeling like a workout.

But, even if you are stuck in a repetitive cycle of running and weightlifting, you will still have someone you can talk to all the time, which will surely make exercising more fun.

You’ll Start Trying Out Different Workout Routines

Don’t expect your workout buddy to have the same interests as you when it comes to work out routines. When you’re both doing your research, you will stumble upon different exercises, and that is definitely a good thing.

Doing one same old workout routine all the time will make you lose motivation, which is why you will always need to spice up your training sessions every once in a while.

You’ll Stop Quitting

We’ve all been there; working out for a month and then taking a year-long break. But knowing that someone you enjoy spending time with will be working out with you will make you look forward to every training session. Because of this, you will be more motivated to stick with exercising.

You’ll Be Able To Afford A Personal Trainer

If you’ve never exercised before and don’t know how to start, then you will need a personal trainer for some time. But, here’s the thing – they’re really expensive. Nevertheless, if you have someone that is also interested in getting fit and is willing to start working out, then you can split the cost and afford a personal trainer.

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How To Succeed at Bodybuilding

How To Succeed at Bodybuilding

There are many reasons why people are attracted to bodybuilding. One of the most popular reasons is that guys like to build big muscles to impress the girls. Bodybuilding is also popular among those who want to lose weight. The reason bodybuilding is good for losing weight is that building muscle increases your metabolism. Increased metabolism helps to burn calories, which in turns takes the weight off.

Some use bodybuilding as a career choice because they love the competitions, intense training and the excitement of the sport. No matter what your reason is for bodybuilding, there are some important things to keep in mind while doing it. It is easy to become confused about what you hear or read concerning bodybuilding, as there are many myths floating around. Knowing truth from myth can help you to make good decisions regarding your workouts that will lead to bodybuilding success.

Proper diet is very important when it comes to sculpting your body. Many people mistakenly think that all fat containing foods are bad and avoid them all together. The truth is that it actually is good to include the proper fats in the right ratio to other food groups to enhance your physical development. Most people underestimate the importance of protein needed by the body when taking part in this sport. The average bodybuilder needs approximately 1.2 g protein for every pound of body weight. Protein is only one of the important nutritional needs of muscle growth, achieving adequate carbohydrate/protein ratio in your diet is also important.

Steroids are not the only way to get the body desired by bodybuilders. Those professionals who value being healthy will tell you that good training principals include the understanding that you need to combine a nutrient-rich diet with the proper amount of rest. This proper combo will give you the edge you need to create the body that family and friends will envy.

Another misconception, especially for those who are just starting out in bodybuilding is that the more you work out the faster you will build muscle. The truth is that you need to rest in between your workout days for optimum results. You need to do an alternate schedule like: workout day, rest day, workout day, rest day. You will also want to build your rep sequence by 5. This combination of workout/rest and increasing the rep sequence will give you the muscle mass that you desire.

Many beginners to bodybuilding will make the mistake of thinking that the more reps you complete or the more equipment time or dumbbell time you log in, the faster you build muscle. A principal of bodybuilding is that it is important to work out until the muscle is fatigued. Each set is different and depending on what exercise you are doing, you may actually fatigue out muscle fibres in one set. You should concentrate on creating the kind of intensity in your workout that will allow you to drop or break-down sets so that you can actually rep out, by lowering the weight and then continue reps until you either cannot complete another rep or you run out of weight.

Knowing the true facts about bodybuilding and incorporating them into your workout plan will give you a healthier, more productive workout. Train your mind to stick to the truth about bodybuilding so that your workout discipline will play out on two levels, your body and your mind.

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Bodybuilding is a Disciplined Art

Bodybuilding is a Disciplined Art

People are interested in bodybuilding for many reasons. The popular one among guys is so to build muscle and look good for the gals. Bodybuilding is popular among those who want to lose weight because building muscle increases your metabolism, which helps you to burn more calories needed to take off extra pounds. Bodybuilding can also be a career for those who love competition, intense training and the thrill of accomplishment. No matter why you decide to join the art of bodybuilding, there are some important aspects of the art that you should keep in mind. It is easy to confuse myth with reality and as with any art form that requires discipline, knowing the true facts can help to keep you on the right track towards success.

Proper diet is very important when it comes to sculpting your body. Many people mistakenly think that all fat containing foods are bad and avoid them all together. The truth is that it actually is good to include the proper fats in the right ratio to other food groups to enhance your physical development. Most people underestimate the importance of protein needed by the body when taking part in this sport. The average bodybuilder needs approximately 1.2 g protein for every pound of body weight. Protein is only one of the important nutritional needs for muscle growth, achieving adequate carbohydrate/protein ratio in your diet is also important.

Using steroids is not the only way to get the body most bodybuilders are envious of. Healthy professional bodybuilders will tell you that using good training principals and understanding the importance of a nutrient-rich diet in combination with the proper amount of rest will give anyone the edge you need to create the body that will be the envy of your family and friends.

Another misconception, especially for those who are just starting out in bodybuilding, is that the more you work out the faster you will build muscle. The truth is that you need to rest in between your workout days for optimum results. You need to do an alternate schedule like: workout day, rest day, workout day, rest day. You will also want to build your rep sequence by 5. This combination of workout/rest and increasing the rep sequence will give you the muscle mass that you desire.

Many who start out will mistakenly think that the more reps you complete or the longer time you spend on the equipment or lifting bells the more muscle you will build. One of the principals of bodybuilding is that you work out until the muscle is fatigued. Each exercise set is different. Depending on what you are doing, you can fatigue out muscle fibres in just one set, if what you are doing completely taxes out the muscle. A good rule of thumb is to create a kind of intensity in your workout where you drop or break-down sets in which you can actually rep out, by lowering the weight and then continuing doing reps until you either cannot do another rep or you run out of weight.

Knowing the true facts about bodybuilding and incorporating them into your workout plan will give you a healthier, more productive workout. Train your mind to stick to the truth about bodybuilding so that your workout discipline will play out on two levels, your body and your mind.

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Bodybuilding Facts

Body Building Facts

Bodybuilding attracts enthusiasts for many reasons. One of the more popular reasons among us is that they love to build those big muscles to impress the girls. Bodybuilding is also a popular way to lose weight because when you build muscle, you increase your metabolism. Metabolism helps to burn calories, and then you lose weight. There are those who do bodybuilding as a career because they enjoy the competitions, intense training and thrill of success. What ever your reason for bodybuilding, there are important aspects of the art that you should keep in mind to be successful. There are plenty of myths surrounding bodybuilding, and sorting truth from myth will help you to be successful.

Understanding proper diet can aid you in bodybuilding. Many people make the mistake of thinking that all foods containing fat are bad for your body when bodybuilding. The real truth is that a proper balance of fat and other food groups can accelerate your physical development. It can also be underestimated concerning how important protein is to the bodybuilder. On average, a bodybuilder should consume 1.2 g of protein per lb. of body weight. Protein is not the only important nutritional component of bodybuilding, achieving the adequate ratio of carbohydrate to protein consumption is also important.

It is not necessary to use steroids to achieve the kind of body, bodybuilders admire. Healthy professional bodybuilders state that there are good training principles that include the importance of having a nutrient-rich diet along with the proper rest. Having both nutrition and rest will create the body that others will envy.

It is also a misconception that those who start bodybuilding may have, and that is that they should work faster or do more reps to build muscle. The truth is that you need to rest and workout for best results. A good schedule is to alternate workout days with rest days. Another good idea is to build your rep sequence by 5. This workout/rest and rep build up by 5 is a good combination to keep in mind to build muscle mass.

Some who first start out will make the mistake of thinking that the more reps you do or the longer time you spend working on the equipment, the more muscle you build. A principal of bodybuilding says that you work out until the muscle is fatigued. Each exercise set you do is different. Depending on what your set is like, it is possible to fatigue out in the first set, if what you do taxes out the muscle. A good rule to follow is to create an intensity in your workout by dropping or break-down sets in which you rep out or lower the weight and then continue to do reps until you either cannot do another rep or you run out of weight.

When you know the true facts about bodybuilding, you can use them in your workout plan to give you a healthier and more productive workout. You can train your mind to follow the truth about bodybuilding, much like you can have the discipline regarding the training of your body. Discipline on two levels – body and mind.