Happy New Year! Hope you made it through the holidays with flying colors.
Now... only 30 days left in this contest... are you gonna be the winner?
There's still time to give it your all!
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There are so many different ways to exercise. So many beneficial activities to choose from. So many aspects to focus on.
If you're attacking an exercise plan on your own, what are YOU focusing on?
I hope that you're emphasizing quality over quantity. Don't get me wrong - you should have a significant quantity of activity scheduled into every week. Five hours a week is a good goal to shoot for, as per my last email to you.
However, after you've scheduled your weekly exercise sessions, intensity should rule over duration.
The majority of the time, cardio should be short and intense, NOT long and easy. Strength training should be challenging, difficult, and filled with strenuous compound, multiple joint exercises - not a walk in the park. You should always be trying to do one more rep than you did last time, or lift a little more weight than before. The challenge should progressively increase as you get progressively stronger, more conditioned, and more fit!
Ladies, don't be afraid of lifting heavier weights - you will NOT bulk up! Eating too much will cause you to bulk up. Lifting heavy weight while eating a controlled amount (dieting) will simply help you keep your precious, fat-burning muscle. So, stop doing so many reps with that little, wimpy weight!
Men, lifting heavier weights is definitely a goal - but make sure you're doing the movement with absolutely no momentum and with perfect form and control. Only when you've mastered the exercise perfectly with your current weights should you move up to a more challenging weight. It really is more important to do your lifts properly then it is to say you lift a certain amount. Be smart so that you can prevent injury and keep progressing up, up, UP!
Challenging weight training sessions and intense interval training sessions will keep your metabolism elevated long after you finish your exercise session. So, by the time your metabolism returns to normal, it'll be time for your next bout of exercise!
So, if your goal is to keep your metabolism elevated as much as possible over each 24-hour period, and to get the most out of your exercise, then you should be incorporating intensity. That means - each and every one of you should be working harder! No question about it. No debate. No "but, I like doing exercise for a longer time at a lower level". I don't care!
If you've been focusing on exercise duration and you haven't gotten to where you want with your body yet, then you're obviously not focusing on the right thing!
Plus - we don't have a lot of time nowadays. It'll be much easier for you to miss a long training session than one that's short and sweet.
So, give intervals a try if you haven't yet. Lift more weight. Work harder than you ever have before. Make your exercise more efficient (less time in the gym, but more results!). Stop sticking to old-fashioned ideas for what you think works for fat loss - a lot of times, these ideas are no longer relevant! Trust someone who reached a very low percentage of body fat by focusing solely on intensity - on quality. (and on nutrition, of course... but we won't get into that today)
I assure you - intensity is key. If you stick with it, you'll reach your goals.
Challenge over comfort.
Quality over quantity.
Intensity over duration.
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