You may have realized that heart rate monitors are everywhere. That should not be suprising since our heart is the most important muscle in our bodies and most of us are aware of the importance of getting enough cardiovascular exercise.
If we don’t have one we may feel that we are missing critical information to get the most from our workouts. We may be right!
If you are reading this, no doubt you understand the pain associated with gout!
And you definitely would NOT want to do anything to make your suffering worse.
Today, supplements like Shakeology and whey protein are very popular and for many different reasons.
Some use Shakeology and whey protein supplements to achieve weight loss goals and others use them to build muscle.
Either way, I’m sure you are curious whether Shakeology and whey protein supplements are safe for gout sufferers?
Let’s find out! [click here to continue...]
Ready for more traditional, time-consuming workouts this year? Not so fast.
Multiple-hour sweat sessions are so 2013. This year, it’s all about efficiency. Not a minute wasted. Get in, get out, and get on with the rest of your day.
It’s true; shorter, more intense workouts are all the rage. That’s because now you can slash your workout time in half—without sacrificing the results.
Intensity, not duration, that’s the key. And to prove the point, we’ve enlisted the help of two men who pretty much invented the word intensity: Tony Horton and Shaun T.
There’s never been a better time to learn about the benefits of shorter workouts. With the arrival of the FOCUS T25 Challenge Pack and the extension of the P90X3 Challenge Pack in January, you have the tools to get in the best shape of your lives!
The rise in popularity of shorter workouts is no accident. There’s science behind it.
“Studies have shown that shorter workouts can be as effective, or even better than longer workouts,” says Shaun T. “The goal is to make every second and every minute of your workout count.”
A major benefit of shorter workouts is that the most dramatic body transformations happen in the first 30 minutes of exercise. “People are more likely to train harder when the routines are shorter,” Tony Horton teaches. “For example, you’d run a 200 meter race faster than you would a 10k.”
Makes perfect sense. But how will P90X3 and FOCUS T25 do in the long run?
The shorter time frame in programs like P90X3 and FOCUS T25 help eliminate one of the biggest problems with more conventional programs: burnout!
“Burnout happens when your body isn’t prepared to do what you’re asking of it,” cautions Tony. “It also happens when you can’t make the time to do one hour-plus workouts.” He adds, “This is one of the many reasons why we created P90X3. It’s P90X and X2 intensity in just thirty minutes.”
FOCUS T25 is, as the name suggests, 25 minutes. And Shaun says the variety in T25 is the perfect remedy to beat workout boredom. “We constantly change the focus minute by minute so you work one part of the body and rest others,” he says. “That’s what makes it so effective. No nonsense. Just results. 25 minutes and then you’re done!”
So what is it exactly that separates these new programs from the pack?
“P90X3 is very unique because it combines muscle confusion from P90X, muscle integration from P90X2, and muscle acceleration in fast paced workouts,” says Tony. “It’s brutal, but still awesome.”
Shaun serves up a couple reasons why T25 may be your go-to program. “It’s a total body training program combining cardio, resistance, upper and lower body circuits, strength, and core,” he says. “We’ve effectively selected moves and sequences that are necessary to see results. No matter what your age or fitness level, you can do this.”
It’s been well documented that most people fail at their January fitness resolutions. Tony offers up some stats for us. “The average person will abandon their New Year’s resolution between February 15 and March 1,” he says. “The reason for this is that good intentions are not well planned out and become overwhelming after a while.”
That’s where P90X3 and T25 will really shine: Long-term appeal. “The variety, fun, and short duration of X3 allows the user to stay consistent from January 1 through December 31—and beyond!” exclaims Tony.
Shaun explains why T25 will keep you and your customers engaged all year long. “Do it first thing when you get up. During your lunch break. Before dinner or before bed. 25 minutes is doable and manageable. There’s no excuses, people.” You have the time, now get it done.
A very common question. The real answer is, “it depends”. I know, that isn’t the answer you were looking for, but the answer is highly individualized. Physiologically, everyone is different and we all react to physical exertion differently. Some of us are early birds, some night owls and some fall somewhere in between.
What do I recommend? I recommend working out first thing in the morning. Why?
Those 3 things are important to me!
Exercise is known to increase levels of dopamine, serotonin and norepinephrine (neurotransmitters that affect mood). With those rushing through my body in the morning and with the added satisfaction of completing a workout, my day starts off AWESOMELY!
Having the workout completed first thing also relaxes me a little. I don’t have to worry about a looming workout after a LOOONG day of work. After my workout, I can just focus on my diet, making sure I get in 5 well-balanced meals throughout the day (Also checkout What Do I Eat?).
The reality of the issue AND the important thing in choosing a workout time is: Choose a time that works for YOU!
If you need help in figuring out the schedule or the meal plan surrounding a workout, just let me know!
So you have been working out 4, 5, 6 days in a row! You are on a roll. Now there is a “rest day” scheduled. What do you do? Can you skip the “rest day”? Should you skip the “rest day”?
Well, whether you are training with resistance or cardio, you are working your muscles. And if you are working your muscles every day without resting, you won’t grow, you won’t get strong and you may even get injured.
Resistance creates microtrauma in the muscles and these small tears get rebuilt with new muscle (which is the cause of growth and increase in strength). If you work these muscles constantly, the microtrauma cannot be repaired.
That is why in Beachbody programs you usually have a resistance day and then a cardio day. On cardio days, you are still working your muscles, however in a different manner. You still get that rebuilding of the muscles, however you still are working other parts of your body while getting blood to those areas that need it.
Your body only grows strong at rest. This is not a myth! That is also why a good night’s sleep of 6-8 hours is important!
In order to change your body composition you need to push your body hard, and how hard you push it determines how much rest you need. If you are training hard enough, you need rest days or you will overtrain and see your results go backwards. That is how Beachbody programs are designed and why the rest days are scheduled.
But the reality is that you don’t always train as hard as you can or should be training for a myriad of reasons. Perhaps you just weren’t into the workout or you ran out of time. Maybe you already missed a workout. Well, when this is the case, you can skip those rest days and make them a workout day! Over time you’ll learn to identify when you need to rest.