Peripheral Heart Action Training

Want to change up your workout while improving your cardiovascular health and burning more calories? Then try Peripheral Heart Action (PHA) Training. This method of training is similar to circuit training, where you move from one exercise to another with minimal or no rest in between exercises. With PHA Training, however, you alternate between exercises for upper body and lower body. For example, you could start your workout with bench press for chest, followed immediately by leg presses, then onto lat pulldown for back, then hamstring curls, followed by shoulder presses, moving onto calf raises, then doing bicep curls...and so on! This method of training forces the blood to circulate quickly throughout the body, increasing the number of calories your burn and thus decreasing body fat and increasing lean muscle mass. If you have high blood pressure, abnormally low blood pressure, or have limited cardiovascular ability, then this workout is not likely a good choice for you -- check with your doctor. As with all physical conditioning programs, individuals who may be at risk should consult their physician before initiating an exercise program.

Stretching

Recent research has shown that statically stretching your muscles before a workout will not negatively impact your strength. Stretching before your workout can help to loosen up tight muscles and make your workout more effective.

Best Deep Core Exercise

Are you looking to build a strong core, strong lower back and tighten your abdominal area? To do this, your core training should focus on the deepest abdominal muscles such as the transverse abdominis and internal obliques. A recent study has shown that the best exercise to target these deep core muscles is the side plank (also called the horizonal side support). If you want to develop strong abs and back, be sure to include this integral exercise in your workout routine!

For more information about the study results, check out this link: http://www.nasm.org/1/HFPN/Research_Library/Research_Summaries/Core/Changes_in_Deep_Abdominal_Muscle_Thickness_During_Common_Trunk-Strengthening_Exercises_Using_Ultrasound_Imaging/

Quinoa

Looking for an alternative carbohydrate to rice, potatoes or sweet potatoes for your meals? Try quinoa! Quinoa is a grain-like crop which is cooked similarly to rice. The edible Quinoa seeds when cooked are similar to couscous, but have a nuttier flavour. Quinoa has a low glycemic index and has a very high protein content. Also, quinoa has a balanced set of essential amino acids, making it a complete protein source unlike rice or potatoes. Quinoa is a great source of dietary fibre, is gluten-free and easy to digest. Try including quinoa in your meal plan for a change to your usual carbohydrate.

Kettlebells

Have you heard about kettlebells? Maybe you have seen them at your gym -- they look like cast iron cannon balls with handles on top. While kettlebells have been around for decades, they are making a comeback in many gyms. They can be used for improving strength, endurance and power and are primarily used in total body compound movements. Incorporating kettlebells into your workout can be a good way to bring in some new, fun exercises to your routine. If not use correctly, however, kettlebells may be potentially dangerous -- so be sure to get the appropriate training from your personal trainer or a knowledgeable gym staff member before using them!

Spot Training for Fat Reduction

Many people still think that it is possible to "spot train" for reducing body fat. You will often see people doing exercises for certain body areas where they want to lose fat. The main region targeted is the abdominal region. People have the belief that the key to getting a set of "6-pack" abs is doing abdominal exercises such as crunches. While "spot training" will help to build muscular strength and size in specific areas, this does not work for fat reduction. Doing a million crunches might help strengthen and develop the abdominal muscles, but it will do little to reduce the body fat that is on top of those abdominal muscles. To lose fat, the reality is that you must burn more calories than you consume. In order to burn one pound of fat, you must be in a caloric deficit of 3500 calories per week - equivalent to burning approximately 500 calories more than what you consume per day. Your genetics will determine where the fat stores will be depleted first. If fat in your target regions such as the abs, thighs or butt does not seem to go away, then the primary areas that you need to address are diet/nutrition and cardiovascular training. Doing those extra crunches won't melt that abdominal fat!

Changing Your Workout Routine

A question that I'm often asked is "How often should I change my workout routine?" In general, it is important to change your workout periodically to prevent getting stuck on a plateau. If you do not, then your body and muscles will become used to the exercises that you are doing. Your body adapts to the stresses that you place on it, so it makes sense that you need to change those stresses over time to continue making progress. Typically, you should make changes to your workout at least every 4 to 6 weeks, or even as frequently as every week. The types of changes you can make include:

• Changing the exercises
• Changing the weight/training intensity
• Changing the number of repetitions or sets
• Changing the repetition tempo
• Changing your training frequency
• Changing the muscle groups that you train together
• Utilising supersets, pyramid sets, circuit training and vertical/horizontal loading

Exercises to Avoid - Lat Pulldown Behind the Neck

One exercise that should always be avoided is the lat pulldown behind the neck. Although you often still see people doing this exercise in the gym, they are putting themselves at risk for injury.

There are two main reasons why you should avoid the lat pulldown behind the neck. The first one is that performing this exercise behind the neck puts the shoulder joint into a severely rotated position. This position is one of the weakest for the shoulder joint and can lead to permanent injury to the muscles and ligaments within the shoulder joint. The second reason is that the lat pulldown behind the neck forces the head to be pushed forward, placing undue and dangerous stress on the cervical spine (neck) - again possibly leading to severe and permanent injury to muscles, ligaments and intervertebral tissue.

For the above reasons, the lat pulldown should always be performed to the front and never behind the neck.

Water is Best

Here is a good article that discusses why water is the best choice of drink for hydrating yourself: http://www.theglobeandmail.com/life/health/to-quench-your-thirst-plain-old-water-is-best/article1597469/

Updated Website

The Pinnacle Fitness Personal Training website has been updated and re-launched. Check it out at http://www.pfpt.ca!

Machines versus Free Weights/Cables

Many people believe that using machines when exercising allows them to push more weight, isolate muscles better and make greater increases in strength. A recent 2008 study compared three groups of individuals over a 16-week period. One group used fixed resistance training (machines) for the entire study, the second group used free-form resistance training (free weights and cables), and the third group was the control group (no resistance training). At the end of the study, the group that used free-form resistance training had increased strength 115% over baseline, compared to a 57% increase in strength for the fixed resistance training group. In addition, the group using free-form resistance training had improved balance 245% compared to only a 49% improvement for the fixed resistance training group. If you find that you rely on machines for a lot of your exercises at the gym, try switching things up with free weight exercises or cable exercises instead. That just might help you break through to greater levels of strength and improved balance!

How many reps?

The number of reps you do in a set depends upon your training goal. If you're looking to build endurance, then do 12-20 reps with a weight approximately 60-70% of your max. If you are training for hypertrophy (adding muscle mass), then do 8-10 reps with a weight approximately 70-85% of your max. If your goal is to build maximum strength, then do 4-6 reps with a with approximately 85-100% of your max.

Nutrition Myths - You Need to Starve Yourself to Lose Weight

Many people think that in order to lose weight, eating less is best. After all, you only lose weight when you burn more calories than what you consume. People trying to reduce their weight often make the common mistake of eating too little, thinking that this will help speed up their weight loss. This strategy usually backfires within a short period of time. Severely restricting the amount of calories consumed can dramatically decrease the amount of energy you have for working out or even doing daily physical tasks and can intensify food cravings (usually for the worst types of foods high in saturated fats and sugars). In addition, when people severely cut back the amount of food they eat, they can be unintentionally limiting their intake of important vitamins, minerals and nutrients. Studies show that weight loss occurs over a period of time measured in weeks or months. Thus, significantly cutting back the amount you eat over a few days will not have a significant or immediate impact on your weight. The better way to lose weight is to eat enough food to provide the calories and nutrients for you to be strong and healthy to do your workouts, but just a few hundred calories less than what you need to maintain your current weight.

Nutrition Myths - Fat Makes You Fat

Many people believe that eating foods high in fat will tend to make you fat. While it is true that one gram of fat has more calories than one gram of either protein or carbohydrates (9 kcal/gram for fat versus 4 kcal/gram for protein or carbs), on a per calorie basis fat is no more fattening than either protein or carbs. For example, 100 calories of fat is no more fattening than 100 calories of protein. The reason why foods high in fat tend to lead to higher body fat is because they are so calorie-dense. What is more important though is the type of fat that is consumed. The best type of fat is monounsaturated fat (such as what is found in olives and nuts), followed by polyunsaturated (as found in fish). The types of fat that should be limited or avoided are saturated fat and trans fat. The amount of total fat in your diet should be in the range of 10-30% of calories consumed.

Nutrition Myths - Water Helps You Feel Full and Eat Less

Some people believe that drinking lots of water throughout the day will make you feel full and thus eat less. While drinking water is vital for health and proper biological functioning of your body, studies show that water on its own does not make you feel full. A glass of water, on its own, does not have any calories nor does it need to be broken down in the digestive system - so it has little impact on making you feel full other than the short time the water is in your stomach. When water is mixed with food, however, as in soups or casseroles, this does have the effect of making you feel full and decreasing your subsequent food intake. Despite the fact that water on its own won't make you full and eat less, you should consume 2.8 litres (96 ounces) of water per day.

Nutrition Myths - Fruits and Vegetables High in Sugar Should be Avoided

It is true that many "sweet" fruits and vegetables may be high in sugar. The sugar in fruits and vegetables are a simple carbohydrate, which is broken down faster in the digestive system than complex carbohydrates and may have a detrimental impact on blood sugar levels. While it is often better to include more complex carbohydrates than simple carbohydrates in your nutrition plan, fruits and vegetables should be included for a variety of reasons. Most fruits and vegetables are high in water, fibre, vitamins, antioxidants and other beneficial nutrients. Including fruits and vegetables as part of each meal can help ensure that you're getting important nutrients, while avoiding the excess calories you would be consuming by eating other sweets.

Nutrition Myths - Building Muscle Requires an Excessive Amount of Protein

Many bodybuilders claim that in order to add muscle, you need to consume a lot of protein - several hundred grams per day. The truth is that the amount consumed by many bodybuilders is often too much protein. The recommended amount of protein for an active recreational athlete is in the range of 1.0 to 1.5 grams of protein per kilogram of body weight. For a bodybuilder, the recommended amount of protein is in the range of 1.5 to 2.0 grams of protein per kilogram of body weight. For example, a bodybuilder who weighs 100 kg (220 lbs) should consume between 150 and 200 grams of protein per day. If more protein than this is consumed, it does not mean that it will be converted into more muscle. In fact, over an extended period, a high protein diet can lead to calcium depletion, fluid imbalance, slower metabolism and decreased energy levels - all of which would have a negative impact on training and athletic performance. It is best to make sure that your diet maintains an appropriate balance of protein (15-30% of calories), carbohydrates (50-70% of calories) and fat/lipids (10-30% of calories).

Nutrition Myths - Exercising on an Empty Stomach Burns More Fat

Another common myth is that exercising on an empty stomach (such as first thing in the morning before you have had breakfast) will stimulate your body to lose more fat. Unfortunately, this will not work - and in fact will more than likely result in a poor workout. The reason is that your body requires energy to work and your body can only obtain that from food or from energy stores in your body (fat and muscle tissue). Your body can only break down fat and muscle at a specific rate to create energy, so depriving yourself of food before working out will not cause your body to burn more fat. What will happen is that you will lack the energy necessary to do an intense workout, thus resulting in poor performance and fatigue. Weight loss is impacted by the calories you consume versus the calories you expend over an extended period - several days to a week. Thus, make sure that you have had something to eat within 1-3 hours of working out so that you'll have the energy to make the most of that training session!

Nutrition Myths - Carbs Are Evil

We've all heard it - "carbs are evil". There are fad diets that proclaim the way to lose weight is to cut out carbs.

The truth is carbs are not only good for you, but also a necessary nutrient. Studies show that diets that include complex or high-fibre carbs (such as fruits, vegetables and whole grains) actually help you lose weight. For those who are looking to add muscle, carbs also play an important role in providing energy for mass-building workouts. Without enough carbs in your diet, your body would then have to utilize protein for energy - thus making less protein available to repair and build muscle tissue.

The key with any nutrition plan is to be aware of the total calories you require and to have a proper balance of protein, carbs and fats.

Nutrition Myths - Eating Late

For the next series of posts, I will discuss several common nutrition myths.

One nutrition myth is that if you eat food late in the day then you will be more likely to gain weight. Studies on meal ingestion patterns and the associated weight and fat gain/loss do not show a link between eating late in the day and weight gain or fat gain. As long as your daily caloric intake remains constant, it does not matter what time of the day you eat. In fact, it is best to divide your food into 5-6 meals spread evenly throughout the day. If that late night snack, however, provides you with calories that are above and beyond what you should be eating in a day, then this could potentially lead to weight gain. The key is to have a nutrition plan and know how much you should be eating.

Health and Fitness Provider Network

I am now a member of the Health & Fitness Provider Network (HFPN), an online portal for top health and fitness professionals in North America. Check out my trainer profile at http://www.hfpn.com/Trainer-PROfile-cid-1636.html?uid=69838.