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.