Break away from the machines – Use dumbbells to engage both sides of your body, and for a greater challenge, perform unilateral exercise movements (alternating from one side to the other when lifting weights).
Take it to almost failure – It’s important to engage the muscles completely and make sure that no matter whether you are completing 8 or 12 reps, the last 2-3 should be challenging and you should not be able to complete another 2-3 reps. If you can, then raise your amount of weight to engage those muscles. Make sure to use a spotter if you’re lifting heavier weights.
Lunges and squats – The two best lower body exercises that can be performed to engage the largest muscles in your body. Working your lower body will keep you symmetrical in shape and also help you burn fat fast and change your Body/Fat ratio by developing the largest muscles in your body to become your Fat Burning Machines while your body is at rest.
Stay in the range – 8-12 reps is about the perfect rep range for most people trying to improve their general fitness level. Too many reps will leave you with NO good quality results and too little will make it very hard to train without a spotter. Lift heavy for size and strength and keep changing your rep range to keep your body guessing while developing strong fat burning muscles.
Take a break – Rest and Recovery are a crucial element in any successful fitness-training program, and I recommend to my clients at least 24-48 hours rest
between resistance training sessions. I always recommend at least 48 hours for your larger muscle groups, which would be your lower body leg workouts. I also recommend taking a week off during your training programs to give your body a break, and in most cases you will come back even stronger. Keep your body fresh and strong, and you will get greater long-term fitness success. Eat to train and train to eat – Your body is an engine, so feed it like one. You cannot perform well at peak levels without fuel, especially if you are engaged in a high intensity resistance-training workout. Eat a combination of good quality high fiber carbohydrates in combination with a lean good quality protein before your training sessions and always refuel again after you workout. You need to feed the muscles you just broke down so they can get stronger again. Eat your meals as the old proverb says: Breakfast like a King, Lunch like a Citizen and Dinner as the beggar on the corner.
Keep it fresh and challenging – Any training program that is maintained for longer than 4-6 weeks will not be as effective in the long run. Always keep your body guessing, challenged and fresh with new and innovative fitness training programs. Your body should never be allowed to develop a rhythm using the same training programs. You will ultimately get diminishing returns on your training sessions. Always keep your body guessing for maximum long-term fitness and health results.
Don’t limit yourself – Machines will typically provide only one range of motion and will not help improve any muscle imbalances you may have. When you use dumbbells, you have no choice but to engage both sides of your body when lifting weights. Using free weights will really uncover any weakness you may have on one side of your body, promote a more natural range of motion, support imbalances of your muscle groups, and introduce you to tons of exercises that can be performed with a low cost and home friendly training method. Also, challenge all your muscles by using a Stability Ball. Stability Balls provide you
incredible flexibility in terms of cost, variety of exercises, and most importantly the engagement of many, many stabilizer muscles that would never be worked utilizing a fitness machine or even a bench.
Save it for the weights - There is nothing more challenging than a high intensity resistance training session, and doing your cardio before your weights will not provide you the energy you need to perform at a peak level needed to maximize your weight training sessions. Complete your weight workout. Then if you want to perform cardio on the same day as your resistance training, do it after the weights. Your body will thank you for it. Build Muscle, and then Burn the Fat!!
Take to new levels – Short High Intensity Fitness Training is the way to go. Your body and mind will love you for it. Train with High Intensity in Short Bursts and get maximum fat burn both when performing your resistance training and cardio workouts. That is the only way I train my clients and it helps them fit their training into their busy schedules so they can stay on track to turn the Flab to Fab in Only 15 Minutes a Day!!
You cannot live by cardio alone – Although cardio is an excellent Fat Burner, especially if performed as a High Intensity Interval Training workout, you need to realize that burning fat is only part of the equation. It is essential that any Complete and Balanced Fitness Training Plan includes an effective and efficient Resistance Training program to tone and build your muscle mass. By integrating resistance workouts into your traditional cardio routines, you will build muscle and burn fat both during your workouts and while you’re at rest.
You need to convert your body into a highly efficient Fat Burning Machine, and helping change your body composition is the key to long-term fitness success.
No one sits down behind the wheel of a car at 16 years old and is able to drive
like an expert. It takes training and experience. Before your start your fitness training program, read this popular article I wrote that outlines some of the basics you’ll want to consider before you begin: