5 Ways to Get the Most Out of Your Workouts

By Ryan Blair

The American College of Sports Medicine recommends regular strength training for quality of life and health. Although strength training isn't always easy, the physical and emotional benefits it provides make it well worth the effort. For example, it can increase your muscle mass, overall health, and self-confidence.

Here are five tips for getting the most out of your workouts.

1. Plan & Document

If you fail to have a long-term weight lifting plan with well-defined goals, you most likely will not succeed. The practice of lifting weights requires measurable goals, constant diligence, and detailed documentation. Consider keeping a workout journal that allows you to track your numbers, measure your goals quantitatively, and evaluate your progress. A journal is especially important if you consistently alter your workout sets and choices (as you should). Always be sure to plan reduced workout phases to prevent overtraining and injuries.

9 Thoughts That Are Sabotaging Your Health

Today I have an intriguing guest post from my friend Mathews McGarry. Below, Mathews describes 9 ways in which unfit people sabotage their health through mindset alone. #6 is the one that irks me the most. Basically, I think it all goes to show that if you just change the way you look at things, your body will change in kind. Enjoy! -TP

9 Thoughts That Are Sabotaging Your Health

Guest Post by Mathews McGarry

Everyone would like to lead a healthy life. But then you wake up with problems caused by an inactive lifestyle, and you ask yourself -- why is it not happening? The transformation does not happen automatically, but rather it requires some effort and a certain mindset. 

Mindset represents one’s established set of attitudes. It is somehow daunting, when we find ourselves tired and drained from an unhealthy lifestyle, to muster the energy to shift from an “unhealthy” to a “healthy” mindset.

But remember, everyone has the option to choose what to do in a single day and the ability to make a decision. We owe it to ourselves because health issues can cause problems in almost every other aspect of our lives.

Here are 9 ways fit and unfit people think (and act) differently.

Podcast Ep. 7 - Jason Helmes, Anyman Fitness

By day, Jason Helmes is just a regular guy. He teaches math to middle schoolers; he has a wife and two kids. He is exceptionally tall (6 feet, 8 inches), but we won't hold that against him.

By night, he's the boss at Anyman Fitness, an online community for people "who want to learn to lean out, live well, and improve themselves permanently."

To date Jason has helped thousands of people reach their goals, and it's no wonder, given his teaching background and incredible ability to simplify fitness and nutrition. He's also a really nice guy, which probably helps.

I was fortunate enough to get Jason on for Episode 7 of the Fitness Pollenator (Video) Podcast. Over the course of the episode, Jason Helmes and I discuss

• How he went from jock to jiggly to jacked again
• The availability bias and the difference between popular and evidence-based fitness 
• Making fitness a lifestyle and how anyone can do it
• The importance of meal planning
• How being both a teacher and mathematically-minded helps Jason as a coach
• His eight month diet in preparation for a summer photo shoot
• Whether or not "bulking" and "cutting" cycles are necessary
• Why being bodybuilder lean is neither healthy nor sustainable
• The advantages and disadvantages of being an exceptionally tall lifter
• Avoiding "lifestyle bloat"
• Jason's secret for building a successful (online) business
• And more

This is one you absolutely do not want to miss!

DeanSomerset.com: “One Weird Trick” to Improve Exercise Technique Instantly: Proprioceptive Stimulus

Arnold probably used *a few* weird tricks in his day.

I'm always noticing parallels between swimming and resistance training.

Just recently, I realized that a tool we used in the pool for improving stroke technique was exactly the same as one I now use all the time in the gym.

This "weird trick" is precisely the subject of my latest guest blog post for Dean Somerset.

Read all about it here: 

>> http://deansomerset.com/one-weird-trick-to-improve-exercise-technique-instantly-proprioceptive-stimulus/ <<

P.S. Cool beans! This article was also selected by thePTDC as the best in Strength Training for the week!

www.theptdc.com/2015/10/best-fitness-articles-november-1-2015/

Why Do HIIT when Hypertrophy is the Goal?

I recently reached out to my good friend Marc Lewis with a question regarding muscle hypertrophy and interval training. With Marc's background in exercise physiology and research interest in concurrent training, I knew he'd have the answer.

When I received Marc's incredibly thorough response, I realized just how lucky I am to have such a smart friend. I learned so much, I figured I'd share it here. If nitty gritty exercise science tickles your fancy, read on!

Hey Marc,

Even when someone’s primary goal is muscle hypertrophy, we still recommend a combination of cardiac output training and high-intensity metabolic training (i.e. HIIT).

In really simple terms, cardiac output training improves a person’s ability to recover, which helps them train with more volume and more frequently (thereby promoting hypertrophy). 

Why, though, do we recommend the high-intensity component? The argument you see a lot of the time is “just look at a sprinter’s body,” but you could also make the case that elite sprinting selects for muscular body types. Is there research showing that high-intensity metabolic training builds muscle?

Thanks a bunch,

Travis

Marc's All-Star Response