What did you Accomplish?
January 25, 2011
At the end of each workday, you can look back over the last 8 hours and list out the things you accomplished that day. Emails answered, spreadsheets done, customers pleased, and social interaction fulfilled! Productive day! Why would you expect any less of your workouts?
There are many things that can be accomplished with a workout, and what you aim for should depend on your personal goals.
Ex. Goal = Muscle Gain
Workout Focus = Muscle breakdown, low calorie burn, replenish carbs and proteins afterwards
It’s important, first, to know your goals, and, secondly, to know how to accomplish them. Figure out the one thing you want to achieve the most and stick to it until your goals change (sorry, it’s near impossible for the average person to gain muscle and loose fat at the same time, so accomplish one, then work on the other!) If your workouts accomplish something productive EVERY time you are guaranteed to see results. Even a rest day accomplishes something by letting the muscles and body recover properly between hard workouts. Lastly, make sure your diet is on track with your workout goals. I always suggest natural foods (Lean meats, veggies, fruits, and nuts), but for weight loss, watch your heavy carb consumption and keep the calories in check, and for muscle gain, increase protein and carb-after-workout consumption and don’t be afraid to increase the calories greatly! Here are some examples of common workouts and their effectiveness on your goals.
Workout Accomplishment
Long distance cardio (more than 15 mins)
Calorie burn during workout
Cardiovascular endurance
Resistance training (lower weight, mid reps)
Muscle activation for endurance and sustained calorie burn
Resistance training (high weight, low reps)
Muscle activation for strength
Circuit training
Muscle activation for calorie burn, increase HR and metabolism
High Intensity Interval Training (HIIT)
Calorie burn during and for up to 24 hours after, great cardiovascular improvements
**As a side note: If you’ve been doing the same workout routine for more than 3 weeks, your accomplishment results are DRASTICALLY reduced, so CHANGE IT UP!!!!
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