GETTING
FIT: WHAT ACTUALLY MATTERS
There
is a Huge Problem

Information overload has become a huge
issue. Google “gaining muscle” and you’ll get more than 5 million results. You’ll
probably get about the same number for almost anything fitness related. One
coach or trainer might say one thing and the very next article may say just the
opposite. Confused yet? Unfortunately, confusion leads to indecision and indecision
leads to procrastination. Just as harmful, people jump from one program to
another never staying with one long enough to see the benefits so they give up.
I have to admit, you may see
some of the same thing in articles on alphaedgefitness.com . Part of the
problem is the many varied possibilities for “getting fit”. Another problem is
the huge variation in readers. I have readers in their 20’s and just as many,
if not more in their 60’s. Some are interested in building muscle for aesthetic
reasons, building strength or for fat loss. Some just want to get stronger.
Almost everyone has at least one form of limitation due to genetics, injury or
illness. 59% of my readers are women and 41% are men. Some are beginners and
some are old pros and most are somewhere in between. It goes back the old
saying: “You are different. Just like
everyone else.”
Let’s get Back to Basics of What
Actually Matters
Exercise Selection
I have a video library of
over 1000 different exercises. Do you need 1000 different exercises? No. Do you
need to constantly be changing your exercises? No
Master a few basic exercises.
And I mean master them. Work on form
until you no longer have to even think about it. Have another (knowledgeable )person check your form.
·
Progress every
workout by adding a little more weight each time. When you reach a point where
you can’t add weight every workout then add reps or add additional sets.
·
Start with the
basic lifts in any of their many forms; dead lift, squat, pull-ups, bench press,
rowing.
Program Selection
What
matters is consistency. Train your “consistency
muscle”. The best, most advanced, well planed program will not work without consistency.
Almost any program will work if you work at it and do it consistently. More
programs fail because of program hopping than anything else.
I’m
not saying stick with a program for the rest of your life. But stick with until
it stops working.
Nutrition
and Diet
Eating
whole, healthy foods is important. Cutting out the junk is important. Getting all the vitamins and minerals
(micro-nutrients) is important. But don’t spend your life planning meals and
above all else don’t jump on some fad diet you heard about in an infomercial or
some “trainer to the stars”. Don't do extreme low fat diets and don't do extreme low carb diets. There is no magic
bullet.
Do
this instead:
·
Calculate what
your calorie intake should be to achieve your fitness goal using calculator for BMR under the "Calculators and Resource" tab at the top of this page.
· Get 40% of you
calories from protein, 40% from carbs and 20% from fat(macro-nutrients) as a starting point.
·
Track your macro-nutrients
using a program like Myfitnesspal.com
·
Track your
progress toward your goals. If you aren’t making progress after 2 weeks, adjust your
nutrition.
Learn as You Go
Pay attention. Learn as you go. Change little things
often to experiment. Change the big things sparingly.
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