by Scott Poston
Although often boring and occasionally lab rat reminiscent, treadmill running does have its advantages. Most runners are pace-challenged and treadmills are a quick fix—i.e., pace can be easily and accurately monitored on a treadmill. A runner can set his or her preferred pace and concentrate on important things such as good technique, breathing patterns, and leg cadence. Another advantage is simulated hill training, which burns a lot of calories, gets people into shape quickly, and incurs a relatively low risk of injury due to the imposed slow pace and absence of downhill running! Maybe those rats don’t have it so bad after all…
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By Scott Poston
There are many benefits to strength training: decrease injury risk, increase performance potential, to look and feel better. Maybe you have experienced these benefits, but maybe not. I hate to use the phrase, No Pain No Gain (it’s so two decades ago), but there is some truth in any cliché.
No Pain, No Gain
Your muscles get worked with every subtle movement you make. Walking from the office to the water cooler doesn’t leave you burned and sore the next day, but if an elevator breaks down and you’re forced to walk 13 flights of stairs, well, consider it a free gym membership.
Each of your 640 skeletal muscles has a threshold
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By Scott Poston,
Are free weights better than machines? Ask a group of
Dumbbells @ The DAC
muscle heads and I bet I know their answer. But, the fact is, strength gains are the SAME (assuming the levels of intensity are equal with both modalities). A 10-week study compared groups training three times per week with either free weights or machines. All groups had significant increases in strength and lean body mass and a decrease in body fat. There were no significant differences between the groups.
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By Scott Poston
It is a physical and/or psychological or emotional state. It is an imbalance between training and recovery, exercise and exercise capacity. And it is as common as the cold!
so tired...
There are so few opportunities in the week to get in a really good workout, so you insist on making this one count; and the next one; and the next one… soon enough you find yourself without appetite, amped at night so you do not sleep well, irritable, frequently sniffling, and downright apathetic! You’re overtrained.
The solution is much more fun than the cause. Take a break and relax a while. When your appetite, sleep pattern, etc. come back then you’re ready to start working out again, but this time be patient. You don’t have to cram 4 workouts into 1. Progress slowly, cautiously. You should finish your workout excited about the next. Consider ending your workout a little early, right in the middle of that runner’s high even! Can you imagine feeling excited about the next workout?!
Listen to your body. At the first whisper of “uncle” go home!
By Scott Poston
Beginning or getting back to an exercise routine involves more than just joining a gym. Sticking to it requires a few tricks to help keep you moving, focused, and motivated. Here are 10 ideas I came up with to help:
1. Who are you? Determine what kind of workouts you dread the least and do them. Forget about ROI, calorie burn, etc. Whatever gets you to the gym is good enough. Once you’ve established the habit, then, and only then, should you start critically looking at your routine.
2. Sign up for an organized event. The DAC hosts 5k runs, free squash lessons, indoor rock climbing events, and more. You can find something interesting in The Club! Grab a friend and commit to one. It’s a great motivator!
3. Planning, Planning, Planning. There is more to working out than getting on the Elliptical and pressing the Quickstart button. Do you have your workout clothes, shoes, water bottle, and pre-workout snack planned the day before? What time are you going? What time are you finishing? Preparing ahead of time will help prevent you from falling off your routine.
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Workout Tips | trainsmart September 28, 2009 | 
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