Must-read before you make your fitness resolution of 2017
The goal of this article is to supply you with proven, research-based methods to get the results you have always wanted; scientifically tested and proven by many people that followed the principles and have yielded great results.
Another year in the books and, as always, comes the new year with its own resolutions. This is also the time of year where gyms get more full with people of all ages with the best intentions. I don’t say this from the outside looking in; I remember being a part of that myself.
Every year was a promise to lose weight and get fit. I would go to the gym with good intentions. Do some cardio and lift some weights. I had no real direction and no clear roadmap to success. My exercise choices essentially came from things I heard other people doing, seen at the gym, and even told by professionals would work. I would go, either see quick results that would plateau and get discouraged, or not see progress at all and get even more discouraged. All of which propelled me to the summer where I made the same resolution, the same assumptions, and the same mistake; repeated that process yearly.
After schooling and, more importantly, a focus on getting research-based methods to the results I wanted, I began seeing a theme. Research article after article all hinting to the same things with similar results.
Identify Your Goal
First and foremost I need to reiterate something that may seem obvious, however, I have dealt with multiple family members, friends, and clients that struggle and it tends to start at the beginning. You need to clearly state your goal! This may seem obvious but I can’t tell you how many people have asked me why they aren’t meeting their goals and when I ask them what their goals are they say something to the effect of “you know, to get in shape”. This is usually the response accompanied with an innocent smile and a shoulder shrug.
First off, “getting in shape” is the fitness equivalent to a business man saying he wants to open a business to “sell stuff”.
Here are some goals we can work with: I want to get leaner, I want to get stronger, I want to improve my heart health.
You might be thinking: what about “losing weight”.
What about the goal of “losing weight”?
This is the trouble that leads to failure for most of the well-intentioned, new gym-goers. Losing weight is not a successful goal. I can run till I am blue in the face and might lose a significant amount of weight early however, most of it will be water weight. You will sweat off positive results early in your endeavor and quickly reach a plateau.
The thing to understand is our body is built to survive. Our bodies are incredibly good at adaptation. It is a principle used for successful results (if done correctly) however it is the principle that leads to the demise of many fitness resolutions. Once your body loses a significant amount of water weight, it will take numerous measures to balance that out. This includes a signal for thirst — this leads to one of two common paths: you drink high calorie beverages or you drink water which your body will readily retain to make up for the significant loss in water. Our body is also excellent at extracting necessary fluids from our foods. This, as well as many other reasons outside the scope of this article, will lead to a plateau in weight-loss or, ironically, increased weight as your body can over-correct this water-deficiency. Studies have shown that you may even sweat less in response to dehydration further slowing the misleading, transient weight-loss.
In addition, this dehydration can cause significant negative effects on brain and heart function.
Next mistake with “losing weight” as a goal is many will also strength train. That is great! However, a scale gives information about weight and does not differentiate lean muscle mass — not something you want to lose.
The other pitfall lies in the measures people will take to get the scale to say a lower number. Asinine things such as starving yourself. Sure, you may lose weight initially but again, your body will adapt. Eventually you will eat and no matter what you eat it will likely be stored because your body is in shock — and you have also effectively slowed your metabolism. With a significant calorie deficit, your body will adapt and reduce the amount of calories its burning day to day (this is termed your basal metabolic rate). In addition, the primary stores your body uses in times of starvation is muscle mass. This means your body will begin to break down muscle for energy — that lean weight you need to be healthy.
Hopefully, we can have a paradigm shift in regards to the goals we make.
Positive, Focused Goals
Back to the more attainable, efficient, and healthier goals:
1. I want to get leaner
If I haven’t lost you yet, this is likely what most people actually want when they say they want to “lose weight”. For those in this category we have to get one thing straight: this may not mean the scale will read a lower number. It does mean you will have leaner body (less fat, more muscle), healthier body, likely better physique, the ever-elusive faster metabolism, and decreased body fat percentage.
Measurements: Important measurements to take in this category is some form of a body fat calculator. There are plenty out there, some more advanced than others. However, to attain this goal this is the metric you should be using. Just like it isn’t logical to measure how far a person runs by counting how many steps they take (as stride length can affect distance) it is also not appropriate to measure fat loss by using a scale.
Exercise choice: This is the major theme that is all over the research regarding fitness. That is: high intensity training. Many of us have heard this but may not be applying these principles. Let’s break it down.
High intensity exercise is anything you do that uses a lot of energy in short bouts. Something that is of high enough intensity that would require a rest break after even a minute (10–60 seconds approximately). This can include (but certainly not limited to): powerlifting, olympic weight lifting, interval running (short, fast bursts), plyometric training, kettle bell exercises, even body weight exercises (and many more). Anything that is of high enough intensity to tax you and require lower intensity rest breaks.
Don’t have time for the gym? Even something like raking leaves, shoveling snow, even sprints up and down your street with walking rest-break intervals. Such choices can be great for those that feel they work best outside a gym-setting, or not fully comfortable going to the gym. There are many options but whatever it is, it needs to be high intensity and require you to be using up oxygen. This leads to an increase in metabolism.
Interesting point: The best part? Research has supported that after high intensity exercise your body is burning fat for up to 38 hours after. Very encouraging and reassuring to those that are wondering how many times they need to go to the gym. With that said, every other day can be a phenomenal starting point.
Another positive: while in fat burning mode, you are also preventing your body from using muscle mass for energy because the high intensity puts enough demand for the body to want to adapt, preserve, and even build on muscle mass (lean mass). So with high intensity training, you lose fat, gain lean muscle mass, and boost your metabolism. Win-win-win.
There is research to support low intensity training with high intensity training. So, it is not that low intensity training is useless however the evidence is highly in favor of high intensity training for better results regarding fat loss and preservation of lean muscle mass
CAUTION: checking with your primary care physician or a cardiologist will help determine if you are safe to begin this high intensity training. Seeking a healthcare professional, such as a physical therapist, can help in designing a program for you.
2. I want to get stronger
The proven way to stimulate muscle growth does NOT lie in the baffling principle of “3 sets of 10”. Recall the point from above that the body is excellent at adapting. If you are lifting heavy weights, your body will respond by building more muscle mass to adapt to the loads placed on it.
If you are lifting a weight you can successfully perform 10 reps of, then you will not be stimulating muscle growth; The ideal zone is more like 2–6 reps. If you are lifting something for more than 8 reps, it is likely not enough weight to cause an adaptive response of the body to grow muscle.
Simply, to build muscle, aim to do compound movements (meaning: uses multiple muscle groups)as well as isolation exercises at heavy weight (2–6 reps). For example, if you are trying to grow your pectorals, heavy bench press (for the compound movement) as well as cable fly to isolate the pectorals more would be great. Look to stay in the range of 5 sets of 4–6 reps for each exercise. If you are doing well over 6 reps comfortably, move up in weight.
Measurements: Many will measure muscle mass increase with circumferential measurements.
CAUTIONS: FORM! FORM! FORM! Understand this group is not for everyone. If you are unsure, this is the group that may benefit from seeking a professional. A physical therapist would be great for working on a plan for muscle growth and can detail the proper form for all exercises to prevent injury. When I say the weight needs to be heavy, this does not mean grab the heaviest weight you think you can lift and go! You will substitute the wrong muscles for the movement, at the very least, and can potentially seriously injure yourself. You grab a heavy enough weight that you can complete without sacrificing proper form.
3. Improve my heart health
Also known as improving cardiovascular function. This is a great goal that I feel is not sought after enough. This is a great plan for those that want to be healthy/prevent disease and don’t necessarily have the same vain goals but want to stay healthy.
The most precise way to achieve this is to calculate the proper heart rate zone. Yes, those heart rate monitors on the equipment are not to see your high score. The calculation is much simpler than you may think:
Take 220 minus your age; this is your MAX heart-rate. So say you are 50 years-old. Your max heart rate would be (220–50=170) 170 beats per minute (bpm). Key cardiovascular training zone is at 70–80% of this max heart rate. That would mean a 50 year-old would want his heart rate to be between 119–136 bpm. Simple enough.
Grab those metallic plates on the cardio equipment (treadmills, bikes, etc) and see your heart rate. If it’s too low, change some parameter like increase resistance, increase incline, or increase speed. Too high? Lower the aforementioned parameters. More is not better. You’ll be in the high intensity zone if you go beyond that and you’ll miss your goal.
Plan: aim for 15–60 minutes 3–7 times per week.
Measurements: Key indicators of cardiovascular fitness can be assessed with blood pressure, heart rate monitoring, and SpO2 (oxygen) levels. This can be aided with help from your cardiologist, primary care physician, or physical therapist.
CAUTION: seek out a cardiologist if this is of concern. If you are cleared for exercise ease into your plan. Meaning: start at 10–15 minutes and the lower end of the range (70%) and then increase the time gradually. Try increasing 2.5–5 minutes each week or two depending on your health status. A physical therapist can also assist with this plan or help to monitor you.
In Closing
I hope this gives a good starting point for whatever your fitness goals are for the new year. Feel free to tweet me @DrGayedDPT or email me at Jonathan.Gayed.PT(at)gmail.com for further questions or comments. Please note that this is not intended to substitute for any medical advice. It is recommended to check in with your physician to assess overall health status and appropriateness of beginning an exercise plan.
Bottom Line
Going to simplify this:
- You must clearly identify your fitness goal and appropriate way to measure based on your goal. “Losing weight” is not a precise enough goal and inevitably leads to failure.
- For getting leaner, look into high intensity interval training. Measure with body fat calculator
- For gaining muscle mass, look to do low rep, high weight strength training. Measure with muscle girth measurements
- For improved cardiovascular function, look for 70–80% heart rate max training. Measure/monitor taking vital signs which can be aided with help from your cardiologist, primary care physician, or physical therapist.
Thank you for taking the time to read my post. Please like and share if you enjoyed. Feel free to reach me with any questions, other article ideas, or comments at Jonathan.Gayed.PT(at)gmail.com and @DrGayedDPT.
