Weight Loss....is it Really That Complicated?

As a trainer I am always answering client's questions regarding weight loss. With an ever growing array of diets and programs out there, my clients often believe that weight loss is some complicated formula that they will never truly understand. The truth of the matter however is that in its most simple form, weight loss is really just basic math. 

The human body requires energy to sustain life. Humans provide this energy in the form of food and drink, or more accurately the calories in that food and drink. Even if you did nothing but lie in bed all day, your body still needs energy to perform its most basic functions such as breathing, circulation, and maintaining organ function. The amount of energy needed for these functions is called your Basal Metabolic Rate (BMR). BMR is influenced by several factors including age, gender, and body size. Younger people need more energy daily vs. older people, as do males vs. females, and larger people vs. smaller people. For those of us who don't lie in bed all day (which I really hope you don't), these energy requirements are increased dependent upon your activity level.

You may be asking, well how does this relate to me losing weight. As I said earlier weight loss, and conversely weight gain, is just simple math. When we consume more calories than our body requires in a day, we will be in a calorie excess. The human body, being as smart as it is, will convert these extra calories to fat to be stored for later use and you will gain weight. When we consume less calories than we need in a day we put ourselves in a calorie deficit and your body will break down its existing fat stores and gets the energy needed from that and you will lose weight. It's as simple as that. 

In order to lose one pound of fat per week we need to be in a deficit of 3500 calories per week, or 500 calories per day. As I said earlier physical activity also influences energy requirements of the body. People who are more active (and I don't just mean exercise) will burn more calories in a day. I usually recommend to my clients who want to lose weight to cut 250 calories from their eating, AND to burn 250 calories through exercise, thus meeting the 500 calorie a day deficit needed to lose one pound a week. Be careful however of cutting calories too drastically as this can slow metabolism and actually make it harder to lose weight. The American College of Sports Medicine warns that calorie levels should never drop below 1200 calories/day for women or 1800/day for men.

So as I said, its all just basic math; calories in vs. calories out. One thing I make all my clients do is download the LoseIt app. It is a food journal and calorie counter that will make you more aware of what you are consuming because as I always explain to them, you can't put yourself into a safe calorie deficit, if you aren't aware with what you are putting in to begin with.The app will also help calculate your basic energy needs, but if you don't want to use that there are other internet programs that can do the same thing  such as MyPyramid.gov. These calculators use your age, weight, height, gender, activity level, and other factors to determine your personal energy needs.

I hope this post helps demystify weight loss a little for you and can help you on your way to a healthier weight and life. - Aaron

7 REASONS TO HIRE A PERSONAL TRAINER

Hiring a personal trainer is a big decision. It is a money and time commitment for sure, but the pros of hiring a good trainer far outweigh the cons. Here are a few reasons a GOOD personal trainer are worth the money and effort. 

1) You Have No Idea What to Do

Being new to a gym and/or fitness routine can be intimidating, especially when you are surrounded by people who appear to know what they are doing. It can quickly become overwhelming with all the information on the internet and most would find it easier to just give up. A skilled personal trainer can educate you on how to work out, how to structure your exercise regimen to meet your goals, and supervise you to keep your work outs within your limits.

2) You are in a Workout Rut

Even the most seasoned exercisers can experience this pitfall. Getting to a point where you are doing the same routine on the same days severely limits your progress and can leave you feeling discouraged. A skilled personal trainer can draw from their specialized knowledge to help you devise different and specific work out plans that will ensure you continue to see the progress you are working so hard for. 

3) You are Training for a Sport or Specific Competition

Knowing how to structure your work outs when training for competition is vital to making sure you peak at the right time, and perform at your absolute best. For this specific goal it is good to find a personal trainer who is also a Certified Strength and Conditioning Specialist (CSCS). These individuals have specific training and certifications related to maximizing athletic performance and can greatly enhance your abilities during competition.

4) You Have a Specific Illness, Injury, or Condition

Having medical conditions such as heart disease, high blood pressure, diabetes, and even neurological conditions, such as multiple sclerosis and Parkinson’s disease, does not mean you cannot benefit from a well structured training program. On the contrary, all the evidence proves just the opposite. With a good training program you can actually delay, and in some cases, reverse the disease progression. It is important to know if the personal trainer you are seeking has any additional medical knowledge, such as being a trained physical therapist, before working with them to ensure your safety

5) You Need Motivation

You may know how to work out. You may know all the right things to do. However knowing this doesn’t mean you will actually do it. Having a trainer can make you accountable to someone other than yourself and for some people that is all they need to improve their training and see improvement.

6) You Want to Be Challenged

We are all human, and sometimes when things get tough our natural response is to stop. Doing this during a workout is no exception. A skilled personal trainer can push you harder and faster than what you would do yourself and in the end this will equal more results.

7) You Want Results

In the end we are all going to the gym for a specific reason. Some go for weight loss, others for muscle building, and still others just to improve their general fitness. A good personal trainer can help you with all facets of your routine to help you design and implement a program that can help you reach your goals and keep you motivated. If you are having trouble reaching the goals you have set, hiring a personal trainer is a great investment in your health and yourself, so why wait?

Warming Up and Cooling Down....the Whys and Hows.

I recently had a client ask me about proper warm-ups and cool downs helping to relieve her muscle soreness. I was surprised by her question, not because of the content, but because in all my years training I think it was the first time anyone ever asked about the topic. Lot of clients ask about weight loss, or strength training, but never warming up or cooling down. In this latest post we will explore why warm-ups and cool downs are important for all fitness types, but also how to perform them properly to maximize performance.

THE WARM UP
Think of the warm-up as your "call-to-arms" to your body for the exercise "war" that is soon to be engaged. A good warm-up will allow you to gradually increase your body's temperature and blood flow from less vital areas of the body, such as the digestive system, to the muscles where it will be needed for exercise. The positive effects of a proper warm up include:

• Decreased Risk of Injury to Muscles- warming up allows more blood flow to the muscles and increases their temperature as well. this makes the muscle more pliable and less prone to tearing injuries during weight training. 
• Less Risk of Joint Damage - Synovial fluid is the body's natural lubrication that is in our joints and allow for joint to move without friction. By warming up with a gradually increasing intensity we allow our body to produce and release more synovial fluid into our joints prior to exercise which will keep them lubricated and nourished throughout. 
• Increased Performance - Research suggests that performing a warm-up prior to exercise can increase the maximal amount of force your muscles can produce [1], more force can equal more weight trained with, better strength and neural adaptations, and overall increased performance. 
• Decreased Muscle Soreness - A study done by Olsen and Siohaug in 2012 concluded that "aerobic warm-up exercise performed prior to resistance exercise may prevent muscle soreness" [2]. 

THE COOL DOWN

The cool-down is meant to be performed post exercise. The primary purpose of cooling down is to not "shock" the body by just immediately ceasing all activity, rather letting it gradually come back to a state of rest. The cool down serves to:

• Prevent Blood Pooling - cooling down allows for the body's natural blood pumps in the legs to return back to the heart rather than gather in the lower extremities. 
• Gradually Reduce the Heart Rate - again it is important to allow the body to gradually return to that resting state. 
• Preventing Fainting - reducing the blood pooling in the lower extremities will allow it to continue being provided to the brain keeping oxygen levels up
• Reduces Blood Lactic Acid Level - which can help to reduce delayed-onset muscle soreness. 

HOW TO PROPERLY WARM-UP & COOL DOWN

There are two types of warm-up to be considered; general vs. specific. General warm-ups are just meant to raise the body temperature and loosen the muscles where as Specific warm-ups are, as the name suggests, specific to an activity. They are meant to prime your neuromuscular system for the specific tasks that are to come. For instance performing 1-2 light warm-up sets of a bench press prior to going into a heavier weight will increase the motor unit recruitment allowing your lifts to be stronger. 

Depending on who you are, what your fitness goals are, and the intensity with which you plan on working out, your warm-up may vary. Here are some example warm-ups you can try:

• Treadmill walking gradually increasing the incline and speed for 10-15 minutes
• Recumbent or upright bicycle gradually increasing the level of intensity 10-15 minutes

After this warm-up you want to do some light stretching, 10-15 seconds per muscle will suffice, but intense stretching prior to your workout as this can decrease performance and increase risk of injury. [3]

A good cool down will be similar to the warm-up exercise, but for only 5-10 minutes and also should include your intense stretching. This is when your muscles are most pliable and willing to stretch. Stretching post-weight training will allow your muscles to restore the length lost with weight training, increase blood flow, and buffer the lactic acid out of the muscle allowing them to heal faster. 

So next time instead of doing an hour and a half of weights give yourself some time to do a proper warm-up and cool down as well. Your muscles and your progress will thank you. -Aaron

The Importance of Variation in Your Routine

As a trainer I see this scenario all the time: the same people come in at the same time on the same days and do the same workout involving the same machines. While I think it's great that these people are dedicated to their fitness and actually show up and do SOMETHING, I often have to fight the desire to go up to them and tell them to change their routine.

Why you ask? Simple. The human body is a dynamic organism; it is constantly learning and adapting on some level. When we fail to vary our routines at the gym, the body becomes very proficient at learning how to perform these exercises with the least amount of energy expended and as a result less muscles are used to do the workout, less calories are burned, and less progress is made. Even the most seasoned of us are guilty of allowing ourselves to get into this workout rut from time to time, but if you allow yourself to do the same thing all the time, you are not maximizing your time in the gym or the results that you can attain from your hard work.

By constantly varying our workouts we do not allow our bodies to adapt to any one routine, and keep it in a constant state of guessing and learning. On a physiological level we are producing new patterns of motor unit recruitment and allowing muscles that you may not have used in a while be stimulated once again. In addition to the effect on neural recruitment in the muscles we are also promoting adaptive changes in the tendons and bone that will increase their strength. Wolff's law states that bone in a person will adapt to the loads placed on it. If we are in a workout rut we lose the benefit of this adaptation; this is of particular importance to post-menopausal females worrying about bone issues such as osteopenia and osteoporosis. By varying the stresses we place on our body, especially using axial-loading activities, we ensure continued bone and tendon adaptations.

If you want to vary your routine, try some of these ideas:

1) Regularly switch between cables, bands, free weights, and machines. 

In my mind free weights are always king. Free weights challenge you more, require more motor unit recruitment, and promote better strength and balance, but it doesn't mean they are the only thing you can use. In the routines I devise for my clients I regularly use a variety of exercises. All these modalities have their place in a properly designed routine. On a safety note however if you are new to working out, have medical conditions, or are a senior novice, I would recommend hiring a trained professional to assist you using free weights until you have a proper foundation.

2) Add circuit training to your workout. 

In its simplest form circuit training is simply moving from one exercise to the next with little to no rest between. This promotes not only a strength component to your workout, but because the rest is very short you promote cardiovascular improvement as well. A good circuit can have 4-6 exercises targeting most, if not all, major muscle groups. All exercises should be completed for one circuit with little to no rest between exercises. After an entire circuit is complete you can take 10-2 minute rest and perform another circuit. For beginners 3 times around a circuit program is realistic and effective.

3) Change your normal sets and reps. 

3 sets x 10 reps. This is the most common exercise prescription I see among trainers and physical therapists alike.  Again, nothing wrong with this per se, unless this is what you always do. Change up your routine by varying how many set or reps you do of a particular exercise. A good general rule to remember when doing this is the more weight you use do less sets/reps, and the less weight do more sets and reps. Do not try to do a high number of sets and reps with heavy weight as this can cause injury and prolonged muscle soreness.

By using some of the above suggestions you can continue to make progress with your workout and maximize the time you spend in the gym. If this seems overwhelming to you then don't hesitate to take advantage of a knowledgeable personal trainer, but make sure you read my post "Not all trainers are created equal" before you make that leap.

Until next time, best of health to all!   - Aaron