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If you kick one of
the legs out from under the tri-pod, the whole
thing falls down! This is a very common scenario
for most gym-goers. They think they're doing
everything correctly, when in fact what they may
be doing themselves more harm than good, or
simply making no progress at all!
That all being said, the first thing I would tell you is
to STOP weighing yourself! Especially when you're
engaging in a strength-training program, you will add
weight in muscle tissue, which you WANT to do, as you
will be losing more weight in fat than you gain in
muscle. Therefore, this fat loss will no longer be
reflected on the scale, but rather, in your clothes.
This is rule number one. One of my star clients at the
moment had been trying to get back below her weight at
the time of her marriage. While she is still a few
pounds above her marriage weight, she is currently a few
sizes BELOW what she fit into at the time of her wedding
- down from a size 10 to a size 4!! So, "weight" does
not matter as much as size does!
Right off the bat, I can tell you one of, if not the
main, reason why you've fell short of your goals: Not
enough strength training! Study after study, and client
after client, it's been proven time and time again that
strength training is going to get better fat-loss
results than cardio alone. It is also a proven
scientific fact that strength-training programs need to
be changed every 4-6 weeks to continue to see results.
If you're doing a total body circuit training program 2x
a week, you are not getting the volume, variety nor the
frequency that you need to see noticeable results.
It
is recommended that an individual perform strength
training exercises 3-5x a week for optimal results.
Obviously, for the best results available to you, 5
times a week is the number to shoot for. For cardio, 5-7
x a week is recommended. This means you need to be doing
both on the same day. As a rule, a 5-10 minute warm-up
first, weights, and then 20-30 minutes of cardio. If you
have a day you're not doing weights, then you can do
45-60 minutes of cardio by itself.
Now
back to the weights. Doing the circuit when you first
join the gym is great, but to get the results you're
after, you need to begin doing free weights, cables,
bodyweight exercises, etc. These programs need to change
every 4-6 weeks, as the body is designed to stay in a
state of homeostasis, so it will get used to any given
routine of exercises in that time period and you will
"hit the wall" or "plateau" with your results. You also
need a higher volume of exercises per bodypart, and
several different exercises per bodypart.
The
best idea would be to consult and work with a trainer
for a few sessions to design a more intensive, diverse
and thorough program for you to fit your needs. We
usually do 60 minute sessions, but we also offer 30
minute sessions, which would give you plenty of time to
fly through at least 6 exercises (2 bodyparts, 3
exercises each, on a three-day-split), and still gives
you 30 minutes for your cardio! This would be the best
way to go. 5 days of weights, 6 days of cardio, and you
finally see some results!
As far as your food goes, the trouble with Weight
Watchers is that it's not specifically tailored towards
fueling strength training and cardio programs, and
people often undereat, whether in lack of total volume
or frequency, and that can actually SABOTAGE your best
efforts in the gym! If you're not eating enough, or
enough of the right foods, or even TOO MUCH of a good
food, or not frequently enough, you'll be running in
place, so to speak, and never achieve the results you're
after. If you don't eat enough or frequently enough, you
will literally kill your metabolism and stop burning
calories! Several of my clients also work with our
nutritionist to design a specially-designed program for
them to coincide with their strength-training program.
This way, your WHOLE day of food is written down for
you, with several different options and choices to get
you the results you're after!
To
answer your last question, my advice is to NEVER
sacrifice your strength training for cardio!! Here's
why: Cardio only burns calories while you're doing it,
and has a residual metabolic burn for a short while
thereafter. Strength training, on the other hand, burns
calories while you're doing it, but the real benefit
comes after. For every ounce of lean muscle tissue you
build on the body, you will raise your resting
metabolism. So, you can burn more calories while reading
this response because you have new living, breathing
muscle tissue that makes the body work harder to supply
it with blood, oxygen and nutrients! Burn more calories
all day long by doing strength training?? Great!!!!
Last
thing: The way you're doing your cardio in intervals is
great, but now pick up the intensity! Other machines
work better because you can switch speeds faster. You
want to do 30 second SPRINTS, followed by 1-2 minute
slow periods. This is one very basic method of
intervals, but it's good to start with.
Contact a trainer if you'd like to set up some
appointments to get yourself a whole new routine and on
the road to the best you that you can be!!
Jeremy McCurdy, NASM-CPT
Director of Training, Hampstead Health & Fitness
direct. 978.382.0032
voicemail. 603.382.9291
http://www.hampsteadhealth.com
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