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QUESTIONS
Is lifting weights as
important to my physical fitness as aerobic exercise?
Why can't I just learn what a personal trainer will teach me by
reading about it?
Why hire a personal trainer?
How much
cardio should I be doing a day?
So how do I
know how many calories I am burning a day?
So how many times a week
should I strength train and include cardio to get the results I
want?
ANSWERS
Is lifting weights as
important to my physical fitness as aerobic exercise?
Absolutely. Although aerobic exercise burns far more calories, and a
higher percentage fat calories, than strength or anaerobic training,
weight lifting, or resistance training, increases your lean body
mass. Muscle tissue is metabolically active. It uses as much as 45
calories per pound per day to sustain itself. The more muscle tissue
you have, the higher your resting metabolism. Even when watching
television, the local gym rat burns more calories than their couch
potato neighbor. So, while aerobic exercise burns fat during and
briefly after a workout, the lean muscle tissue that is gained by
lifting weights burns calories around the clock. That's especially
important if you want to decrease body fat.
Stronger muscles also enable you to perform daily activities more
easily. The result is less fatigue at the end of the day. Well
conditioned muscles also reduce your risk to injury.
Strength training is a highly individualized procedure. That's why
two equally successful strength athletes may have very different
training routines. Nevertheless, in order to increase muscle mass or
lean tissue, you need to train with weights a minimum of two to
three times per week. The best resource for a program that will
augment your aerobic conditioning program is a fitness professional
trained to develop a program to meet your needs.
The American College of Sports Medicine now considers resistance
training a necessary component of any sound exercise program. So
regardless of what your fitness goal may be, get out there and toss
some weight around.
Why can't I just learn what a personal trainer will teach me by
reading about it?
A.
Personal trainers learn, study and teach all day about
methods of exercising efficiently and effectively, while you
are learning, studying and teaching all day about methods of
practicing law, accounting or conducting business properly.
B.
Attempting to reach your fitness goals without a personal
trainer is like a personal trainer attempting to practice
law, accounting or business consulting without a lawyer,
accountant or business consultant, respectively.
C.
Personal trainers teach you how to achieve the greatest
fitness gains in the shortest amount of time with the least
amount of effort. This is also known as "efficiency." They
also teach you how to exercise properly so as to avoid
injuries. Consequently, everybody who begins an exercise
program should hire a personal trainer.
D.
Personal trainers save you time, money and injuries.
E. In
essence, personal trainers provide you with a high quality
education at a reasonable rate (typically $65 to $100/hour),
without requiring you to read textbooks, study or take
examinations. The knowledge you acquire from a personal
trainer will have lifelong beneficial effects.
F. In
fact, even personal trainers hire personal trainers!
Why hire a personal trainer?
If you're serious about
achieving your fitness goals, working with a personal
trainer is the best way to reach them. Here's why:
• EFFICIENCY
Because your trainer preplans your workout and assists you
through every phase, you'll increase your workout efficiency
so that no time is wasted and every minute counts.
• MOTIVATION
The best athletes in the world have coaches. Why? Because
coaches not only guide you through proper form and
technique, they also encourage you to do more than you would
do on your own. In other words, they provide inspiration! If
you want to stick to your fitness program and reach your
goals more quickly, hire a coach: a Pulse personal trainer.
• RESULTS
Whatever your personal fitness goals, Pulse trainers can
help you get there. You will be educated, encouraged,
assisted, motivated and inspired along every step of your
fitness journey!
• CONVENIENCE
Personal training is available seven days a week so you can
work with your trainer any time that fits your busy
schedule.
• KNOWLEDGE
Our trainers keep up with the latest research through
training and continuing educational programs. They can
provide you with accurate and thorough information on how to
set your goals, plan your program and maximize your results!
How much
cardio should I be doing a day?
The
first question is what are your goals?
Any physical
activity is better than none, according to the American
Heart Association (AHA). Even low-intensity activity --
everything from light to moderate housework, gardening, and
climbing stairs -- for 30 minutes a day can help. But, more
vigorous activity -- jogging, jumping rope, brisk walking,
swimming -- for at least 30 minutes on most and preferably
six days a week are the best for achieving fitness for your
heart and lungs.
It is a simple
equation:
Total
amount of calories you take in -(minus)- the total
calories you burn a day = -
Ex. 2000 calories (you eat) - 2500 calories
(your body burns) = - 500 calories (this would be
to lose one pound a week)
3500 calories = 1 pound
So you have to
have a deficit of 500 calories a day for a week to lose 1 pound.
So the answer is you
should do the recommended amount by the American Heart
Association, but to
lose weight you will need to burn more calories in order to create
a larger deficit.
I recommend 60 minutes
of cardio, 6 days a week would give the best results along
with a healthy and calorie
controlled diet.
So how do I know how many calories I am burning a day?
Most
trainers use what is called your BMR. BMR stands for
Basal Metabolic Rate,
the minimum caloric requirement needed to sustain life
in your body when you are resting. It is also called
Resting Metabolic Rate (RMR). Even if you are in bed
asleep all day, your body still needs energy to pump
blood around the body, maintain body temperature, etc.
But the BMR does not include your
activity level. So you must include the amount of
calories you burn during your activity level.
Click on this link to check your BMR. It
also has a calculator to include your activities.
http://www.thinkmuscle.com/tools/calculators/bmr_calculator.htm
This number tells you how many calories
a day you can eat to sustain your current weight. If
you eat less you will lose weight, and if you eat more
you will gain weight.
So
how many times a week should I strength train and include cardio
to get the results I want?
For
best results a 3 times per week strength training
commitment will show greater results along with 45-60
minute cardio sessions 4-6 times a week.
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