For most of my adult life (healthy adult life) I have worked out. I ran for years and then started lifting weights, a little more than 7 years ago. I fell in LOVE with lifting weights, I still am in love with lifting weights. It increases my energy, my endurance, it helps me run and skate faster and makes my arms look great...I mean helps me carry my own groceries.
Weight Training
It's been over a year since I have become a personal trainer and life couldn't be fuller or better, but I think I will soon stand corrected on that. I have some plans (always!) that will help life be fuller AND move me toward a new goal! I have been doing full body workouts 3 days a week and running on the other days for years. Well, two weeks ago, I started splitting my workouts. Meaning I am doing 4 days of strength training with cardio days in between. I am still doing cardio even on my weight days--since I am training for my half marathon and LOVE running, I am not sticking to a minimal cardio routine.
For example: I am doing three exercises for chest and three exercises for triceps, three sets in each with short rests. Why do this? I will tell you. One, my workouts are now 30 min, 45 if I lollygag or do extra like on Leg day. By shortening them I am more apt to stick to them. It's easier to come in and do two body parts every day than to spend an hour and a half in the gym when I want to be outside. I can lift for 30 min and then hit the trail or go for a bike ride. Also, by shortening your workouts, you can take the intensity up. If I am doing three sets of 8 on a chest press, I am not going to play around. I want to feel the burn, I want the last 4 reps of every set to be the hardest and in order to achieve that, I need to up that intensity. Increasing intensity is a great way to gain strength and burn fat! Burn more fat by upping metabolism. With shorter workouts and higher intensity, my metabolism is going to change and allow me to burn more fat. That is usually a big goal, correct? Not always, but usually with women that's what we want. For my goal, yes, I need to gain muscle and burn fat.
Happy Friday! What are your weekend plans? Tomorrow is my huge garage sale!! It's at 34th Bloomington Ave. South in Minneapolis if you want to come by!
