Finding the Best Weight Training Program

That is the question.  Which one is the best?   Is there ONE workout that will deliver the best results?  And what do I need to do to look like that?!  I’m gonna let you in on a little secret….all of them work.  You wanna  know why they don’t ALWAYS work?  Because 99% of the time you won’t stick with the plan for  longer than 2 or 3 weeks or you won’t focus on your meal plan (notice I didn’t say the scary word ‘diet’). 

That’s the big secret, just stick with it and give it 100% effort, because if you not only set your goal but BELIEVE it and LIVE it, I promise you will attain it.  First off, decide what your goal is.  Do you want to lose fat, gain muscle, increase endurance, or develop athleticism?  These goals are important, because without a clear and concise goal, it’s like going to the grocery store and just grabbing all kinds of crap and getting overloaded with all the options so you end up leaving with more than you bargained for.  Once you have your goal, it’s time to plan.  This is where I come in.  I am here for your questions, support, and advice so please feel free to post some questions in order to get you on the right track to achieve your goal.  I’m gonna lay some ground work for you real quick on some different plans according to goal.  I won’t go into great detail, cause that would take forever and get a little confusing, but here it is…

FAT LOSS-  This one is pretty simple: low calorie count + high calorie burn = fat loss.  In this kind of plan, I would suggest a 3-5 day per week workout regimen, 3 for those of you that just don’t have a lot of time, and 5 for those of you that do.  Activity is key so the more the better in this situation.  You should completely cut out all of your white carbohydrates (potatoes, rice, bread, pasta) and increase your protein intake in order to gain some lean muscle to help burn more calories.  One pound of fat is 3500 cals, and for each pound of muscle you gain, your body will burn an extra 500 cals a day….so that means that for every pound of muscle you gain, you will automatically burn a pound of fat off each week.  That is why weight training is essential to weight loss, you’re not going to lose it as quickly just doing cardio so combine the two.  Try this:  Mon/Wed/Fri/ Cardio for 20 mins, then lift weights for 30 mins, then finish with 20-30 mins of cardio.  On Tue/Thurs, cardio either twice for 30 min each or just knock out an hour in one setting.  For your weight training stick with this regimen: Mon-Chest/Back, Wed-Legs/Shoulders, Fri-Biceps/Triceps.  Work your abs as often as you like, just don’t work them if they are sore.  Do this along with the slow carb diet I outlined in my previous blog ‘Eat Healthy for a Happier You’, and you will see results after the first week (likely at least 5-10 lbs of weight loss).  For those of you that can only make it 3x a week, increase your cardio to 30 mins before and after each weight lifting session.  The latter will work, but the 5 day plan is optimal.  You can even lift weights 5 days a week (one muscle group per day) and cardio 20 minutes before and after for great results, but a lot of people just don’t have the time for this much gym time.  That or they don’t want to wake up early enough!

MUSCLE GAIN-  This one is more difficult to do because the mainstream thought is that you grow in the gym….which is wrong.  To gain muscle and size you are going to need a lot of time off to recover and allow your muscles to grow.  It takes a lot of discipline to stay away from the gym or let your muscles fully recover, especially for people like me that love to workout, otherwise you are fighting a losing battle.  You will also need to eat like a horse to fuel your muscles to optimal growth.  Your diet should look something like this: 40% protein, 40% carbs, 20% fat.  You should never be in a calorie deficit when trying to gain muscle/size.  As far as your lifting program goes you need to be lifting heavy weight and taking long breaks between sets in order to support the heavy sets.  Stick with a 5x5 program (5 sets 5 reps per exercise) or a descending rep set like four sets consisting of 8 reps, 6 reps, 4 reps, 2 reps.  You want to keep your rep range pretty low to allow for heavier weights to be lifted.  There are two approaches to this muscle gain that I believe in, one is a 5 day workout plan where you focus on 1 muscle group each day, which gives you a full week for that body part to recover before lifting it again.  The other is very different; you work the entire body in one workout (which also increases testosterone levels) with what is called a High Intensity Training workout (H.I.T.), where you complete 8-12 reps for ten seconds each (5 seconds on the up motion, 5 seconds on the down).  These are very slow and controlled movements that put a tremendous amount of strain on the muscles.  Only focus on 1-2 exercises per body part (1 for smaller muscles like bi’s, tri’s, and shoulder’s, and 2 for legs, back, and chest).  Rest for 2 minutes between exercises.  This is typically going to be a 30 minute workout and will completely destroy you!  If you don’t believe me, try it…or better yet ask me more about it so I can go into detail so that you do it correctly.  I promise you will be sore like never before and will gladly stay away from the gym for at least 4 days to recover from this one!  A lot of ‘mainstreamers’ will tell you this is a beginner’s workout or one for those who don’t have a lot of time to train, but I believe this to be an advanced workout (if done correctly) that will deliver outstanding results.  I am starting this program on Monday, and will be training two people on it as well for the next month,  so I will keep you updated on the results.  I have done this before and achieved big strength gains and muscle from it so I am excited to give it another go.

People always ask me which muscle groups to work out together and my answer changes a lot depending on the person or their goal, but typically I stand behind the idea of working out 1 muscle group at a time.  You really get to focus on that muscle and put all your effort into it.  It gets plenty of rest and recovery time before lifting it again as well.  This can help with reducing injuries too, which will allow you to stick with your program longer.  Some people like to group muscles together, like Back and Bi’s or Chest and Tri’s, which will work, but you aren’t really focusing on either muscle so I feel like you can get better results going the other route for your typical routine.  Don’t get me wrong, I lift muscle groups together quite often and get great results, but I am not a beginner and that’s the difference.  With this being said, don’t pick one workout plan for the rest of your life, because like I said in the beginning, they all work!  Mix them up to shock your body once in a while, and keep it interesting.  A rule of thumb is to stick with something til you stop getting results or you get bored…the second that begins to happen, that is your body telling you it’s time for a change because it is used to what you are doing.  So keep it fresh, but stick with a plan that suits your goal, and stay positive!  Results are coming soon to a body near you…