Wednesday, November 30, 2011

Weight Training WORKS

I woke up this morning absolutely fearful to hop on the scale.

It was Thanksgiving last week and I didn't skimp on the stuffing, desserts, wine, etc. Then it was the weekend, when I'm notorious for being a lil' lush. I wasn't just being naughty because of the food and alcohol though--I had totally slacked on my workouts! I didn't go to the gym Thursday or Friday. Did mostly cardio on Saturday just to sweat out all of the gravy and champagne. Sunday I literally sat on the couch ALL day watching football. Monday I was swamped at work, so no gym. Finally yesterday I had a brutally amazing work out, but that's not enough to burn the pounds I should have gained. I literally didn't gain an ounce. WTF?!

There could only be one explanation--my metabolism (which isn't usually great) is in ultimate kick-ass mode.

Here's why....

WEIGHT TRAINING.

I don't give a rats ass how many miles you run on the treadmill, how many hours you spend on the elliptical, or whatever pain you cause yourself by doing cardio. The fact is, you are only burning calories during the time you are doing said cardio activity. The real key to staying in shape is weight training. Of course it should be paired with cardio, but circuit training (super-sets) will continue to blast away calories even when you're not at the gym. Not only does it make your body look more toned, but it speeds up your metabolism. Some of you are reading this and thinking, "umm obviously, duh". Others may be enlightened, but the point of this was to say I'm living, breathing proof that it works. Doesn't happen over night, and won't always save you after too many trips to the drive-thru, but I'm a believer.

Weight lifting can get boring, so here are some ways to spice up your routine while gaining a little muscle AND getting your cardio on.

1. Uphill running at 7.5mph pace at a 7 incline.
2. Sprints at 9mph+ (whatever your max sprint is).
3. Power walk at 3.5 at a 15 incline.

If every muscle in your legs and ass are not on fire after that--you are a freak. I usually do this as my cardio interval training. Example: Sprint for 1.5min, walk for 2min (to bring heart rate down). Run uphill for 1.5min, walk flat for 2min. Power walk uphill for 2min, walk flat for 2min. etc., for 35min. I start every training session with a 10min warm-up and stretch. Stretching is a must before doing this type of interval training.

Note: Just because you're firing up your muscles during this training, doesn't mean you get to skip the weights--sorry.This type of cardio is just an added bonus to the circuit training you're about to go do :)

Some other factors to take into consideration of my holiday miracle...

1. I eat a lot of protein. Our bodies use more energy to breakdown protein.
2. I eat small meals frequently. This keeps your metabolism fired up throughout the day. Just be careful of how many calories you are consuming.
3. We are creatures of habit and we tend to eat the same things when we are trying to stay healthy. So sometimes eating things your body isn't used to (like Thanksgiving feast) can actually trick your metabolism. I don't know the exact science behind it, but every time I've hit a plateau, I switch up my diet and it helps.  

I <3 Weight Training.

 

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