Yes, you have to work hard to get in great shape—no question. But it’s also possible to take it too far. Working out too much can actually work against you.
4 Tips That Will Keep Your Exercise Program Working For You (Instead of Against You)
1. More is not always better. Overtraining is a real problem that can put the brakes on your progress in a big way.
- Do not train the same body parts two days in a row. They need time to recover.
- Allow at least 1 – 2 complete rest days from training every week so that your body has time to build and recover. It also gives your mind a break.
- If you train hard and regularly then give your body a one-week rest about every 12-15 weeks. You will come back mentally and physically refreshed.
- If you have a fever and body aches then please do not train. It can be dangerous. A slight cold is okay as long as you feel like you can train. The workout may even help.
- If you’re suffering from lack of motivation, chronic fatigue and body aches then it may be time to take a break from your workouts.
2. Avoid marathon-length training sessions. Try to keep your weight-training sessions to no longer than 45 minutes in duration. Training longer than that with weights is counter-productive to progress and could even cost you muscle tissue. (Of course, this doesn’t apply to those who hang out in the gym and train their mouths—chit-chat with people–between sets!). The same goes for cardio. It must be matched to your goals. More is not always better.
3. Don’t change up your training too often. Every 4 – 12 weeks depending on your goals is a good rule of thumb. Changes may be made every 2 – 6 weeks in contest prep. Yes, following the same program day in and day out will halt your progress, but making changes too frequently will never allow your body to maximize the benefits of any type of program. You need to assess your progress on a regular basis.
4. Don’t try to give 100 % intensity each and every workout. If you’re working out 4 – 5 times per week then it’s wise to rotate heavier with lighter sessions or higher intensity weeks with lower intensity weeks. You’ll burn out if you try to push super hard all the time!
4 Tips That Will Keep Your Diet Working For You (Instead of Against You)
1. Reward yourself. If you’re following a strict meal plan day in and day out and you never reward yourself then you could set yourself up for disaster. The rigidity of the plan could lead to cravings. If you don’t allow at least the occasional indulgence then you are much more likely to be found crumb-covered and sugar-dazed in the pastry section of your local grocery store. Yikes! Reward yourself…just be reasonable about it.
2. Don’t eat the same food day in and day out. This is fine for short-term diets such as contest prep, but if you eat the exact same food every day you may miss out on some vital nutrients. Eat a broad spectrum of healthy food.
3. Don’t abuse fat burners. Natural fat burners can be a wonderful and supportive addition to a fat-loss program. However, when you cross over to a state of needing them just to function then you have taken it too far. Don’t use any fat burner for longer than 12 – 16 weeks before taking a break. Better yet, go for a fat burner that won’t overload your nervous system such as Six Pack 2.
4. Don’t cut calories randomly. If you go too low you could end up slowing down your metabolism instead. Your calories should never go below your Resting Metabolic Rate or RMR. Your RMR is the lowest level of calories your body needs at rest to perform all the functions it needs to survive.
Resting Metabolic Rate
The formula below will give help you determine your RMR.
RMR or Resting Metabolic Rate: Total Weight lbs – Body Fat Percentage = Fat Free Mass x 10 = RMR
i.e. If you are a 250 lb man with 15% body fat then your RMR would look as follows: 250 – 15% = 212.5 lbs x 10 = 2,125 calories per day. So you would never want to eat less than 2,125 calories per day.
Some Closing Advice
Give your all to your workouts and get serious about your diet plan…but have fun and be good to yourself along the way! Don’t go to extremes. In the end, you want to enjoy the process. This way it will be much more sustainable, and you’ll feel great because you’ll see continuous results.
Yours in health,
Tammy
