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Elements of Training: Introduction

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When discussion training, there are 4 essential elements to the puzzle. It is my goal in this article to introduce you to these elements and then, in 4 future weekly installments I will give you a detailed analysis of each of these elements.

Training Frequency

This principle refers to the number of times a muscle group is hit each week. This is just one of the many variables that will be adjusted when changing your weight training program. The frequency variable also refers to how many times you train each week. It is a very important variable and changing it can have varying effects on your workout routine.

Training Volume

This principle relates directly to the number of sets and repetitions you should complete each workout. This is yet another variable that can be adjusted when you hit a plateau. Conventional wisdom says there are certain prescribed ranges that will build strength while there are others that will build muscle. In addition, there is the High Intensity Training (HIT) methodology that flies in the face of the conventional wisdom. It is a topic we will discuss in great detail when we get to this part of the series.

Training Progression

To me, progression is one of the key elements of training. This is where you push yourself to better and better numbers as you attempt to increase the load you are able to handle during a given workout. This is a variable that really lends itself to your future success in training.

Training Intensity

This principle will change how your workout affects your body. It is something most people really don't understand, but think they do. I am going to reveal some secrets that will shake up your workout intensity at all levels.

Why the Elements of Training Matter

The Elements of Training are the keys to your success in weight training. They are the variables that can be adjusted to achieve various results with your training programs. A thorough understanding of these elements of training will take you a long way towards training success and the avoidance of poor gains.

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Eating to Fix Your Metabolism

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Repair your metabolism by eatingDo you workout hard and fail to see significant fat loss results? Are you eating clean but still can't seem to lose the gut? If this is the case, you are probably having an issue with your metabolism. Eating is one way to fix your metabolism.

Determine if You Have a Metabolism Issue

It is really quite simple to get an idea of how well your metabolism is working. Each night for 4 nights take your temperature right before going to bed. Write down what number you get. When you've completed 4 straight nights, average the numbers to determine your average body temperature. It should be very close to 98.6. If it is lower than that, you have an issue with your metabolism that needs to be fixed.

You've Got to Eat to Rev Up the Metabolism

The first thing you need to do in order to increase your metabolism is start eating. Most likely you've damaged your metabolism by restricting carbs for too long or by cutting your calories for too long. The body is amazing because it adapts quickly to these situations. If you do anything for too long it will get used to it and adjust accordingly. If you push up your cardio to an hour per session it won't be long before your body adapts and stops letting go of fat. The same is true of how you eat. If you have honestly been eating clean and you show a metabolic issue, you will need to eat more in order to stoke the metabolic furnace.

Eating to Fix Your Metabolism

Metabolic repair is definitely feasible. By eating more clean foods for a period of time (usually 2 to 4 weeks) and doing short, intense cardio sessions along with intense weight training sessions, your metabolism will kick in gear again. It is important during your training to keep the rest periods short. These things will assist in boosting your metabolism. Avoid long periods of cardio. In fact, keep your cardio sessions around 20 to 25 minutes.

Eat clean foods and lots of them. Include fruit because the insulin spikes it will cause will make you want to eat more. This is a good thing when you are trying to spike your metabolism.

Give this a try and let me know how it goes by posting a comment below.

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Mission Accountability Update: Week 3

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This week saw some exciting things develop that I am not ready to reveal. When the time is right I will share photos and information with you regarding the good news I got this week.

Positive of Future Accomplishments

Over the past several years I have tried many different things with varied success. However, at this point I am certain that I am going to make some huge progress towards my goals in the very near future. That's right! I am positive that I will be making some huge progress in the very near future.

Metabolic Issues

I had read an article that explained a way to determine if your metabolism is damaged. It suggested taking your temperature right before going to bed 4 nights in a row. It then said to average those 4 numbers and determine your average body temperature. My number came out to 95 degrees. I am a full 3.6 degrees below normal on an average basis. According to what I've read, my metabolism is definitely damaged at this point. The good news is that there is a fix for it. You have to eat more for a period of time to rev up the metabolism again.

I happened to have in my digital library a copy of a Metabolism Repair Manual by Leigh Peele. I read through that book recently and confirmed that the fix is to eat more over the next 2 weeks minimum. I plan to fix this issue right away.

Change in Training Coming Up

I am going to be making some adjustments to my training program. Essentially I am going to shorten up my rest periods between sets quite a bit to up my fat burning potential during my weight training. That will also help to give me a little bit of a metabolic boost. It is the small things like this that make a difference in the long run.

Please let me know your thoughts by leaving a comment below.

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Book Review: The Paleo Diet

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The Paleo Diet by Loren Cordain was a disappointing read for me. I am always quite interested in new approaches to diet and exercise and that is why I got so interested in this book. However, the end result is that I didn't really learn much more than I could have from the web for free.

Too Much Information

The author spends far too much time trying to convince us that cavemen at a certain way. He even wants us to beleive that their way of eating can be called “health secrets.” I was willing to believe that cavemen ate a certain way from the outset.  That's why I bought the book — I was interested in how to eat like a caveman. He lost me when he started talking about low carb diets.

Low Carb Rehashed

The author wants you to buy into the fact that the Paleo Diet is not just another low carb diet. Let's see, they want me to eat nothing but lean meat, fruit and vegetables. That sounds low carb to me. In fact, it is a different type of low carb, but it is definitely another low carb diet.

 

30 pages to describe stuff we all already know is just ridiculous. You are telling me to eat a certain way, so get to it and list some food I can eat and some food I cannot eat. That gets the point across much faster.

Crazy Claims

The book really took a turn for the worse when I saw the title to Part Two–Losing Weight and Preventing and Healing Diseases. Sorry, but there are alot of reasons why eating just lean meat, fruit and vegetables will make you healthier. It isn't magic, so why present it that way?

No Doubts

Now, before I get a ton of comments saying “The Paleo Diet works” I want you to remember that alot of diets work. I have tried so many different thnigs that I am convinced my metabolism is messed up. I am working with a way to fix that (more on that at some point in the next 30 days), but the fact is that these diets all work for a short period of time. I don't see the Paleo Diet as a sustainable way of life. It is far too impractical for most people. It will require (in my opinion) far too much supplementation to make it work. The bottom-line: I didn't like any of this book and wish I had never purchased it.

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Lacking Focus Kills Your Progress

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I'm sure if you spend enough time at the gym you will see these people. They sit on a machine and do nothing for long periods of time. Perhaps they grab their cell phone and text or worse, talk to other people. Lacking focus like this kills your progress and these people need to learn that hard lesson.This is why you should learn to stay focused.

I workout most often in the early morning hours (4 a.m.). When I see these people I am amazed. Why would anyone hit the gym so early just to waste time while there? To me that seems extremely ridiculous. Time at the gym is precious and should not be wasted in this manner. As I thought about this topic I realized there are 5 things people do at the gym to show they lack focus.

5 Things to Prove TheyLack Focus

1. They do the same workout over and over, never changing things up.

2. They do hours of cardio without any weight training at all.

3. They text while ‘working out”

4. They use weights that are far too light for them.

5. They use weights that are far too heavy for them.

What can you do?

Honestly, there is nothing any of us can do about this situation. We are in control of our own actions and that is it. Thus, your only answer to this stigma is to avoid it in your own training.

Tips for Staying Focused

1. Change up your workout on a regular basis.

2. Do not waste time in the gym.

3. You are in the gym to train, so train.

4. Don't overdo anything and that includes cardio.

5. Enjoy yourself!

What are your thoughts?

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