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Get More for Less (Time)

June 25, 2012
Fitness Tip, Training Strategies
8 Comments

Want to stay in shape, but don’t have time? Bored with your usual routine? Shake it up with some high intensity intervals and get more results for less time in the gym. Sound too good to be true?

Recent research has shown that you can get many of the same physiological effects from high intensity interval training (HIIT) as you can from more time-consuming, moderate endurance workouts. These effects include fat loss, improved muscle cell function, increased oxygen consumption and improved anaerobic capacity–all for a fraction of the time spent.

What is HIIT?

High intensity interval training is any activity that alternates short bursts of maximal activity with brief periods of low to moderate intensity exercise. For example, a brief interval of fast running followed by an interval of walking, or brief interval of fast cycling alternated with an interval of slower cycling at a recovery pace. The aim is to push yourself beyond upper end of your aerobic zone, which trains both your aerobic and your anaerobic energy systems. On a scale of 1-10 of perceived exertion, high intensity can be considered anything over an effort level of 7.

What are the benefits of HIIT?

Burns more fat. The effect of the brief, intense exertion causes a significant afterburn. That means that your body will continue to burn more calories in the hours following your high intensity workout.

Doesn’t require equipment. HIIT doesn’t require any special equipment. Just put on your running shoes. Even simpler, you can do any plyometric exercise like jumping lunges or jumping jacks.

Saves time. For example, one study showed that 20 minutes of HIIT three times a week was found to be comparable to multiple, hour-long sessions of moderate endurance exercise, even though the HIIT workouts involved about 90% less exercise time. In both cases, exercise performance was increased. (Little, 2010)

How to do HIIT

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One-Size-Fits-All, But Looks Good on No One

May 11, 2012
Fitness Tip, Training Strategies
4 Comments

Most of the fitness programs on the market today take a one-size-fits-all approach.  The overweight office worker just starting out should follow the same exact routine as the advanced athlete?  Yup.

There are two major problems with this approach, and it’s the reason why most programs on the market fail to produce real results:

  1. The program is not appropriately matched to a person’s specific GOAL.
  2. The program is not appropriately matched to a person’s specific LEVEL.

FITNESS ROUTINES SHOULD COME IN DIFFERENT SHAPES AND SIZES. BECAUSE PEOPLE DO.

The market for “fitness that works for anyone” is large, and many DVD makers and group exercise instructors have pushed this approach for years. The problem is, this market is non-existent, despite what the infomercial makers have trained us to believe.

Many uninformed trainers make the same mistake:

  1. The boot camper who has you do every gut-busting drill he can think of just because he’s so darn tough.
  2. The meathead or fitness diva who has you train 4 hours a day and “squat til you puke”.
  3. The functional guy who has you do every complex exercise on a balance ball, even though you have no need to function like a circus performer.

Are you working out to impress people or get results?  ”Getting your butt kicked” is much different than a properly targeted and progressive plan—one that actually helps you gradually develop your gluteal muscles, for example, if that’s what you’re going for.

FINDING THE RIGHT LEVEL EQUALS REAL RESULTS.

That’s where GAIN is different.  Not only does it match your training program to your goals, time parameters and available equipment, but it also matches your program to your training level.

We have 5 different user levels, and we’re building progressions into each one, which means we have the right programs for you—from complete beginner to advanced athlete, and everyone in between. And we’re constantly tuning and tweaking our levels and workout recommendations, based on real workout data.

Don’t misunderstand us, your workouts should be challenging, but within the confines of the appropriate level.  And we’ll work with you to progress you as you “level-up,” introducing new, more advanced exercises, adding reps and volume and intensity, but only when you’re ready. You’ll “learn as you do,” and eventually you end up a fitness expert yourself.

Regaining Your Fitness Momentum

April 18, 2012
Fitness Tip, Training Strategies
1 Comment

Today we welcome DeAnn Teixeira as a first time guest blogger. DeAnn is a certified trainer (NSCA) and Wellness Coach (WellCoaches) who does training and nutrition coaching in Menlo Park, California.

DeAnn Teixeira

Let’s face it, after a while our fitness routine feels a little…routine. That push we count on from our inner athlete seems to feel more like a nudge. We start to worry that we’ll slip and turn into a couch potato. It doesn’t take an Olympian to know that our minds and bodies are good at adapting to a routine, then quickly get bored. Whether we are exceptional athletes or weekend warriors, we need to beat the boredom–to shake it up and regain our fitness momentum.

Here are a few tips to propel you over that ho-hum hump:

1. A Little Goes A Long Way
By increasing your workouts by 10% each week, you’ll challenge your body and mind to stay focused. I.e. If you do 40lb dumbbell chest presses at 12 rep max sets, try 45lb dumbbells at 8-12 rep max sets the following week.

2. Stop The “All Or Nothing” Attitude
If one day of running and two days of weight training is all you can commit to, so be it. Good things can come in small packages. Plus, down the road, you may find time to add more.

3. Have Fun!
Health and fitness are a lifetime commitment, so find workouts that you look forward to. Check out dance lessons, recruit a fitness partner, or sign up for an adventure race.

4. Set Goals, Not Limits
Each workout should have a purpose. You could plan to run 10% further for every 30 minutes you hit the pavement. Or, maybe you want to burn an additional hundred calories at your next exercise class.

The sky is the limit when it comes to spicing up our fitness regimens. We all need something new to keep our body and mind interested, and to avoid that comfy spot on the couch. Figure out what’s going to get you going. Then look your “inner athlete” in the eye and say its time to get back to it…no push required.

Myth Busters: I’m a Hardgainer

April 4, 2012
Fitness Tip
2 Comments

If you’re having trouble gaining muscle through strength training, it’s because IT’S HARD TO GAIN MUSCLE THROUGH STRENGTH TRAINING. It takes time, people. You’re attempting to transform your body. Give it a second! (Or really, a few weeks at the very least.)

The problem is: Going to the gym and doing a bunch of random exercises (re: following the latest training fad) is NOT going to cut it. True body change requires serious effort, consistency and, most importantly, proper programming.

But alas, there’s good news. Despite this hard reality, you are not doomed to spend the rest of your life in Puneyville! With proper targeted training, you will see results.

“HARDGAINER” STATUS IS A MYTH!

Most often, when someone says “I just can’t build muscle; no matter what I do”, it comes down to the fact that their training program (diet & exercise) is not aligned with their goals. For example, if your goal is to build visual muscle mass (aka “hypertrophy,” in trainer geek-speak), you need to train specifically for that.
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GAIN Fitness 3.0!

February 22, 2012
Product Feature
1 Comment
The New GAIN Fitness: We’ve told you all about it. Now it’s time to show it off. Check out our video below, and see what all the hype’s about. Expand or watch on YouTube for the best viewing experience.

GAIN Fitness 3.0 will launch in ~2 weeks. Not currently a GAIN user? Download version 2.5 for free @ the app store. When 3.0 is ready, you’ll receive an update alert on your Apple device.

Muscle Confusion: A Deeper Look, Part 2

February 4, 2012
Fitness Tip, Training Strategies
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As discussed previously, the idea of muscle confusion is popular in the press these days. The first post in this series, outlined the relationship between exercise variety and progress, introducing the concept “progressive variety.”  This post addresses how to effectively train multiple fitness qualities simultaneously.

The problem with “muscle confusion,” and many similar “training systems” is that they use a shotgun approach to train strength, size, speed, endurance and flexibility all at high intensity, all at once.  While this approach works at first, it won’t for very long, and most people who go this route will hit a wall pretty hard, rather quickly.  Beyond the basic level, the body can efficiently develop only one or two different fitness qualities at once.
From Newbie Gains to Continual Progress
“Newbie Gains” is a phrase used to describe the extremely fast progress beginners enjoy on any decent program. Generally, intermediates make the quickest progress when they pick one or two qualities to focus on, while maintaining everything else. Certain qualities pair better than others. Below are some of the classic combos, with a basic plan for how to get started:
Strength and Size
Most of the initial strength gains in any program come from improved coordination. Once your body has gotten a feel for the exercises, however, you generally need to get bigger to get stronger. The magic formula is this: keep adding weight to the bar and make sure you eat enough to gain weight.
     Basic Plan: lift weights 3-4 times per week. Stretch after each session or between sets. On off days, do some easy cardio (walks, etc.) and stretch.
Anaerobic Endurance and Fat Loss
Both high intensity interval training (HIIT) and full-body strength training with higher reps (10-15) and shorter rest times peel the fat right off. The key for both types of training is to go beyond thelactic threshold, the point at which lactic acid starts to accumulate in your muscles. This spikes growth hormone, which decreases body fat. Of course, diet is extremely important here as well.
     
     Basic Plan: do HIIT or full-body strength training with short-rests between exercises, 3-4 times per week. On off days, do some easy cardio and stretching.
Endurance and Flexibility
Flexibility pairs well with everything, but people who do heavy aerobic endurance training should pay extra special attention because the repetitive motions of running and cycling can lead to musculoskeletal imbalances.  Regular stretching and soft-tissue work (massage or SMFR) goes a long way to prevent achy hips and knees.
     Basic Plan: do 3-4 endurance training sessions per week, with one very long session, one or two pace sessions, and one or two lighter sessions. Lift weights once or twice a week. Stretch daily.
We at GAIN Fitness are incorporating all the programming rules outlined in this post (and many more) into our technology. Soon we plan to release a tool called the GAIN Plan to help you align your fitness training with a schedule of continual improvement.
Keep checking back!

GAIN Fitness Launches “Quick Workout”

February 4, 2012
Mobile App, Product Feature
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Just in time for your post-holiday recovery

We’re excited to unveil our public preview release of Quick Workout: a single day’s workout optimized to an individual’s body, goal, resources and schedule, custom-tailored from over 400 different exercises. This web app automates exercise science — it produces the kind of workout a personal trainer would handcraft for a paying client. We’re currently offering our service free of charge at gainfitness.com/quick_workout.

Quick Workout is the first piece of a much bigger plan to build an interactive fitness platform and personalized digital training service.  While it looks relatively simple on the surface, there’s a lot going on underneath the hood to build smart, targeted and efficient workouts, customized to your unique combination of user inputs and real-time constraints.  We wanted to make it as easy as possible to quickly get the info you need for an effective and timely workout so that you can get off the computer and get physically active…no matter where you are or how much time you have.

We encourage you to build and try some of your own Quick Workouts, and we’d love to hear your feedback.  We’re still at the very early stages of this, and are working on things like adding images and videos, building mobile apps, and integrating social features.  There’s a good chance feedback will directly impact what we build next!  To get in touch with us, you can message us on any of our social media channels (comment here or facebook, twitter, youtube), or email us at feedback@gainfitness.com.

Thanks, and Stay Fit!

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