health corner: fitness tips
Exercising While Sick
Has this ever happed to you: you are full swing into your fitness program…you are starting to see dramatic results…the momentum is flowing and nothing can stop you now….until you wake up with a sore throat, headache and body aches?
Many fitness fanatics find it difficult to take a break... even when sick. Since exercise puts a temporary stress on the body and immune system, which may prolong your illness, one must first look at the severity of the illness before continuing their fitness program.
A study conducted by Thomas G. Weidner, Ph.D., of Ball State University, revealed that exercising at a moderate intensity level does not intensify cold symptoms or compromise the immune system. It seems that a moderate level of intensity is not enough to alter immune response. However, high intensity exercise such as heavy weight lifting or high intensity aerobic training has been shown to have a negative impact on the immune system during a cold or any respiratory infection. Below is a list of symptoms to exercise guidelines:
If you have a:
• Runny nose • Sneezing • Scratchy throat only, then:
It is safe to exercise at low intensity levels.
If you have a:
• Fever • Dry cough • Sore muscles • Vomiting • Diarrhea, then:
Exercise is not recommended. Resume more intense physical activity when cold, or infection is gone.
Let’s recap, it may be OK to workout when sick (depending on the severity) but a day or two of rest is usually just what the doctor ordered. A short break won't have a negative effect on your overall goals.
Busting Out of Your Weight Training Plateau
Is your weight training program becoming to routine? Has your strength and motivation levels began to decline? If so, than maybe it’s time to shake it up a bit and add the big “I” (Intensity) to your workouts. This can be achieved by incorporating the following 8 Advanced Training Techniques into your workouts:
TRAINING TECHNIQUES
Breakdown Training
Sometimes it becomes necessary to increase the intensity of the exercise to maximize strength and muscle mass gains. One way to do this is breakdown
training. In breakdown training, one set is performed until no more repetitions can be performed. The weight is decreased slightly and 3 to 5 more
repetitions are preformed with no rest between the sets.
Pre Exhaustion
Pre-exhausting is the art of tiring the main muscle with an isolation exercise such as dumbbell flies, followed by a heavier exercise like dumbbell
presses when the chest is already fatigued so it will fail before the supporting muscles.
Negatives
Negative reps or eccentric reps, as they are sometimes called, use the lower portion of the lift. Since you can lower more weight than you can raise,
you can do negatives with much more weight than normal or after a set of positive reps to failure. Be sure to use a spotter for this technique.
Super Sets
Super setting involves alternating between two opposing muscle groups with no rest in between. An example would be alternating between bicep curls
and triceps presses.
Compound Sets
A compound set is similar to a super set, except that the same muscle group is used. You would alternate between two exercises for the same muscle.
An example is performing bicep curls with a barbell followed by alternating dumbbell curls.
Giant Sets
This technique involves different exercises for the same muscle structure to target each individual sub-structure in that one set.
For example, a Giant Set for CHEST may start with Pec-Dec Flyes followed immediately by Cable Crossovers followed immediately by Incline Dumbbell Press followed immediately by Flat Bench Barbell Press.
Assisted Training
Assisted training is similar to breakdown training. Just as in breakdown training, a set is taken to failure. Then instead of lowering the weight,
a helper assists with the completion of 3 to 5 more repetitions at the same weight.
Super Slow Training
Another way to increase the work performed by the muscles is to slow down the speed of movement. Moving the weight slowly reduces the role of momentum
and puts the muscles under a load for a longer period of time. You should use a full 10 seconds to complete one repetition.
OVER TRAINING WOES
Many people feel that more is better when it comes to exercising. Although we should be exercising enough to see health benefits, exercising too much can lead to over training. Overtraining is caused by too much physical activity and too little rest and recovery after hard workouts. This can result in a great deal of stress on muscles, joints, and bones. The following are common symptoms of overtraining:
WORKOUT SYMPTOMS
•Usual workouts feel more difficult
• Early fatigue during workouts
•Faster heart rate with less effort
• Decreased strength
•Decreased coordination
• Physical challenges seem too hard
• Decreased performance on strength, speed, or endurance
PHYSICAL & NONPHYSICAL SYMPTOMS
• Persistent fatigue
• Ongoing muscle soreness
• Loss of appetite
• Increased aches and pains
• Increase in overuse injuries
• Frequent colds or infections
• Difficulty sleeping
• Feelings of irritation or anger
• Feelings of depression
• Lack of motivation
• Fear of competition
• Difficulty concentrating
• Increased sensitivity to emotional stress
If you are suffering from several of these symptoms, go see your physician so that any potentially serious problems can be ruled out. Otherwise, just stop, rest and take a few days off. Also, drink plenty of fluids, check & alter your diet if necessary.
*Remember…the longer the overtraining has occurred, the more rest is required.
Warming Up=Injuries Down
Studies show that there are many benefits to warming up before exercise. These include heating up the muscles, increasing the heart rate and blood pressure, increasing the elasticity of the muscles and decreasing the risk of injuries. It is recommended that we warm up for 5-10 minutes before engaging in exercise. This may include light stretching and/or low intensity aerobic exercise, such as walking, jogging, biking or swimming.
The Scale Sometimes Lies
Although sometimes the scale can be a good measure of weight loss, it may not be beneficial for someone starting a new weight training program. Studies show that an untrained person can gain up to 2-4 pounds of muscle the first 2 months after having started a new resistance program. This can be discouraging for people who don't understand the concept of muscle weighing more than fat, and believe they are putting on unwanted weight. One must remember that measuring weight is not always the best method when evaluating body improvements, especially if they are involved with weight training. Next time you want to assess your progress, try taking your body measurements or have a qualified personal trainer test your body fat. A more subjective way to judge your progress would be to see if your clothes fit better.
Move Your Weights Not Your Mouth
Some people go to the gym to workout and others go for the social experience. Even though the gym can be a great place to meet people, it can also be devastating to one's workout. Try using these techniques to add intensity to your workout.
1. Use headphones. Studies not only show that
music can improve your focus and brain power, but they can help to ward off any gym members that want to chat with you every 5 minutes.
2. Decrease
your recovery time between sets. Instead of taking 2 or more minutes to recover in between sets, try resting for less than a minute.
You'll be surprised how challenging your workouts will become.
3. Use the active recovery technique. For example, instead of resting after a set, perform another
exercise
of a different muscle part. This will increase the intensity of your workout and help maximize the time you have in the gym.
Easing muscle soreness
Ouch...ooo...ouch... Muscle soreness can be painful and discomforting, especially when trying to walk down the stairs a day or two after an intense leg work out. This delayed onset muscle soreness is a normal physiological response caused by microscopic damage or tears to the muscle fiber. Try some of these simple tips to help relieve the soreness:
1. Supplement with vitamin C and E.
2. Warm up before exercise.
3. Cool down after
exercise.
4. Stretch before
and after exercise
5. Get a message.
6. Soak in a hot bath with Epson's salt
7. Take an aspirin or ibuprofen.
Remember "no pain no gain" is not always the answer. Gradually increase the intensity of your workout each week rather than killing yourself all in one session.
Cardio Solutions
• Cardiovascular training first thing in the morning on an empty stomach will have the greatest potential for burning fat.
• Cardiovascular training immediately after weight training will promote strength and muscle growth and burn fat.
•Cardiovascular training before weight training will optimize aerobic performance and therefore total calories burned, but gains in strength
and muscle mass may be compromised.
Bottom line: Regardless if your cardio sessions are in the morning, before or after your workout—in the end you are still reaping benefits no matter when you do it. The most important way to maintain a consistent exercise program is to do it when it best fits your schedule.