Now I already know the first question that’s going
to pop into your head. Why should I take fitness advice from you? Okay, so I’m a
singer/songwriter for Millennium, a pop rock group from Los Angeles. I admit
that’s no reason to jump on my fitness wagon. You also shouldn’t take my advice
because I happen to be a certified fitness trainer, have an extensive
background in nutritional biochemistry, nor because I have a black belt in
Shaolin Kenpo. The real reason you should heed the advice that I’m about to
give you is this: I’ve been working out consistently since I was 12 years old,
without missing a week. That means that what I do in the gym is sustainable
over the long haul. I’m no big buff
dude, but I’ve maintained the same physique, body fat percentage and lean body
mass since I was eighteen years old. I’m
happy with that. Here are the basic guidelines that keep me going:
1.
Three Times Per Week is Enough
For most people leading hectic lives, this should
come as good news. Three 90-minute sessions per week is sufficient to get all
of the health benefits of working out (cardiovascular, pulmonary, muscular,
etc.). Adding more sessions per week risks over-training and muscle injury
which can easily lead to brief or permanent hiatuses from the gym.
2.
Forget the heavy weights
There is no sane reason to grab any dumbbell over 40
lbs or to stack more than 200 lbs on the bench press or squat rack. Ha! This guy is a little punk, you’re
saying. That’s the ego talking. Sure, most of us can lift more weight than that. But it’s not going to produce any
additional health benefits and it’s exactly that sort of competitive mindset
that leads to injury and brief or permanent vacations from the gym. I guarantee
you can achieve the same burn safely by using lower weights and by
concentrating on good form and slow continuous movement. Another downside of
using heavy weights is more insidious. We all have a natural psychological
aversion to pain. You may overcome that aversion for a period of time when
hormone levels are high and other factors align. However, the moment those
factors are not aligned, you will stop going to the gym. Simply put, if you
establish a high threshold of pain and intensity that you cannot maintain
consistently over the long haul, you are setting yourself up for failure.
3.
Stick to simple exercises
I can count on ten fingers and toes the exercises
that are needed for a complete workout in the gym. That even includes alternate
exercises for each muscle group to keep it interesting. Yes, these exercises are the most basic
linear and circular movements, but they are also the most effective. I always get a
good laugh over some of the off-the-wall exercises I see fitness trainers
instructing their clients to do. Most of those clients never come back after
their five-session pass is up. The clients that do stick around continue doing
this litany of bizarre and dangerous exercises without any supervision which quickly
leads to injury (sometimes even to the people standing near them!) The truth
is, not being able to stick to a simple set of exercises that are beneficial
and safe sets you down the wrong path. Be wary of the mind’s subtle attempts to
sabotage your workout and resist them by keeping it simple.
4.
Don’t overtrain
This point gets at the heart of what motivates us to
work out. In a healthy state of mind, we work out to maintain and enhance the
beautiful aspects of ourselves. It is an act of self-love. When we work out our
bodies too hard, too fast, over too short a period of time, we are no longer
motivated by self-love but by self-hate. We are trying to change the image in
the mirror because we don’t like what we see. These kinds of negative emotions
are not going to get you through the long haul. The best way to avoid
overtraining is to 1) limit each exercise to 3 sets of 10 – 12 reps using
moderately challenging weight, 2) limit 2 exercises per muscle group and 3) take
a rest day in between workout days. There is a sound scientific basis for these
limits. Overtraining triggers the body’s chemical pathway for ‘fight or flight’
leading to increased cortisol production and the storage of fat. Over decades
of training, I’ve observed these limits to work very well. Be wary of overtraining,
as it points to negative motivating factors and directly sabotages our fitness
goals.
5.
Eat right and avoid sports supplements
The answer to the secret of how to burn fat and tone
muscle does not come in a bottle. It comes in the form of a gym membership and
a good workout plan. These so-called sports enhancement supplements carry a number
of undesirable side-effects that hurt you in the long run. The only three
supplements I have found to be worth taking on a daily basis are ones that
everyone should take, whether or not you work out: 1) a
multivitamin/multimineral tablet, 2) a calcium tablet (500 mg) and 3) coenzyme
Q10 (100 mg). The science supporting these three supplements is irrefutable at
this point. That said, it is important to get a sufficient amount of protein,
carbohydrates and fat from your daily diet to support your workout and overall
health. This is quite easy if you stick
to lean meats, such as chicken breast, fish, non marbled pork and red meat, in
conjunction with rice, pasta, vegetables and fruit. Nothing new there. I‘ll be
honest, over the long term I don’t think it’s possible to get the
macronutrients necessary to support a rigorous workout on a vegetarian diet (but
that’s a whole other article). When it comes to diet and exercise, the first concern
is having sufficient energy to power through your workout. To this end, it is
okay to eat up to 15 minutes before exercising. The second concern is having
adequate building blocks for muscle growth and antioxidants for detoxifying the
body after your workout. A healthy diet with the three supplements mentioned
satisfies these requirements every time.
If you’ve read this far, then perhaps you’ve become
aware of the fact that effective training is quite simple. It requires positive
motivation, discipline to stick to a routine and the ability to procure healthy
food. If it’s so simple, then why is it so hard for people to get and stay in
shape over the course of their lives? The answer might surprise you: Because
people are quick to embrace the idea
of looking and feeling healthy, but they want it to happen overnight. They
don’t realize that the value of a goal lies not in its achievement, but in the
many intervening days of methodical work that produce that outcome. Or to
paraphrase Aristotle, excellence is in habit. Only by recognizing and resisting
the impulse for immediate gratification, can we take the steps necessary to
achieve ideal health in a moderate, self-sustainable fashion. Hopefully, if
nothing else, this article serves to focus our thoughts and get us back on a realistic
path to long term health.
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