Workout Routines

Hello everyone and welcome back to Sound Body Fitness!

So far I have gone over the basics of fitness, diet & nutrition, and answered some questions Q&A style. 
You can check those out by clicking below:
Q &A #1
Nutrition Do's and Don'ts
Basics of fitness

As requested, this week I will be discussing Workout Routines.

Regardless whether your fitness goal is to lose weight or to gain muscle, a good quality workout routine is mandatory for creating a sound body. 


Why Workout?

·  It's helps to burn calories and helps you lose weight

·  It makes your heart strong so that it doesn't have to work as hard to pump blood

·  It increases your lung capacity

·  It helps reduce risk of heart attack, high cholesterol, high blood pressure and diabetes

·  It makes you feel good, both physically and mentally.

·  It helps you sleep better

·  It helps reduce stress

I could keep going all day, but I think you get the point :) 

Choosing an Exercise Program:

There are countless workout programs out there so it can be rather difficult to decide on which one is right for you and your goals, but it is important to find the right workout for YOU.

If you are looking to get fit and create a sound body, you will want to find a workout program that incorporate at least 2-3 days of 30 minutes or more of exercise per week.

Looking to lose weight? Cardio is where it's at.

Cardio, or aerobic exercise, has many helpful benefits; The most noticeable being its ability to burn calories. Cardio can be as simple as just running. However, a quality cardio workout will get your whole body working hard. I recommend that everyone should include at least 2 or 3 days of cardio in their weekly workouts.

Looking to gain muscle? Time to pickup the weights.

Strength Training, or anaerobic exercise, is the best way to gain muscle.

2-3 days of intense muscle building workouts is the goal. Shoot for max weight and low reps while making sure that you are maintaining good form throughout. (Typically 3 sets of 8-10 reps of max weight). This will allow you to work out and give your body maximum repair time for your muscle tissue to recover.  

Whatever workout you decide on, be sure to keep track of what you do and how much you do in a fitness log (I bring a small notebook to the gym with me). That way you can track your progress and compare your results.

The Keys to a Quality Workout Routine:

· Know what your goals are and find a workout that fits your goals.

· Make time - be sure to fit your workout into your schedule so lack of time isn't an issue

· Don't skip workout days - Get in there and get it done! (unless you need time to heal an injury)

· Challenge yourself - steadily increasing your weights or reps over time

· Always track your progress - Keep a log of how many reps and the weight you use

· Give yourself time for recovery - Don't tax your body too much

· Eat right - your diet is what fuels you, so be sure to give your body proper nutrition to work hard

----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Here are a couple of workout programs that I have done in the past and really enjoyed.

IWSPA:

This was the first real workout plan I ever did. It is a basic strength training program and definitely a good place to start for someone who doesn't know much about working out because you can do everything right at home. (I did all mine right out of my tiny apartment bedroom) I recommend this type workout for anyone who is first starting out or starting back up.

P90X and P90X2:

These have been my favorite workouts for the last 2 years and I have recently been doing a modified version of P90X2 which I may go over in a future post. Both P90X and P90X2 are excellent workout routines regardless of your fitness level. They do a really great job of mixing things up to keep your workouts interesting. They have amazingly well structured workouts that can be done by anyone and are setup to get you all around fit. If you are having trouble doing an exercise, do what you can and build up over the course of time. One of the best things about this workout program is that even if you don't have much equipment you can still do all of the exercises. I started out doing it out of my small apartment (which is extremely useful for people just starting out who don't have much equipment or people that don't particularly enjoy the gym). And regardless of what workouts I do in the future, I will always use the ab ripper workout.

Insanity:

I did insanity my Senior year of College and loved it. It was challenging, very challenging. I am very competitive with myself and this workout routine really gets you geared up to push yourself. If you are looking to tone up and get all around fit, this is where it's at. I highly recommend this to anyone looking for a challenging cardio program.

----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Well, that just about raps things up. Remember: Your body is an investment. What you put into it is what you will get out of it. If you are willing to dedicate yourself and your time to achieving your fitness goals, you will see results. Be willing to spend a little money on workout equipment/gym membership and workout clothes. Healthier foods are always a bit more expensive, but your body will thank you with the results the nutrients help bring.

On a side note, I asked around to see what topics people wanted to hear from me in future posts and I got requests to go over workout routines, meal plans, recipes, and even some healthy bbq  recipes! So be sure to look forward to some great posts in the near future :)

And as always, if there are any suggestions or any topics you would like to see in future posts, let me know.

----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Bonus reading:

Great article on the rules of good nutrition: http://io9.com/the-rules-of-good-nutrition-that-absolutely-everybody-468521490

Sources:

http://exercise.about.com/cs/cardioworkouts/a/cardio101.htm