Revamping your Weight Training Workout

Ever get bored of your weightlifting routine? After awhile it does become stale and boring and it gets much harder to stay focused with your strength training routine when you don't feel as motivated.

To fix that problem try these tips to revamp your workout to make it more interesting.

1. Try Plyometric Training

Jumping squats, powerful push ups and agility based strength training will really work muscles in a different way than just lifting weights. Plyometric training develops power. It's a great technique for sports training and is highly recommended for athletes. With summer coming, plyometric training will really add a new dimension to your basketball, soccer or football game and give you an extra edge!

2. Try Bodyweight Exercises

Bodyweight training is great if you are on a budget, but also great if you have a limited home gym because it uses very little, if any equipment. Lunges, squats, planks, push ups, pull ups, chin ups, step ups and dips are all examples of effective body weight training exercises. See my list of Frugal Exercises.

3. Try New Equipment

If you can afford it try new exercise equipment either at home or at the gym. You don't need expensive equipment either. A simple resistance band can an extra challenge to your regular routine.

Even doing the same old exercises with a resistance band will change the routine and work muscles in a slightly different way. Adding a simple piece of equipment like push up handles or a medicine ball can makes things exciting enough to motivate another couple of months of training.

4. Try a Strength Oriented Sport

Take up a sport that requires strength. eg. Archery with a bow that requires a lot of torque to pull it and hold it steady. Other similar sports like shot put, mountain climbing / rock climbing can also test your strength limits.

Critical Mass in Toronto

Want to socialize with other cyclists in Toronto and get exercise while doing it?

Go to the Critical Mass gatherings on the last Friday of every month. They meet at the corner of Bloor and Spadina and then bike around Toronto as one big group.

Check out the photos below of some past Critical Mass rides.

Motivational Quotes for Exercising

"Success isn't measured by how great you are, it is measured by how determined you are to succeed."
-Charles Moffat


"I've discovered that numerous peak performers use the skill of mental rehearsal of visualization. They mentally run through important events before they happen."
-Charles A. Garfield

"When confronted with a situation that appears fragmented or impossible, step back, close your eyes, and envision perfection where you saw brokenness. Go to the inner place where there is no problem, and abide in the consciousness of well-being."
-Alan Cohen

"Visualize this thing that you want, see it, feel it, believe in it. Make your mental blue print, and begin to build."
-Robert Collie

"You are living simultaneously in two worlds, two realities: the inner reality of your thoughts, emotions and attitudes, and the outer reality of people, places, things and events. Because we fail to separate these Inner and Outer worlds, we allow ourselves to become dominated by the Outer world of appearances, and we use the Inner world solely as a 'mirror' for whatever happens to us. Our Inner world reacts constantly and because we spend all of our time simply reacting, we never experience our power. Ironically, you begin changing your reality the day, the hour, the minute you cease constantly reacting to it."
-John Kehoe

"What the mind can conceive and believe it can achieve."
-Napoleon Hill

What develops your Abs?

Abdominal workouts don't have to be as hard as you think. Did you know you could work out your abdominals just 2 to 3 times a week or less and get desirable results? Most fitness trainers are well aware of this fact, but to some, that may be a bit of a surprise.

Most people believe to get ripped abdominals, you have to work out a lot, but that's simply not true. In this article, I will explain the most effective method at getting the results you want and explain facts that you may not be aware of:

1. Exercising your abdominals too often is bad: The reason is because your abdominals (like all your muscles) need time to recover. By working them out too often you are not allowing enough time for your abdominal muscles to recover. This is why working them out 2 to 3 times a week is ok because you are not straining your abdominals. Anymore unnecessary workout to your core would just be ineffective and perhaps cause injury or muscle tear and depletion. Also, you muscles develop when they are given enough time to recover so this will further strengthen your abdominals the next time you work out. But by not allowing enough time, your muscles have no chance to recover and strengthen.

2. Do more anaerobic exercises instead of Cardio: Although Cardio workouts can be beneficial; they probably won't help you much at developing a six pack. Anaerobic exercises, or high intensity exercises involving weights or other highly intense activities such as Basketball, can be beneficial at increasing your metabolic rate. This in turn will help you burn off calories faster. The benefits of anaerobic exercises are that the high intensity last longer than Cardio. It can increase your metabolic rate even after you finished working out, up to 2 days. This means your metabolism is still at work burning off calories long after you finished working out. With Cardio, since the intensity is usually low, the benefit only carries over for 1 to 2 hours after you finished working out.

3. Work out all your Large Muscle Groups: The more you work out other larger muscle groups, the more all your muscles with benefit. By increasing your overall muscle helps at burning fat. The more you can you lower your fat percentage, the more you abdominals with begin to show. This is why it's beneficial to work all your large muscle groups so you can continue burning fat and reveal your abdominals. And also, everyone has abdominals. It's only because they are hidden under a layer of fat is why they're not revealed.

4. Effective exercises for Abs: These are exercises that focus on more stimulation to the abdominals and are more effective. An example would be an abdominal wheel, because it requires more work as far as balancing yourself and performing the motion correctly. The motion with an abdominal wheel also requires you to use more of your abdominal strength to maintain your balance. The result is you are using more of your ab muscles and working them harder and more effectively.

Summary

In addition, maintaining discipline and having a good diet is also important. Knowing something is not useful unless you put it to work. Try to find time and workout at least 45 minutes a day. Or you may decide to start with 45 minutes every other day. Whatever you choose to do, make a good habit of it and you will reach your goal.



Need more advice on cardio and abdominal exercises? Hire a personal trainer! If you live in Toronto you could hire me as your personal trainer.

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