Fitness Tip of the Week 1-6-2020

First off, before anything, you need to get your nutrition squared away.  That doesn’t mean that you can never eat cookies, bread, or have beer ever again.  What that does mean is that you have to make better choices and maybe, cut out things that are hindering your goals.  For example, a couple of days ago I talked with someone trying to lose 15 pounds.  When we started to look at his nutrition, one thing that stood out was the case of beer a week.  Now again, I’m not going to tell him to cut out drinking (unless he wanted to), but I did ask him to cut it in half and only on the weekends.  With his choice of drink being a Yuengling at 125 calories per bottle, we just cut out 1500 calories a week or roughly 7000 per month.  But this article isn’t about nutrition or setting up better nutrition habits.  It’s about making the most out of your time at the gym.  If you need help in the Nutrition area, contact Amber at amber@firstcapitalgym.com

Let’s look at your training program.  But first, before I begin, keep in mind that the average person at our gym is about 48 years old and not a 22 year old that has 10 hours per week to train.  If you’re just starting out or haven’t worked out in a while, do yourself a favor and start slow.  At First Capital Gym (during their 30 Day Personal Training Experience), on most occasions, we like starting new people off with two training sessions the first week.  For the next three weeks, we usually like them to do 3 per week.  If someone is already in shape, 3-4 is recommended.  Any more than that, what we found, is going to lead to overtraining.  

As far as exercises, you want to pick ones that give you the most bang for your buck.  With that said, you want to pick exercises that use the more muscles and energy to perform.  At First Capital Gym, WE HAVE NO MACHINES.  Why?  Because you were meant to move.  Not sit at a machine.  Before I ran a gym, I built programs for PT patients with very bad injuries and WE NEVER USED MACHINES.  We just never had a reason to and we got great results!  YOU NEED TO MOVE! That means your program should include squatting, hinging, pulling, pushing, carrying, planking, throwing, etc. 

 Ok, so you might be asking “how do I put this all together?”  Here’s how.  If you’re like most people we work with, you’re a person with lot of responsibilities and you don’t have 2 hours to work out at a gym.  You need something you can get done in about 45-55 minutes.  Here you go:

            Warm Up: 5-6 minutes

            1^st Circuit: 2-3 sets of each. 30-60 break between each exercise

            A1 Kettlebell Swings x 10-15

            A2 KB Suitcase Carry x 30 seconds each side

            A3 Supine Straight Leg Raises x 8e

            2^nd Circuit: 2-3 sets at 30/60 seconds of break between each set

            B1 Seated Pulldown x 15

            B2 Dumbbell Split Squat x 10-12e

            B3 Ankle Rocks x 10e

            3^rd Circuit: 2-3 sets of 30-60 seconds of break between each set

            C1 Flat DB Alternating Press x 8e

            C2 Kettlebell Deadlift x 12-15

            C3 TRX Rows x 15

            C4 Planks x 30-60 seconds

            **If you want some extra arm work, do some bicep curls and tricep extensions for 2-3 sets of 12-2 0 reps, but that’s if you have time

            Metabolic Circuit: 4-6 sets

            Airdyne Bike: 15 seconds on and 60 seconds off

            In the upcoming weeks, we’ll show you some regressions as well as progressions to some of the above exercises to help you out.  If you think you still need help, click on the link below to our 30 Day Personal Training Experience program. 

https://www.firstcapitalgym.com/30-day-fitness/