Many people strongly believe that cardio is the most important part of any given workout. Those people would be wrong. You could run on a treadmill or walk the track until you’re blue in the face and you most likely will not achieve the goal you set for yourself.
Sure, cardio is a huge part of exercising and is essential to burning calories and getting your blood pumping, but it is not the most important or most efficient part of a workout when you’re looking to lose weight and/or get in shape. Lifting weights and performing exercise circuits incorporating weights is the best thing you could do for your body. Weighted exercise helps you burn calories while breaking a sweat, but it also does so much more than just that. Lifting weights may not burn as many average calories per minute as cardio does, but weight lifting actually burns more body fat! In addition, according to Women’s Health magazine, for ever three pounds of muscle you build, you burn an extra 120 calories daily. Sounds like a pretty sweet deal to me! By using weights during a workout, you’re continuously strengthening and building muscle which allows your body to burn more calories. If you want to feel great about your body, a full body workout with weights is the way to go.
No one wants to be at the gym for hours cycling on a bike that isn’t going anywhere or walking on a treadmill, and we understand that. Here are a few tips to help you get the most out of your workouts so you can get out of the gym and start enjoying your perfectly in shape body.
1. Bring Music
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Music is such an important part of any successful workout. With the right pump up song, or a good motivational playlist, you can power through just about any workout. When your music isn’t inspirational and uplifting, it’s way harder to get fully into your workout. When I lift weights, I try to find a song with a steady beat that I can dance along to. I love pop songs and hip hop music to help me power through my workouts!
2. Repetition is Key
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Weight training circuits are a crucial part of having a great workout. When you do any weight exercises, be sure to do a high number of a reps, and be sure to do a minimum of three sets per exercise. repeating the same exercises on any given body part helps fatigue that muscle group and helps strengthen the muscles as well. When choosing a weight that feels right for you, keep in mind that it should be heavy but not impossible to lift. if you find yourself struggling after only a few reps, try switching to a lower weight. When focusing on toning muscles without bulking, it’s more beneficial to use a lower weight and add more repetitions.
3. Rotate Muscle Groups
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If you work the same muscle groups every day, your muscles will eventually fatigue and burn out and you won’t be able to workout. When you’re muscles are overworked and are too tired, they don’t function to the best of their ability. Training with weights is great, but it is always important to rotate the muscle groups you target during your gym sessions. I like to do weighted workouts two or three times each week so I always try to split up the muscle groups I train. You can group your workouts in a variety of ways, personally I like to do back, bicep, and legs together and chest. triceps, and shoulders together. These workouts usually work well for me. On the third day, I do abs, and a short full body circuit. Remember to give your muscles the rest they need, you’ll be glad you did in the long run!
Although not technically weightlifting, I found ashtanga yoga to be quite effective for building muscle!
I love circuit training which is what we do at my favorite studio, Sweat Garage in L.A. My favorite actual exercise is probably overhead triceps extension. I just love torching those chicken wings!
I NEVER listen to music when I do cardio, I just can’t – However, when I do weights, I HAVE TO listen to music. It makes me feel quite bad ass too! hA HA! I walk around with a swagger, and totally pose in the mirror, lets be real, WHO DOESN’T?!