FITNESS 101
Introduction
The reason why most fitness programs are not successful is that they do not include the five components of fitness. In fact, most programs only focus on one of the five components. For example, a program that focuses only on diet will inevitably reduce one’s metabolism, which is the number one reason why people plateau during their weight loss program and/or rebound afterward. This article will explain the five components of fitness and guide you on how to incorporate them into a balanced program.
I. Cardio Respiratory Activity
The Laws of Thermodynamics teach us that the human body converts the food we eat into energy, which it utilizes for all of our daily activities. If we use more energy than we consume, our body converts some of its stored energy into fuel. A common method for increasing our caloric expenditure above our intake is through cardio respiratory activity. When people see the calorie counter of the cardio machine, they think it accounts for the 300 calorie muffin they ate. They are not, however, taking into account glycogen depletion, muscle loss, and gradual lowering of their metabolism. When seeking to reduce body fat, I recommend that cardio respiratory activity be limited to the amount necessary to reach one’s goal. Most cardio equipment in gyms has a target heart rate (THR) chart. You can use this chart to gauge what heart rate is suitable for your goals. There is usually one column for fat loss and one for cardio (which increases heart health). The fat loss side directs you to keep your heart rate lower than the cardio side. This is because, at the lower heart rate, your body consumes more calories from fat than muscle. However, at the higher heart rate, more calories are consumed from muscle, although this does increase heart health.
This is a typical scenario: Jane joins a gym and wants to lose weight, but Jane doesn't know anything about the science of exercise. So, Jane jumps on the non-intimidating treadmill and proceeds to "go to town," only on a treadmill. She knows she ate a few extra treats during the day, so she sets a goal of "300 calories" according to the digital display of her workout results. As she walks along, she realizes that, if she goes a little faster, she will get there sooner. So she speeds up within her limits.
As this routine continues each day, her limits increase, and so does her speed. She likes it because she began to lose weight, only now she feels like she is hitting her "wall," except that she is on a treadmill. So, she goes longer or faster. Next thing you know, her time in the gym is never enough, and she never ventured off of the treadmill to the many other features of the gym, except perhaps, an ab machine so that she can "target" the pounds gathering in her mid section.
What is the problem? Jane is only using one component of fitness, and she is losing muscle, which is lowering her metabolism, which may decrease her overall weight but it will increase her body fat percentage.
So here is a THR formula for you to use in case you don't have a chart available. This is just a basic formula. Always consult your physician before exercise. Also, a physician may have the tools to accurately calculate your THR, as these formulas are only capable of giving a general guideline.
This is a typical scenario: Jane joins a gym and wants to lose weight, but Jane doesn't know anything about the science of exercise. So, Jane jumps on the non-intimidating treadmill and proceeds to "go to town," only on a treadmill. She knows she ate a few extra treats during the day, so she sets a goal of "300 calories" according to the digital display of her workout results. As she walks along, she realizes that, if she goes a little faster, she will get there sooner. So she speeds up within her limits.
As this routine continues each day, her limits increase, and so does her speed. She likes it because she began to lose weight, only now she feels like she is hitting her "wall," except that she is on a treadmill. So, she goes longer or faster. Next thing you know, her time in the gym is never enough, and she never ventured off of the treadmill to the many other features of the gym, except perhaps, an ab machine so that she can "target" the pounds gathering in her mid section.
What is the problem? Jane is only using one component of fitness, and she is losing muscle, which is lowering her metabolism, which may decrease her overall weight but it will increase her body fat percentage.
So here is a THR formula for you to use in case you don't have a chart available. This is just a basic formula. Always consult your physician before exercise. Also, a physician may have the tools to accurately calculate your THR, as these formulas are only capable of giving a general guideline.
Karvonen Formula
206.9-(0.67 X age)
- resting heart rate
X desired heart rate zone
+ resting heart rate
THR
- resting heart rate
X desired heart rate zone
+ resting heart rate
THR
Heart Rate Zones
Healthy Heart Zone (warm up): 50-60% of maximum heart rate; about 85% of calories consumed in this zone are fats.
Fitness Zone (fat loss): 60-70% of maximum heart rate; the percentage of fat calories is still 85.
Aerobic Zone (performance training): 70-80% of maximum heart rate; about 50% of calories consumed are fats.
Anaerobic Zone (performance training): 80-90% of maximum heart rate; Only 15% of calories consumed are fats.
Red Line (maximum effort): 90-100% of maximum heart rate; you should only train in this zone if you have been cleared by a physician to do so.
Fitness Zone (fat loss): 60-70% of maximum heart rate; the percentage of fat calories is still 85.
Aerobic Zone (performance training): 70-80% of maximum heart rate; about 50% of calories consumed are fats.
Anaerobic Zone (performance training): 80-90% of maximum heart rate; Only 15% of calories consumed are fats.
Red Line (maximum effort): 90-100% of maximum heart rate; you should only train in this zone if you have been cleared by a physician to do so.
II. Proper Food Intake
Another common approach to weight loss is through dieting; however, it has the same net effect as too much cardio—not only does it promote fat loss, but also muscle loss, which results in a lower metabolism. The quality of the food is more important than the calories is contains. Therefore, I recommend a healthy eating lifestyle rather than diets.
When considering foods, here are a few points to also consider:
When considering foods, here are a few points to also consider:
- What you will be doing within the next several hours? What your body does with the food you eat depends largely on what activities you will be doing after you eat it. It is always a good rule to choose foods that the body can convert to sustainable energy. Google "low glycemic index chart" if you need help with this. But even the best carbs will go to waste (or is that "waist") if we eat them before sedentary activity.
- What is the nutrient to calorie ratio? Unfortunately, there is no simply chart regarding this. You just have to use some intuition and educate yourself as you go. But here are some guidelines. The higher the processing, the lower the nutrition. If they say that the food is fortified with vitamins and minerals, this is a good clue that the original nutrients were processed out of the food. Fortifying with synthetic vitamins and minerals will never replace a whole grain source. The greatest thing you can do to ensure a good nutrient-to-calorie ratio is to eat much fresh, local, organic fruits and vegetables.
- Carb-priority before and protein-priority after. When working out, you need more carbohydrates with a little protein before you workout; and you need more protein and a little carbohydrates after you workout. You still need a little of each, but the priority changes according to whether you are fueling or rebuilding. When choosing proteins, natural food sources are preferred over shakes or bars. In regard to carbs, low glycemic carbs (the good ones) are often found in unprocessed whole grains and fruits and vegetables.
III. Vitamins and Supplements
Should you add needed nutrients to your diet without calories by taking vitamins and supplements? Studies show that quality vitamins help fill in nutritional gaps. But it is still not certain that this is due to the vitamins. What? Well, researchers have found that those taking vitamins are generally more health-conscious and therefore make more healthy choices, affecting the results. But if you do want to supplement with vitamins, note that not all vitamins are the same, so it’s good to learn about contents, potency and percentage of absorption. One argument in defense of vitamins is that it is difficult to get the required vitamins and minerals from the foods available to us today. Fireside Fitness does not recommend, promote or sell any supplements. If you want to know more about quality supplements, we defer to those who specialize in this area. Read more about this here.
Supplements can help you reach your goal, but many of these only provide temporary results, while others are simply unsafe. For instance, taking creatine increases water absorption which increases muscle size, but it only lasts as long as you take it. Also, creatine supplementation reduces your body's natural production of creatine. I find that a properly constructed wellness lifestyle eliminates the need for supplements.
Supplements can help you reach your goal, but many of these only provide temporary results, while others are simply unsafe. For instance, taking creatine increases water absorption which increases muscle size, but it only lasts as long as you take it. Also, creatine supplementation reduces your body's natural production of creatine. I find that a properly constructed wellness lifestyle eliminates the need for supplements.
IV. Resistance Training
Resistance training increases muscle mass, which increases one’s metabolism. Still, many people are intimidated by weights because they do not know the proper range of motion or are afraid they will bulk up. If they ever leave the comfort of the cardio equipment, they make it no farther than to the machines. Unfortunately, you are just as likely to hurt yourself using machines as you are using free weights. Machines are designed to accommodate the masses. So, unless you know the right range of motion (ROM), you will still tax your muscles outside of your ROM.
Also, many machines are just, plain dangerous. One of my great mentors, Dr. Jack Barnathan of NY Strength, calls the leg extension "Satan's throne" due to the vast number of knee injuries resulting from its use.
If this wasn't enough, machines are also less efficient, only recruiting a portion of the muscle fibers recruited when using free weights. This is because free weights require stabilization of joints through the aid of your stabilizer muscles. And all of our movements outside of the gym rely on joint stabilization. This makes free weights more functional than machines.
Your resistance-training fears can be laid to rest by working with a personal trainer who can teach proper technique. It is a great investment toward your personal independence in the gym. What more can I say, I am so convinced of the need for personal trainers that I became one.
Here are some rules for lifting:
Also, many machines are just, plain dangerous. One of my great mentors, Dr. Jack Barnathan of NY Strength, calls the leg extension "Satan's throne" due to the vast number of knee injuries resulting from its use.
If this wasn't enough, machines are also less efficient, only recruiting a portion of the muscle fibers recruited when using free weights. This is because free weights require stabilization of joints through the aid of your stabilizer muscles. And all of our movements outside of the gym rely on joint stabilization. This makes free weights more functional than machines.
Your resistance-training fears can be laid to rest by working with a personal trainer who can teach proper technique. It is a great investment toward your personal independence in the gym. What more can I say, I am so convinced of the need for personal trainers that I became one.
Here are some rules for lifting:
- Follow the rule of 90 degrees. Don't load a joint past a 90 degree bend. Dropping your elbows below your shoulders while shoulder pressing transfers the weight from the large deltoids to the small supraspinatus. Dropping the elbows past the bench when chest pressing transfers the weight from the large pectoralis majors to the small teres majors. No wonder the most frequent injury in the weight room is rotator cuff injuries, second to knee injuries--which also often come from flexing a weight-bearing knee past 90 degrees, such as when using "Satan's Throne" or performing a walking lunge. Train the stabilizers correctly by getting off the machines and using free weights with proper ROM.
- Train to fatigue, not failure. "No pain, no gain" is a lie. Some trainers boast about being able to push someone hard, even to the point of vomiting. Use common sense. Does this sound like good training to you? Believe it or not, studies indicate that not training at all is better than overtraining. Tax your body but within its limits and it will recover faster and make greater gains. And don't believe everything you see on TV. There is much that goes on behind the scenes to make sure that the contestants lose weight, things that they don't want the viewer to see, and even many of the biggest loosers gain it back again later.
- Never compromise form. If you are doing a particular exercise and can no longer maintain good form, stop! The muscles targeted by the exercise are exhausted and need a break. Cheating form causes the recruitment of secondary muscles not designed for that same movement, which is why you cannot maintain the correct form. These secondary muscles are often smaller muscles incapable of handling the same load. So, you are now effectively using small muscles loaded with high weight outside of their natural ROM. This is a recipe for disaster.
- Go home and grow. Recovery happens most when we sleep. You may like looking at yourself when you are all pumped up, but unless you allow those swollen muscles to recover, they won't.
V. Professional Assistance
It is the duty of the fitness professional to structure a program that balances all the components of fitness with consideration to your specific goals, needs, and limitations. A capable trainer should be able to educate and encourage you while monitoring and evaluating your progress toward your health and wellness goal.
When choosing a trainer, don't be shy about asking for credentials and letters of reference. If they have no letters of reference, then that is a good indicator that no one had anything good to say about them. Regarding their credentials, you should verify that their certificates are not expired and look up the certifying organizations on the Internet to see if they are nationally recognized or if you too can get certified under them "for just $19.95 and ten minutes of your time."
When choosing a trainer, don't be shy about asking for credentials and letters of reference. If they have no letters of reference, then that is a good indicator that no one had anything good to say about them. Regarding their credentials, you should verify that their certificates are not expired and look up the certifying organizations on the Internet to see if they are nationally recognized or if you too can get certified under them "for just $19.95 and ten minutes of your time."
