I have recently just joined one of the big gym chains, here in the UK.

One of the things that I am surprised about is the number of people who still go and do their cardio training and then go and lift weights, when it should really be weights before cardio.

I’ve talked about this before but it is worth reiterating.

You really are better off doing your weight training first as by definition lifting weights is a high intensity task and doing cardio is a low intensity task.

By doing your cardio first you are using up the valuable and limited sugar supplies that the body needs to lift weights.  You can do cardio on either sugar or fat but only sugar can be used for the weight training element.

Also it takes 15-25 minutes (depending on fitness level, the fitter the quicker) to move fat from where it’s stored to the muscles where it can be burnt up.  So by warming up and lifting weights first you are releasing the fat and then have it available to start burning as soon as you start your cardio training.

Until next time, train hard, train smart, make every rep count.

Alex

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In my last post I introduced the concept of EPOC and today I will tell you how to use it to get results

This is the key part that most people don’t know or understand and therefore do not utilise. The power that interval and resistance training can give you.

Imagine burning calories not only when you’re working out but for 24 hours after you stop. That is what happens in the body when you lift weights and do interval training.

So how does this differ from normal fat loss training. In most cases people (and some trainers) think that the best way to loose weight is to run, cross train, cycle etc. They get on the bit of cardio and workout all at the same speed for an hour.

Well in that hour the calorie consumption may have been 800 calories as opposed to only say 400 calories from doing intervals or lifting weights.

However it is the effect with in the body that is more important. The weights or interval training will set of a reaction of hormonal and physiological responses that will continue to burn fat hours after finishing the exercise where the steady pace running would only burn calories for another couple of hours.

Tomorrow I’ll describe more in depth about what each of the factors, Alwyn talks about, are.

If you want to take a closer look at ‘Afterburn’ then check it out at www.CoachCosgrove.com – he also has some great products for fitness professionals.

Until next time,
Train hard, train smart, make every rep count.

Alex

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Here’s the next fitness rant and the second about deadlifts.

I first became aware of people doing deadlift like this (incorrectly that is) when I was playing professional rugby.

You would find some of the more ego driven rugby players lifting the deadlift like this so that they could feel really good about themselves and state that they could deadlift ‘x’ kg.

So take note if you want to lift weights from the floor with the correct technique.

Until next time.

Remember train hard, train smart, make every rep count.

Alex

If you want to see the correct technique then visit my other site Weight Training Technique by **clicking here**

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 Bouncy bouncy deadlift :-(: Play Now | Play in Popup | Download

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