The following information is derived from the most recent scientific data.
0)Vocabulary:
Each exercise of a workout is typically performed in a number of sets of repetitions of this movement with or without a load (e.g. additional weight in the form of a barbell or dumbells).
Repetitions are performed without interuptions or with a short interuption.
A set is composed of 1 or more repetitions of a same exercise. A pause of at least 30 seconds is marked between two sets.
1RM is your record load for one repetition of one exercise. 5RM is the highest load with which you succeed to make 5 repetitions of one exercise.
The following parameters are important and will be discussed:
1)Which exercises?
2)How to perform each exercise?
3)With which load?
4)How many sets of repetitions and how many repetitions in a set?
5)How much rest between two sets?
6)How many days of rest between two workout?
7)What to do during rest days?
8)What to eat?
9)How much sleep?
1)Which exercises?
The Best exercise is the squat. It is the most complete workout for the lower body and it is a full body workout. It is the exercise that triggers the biggest release of anabolic hormones in the blood. As a result, this exercise has a synergetic effect on all other exercises.
The squat can typically be performed without weights, with a barebell or with dumbells. The barebell permits to lift more weight but requires a spotter (somebody ready to help you if you get stuck under the bar) or a security cage. The dumbells do not permit do lift as much weight due to the limited force you have in your hands to sustain the dumbells. However, the dumbells are safer since it is easy to release them in case of problems.
A close second is the deadlift which is an excellent full body workout
The best exercise for the upper body is the military press
2) How to perform each exercise?
Good form is important to avoid injuries. Injuries can be dramatic so it is of the uttermost importance to have a trainer explain to you the right form for each exercise or that at least you watch several tutorial on the internet.
The concentric move (e.g. for the squat, when the legs are extended to lift the weight) must be perfomed as fast as possible. The excentric move must be slower.
It is benefical to take a 4 seconds pause between the excentric and the concentric part of a movement.
3) Which load?
For endurance: 45 to 60% of 1RM
For preparation to hypertrophy or force (one month of preparation is advised to prepare your joints and ligaments if you are a beginner): 60% of 1RM
For hypertrophy: 70-82.5% of 1RM
For force: 85%+ of 1RM
4)How many sets of repetitions and how many repetitions in a set?
For hypertrophy or force, always do c.a. 25 repetitions divided in a certain number of sets. Said otherwise, the number of sets time the number of repetitions in a set must be c.a. 25.
rep * set = 25
For instance 5 sets of 5 repetitions or 2 sets of 12 repetitions or 8 sets of 3 repetitions.
The load should be chosen so that performing the last repetition of the last set is very hard but doable.
Suggestions:
For hypertrophy:
2 sets * 12 reps @70% of 1RM, or
3 sets * 8 reps @75% of 1RM, or
4 sets * 6 reps @80% of 1RM
For force (@85-100% of 1RM):
6 sets of 4 reps, or
8 sets of 3 reps, or
12 sets of 2 reps, or
25 sets of 1 rep.
5 sets of 5 reps @ 82.5% of 1RM is an excellent compromise between force and hypertrophy
5)How much rest between two sets?
For hypertrophy: short pauses (30 s to 2 min)
For force: longer pauses (2 min to 4 min)
6)How many days of rest between two workout?
1 or 2
7)What to do during rest days?
nothing or stretching or light exercises (e.g. working out the forearms) or light cardio.
8)What to eat?
Eat plenty. Make sure to eat enough proteins. Whey protein isolate powders can help. Avoid fast sugar such as sucrose. Don't avoid fat (except trans fat).
9)How much sleep?
7.5 hours is a minimum for most people.
Showing posts with label Health. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Health. Show all posts
Saturday, 3 September 2011
Tuesday, 15 February 2011
A diet that works!
The following diet is easy to follow and is really working. It shall make you loose weight (if you are overweighted), increase your general fitness and make you live longer.
It is composed of an actual diat and of some physical exercices. Both have a synergetical effect and needs to be combined for optimal results althought one of both component alone would already benefit you.
Where did I get it from? It is largely inspired from the scientific litterature on the subject and from various books I read.
Why does it work? Because it mimiks the livestyle of hunter-gatherers.
These poeple are modern hunter-gatherers. I.e. poeple living like we lived 10.000 + years ago, before agriculture. Do they look fat? Do they look weak?
We are the result of a darwinian evolution that extends back a billion year and hominids were living like hunter-gatheres for millions of years. Only recently did our diet and habits start to change. Our bodies and especially our metabolism did not have the time to adapt much at all! Only VERY recently did we not need to move anymore to make a living (the widespread use of cars is not much older thatn 60 years old). Only VERY recently did we start to eat refined sugar (present in Europe only since the crusaders brought it from Arabia in the 12th century) and only since less than 50 years do we eat that much sugar!
The actual diet:
1/physical exercices
You need to make sport a minimum of 4 times 30 minutes per week in order for your body to work in a "fat burning regime". Preferably, you should make sport 7 times 30 minutes per week. Which sport? If you are young and not overly overweighted (BMI* below 25), jogging is perfect. Have you ever seen a fat long distance runner? If you are older (50+) or overly overweighted you can start by walking fast.
The idea is to maintain yourself around a certain heartbeat which assures you that you sufficiently exercice your body but that you remain in a aerobic regime.
For this purpose, make the following test: run 10 minutes on a flat road making three steps/breath, then measure your heartbeat. This is the heartbeat you should try to maintain for 30 minutes.
Endurence weightlifting can replace running. For instance, make 6 series of 8 different exercices with 1 minute of rest between each series. The weights should be light enough for you to stand the complete 6 series.
2/actual diet
Eat whenever you want and as much as you want (no kidding), however: better to stick to three meals and to stop when you are not hungry anymore.
AVOID FAST SUGAR (and especially fructose contained a.o. in sucrose and high fructose syrop).
When you eat glucose, your brain can use part of it as fuel, your body can use it easily, your feeling of hunger diminish and if you eat too much of it (that is VERY quickly the case), your body produces the insuline necessary to bring you blood concentration in sugar back to BELOW the normal. That's why you feel so weak after sweets.
Around 20% of your calorie intakes from glucose will become FAT.
When you eat fructose, your brain cannot use it, your feeling of hunger is not diminished, your insuline protectino system is not triggered and 90% of your calorie intakes from fructose will become FAT.
Sucrose (i.e. common table sugar) contains 50% fructose and 50% glucose. The fat you make by eating sugar can only get rid off by physical exercises.
Avoid excess of fat, especially saturated fats. Try to eat wild animal which have a better balance omega3/omega6.
Eat mainly proteins. Soy beans and linces are excellent. Lean meat is good too. Only eat what a hunter gatherer could find, i.e. no corn flakes (check the composition, you will be surprised of the sugar content of standard corn flakes), no cookies, well...no processed food in general. Eat meat, fish, grains, fruits and vegetables. Fructose from fruits is in low dose and couple with very useful fibers and vitamines, don't be afraid of it.
Use slow sugars as an energy source. You may eat them as much as you want/need but mostly the morning and for lunch. You do not need energy to go to bed!
In a nutshell: exercice, eat no fast sugars aside from fruits, eat less fat, eat more proteins and do not eat too much fast/slow sugar the evening.
*BMI = your weight (Kg) divided by the square of your height (meters)
It is composed of an actual diat and of some physical exercices. Both have a synergetical effect and needs to be combined for optimal results althought one of both component alone would already benefit you.
Where did I get it from? It is largely inspired from the scientific litterature on the subject and from various books I read.
Why does it work? Because it mimiks the livestyle of hunter-gatherers.
These poeple are modern hunter-gatherers. I.e. poeple living like we lived 10.000 + years ago, before agriculture. Do they look fat? Do they look weak?
We are the result of a darwinian evolution that extends back a billion year and hominids were living like hunter-gatheres for millions of years. Only recently did our diet and habits start to change. Our bodies and especially our metabolism did not have the time to adapt much at all! Only VERY recently did we not need to move anymore to make a living (the widespread use of cars is not much older thatn 60 years old). Only VERY recently did we start to eat refined sugar (present in Europe only since the crusaders brought it from Arabia in the 12th century) and only since less than 50 years do we eat that much sugar!
The actual diet:
1/physical exercices
You need to make sport a minimum of 4 times 30 minutes per week in order for your body to work in a "fat burning regime". Preferably, you should make sport 7 times 30 minutes per week. Which sport? If you are young and not overly overweighted (BMI* below 25), jogging is perfect. Have you ever seen a fat long distance runner? If you are older (50+) or overly overweighted you can start by walking fast.
The idea is to maintain yourself around a certain heartbeat which assures you that you sufficiently exercice your body but that you remain in a aerobic regime.
For this purpose, make the following test: run 10 minutes on a flat road making three steps/breath, then measure your heartbeat. This is the heartbeat you should try to maintain for 30 minutes.
Endurence weightlifting can replace running. For instance, make 6 series of 8 different exercices with 1 minute of rest between each series. The weights should be light enough for you to stand the complete 6 series.
2/actual diet
Eat whenever you want and as much as you want (no kidding), however: better to stick to three meals and to stop when you are not hungry anymore.
AVOID FAST SUGAR (and especially fructose contained a.o. in sucrose and high fructose syrop).
When you eat glucose, your brain can use part of it as fuel, your body can use it easily, your feeling of hunger diminish and if you eat too much of it (that is VERY quickly the case), your body produces the insuline necessary to bring you blood concentration in sugar back to BELOW the normal. That's why you feel so weak after sweets.
Around 20% of your calorie intakes from glucose will become FAT.
When you eat fructose, your brain cannot use it, your feeling of hunger is not diminished, your insuline protectino system is not triggered and 90% of your calorie intakes from fructose will become FAT.
Sucrose (i.e. common table sugar) contains 50% fructose and 50% glucose. The fat you make by eating sugar can only get rid off by physical exercises.
Avoid excess of fat, especially saturated fats. Try to eat wild animal which have a better balance omega3/omega6.
Eat mainly proteins. Soy beans and linces are excellent. Lean meat is good too. Only eat what a hunter gatherer could find, i.e. no corn flakes (check the composition, you will be surprised of the sugar content of standard corn flakes), no cookies, well...no processed food in general. Eat meat, fish, grains, fruits and vegetables. Fructose from fruits is in low dose and couple with very useful fibers and vitamines, don't be afraid of it.
Use slow sugars as an energy source. You may eat them as much as you want/need but mostly the morning and for lunch. You do not need energy to go to bed!
In a nutshell: exercice, eat no fast sugars aside from fruits, eat less fat, eat more proteins and do not eat too much fast/slow sugar the evening.
*BMI = your weight (Kg) divided by the square of your height (meters)
Tuesday, 8 February 2011
Sugar: The Bitter Truth
This guy makes a nice job explaining why sugar should be avoided in our meals.
Sugar: The Bitter Truth
Sugar: The Bitter Truth
Subscribe to:
Comments (Atom)