Maintaining and achieving a healthy weight takes hard work and consistent training. Eating a diet of lean meats, whole grains such as brown rice, and an abundance of vegetables and fruit is necessary for your health. In order to reshape your body, you'll need exercise. According to the American College of Sports Medicine, cardiovascular exercise and strength training increase lean muscle mass. With a few exercise training tips, you can be on your way to a more fit physique and improved health.
Rest
Strength exercises should be performed on alternate days. Allowing 48 hours of rest between muscle groups ensures that muscles recuperate properly and decreases your chances of getting injured. If you're new to exercise, perform full body strength-training on alternate days. If you're an advanced exerciser, train each body part once during the week with a bodybuilding split. An example of a split would be chest and triceps on one day, back and biceps on another.
30 Minutes
The most recent report from the Surgeon General of the United Sattes recommends 30 minutes of exercise at least five days per week. Planned activity includes participation in a fitness class, going for a run, or scheduling time with a fitness trainer. The 30 minutes of exercise can be accumulated over the course of the day and is sufficient to achieve health benefits.
Range of Motion
Move through a full range of motion to reap all the benefits of the exercise. Read the faceplate on exercise machines to determine the proper movements when lifting and move through the full range of motion listed. For example, when performing an arm curl, perform a maximum contraction at the top of the movement and allow the biceps muscle to stretch at the bottom of the movement. Training this way ensures the strength of the muscle group throughout its full range of motion and may help to decrease the chance of injury.
Get Help
Enlist the help of a qualified fitness professional when beginning or advancing in your fitness program. Fitness facilities have trained staff to answer questions and to show you the proper execution of exercises. They also can teach you how to change up your program to reap maximum benefits. Introductory exercise sessions are often free and include a body composition assessment to determine your percentage of body fat.
Variety is key
Use a variety of equipment in your strength training and cardiovascular training program. Each piece of equipment has specific benefits. Fitness machines isolate muscle groups, while compound movements such as lunges and squats utilize several muscle groups and burn more calories. Using cables helps to target muscles from different angles, as does varying the position of your hands and feet when performing an exercise. All cardiovascular exercise has the goal of burning calories, but machines such as the rotating staircase burn maximum calories while working the muscles of the lower body.
References
- "ACSM's Guidelines for Exercise Testing and Prescription 6th edition": American College of Sports Medicine: 2009.
- U.S. Department of Health & Human Services: Physical Activity Guidelines for Americans
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