Posts Tagged ‘body fat’

Muscle Definition

Muscle definition is something everybody wants, from the elite athlete to the normal gym goer who is exercising for health benefits more than for the looks department.

The best way to achieve this is through high repetition training, now remember this is not a theory, I am speaking from experience and results as this is a method I have used hundreds of times on clients during the past 11 years of my personal training career.

The Benefits of High Repetition Training (HRP)

- Burns off subcutaneous fat and increases the visibility of muscle striations.

- Increases the protein content in the muscles through performance of long, high-reps sets.

- Increases capillary density within the muscle through increased adaptation to aerobic work, which may result in a slight increase in muscle size.

Get rid of FAT

In order to get the best defined look possible you need to reduce as much body fat as possible.  To accomplish this, the duration of nonstop muscular contraction must be increased.  Traditionally you will try running on the treadmill, rowing, cross training, cycling, stair climbers etc…but this unfortunately will not produce the desired results! 

The high repetition training method will result in elimination of fat from the overall body and more importantly from local muscle groups involved in the activity.

The number of repetitions and sets per muscle group need to be drastically increased in a progressive manor and in a nonstop fashion.  To avoid complete melt down of a muscle group during your workout, it may be an idea to exhaust one muscle group then straight after a set is complete move onto the opposite working muscle group.  For example, if you have just completed 10 sets on the bench press using the HRT method then it would be a good idea to then train the back muscles as they are still fresh, unfatigued and will allow you to perform another set of 10 sets! 

This is not only causing you to burn more calories but also keeps your heart rate up and adds an aerobic style routine to your training regime.

Considerations

Ensure when taking part in high repetition training that you leave only a few seconds from using one machine and moving onto another to keep your heart rate up.

HRT requires that muscle groups be constantly alternated

Beginners to exercise should enter this style of training regime with great caution as the end result can be muscle soreness for days which can be highly demotivating

Do not try to speed through the sets as this will cause your muscles to build up lactic acid at a much faster rate, instead, employ a steady speed throughout the set

It would be advisable to only take part in this training system twice per week to begin with if you are a beginner and for the elite athlete up to 4 times per week.

Ensure that your protein intake is always high and consume plenty of water.

Is Your Training Making a Difference?

I have been exercising for a few weeks and can’t see any changes…am I wasting my time?…

So you have been training for a couple of weeks now and you can’t see any physical results at the moment…does that mean you are wasting your time?

The answer is NO….

When you start a new health and fitness regime the first thing you have to remember is for at least the first 4-6 weeks the only thing you will really notice is the feel good factor. 

When I say the feel good factor I am talking about you noticing the changes within yourself, you may feel more active, you may have more energy, you may even be more productive at work, there maybe a slight bounce in your step…these are what I call feel good factors.

The physical changes come after the feel good factors, so it is important not to give up because you can’t seem any physical changes at the moment.

“I have been exercising for a month and my weight has gone up…”

This is a very common question, especially amongst the ladies.  Allow me to school you all on body fat percentages and muscle mass. 

When anyone, male or female incorporates weight training as part of their fitness regime you will all be doing one thing and that is making your muscles heavier, this is NOT a bad thing, its positive.

Whilst exercising you will also be reducing your body far percentage ( Body fat does not weigh as much as muscle).

So we have two things happening at the same time, your muscle mass goes up and your body fat percentage goes down!…So really there will not be a great deal of Weight Loss being shown on the scales.

But there is a way you can check what I am saying and see for yourself. 

At your local gym there should be someone that can check your body fat percentage and also be able to tell you your body’s fat weight in kilos using a body weight instrument or scales. 

Make a note of these two figures then take your weight using standard scales and again make a note of this figure.

In a months time go through the same procedure and again write down the results.  You are now in a position to compare the results and verify if what I am saying is indeed correct.

Your body fat percentage should have gone down (provided you have a consistent exercise routine and diet) and there is a chance that your overall weight may not have gone down too much or even have gone up!

So avoid looking at the overall weight and automatically associate it with fat!

Remember a standard set if scales does not separate muscle mass and body fat, it takes into account everything, muscle, fat, bones, organs etc….

Deepak Bhangu
Personal Trainer