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.

When is the best time of day to do your aerobic exercise?

I am going to answer a question that I get asked allot…recently one of my good friends asked me the same question so I decided to write up an article about it and hopefully shed some light on this matter.

The answer to “When is the best time to do your aerobic exercise” is…ANYTIME!

The most important thing is that you do some form of cardio.  Any type of continuous cardiovascular exercise, such as walking, jogging, stair climbing, or cycling, sustained for at least 30 minutes, will reduce body fat no matter when you do it!

However, if you want to maximise the benefits from every minute you invest in your workouts, then you should get up early and do your cardio before you eat your first meal.

There are some major advantages to exercising early in the morning on an empty stomach…

When you wake up first thing in the morning, before you eat your levels of muscle and liver glycogen (stored carbohydrate) are very low.  If you had your dinner at 7 pm and you wake up at 7am, that’s 12 hours without food.

During this 12-hour overnight fast, your levels of glycogen slowly decline to provide glucose for various bodily functions that go on even while you sleep.  As a result, you wake up in the morning with depleted glycogen and lower blood sugar – the optimum environment for burning fat instead of carbohydrate

So how does this actually work?

Carbohydrate (glycogen) is your body’s primary and preferred source of energy, when your primary fuel source is in short supply, this forces your body to tap into its secondary or reserve energy source; body fat.

If you do cardio immediately after eating a meal, you’ll still burn fat, but you’ll burn less of it because you’ll be burning off the carbohydrates you ate first.

We NEVER burn 100% fat during ANY activity…it is always going to be a combination of fat and carbohydrate for fuel, but depending on WHEN you exercise, and HOW, you can burn a greater proportion of fat relative to carbohydrate.

When you do your cardiovascular exercises in the morning, not only do you burn the fat during the session, but the fat burning process lasts for hours after the workout session.

Interval Training (HIIT)

This happens especially with speed intervals training (the beloved HIIT Training you MUST have heard about!) workouts as it boost Metabolism naturally.  However be careful not to do speed intervals training for too long or too often as it could be counterproductive to your goal as if your Nutrition is not Optimum (not enough complex carbohydrate to fuel your workout) there is also a greater risk of muscle breakdown (we cannot burn 100% fat remember? Therefore if there isn’t enough glycogen available the body will break down muscle. FACT.)…or as I call it…Muscle Suicide.

So…MIX IT UP…longer low intensity sessions and few short high intensity to give your body the kick it needs!

If you exercise in the evening you still burn the fat during the workout but as soon as you go to sleep at night, your metabolism slows down rapidly – it is significantly lower than during any other time of the day, so you would not benefit from an evening workout as much as the morning.

The other reason why you should do your fat burning exercise in the morning is getting it out of the way early and carries with you that feeling of accomplishment all day long!

Promote that endorphins release in the body as they create a natural “high” Endorphins not only improve your mood and release stress but also relieve pain.

Now wouldn’t that be a great start to the day…

And also let’s face it…when you put off any task you consider unpleasant, it hangs over you all day long, leaving you with a feeling of guilt, stress and incompleteness and you are more likely to “blow off” an evening workout if you are tired from a long day at work! (mental tiredness or physical)

The second best time to do it would be immediately after weight training.  Lifting weights depletes muscle glycogen and has a similar effect as morning cardio on an empty stomach (please note you DO NOT want to go for a hard weights session without some carbohydrate in your system).

I know what you are thinking….” I am not a morning person”  Well I think you should ask yourself “when have you decided that?”…You decide you are not a morning person and guess what?…Now you won’t be as that is what you have been telling yourself!

I can sleep in too like you wouldn’t believe…But I get up anyway because I know the effort is worth the results.

With my goal that I am clearly focused on, I’m committed to my morning cardio and training without fail.

Make a commitment to yourself to do it for just 21 days.  Once those 21 days are up you will already be feeling so much better and before you know it, early morning cardio will your new habit; you’ll be leaner, your metabolism will be faster and you’ll feel fantastic all day long! :0) Sounds awesome to me!

Now are you a morning person?…I’ll leave that for you to decide.

Gym Love
Ilaria Petrucci

How Much Exercise Do I Really Need To Do?

Do not over estimate how much you have to exercise to become fit and to remain fit…

Did you know that taking part in just 30 minutes of cardio exercise per day is a great way to kick start your new health regime?…didn’t think so!….well you can…

And did you know that once you are in a consistent routine of cardio training you can add body resistance exercises to your newly found routine to maintain muscle tone…Not having access to a gym or weights at home is no longer an issue!

And did you know that all this should only last you 45 minutes in total…so why not get in to the habit of starting with 30 minutes as soon as you get home from work and AVOID SITTING ON THE SOFA or going into the KITCHEN for a quick BITE as soon as you get out of your work clothes!….Instead get on that bike or get the skipping rope out or even put on those trainers and go for a run around the block…Avoid sitting down and tricking yourself into believing you will get up in 10 minutes and do something! 

Jump the BIGGEST Hurdle (TIME)

Jump the biggest hurdle used by millions of people worldwide EVERY DAY for not exercising (I DON’T HAVE THE TIME)…separate yourself from the crowd and be an individual…get on that horse you are constantly falling off from and GET FIT!….

Don’t make the mistake of trying too hard or rushing

Remember there is NO RUSH to become fit and healthy…health and fitness should not be treated as a seasonal chore…health and fitness is for life so lets start off slowly and pick up the pace gradually.

By rushing and pushing yourself too hard too soon will only result in your muscles becoming too sore and you having a good few days of serious muscle soreness.

Your muscles will build stamina, endurance and tolerance to exercise over a period of time with consistent exercise…so DON’T over do it! 

Conclusion

There is no excuse for not exercising unless you are restricted due to medicinal reasons or for reasons that are out of your control…and NO…time is not one of them!

Deepak Bhangu
Head of Operations & Personal Trainer 
Musclemadness