Revisiting My Workout

As discussed in my last post, proper form or technique is essential when weight training. My routine has progressed to the point where I can no longer maintain proper form if I chose to move up the weight. When this happens for me, I usually do 2 things. First, I take a week off from heavy training and second, I rework my routine with some different exercises and a new emphasis and get back to using more appropriate weights with proper breathing. I started with working on building strength and now I am going to move to an endurance type of strength workout. I mentioned in my weekly review that I couldn't maintain my energy with a 3/week strength workout and do the 2/week interval training. So, I have decided to do 2/week strength workout allowing me 2 days to recover. In my next post, I will further review my technique for my cardio and core workouts.

Fitness Posture

Whether you are doing a cardio activity, strength training, or core work you need to be aware of posture. Poor technique not only increases your chance of injury but also affects your posture and maintains muscle imbalances. Most men tend to work hard on "mirror muscles" and the result is rounded shoulders; women tend to have poor muscle tone through the mid-section resulting in slouching and a visible "tummy". So, I make an effort to reset my posture each time I do a repetition and have someone review any new exercise and give me feedback about technique. I do this with the cardio machines as well--staying erect on the stairmaster, using good running/walking technique on the treadmill, and setting up the stationary bicycle correctly. It doesn't make much sense to spend time getting fit if it doesn't also improve your posture.

Weekly Review

Time to tweak what I have added to my routine.

Weekly Review March 15.mp3

Cardio Tip #2 - Shake Up Your Playlist

If you are still listening to the same play list from months ago, it may be time to change it up. Additionally, you may need music that has different beats per minute. If you are finding it hard to find new music or it is too costly to download new play lists, check out Motion Trax. You can download a free (that's right!) 60 minute podcast that plays in a continual loop (somewhere between 140 to 180 beats per minute) and are refreshed every two weeks. You can subscribe and download a new play just about the time you are getting bored -- what a great idea. The beats per minute are for fairly high intensity workouts so you may have to resort to other means of getting lower bpm music--good luck!

What Areas Do Core Exercises Work?

I did my new core workout today and it "seemed" easy. I started off with beginner exercises working different parts of my core. The superman works the deep abs and the lower back; the bridge works the glutes and hamstrings; metronome the obliques (sides); plank works the deep abs and lower back; and finally, the side plank works the obliques, deep abs, lower back, and glutes. Since this routine doesn't include crunches, I am going to add some crunches into my strength training workout. I have made some adjustments to my schedule as I add on pieces--you'll get an update at the end of the week.