Personal Health and Fitness

Do You Want “Fun” Exercise or Do You Want Results Oriented Exercise?

If you are having fun exercising, your results will be compromised. If you want great results from exercise, you will be disciplined to work extremely hard AND you WILL NOT be enjoying the workout! For example, while strength training, the intensity of your effort on every exercise will determine the level of your results. Intensity is a learned behavior and training intensely 2-3 times per week for no more than 20-30 mins per session will change you muscles and increase your metabolism.

2 Examples……….

1) female client was nervous about strength training but eased into it, giving it a try. She has learned to work harder that she ever thought she could. With dietary modifications and regular strength work 2 x per week, she has lost 80 pounds!

2) Husband and Wife have been training together with us and both have made incredible bodily changes and lost body fat. At their recent physicals with their Physician, their blood work and other health parameters came back so good that the doctor was astounded and said “keep doing what you are doing!”

Proper strength training is not fun but is extremely rewarding when done consistently .

training results , TN

The newest star on our training staff at Personal Health and Fitness, LLC:

Brad Holt - is currently taking on new clients!

Brad will teach you impeccable form, push you to significant levels of fitness/strength, and is very good in helping with dietary modifications and accountability.

Our website is phandf.com

Follow-up on Free Weights Vs. Machine Strength Training

Here are the advantages and disadvantages of each:

Free Weight advantages - cost to purchase, space needed

Free weight disadvantages - requires extreme focus to maintain proper form, riskier esp. for older trainees , loading and unloading the weights on bars (time efficiency)

Machine advantages- positioning/stabilization, safety, variable resistance throughout the range of motion, design for muscle /strength curve

Machine disadvantages - costs to purchase, space needed

REMEMBER THIS WHEN DECIDING WHAT TO USE:

Your muscles don’t know what equipment you are using. They only realize the intensity and/or resistance being used. This is the key to stimulating the muscles to get stronger…….Intensiity.

LET’S CLEAR UP THE EQUIPMENT ISSUE!

There are people who think that free-weight strength training is the best way to train and the only way to train. Usually , it is a “trainer” or authority on exercise that believes this.

I AM HERE TO TELL YOU OTHERWISE

There is room for both free-weight strength training and machine strength training.

Why would I use a machine for myself or a client of mine?

Answer: a machine allows one to maintain better form typically with support for the the torso (involves low back or abdominal region) while targeting the desired muscles . An example would be using a seated rowing machine for the the upper back muscles while supporting the stomach/chest against a torso pad. This would limit the stress to the lower back/neck.

Who would be most in need of this ?

Answer: older individuals and/or individuals with pre-existing conditions involving the back or neck region.

I make this choice daily when training a person. I will typically choose what I think is the safest exercise for him/her on a given day.
This can also change as someone’s improves his/her strength and fitness status.

Why would a trainer choose to buy free-weight equipment over machines?

Answer: 1 cost, 2 space, 3 a belief system that sways the trainer’s thinking.

Machines were designed to counter the insufficiencies of free weights.

I will discuss the differences next week in a post. Stay Tuned!

Strength Training At It’s Finest

To find great results from strength training, training should be done “at it’s finest”. What does this mean.

This means to obtain great results while training in the safest manner possible and using a high level of effort in the process.

This is the time of year great intentions are spoiled as people try to get in great shape on their own and often to no avail . The reason many do not obtain the results desired is because they do not understand correct form, range of motion and the required intensity to get these results. Other factors to consider for great results are frequency , volume, recovery, progression and food consumption.

We are experienced professionals and this is why our clients get great results !

Strength and Conditioning is important for physical health and prevention of joint pain. Here at Personal Health and Fitness we are very passionate about helping our clients become healthy and strong to maximize their full muscular potential. Most individuals do not have a full understanding of strength training and how to properly work their muscles in an intense and safe way for the best results. The most common gym goer behavior is to lift heavy and push fast and powerful, but this way of exercising leads to injuries and pain faster than old age. The proper way to lift weight is slow and in control, moving slowly through a full range of motion keeps more tension on the muscles being worked and less stress on the joints.
For women strength training is essential to keep the body strong to adapt to child bearing. The current stigma is that women will become bulky and manly if they lift heavy causing many women to fear strength training as a whole. This idea of women becoming manly if they lift weights is a myth and the benefits of adding muscle and strength is far more important. The training staff at Personal Health and Fitness educate women on the truth and promote the importance of strength training and adding muscle for the many benefits to their overall health.
Strength training when performed properly is the best way to maintain strong muscles, full range of motion of all extremities, and cardio all in one workout session. Written by Brittany Davis

I am happy to announce Shelby Farley as a new trainer on our staff!
We are looking forward to working with her!

Exercise for 2021 - Free Weight or Machines

Which Should I Use For Strength Training?

Let’s get into the pros and cons of each type of equipment.

FREE WEIGHTS

PROS -
* balancing a free bar/weight works assister or stabilizer muscles
* if one must be tested in a specific exercise (I.E., bench press) or is competing in a competition, that specific free weight exercise must be practiced so that the nervous system can adapt to the movement pattern associated with that exercise
* the cost to purchase the equipment is lower than that of machines
* less space is required

CONS -
* the strength curve is not efficient. Gravity makes the weight more difficult when the bar/weight is traveling straight up or down
* less safe than machines
* requires better control of movement to maintain safety
* effective range of motion is less than that of machines
* limited variety/exercise selection

MACHINE EXERCISES

PROS -
* very efficient strength curve
* allows more resisted range of motion for a given exercise when targeting the muscles used in that exercise
* machines were created with variable resistance so that the muscles work against the same resistance at each joint angle throughout the exercise
* requires less balance when performing the exercise
* very efficient at targeting the desired muscle group
* safety level is usually greater than free weight exercises
* clients who are greater in age can exercise more safely with machines
* spotter is necessary with many machine exercises
*more time efficient workouts are typically allowed due to less set up effort and time

CONS -
*more expensive to buy
*requires more space
*if competing in a lifting competition, not as effective for training the body for the specific exercise to be used

A good mixture of machines and free weight exercises, in my opinion, is the best way to exercise. However, subjects who are older should highly consider using machine exercises especially considering the desired intensity needed to get the best results in the safest manner. Even some young exercisers should consider using machine exercise for safety.

Off Season Strength Training For Athletes - IMPORTANT!

Most athletes will hit the gym in the off season in an attempt to add strength and muscle mass before the next season. Adding 10-20 pounds of mass can make a HUGE difference in sports performance
From one season to the next. Differences : strength , speed, explosiveness, quickness, distances, range , mental improvement/confidence, less vulnerable to injury, etc.

At Personal Health and Fitness, we worked with quite many athletes this past Summer (after the pandemic shutdown ) and currently continue to do so. It was FUN to watch these athletes learn how to work hard and train properly as they improved size and strength.

WE HAD AS MUCH AS A 22 POUND/MASS GAIN AND DOWN TO A 7 POUND WEIGHT/MASS GAIN. AND MANY IN-BETWEEN.

We strength trained and worked on food intake with these athletes.
The more the athlete followed our recommendations to the T, the better the benefits he/she received .

With proper knowledge, planning and diligently working the plan, it is quite amazing the see the changes occur. Commitment to a plan is when we see athletes want the results badly enough that they will train as early as 5-6 in the morning. WOW!

In- Season training then becomes just as important so that the athletes do not not lose the size and strength as the season continues. We want our athletes to be as strong at the end of the season as they were in the start.

What Are The Benefits Of Strength Training?

Most people do not have a full understanding of strength training and the benefits available with a properly and regularly performed routine.

For example, most guys think strength training is to make them look better or more attractive. Many women think strength training will make them bulky or they simply do not work hard enough to get the maximum benefits from their routine.

Strength training can benefit anyone all the way up to the end of life. Here are many of these benefits:

Add muscle
Add strength
Increase metabolism
Lose fat
Improve blood chemistry
Reduce blood pressure
Strengthen the cardiovascular system (as effective for the heart as is cardio exercise)

Improve balance (number 1 method available to do this!)
Improve esteem/ confidence
Improve physical performance (whether it be a sport or daily living tasks)

Reduces joint impact due to stronger muscles
Reduces joint pain (when performed properly)
Achieve the best/most results for the amount of time spent exercising compared to other exercise routines
Etc..........

I could go on and on

If time is an issue for you, learn how to strength train properly and do it consistently. It will save you time and possibly your life!