There are many reasons people come to me for my services. High on that list is that the individual has stopped seeing results with their own routine. While the reasons they have stopped making progress are usually quite clear to me, you may be completely unaware. So, here are three things to look for if your results have stalled.

1. No progression. If you’ve been doing the same weight for the same number of reps over and over again, you can’t expect to get anywhere. In order to see continued results you need to progress your workouts. Increasing the weight, upping the reps, and reducing rest intervals are just a few of the ways you can progress your routine.

2. Not enough variety. I see this one all the time with new clients. They’ve been on the exact same program doing the exact same things over and over again. Regardless of how great a program is, the fact is it is only great for as long as you continue seeing results. In order to keep your body moving in the right direction, you need to switch things up and challenge your body in new ways. If you been performing endurance training, switch to interval training. If you’ve been performing high rep resistance training, switch to low reps.

3. You’re not working hard enough. Remember the progress you made in the beginning? That was relatively easy to come by because your body wasn’t used to exercising. Unfortunately, to see continued results you must work hard. It’s easy to get comfortable and complacent, but you have to keep in mind that you need to provide a stimulus to the body that will force it to adapt. No more going through the motions. You need to work hard. If not, it’s a simple case of “been there, done that.”

Next to the flat stomach, one of the most common desires of my female clientele is nice, toned arms. Well, here’s how to go about getting them!

1. Throw out the Dumbbell Curls and Triceps Kickbacks

Ok, you don’t have to completely get rid of them. Just de-emphasize them…a lot. If your focus is on body composition you should spend the majority of your time squatting, pressing, and pulling. These movements provide the most bang for your buck (ie. calorie burn) and for the upper body exercises such as push-ups and pull-ups, you get plenty of arm work.

2. Push a little weight around

Don’t be intimidated by heavier weights. If you want to build a little muscle and tone your body you have to provide enough stimulus to force an adaptation. Using light weights for a lot of repetitions will only get you so far. Increase the intensity of your workouts by adding more resistance to your movements.

3. Clean up the diet

No matter how many compound exercises you do or how much weight you push around, you’re only going to get that “toned” look if your body composition changes (ie. you lose body fat). For this to happen you will have to make some adjustments to your diet. Calories are the number one factor in changing body composition followed by ample protein intake. Once you diet is in working order the previous two tips will work wonders for your body. For a more detailed look at nutritional needs for body composition changes, check out my Nutrition for Weight Loss and Dietary Requirements Prioritized posts.

When speaking with individuals about their exercise history, several things are immediately noticeable about their routines. The following list brings to light some of the things that jump out at me and will help you make adjustments to your routine to immediately begin to see better results.

1. Focus on compound movements

Whether you’re looking to lose weight, get stronger, or simply improve your health you need to make compound movements the foundation of your resistance training routine. Compound movements are those involving multiple joints (ie. squats, push-ups, pull-ups). They are great for building strength and balance and will burn a lot more energy than single joint movements.

2. Increase the intensity

Intensity refers to the relative percentage of your max, whether it be your maximum heart rate or maximum amount of weight you are able to lift for a given movement. If you want to see better results you need to increase the overall intensity of your routine. Far too often people are using weights that are just too light or performing cardio workouts that just aren’t intense enough to stimulate any kind of training effect.

3. Progress your workouts

To continue seeing results you must continue to progress your workouts. Progression refers to performing more repetitions with a given weight, adding more weight to a given movement, adding more mileage to your runs or increasing the intensity of your runs. While there are several other ways to progress your workouts, the basic idea is this: do more.

5. Superset your exercises

This one is especially important if you’re strapped for time. A superset is when you perform two or more exercises back-to-back without taking any rest in between. Supersetting your exercises allows you to get more done in the same amount of time, thereby increasing the density of your workout.

6. Use full range of motion

When performing dynamic movements you only strengthen the range of motion which you work. Therefore, always use a full range of motion when performing your exercises.

7. Exercise order matters

Exercise order should typically run from exercises of high technical difficult to low technical difficulty, compound movements to single joint movements. Here are some examples: Squats before leg curls, push-ups before dumbbell flys, pull-ups before dumbbell curls.

8. Vary your exercises

Add new exercises to your routine. Way too often people stay on the same routine for far too long. Adding new exercises will force your body to adapt to a new stimulus. Plus, it’s good to use a variety of exercises to strengthen different movement patterns and prevent any overuse injuries that may occur due to repetitive use.

9. Vary your repetitions

Varying the repetitions you perform is important for overall muscular development. Your muscles are comprised to different types of muscle fibers which respond differently to the number of repetitions performed. Here’s the basic breakdown of how your body responds to different rep ranges:

- Rep Range: 1-5 – Muscular strength
- Rep Range: 8-12 – Mix of strength and hypertrophy (muscle size) development
- Rep Range: 15+ – Muscular endurance

10. Align your program with your goals

I touched on this in To look like a sprinter, training like a sprinter. If you’re seeking a specific result you need to make sure your program is conducive to that result. If you’re trying to lose weight, your program should focus on high intensity exercise that produces a lot of calorie burn. If you’re looking to get stronger, you should be using compound exercises and performing repetitions in the 1-5 range. If your program isn’t aligned with what you’re trying to accomplish you can’t expect to achieve the results you’re looking for.

This post is inspired by a conversation I had with a client this week regarding leaning out and what types of training she should be doing. While a bit of “how to” is included in this post, it’s more about training philosophy than getting into the details. One of the things I like to bring to light when speaking of body composition changes, especially for people who are already lean but want to go the extra step, is being observant of those with the type of body you seek.

One of my favorite examples to use is comparing the body of a marathoner to the body of a sprinter. Both athletes are slim, but only one tends to have the lean, muscular look that is typically desired. Both athletes spend a great amount of time training. Both athletes fuel their bodies appropriately in order to perform. So where is the disconnect? How can a sprinter and marathoner look so different?

For those in the exercise field, this is a no brainer. However, it’s not quite as apparent for people who aren’t. The difference comes down to training philosophy. The bodies of these athletes are so much different because the demands of their sports are so much different. Therefore, they use different training methods.

The Marathoner

The goal of the marathoner’s training program is to allow him/her to perform work over a long period of time. The focus of their training is on increasing cardiovascular endurance and is typically achieved by racking up the miles on a weekly basis. After all, the best way to become a better runner is to run. The marathoner may include strength training in their routine 1-2 days per week.

The Sprinter

The goal of the sprinter, on the other hand, is to perform a great amount of work in the shortest amount of time. The focus of their training program is on increasing speed and power output. Their workouts typically consist of multiple, short duration sprint intervals and will typically include strength training (including olympic lifts) in their routine 3-4 days per week.

The end result of these two different training philosophies is two very different looking bodies. The body of a marathoner is slim and “soft” while the physique of a sprinter is lean and “hard”. This should give you a bit of insight into achieving the type of body you want.

Marathoner = low intensity/long duration

Sprinter = high intensity/short duration

If you’re thinking “well, certainly genetics has something to do with it”, you would be correct. However, the training effect will still be the same.

Tabata Protocol

Tabata training is based on the 1996 study by Tabata et al. In the study, subjects were prescribed an exercise protocol that consisted of brief bouts (20 seconds in duration) of high intensity exercise (~170% VO2 Max) followed by short rests intervals (10 seconds in duration) and repeated for 4 minutes. Subjects were trained on a cycle ergometer. The training protocol resulted in a 7ml.kg-1.min-1 increase in VO2 max and a 28% improvement in anaerobic capacity. These results are significant because a simultaneous increase in VO2 and anaerobic capacity are not typical of traditional endurance training. Also significant was the fact that these results were achieved with a lower volume of training than would be required for traditional endurance training.

Tabatas and Fat Loss

Another benefit of the Tabata Protocol, and high-intensity interval training (HIIT) in general, is its ability to induce fat loss. When compared to traditional cardio training, HIIT is more effective at burning fat when adjusted for volume. In other words, when the volume is work is equal between HIIT and traditional cardio, HIIT results in more fat loss.

Applications

Although the original protocol was performed on a cycle ergometer, there have been many adaptations of this style of training. It has been used with bodyweight circuits, calisthenics, traditional resistance exercises, complex exercises (multiple exercises performed as one continuous movement), sprinting, and more. While reaching an intensity of 170% VO2 (as in the study) may not always occur with these other methods, empirical evidence suggests these adaptions of the Tabata protocol are still highly effective.

Sample Tabatas

Here are some sample Tabatas I like to use. Incorporate them into your workout routine. Keep in mind that effort needs to be all out on the work sets in order for them to be effective.

Sample #1: 4-Exercise Bodyweight Tabata

A1) Squat Thrust – 20 seconds
Rest 10 seconds
A2) Split Squat Jump – 20 seconds
Rest 10 seconds
A3) Mixed Thrusters – 20 seconds
Rest 10 seconds
A4) High Knees – 20 seconds
Rest 10 seconds

After A4, you would repeat the circuit one more time without resting (total of 4 minutes).

Sample #2: 2-Exercise Bodyweight Tabata

B1) Burpees – 20 seconds
Rest 10 seconds
B2) Mountain Climbers – 20 seconds
Rest 10 seconds

After B2, you would repeat the circuit three more times (total of 4 minutes).

Sample #3: Sprint Tabata

C1) Sprint – 20 seconds
Rest 10 seconds
C2) Incline Sprint (3% grade) – 20 seconds
Rest 10 seconds

After C2, you would repeat the circuit three more times (total of 4 minutes).

Sources

• Impact of exercise intensity on body fatness and skeletal muscle metabolism. Metabolism. 1994 Jul;43(7):814-8.
• The effects of high-intensity intermittent exercise training on fat loss and fasting insulin levels of young women. Int J Obes (Lond). 2008 Apr;32(4):684-91. Epub 2008 Jan 15.
• Effects of moderate-intensity endurance and high-intensity intermittent training on anaerobic capacity and VO2max. Med Sci Sports Exerc. 1996 Oct;28(10):1327-30.
• High-Intensity Intermittent Exercise and Fat Loss. J Obes. 2011; 2011: 868305.

As I look back on the past 2 1/2 years of running my fitness boot camp there are many things my campers have taught me. Here are a few of them.

1. If you don’t set limitations for them they won’t have any.

2. They are capable of handling any challenge I throw at them (see #1).

3. Consistency, above all else, is the key to results.

4. For protein intake, 0.7 grams per pound of bodyweight seems to be the key point for maintaining muscle and strength while on a calorie restricted diet.

5. If they like you and trust you they’ll give anything a try…at least once.

6. The competitive drive that comes from a group atmosphere brings out the best in them.

7. Programs don’t need to be super scientific (as I once believed) in order to be effective.

8. Everybody is rooting for everybody else.

Jump Rope & Mountain Climbers followed by a 1 mile run.

5 sets of 100 reps of jump rope with 25 mountain climbers after each set. Rest only 1 minute between sets. Complete all 5 sets and run 1 mile. Enjoy!

Continuing with the theme from my last post, here are five exercises that you should include in your lower body workouts (but not at the same time):

1. Deadlift: Although this exercise strengthens pretty much the entire body, I recommend including it as a hip dominant exercise in your lower body routine.

2. Squat: One of the best overall strengthening exercises for the lower body.

3. Split Squat: Great unilateral exercise for strengthening the legs and improving stability at the hip. (back foot can be on the ground or bench as shown)

4. Glute Bridges: With the prevalence of hip flexor tightness and subsequent inhibition of the glutes, this is a great exercise to activate and strengthen this muscle. (can be done single leg as shown or double leg)

5. Multi-Directional Lunge: This is a great multi-funtional strengthening exercise that can be used as a great dynamic stretch as well.

(Bonus) 6. Romanian Deadlift, Single Leg: Because I’m partial to RDL’s, I couldn’t leave this one off the list.  Great hamstring/hip movement.

Maintaining muscle balance and posture should be at the forefront of your exercise routine. Including the following five exercises in your routine will help combat common postural and muscular balance issues.

1. Push-Ups: Most individuals performing the majority of their pressing movements with their backs pinned to a bench.  This restricts protraction of the scapula and may result in underdevelopment of the serratus anterior.  Including push-ups in your routine will promote a better balance of the muscles that act on the scapula.

2. Prone Cobra: This is a great postural exercise that helps knock out several common postural faults, including excessive internal rotation of the humerus, forward head posture, and thoracic kyphosis.

3. Face Pull: A functional external rotation exercise that helps correct muscle imbalance between the internal and external rotators of the humerus.

4. Wall Angel: This is another exercise that is helpful in maintaining the integrity of scapular muscular and posture.

5. Dumbbell External Rotations from Knee: This is a great exercise to help isolate and strengthen the external rotators of the humerus.  It is particularly useful for those who spend a lot of time doing bench presses and its variations.

The benefits of interval training are pretty common knowledge these days…increased fat loss, improved VO2, etc.  However, the proper way to perform them is not.  When most people I talk to tell me they’re doing intervals, they usually describe something along the lines of: 5 minute jog on the treadmill followed by 5 minutes at a higher speed/elevation, followed by 5 minutes at an even higher speed/elevation etc.  While technically this is “interval training,” there is a more effective way to go about it.

I like to keep the work intervals short, usually in the neighborhood of 30 seconds.  This will allow you to train at super high intensities.  Due to the inverse relationship between intensity and duration (the longer the interval is, the less intense it can be due to the body’s inability to sustain high intensity exercise), extending intervals to 2-3 minutes or more is just too long.

There are different ways to perform intervals, from Tabatas (20 seconds work, followed by 10 seconds rest), to 1:1 or 1:3 work/rest ratios (high intensity exercise for 30 seconds followed by 30 second low intensity exercise, etc).  They can be performed using resistance training exercises or through performing sprints on a track or cardiovascular equipment (ie. treadmill, bike, elliptical).

However you choose to incorporate intervals into your workouts, keep the high intensity portion short (to ensure the intensity really is high) and total duration to 30 minutes or less. This will allow you to experience the true benefits interval training has to offer.