January is synonymous with getting fit – we are thrilled to welcome Tim AKA POWR PT to our blog. Tim tells us why dieting isn’t the answer and why he believes strength training is the way forward.
So, its January again and the new year is upon us. For lots of people this means diet time, but before we all plunge headlong into restrictive eating habits is there another way?
A little secret the diet industry doesn’t want you to know is that if you build some muscle you will naturally burn more fat! As we all know our bodies energy balance (calories in vs calories used) dictates our weight, but did you know that if you have increased levels of muscle your body naturally burns more calories? Muscle requires three times as many calories as the equivalent weight in fat so every movement you do uses more calories…. Sounds like a great result to me.
Strength training also has the added bonus of providing a significant improvement in mental health, body composition, plus joint and soft tissue health. As a first step towards a stronger you, I would always advise booking at least a few sessions with a coach as everyone’s body is different so how you perform the exercises needs a trained eye.
A typical strength training programme should include: a squat, deadlift, lunge, lifting weights over-head, press ups, a pulling movement and some core and flexibility work with the specifics dictated to by your body shape and mobility. A good coach will help you with these.
In terms of fuelling these kinds of workouts protein is the key, make sure you are eating about 2 grams / kilo of Lean Body Mass (this can be calculated by most body composition scales).
To maintain cardiovascular health and overall health, I would always recommend some form of HIIT to be included in your fitness programmes but try and use movements that sit within your strength training i.e. try a Tabata (20 seconds on 10 seconds rest for 4 minutes) pairing exercises such as body weight squats and lunges, glute bridges and hamstring reaches, press ups and dumbbell overhead press, a pull from the floor and some dumbbell curls (you can use water bottles or kettle bells). Aim for 3 rounds.
If you can ensure you reach 10,000 steps a day you have the basis for a fantastic improvement in your health, fitness and wellbeing.
A lot of my clients are relatively time poor and have very busy lives, so I try to set up a strength workout followed by 12 minutes of HIIT three times a week as a minimum requirement. Using this and a sensible nutrition plan (notice I didn’t use the word diet!) and you can genuinely achieve your body goals!
Once you have the basic movements down the sky really is the limit, you will be amazed what your body is capable of………. The sense of achievement of lifting more than you ever have and being able to move as your body is designed too, is such a great feeling (and much better than constantly worrying about how many calories you “burn” during a workout).
I guarantee after a month or so of strength training and HIIT, your body will be feeling amazing and I can’t think of a better way to start 2021!
Please feel free to reach out with any questions you have relating to exercise or health and fitness. I’m always happy to help people on their fitness journey, no matter what stage you’re at. Why not contact me to help you develop your own personal fitness plan?
Tim@powrpt.co.uk
Personal trainer | POWR personal training | England (powrpt.co.uk)
Powrpt’s (@powrpt) Instagram profile • 82 photos and videos