You’re here because you want to get better sleep. Well my friend, you’ve come to the right place! We believe proper sleep is so critical for health, we discuss it with each one of our coaching clients. Today, we’ll share our tips for sleeping like a log with you too. Here’s what we’ll cover in our Ultimate Guide to Getting Better Sleep:
Let’s get right to it so you can go hit the hay.
Why Do I Need to Sleep? (Why Sleep is Awesome)Sleep is freaking important, and you should get more of it! Article over, I’m going on break! Kidding. Before we cover why sleep is important, let’s talk about what happens when you don’t get enough. For example: If you manage to only get four hours of sleep, a sleep-deprived body can actually act similarly to an intoxicated body. [1] Getting less sleep than average regularly? This is correlated with increased bodyfat percentage, more issues with insulin sensitivity, and even a disproportionate decrease in lean muscle mass when eating a caloric deficit.[2] We all know missing sleep can make us grouchy, miserable, unfocused, and unproductive. I know I’m going to have a crappy day in the gym when I don’t get enough sleep the night before. I know not sleeping enough AFTER a workout day can further hinder the muscle-building process. So, what else happens when you don’t get enough sleep? Here are some potential consequences of forgoing sleep:
Not good. Conversely, let’s talk about the awesomeness that is sleep. Here are the benefits associated with getting enough shut-eye:
Moral of the story: Sleep is awesome. This is going to lead to a natural question… How Much Sleep Do I Need?There’s some debate on exactly how much sleep a person needs.[11] But there are some best practices. 7 to 9 hours is widely accepted as the ideal target for a good night’s rest. The National Sleep Foundation promotes this range, and researchers in the UK did a study that corroborated the recommendation.[12] We’ll roll with 7 to 9 hours as an ideal target for a good night’s sleep. I should note, that there is a small percentage of people who have a “rare” gene that allows them to get by on 6 hours of sleep or less. “Steve, I’m sure I’m one of those mutants who only needs 6 hours of sleep. Sounds like I’m good to go, right?” As much as we all want to be part of the X-Men… I used the word rare there intentionally because only about 4 in 100,000 people have this specific mutation.[13] Realistically, you probably don’t have the special gene that makes you need less sleep. Sorry. This is why the American Academy of Sleep Medicine and the Sleep Research Society both recommend “healthy adults” get at least 7 hours of sleep.[14] Knowing you need to get 7 hours of sleep is one thing. But knowing is only half the battle… So let’s get to the root of the problem for most: “I know I need to sleep more, but my day is too busy and I just can’t get to bed sooner or wake up earlier.” First and foremost, you’re not alone. According to a recent report from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, nearly a third of all working Americans get six hours or fewer of sleep a night.[15] Does any of this sound like you?
Let’s see if we can fix these issues. What Does Good Sleep Look Like? (The Perfect Night)Let’s imagine a perfect night: You go to bed at a time that you’re happy with. You’re not stressed out because you didn’t just watch The Walking Dead, you’re reading a good fiction book in bed that’s putting you closer to sleep rather than checking your smartphone or screwing around on the internet (damn you Twitch.tv). You sleep uninterrupted through the night. You have kickass dreams. When you wake up, wither naturally or with an alarm…you immediately get out of bed, without a single snooze, and you feel damn good. You then crush your morning routine and dominate your day. If you’re looking at your screen and laughing right now, you’re not alone. I’d guess this is a pipe dream for a huge majority of our society because they’re not sure how sleep actually works, and thus have NOT made sleep a priority. It’s time to start looking at sleep as one of your most important tasks. Like I said, we value it so much here, that we bring up sleep duration and quality with every single member of our 1-on-1 Online Coaching Program. What Are the Stages of Sleep?Like the Indiana Jones movies, sleep can vary in quality. Some types of sleep can be great, while some sleep can be crappy (and potentially involve aliens). Let’s take a quick look at the different stages of sleep first. We have Rapid Eye Movement (REM) Sleep, and Non-Rapid Eye Movement Sleep:[16]
Your body goes through these stages in order, but as you repeat sleep cycles (which are 90 minutes), the duration can shift dramatically. Sleep Junkies provides a pretty good graph of different sleep cycles (in their article on sleep and alcohol), which we’ll borrow below: In this example of “Cycle 5” the sleeper barely spends any time in “deep sleep,” but much more time in REM sleep. Our bodies are cray like that. What’s with the different stages of sleep?
What’s crazy is that your entire morning can be dictated by what stage of sleep you were in before waking up. If you’ve ever only slept a few hours and woke up feeling great, or conversely slept plenty of hours but woke up groggy, this could explain it! Don’t worry, I’ll explain exactly how to stop this from happening with the Nerd Fitness Sleep Calculator. How to Get Better Sleep (The Single Best Advice on Better Shuteye)We have a circadian rhythm (a daily biological clock) that ebbs and flows throughout the day. Our body uses outside stimuli and our own activity to produce certain hormones at certain times to make our body more prepared for the required functions at that time (alertness vs restfulness). Look at it from an evolutionary perspective – way back in the day (which was a Wednesday):
Unfortunately, these days, our bodies aren’t tied to the rise and fall of that giant ball of gas above us. Instead, we can use electricity, alarm clocks, computer screens, smartphone screens, and all other sorts of outside stimuli to adjust our natural sleeping schedule. This means that our bodies often have no effin’ clue what time it is! Outside of our circadian rhythm, we have another biological system that tells us when to go to bed: the chemical adenosine.[19] Think of it as “sleep pressure.” As soon as you wake up, your body starts to produce adenosine. When it hits a certain threshold, you get tired and start thinking about your pillow. You really want your circadian rhythm and adenosine buildup in sync. When they’re not, it’s terrible. You may have experienced it: jetlag comes about when you’re in a different part of the world than your home, so the change in daylight throws off your circadian rhythm. For example, let’s say it was daylight when I left London and it’s daylight when I arrive in New York 10 hours later. But your sleep pressure system doesn’t know this, so it’s trying to send you to bed, despite it being high noon. Here’s when things can really go haywire: you finally get to bed in New York, but your circadian rhythm is still linked to London (which is now morning), so it starts making you more alert despite being nighttime in Manhattan. And insomnia ensures… This brings us to the single best advice on getting better sleep: do what you can to go to bed and wake up at the same time every day.[20] Even on weekends whenever possible. This helps your circadian rhythm and adenosine buildup stay in line with each other. Things get awful when these two systems are out of whack. This isn’t our only piece of advice on getting better sleep! Here are 10 more tips on engineering a perfect night’s rest: #1) Avoid screens as you get closer to bedtime. Why avoid screen time? A couple of things to consider:
#2) Consider purchasing red lightbulbs to use in your bedroom lamps, so your bedroom is a place of soft light rather than bright/harsh light.[24] #3) Keep your bedroom cool (but not too cold). Outside of light, our bodies use temperature as a signal to go to bed.[25] It gets colder at night, so this shift in temperature tells our body it’s time to go to sleep. Personally, I’ve found that keeping my bedroom cool helps me fall asleep. It’s been a real game-changer. What’s the sweet spot? Experiment a little here, but shoot for somewhere between 60-67 degrees Fahrenheit (15-19 Celsius). Just don’t go too cold, which can also disrupt your rest.
#5) Earplugs or a white noise machine might be a good idea. Sounds and other forms of ear pollution can be a distraction when you’re trying to sleep. White noise machines might drown some of this out, and studies show they do help, but some good ole fashioned earplugs could do the trick too.[26] #6) No TV in bed. This might be incredibly difficult for you if you’ve been falling asleep to TV for years. Instead of falling asleep with the blue glow of a TV at the foot of your bed, read a book – trust me, it will put you right to sleep.[27] #7) Get in the habit of reading fiction. Reading puts me to sleep within a few minutes most night, though only if I’m reading fiction. When reading non-fiction, my mind starts to race with all of the new ideas and things I could be working on. Either read real books or read on a Kindle, no iPads! #8) Buy the right TYPE of Mattress for you: I slept on a soft mattress with two mattress pads for a few months years ago and wondered why I woke up with lower back pain every day. Turns out, my back was jacked up, and the soft mattress made things even worse. Since switching to a firm mattress, I wake up without back pain. Lesson learned here: I’m not smart. #9) A lot of this can depend on HOW you sleep! Are you a side sleeper? Back sleeper? Stomach sleeper? Turns out there are some evolutionary reasons why some styles work better than others! Personally, I use the “half-military crawl position” outlined by Tim Ferriss (scroll down to tip 11 for the position). #10) Have allergies? Try a hypoallergenic pillowcase! Your allergies could be affecting you while you sleep, and having the proper pillowcase can make a world of a difference. How to Get More SleepSo we’ve covered how to get BETTER sleep, what if you also need to get more of it? In order to start getting more sleep, sleep must become more of a priority. If you constantly stay up too late because things need to get done, evaluate how your time is spent after work. Seriously, think about it!
Yes, I understand we have parents who read Nerd Fitness and have to stay awake and function on minimal sleep (I commend you, and wish you luck!). However, for many of us, less sleep is often a result of disorganized priorities and poor use of our time. Here are the best practical tips for giving you the greatest chance at getting into bed earlier:
How to Wake Up (The NF Sleep Calculator)Is there any more annoying sound in the world than the “beep beep beep” of an alarm clock? Well, maybe this. But you get the point. So here you are, dreaming about riding a dragon, doing improv with Liam Neeson, and playing poker with Iron Man and Spock…and that damn alarm clock wakes you up. You are now incredibly groggy and miserable. Here’s what’s happening: Remember earlier how we talked about different sleep cycles? Depending on which cycle you were woken up during, your body can struggle to move from “asleep” to “wide awake.”
Because we’re often waking up at times when we’re not ready to wake up, timing can be everything when it comes to getting out of bed. Have no fear! Let’s give you a timetable to base your sleep schedule on, so your alarm clock isn’t so jarring. Here are some assumptions we’ll use:
THE NERD FITNESS SLEEP CALCULATOR Wake up: 5am
Wake up: 6:30am
Wake up: 8am
You get the gist. Try to time your alarm clock to a natural break between sleep cycles. Technology might help here too!
Feel free to sing the first line of “Circle of Life” at this point. I just did. Also, DON’T SNOOZE! Instead of snoozing, set your alarm for 30 minutes later and SKIP snoozing entirely. If this is an issue for you, put your alarm across the room so you need to physically get out of bed to turn it off! Here are a couple more tips to help your alertness in the morning:
Am I a Night Owl or a Lark? (Why Am I Not a Morning Person?)According to studies, about 1 in 10 people are true morning people (“larks”), while 2 in 10 are considered “night owls.” The rest fit somewhere in the middle as “hummingbirds.” What this means: Some of us are more alert at certain times of the day and naturally want to rise earlier or stay up later. [28] Now, the difference between the two extremes isn’t as DRASTIC as we’ve made it out to be. Humans can never be truly naturally nocturnal – we don’t have night vision (yet…). We’re not programmed to operate during the middle of the night. But, we CAN use our natural tendencies to help us be more efficient and productive during certain parts of the day. We can change and adapt. Just like those who successfully work a night shift job (tips on that here), many who consider themselves a night owl may find they can become a morning person if they set themselves up for success. I used the excuse for years of being a “night owl” to screw around all day and work from midnight to 4 AM each night, when it really just required a shifting of my priorities and productivity hacks. What this all means: Identify your biological clock and try to adjust around it if possible. However, if your job requires you to get up early or stay up later, most of us can make an adjustment. Don’t let your poor habits blame “being a night owl” like I used to. Should I Take Naps? (How to Nap During the Day)Although generally not part of a day here in the States, we’re actually programmed to desire a quick nap in the early afternoon.[29] In other countries, naps are more socially acceptable (Siesta? Si, por favor!). If you feel bad that you get tired in the early afternoon, it’s not because you’re lazy. It’s because you’re naturally wired for naptime. Now, you might still be lazy, but it’s not related to your nap schedule. So, behold the power of the power nap: Didn’t get enough sleep last night? Only have 20-30 minutes for a quick break? Try the caffeine-fueled power nap. Fun fact: If you’ve slept less than normal, taking a 90-minute nap the following day could lead to an increased amount of REM sleep in that nap.[30] What Is Sleep Apnea? (What’s the Best Treatment for Sleep Apnea?)Sleep apnea is a condition where someone periodically stops breathing while sleeping. While there are a few different versions of sleep apnea, the most common is “Obstructive Sleep Apnea,” which occurs when throat muscles become overly relaxed. A telltale sign of obstructive sleep apnea is loud snoring, although not everyone who snores has sleep apnea. Sleep apnea can potentially be pretty serious, what with the whole not breathing thing going on. It depends on the severity of the condition.
How do you know if your sleep apnea is mild or severe? Unfortunately, the only way to really be sure is to head to the doctor. If you go to your primary care physician, they will likely refer you to a sleep specialist to find out. If you feel tired in the morning despite getting plenty of sleep, and a partner or loved one complains that you snore, it might be worth looking into a sleep apnea diagnosis. I will mention that being overweight can contribute to obstructive sleep apnea, so weight loss could be a possible treatment. If weight loss is your goal, then you’ve come to the right place. We specialize in helping people achieve sustainable weight loss. I’ve got a couple of resources to help you start your journey:
In the meantime, try a different sleeping position (like the aforementioned half-military crawl position to keep your passages open). What Is Second Sleep? (Waking up in the Middle of the Night)Biphasic Sleep is sleeping in two distinct periods. We’re gonna go back in the day again: during winter months, nighttime could last 12-14 hours. With our bodies’ production of melatonin (the “sleepy time” hormone) kicking into high gear when that sun drops, people had nothing else to do (no TV, PS4, or iPads) and would fall asleep early. Then they would wake up for an hour or two in the middle of the night to read, pray, or think, and then fall back asleep for another 4-5 hours before waking up for the day. If you’ve ever gone to bed at a normal hour, and then woke up in the middle of the night without being able to fall back asleep for an hour or so, you know what I’m talking about. Here’s the thing: this is actually quite natural![33] Rather than freaking the heck out and lying in bed wondering why you can’t fall asleep…consider it something that is more common than our current sleep schedule.[34] Don’t be afraid to turn on the light (red light!) and read a book or use the time for meditation until you can fall back asleep. This one ‘mental shift’ alone can keep your stress levels down and let you get back to sleep faster and provide you with BETTER sleep. 4 Tips and Tricks to Hack Sleep#1) Macrodozing:
? #2) Clear your mind, Neo. I often spend my nights in bed thinking and worrying about all of the things I need to do the next day. Instead of stressing out about it, take a minute and write down the things you need to do the next day. Then set it aside. A notebook, a post-it note, an Evernote file, whatever. Do a brain-dump and clear your head so you can focus on reading A Game of Thrones without thinking about the next day’s tasks. #3) Want to control your dreams? It’s called “Lucid Dreaming,” it’s possible, but requires work. I’ve only been able to do it once, but haven’t given up hope that it can become a more common occurrence! Ultimately, this allows you to live out a real-life version of Inception. #4) Have way too much time on your hands and not constricted by societal norms? Try Polyphasic sleep and then tell me how it goes ? It didn’t work for Kramer, but it might work for you! Start Sleeping Better Tonight (Next Steps)Like, anything, that which gets measured gets improved. Now, if you’re somebody that isn’t really detail-oriented, just start by picking ONE or two changes above, and focus on building that Hard Hat Habit. However, if you like to nerd out about certain details, why not nerd out about your sleep? Starting tomorrow morning, when you wake up, recap the previous day with a journal entry:
A quick recap on what to do:
If you want to use technology: F.Lux for your computer, red bulbs in the bedroom, Sunrise alarm clock for waking up without disturbing deep sleep. That should just about do it for today’s article. If you’re looking for where to go from here, I’ve got some options for you. But I’m only gonna tell you, because you’ve been a good sport this whole article. NEXT STEPS IF YOU WANT TO GO FARTHER! #1) Our 1-on-1 Online Coaching Program: a coaching program for busy people to help them lose weight, get strong, and level up their lives! We take sleep so seriously, we discuss it with each and every client. #2) If you want an exact blueprint for getting in shape, check out Nerd Fitness Journey! Our fun habit-building app helps you exercise more frequently, eat healthier, and level up your life (literally). If you follow our Sleep missions, you’ll learn to improve your night rituals while earning XP! Sah-weeeet. Try your free trial right here: #3) Join our amazing free community, the Nerd Fitness Rebellion! Not only is it free to join, but we’ll provide you with loads of free goodies when you sign-up:
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Now, I’d love to hear from you:
Let’s hear it! -Steve ### gif sources: Gremlins, Storm, GI Joe, Yogi, South Park, South Park II, What time is it, Armageddon, Morning Bugs, Night Vision, Bugs Insomnia, Buddy, Bill Murray, Snoring Homer, Patrick Sleeping. photo sources: Sleep Cycle, Tired Lego, Sleeping Lego, Sleeping Puppy, Sleeping Baby, Sleeping Cat, Sleeping Koala, Sleeping Bunnies, Side Sleeping Lego, Sleeping Kitty, Owl, late alarm clock, Sleeping Tiger, Notepad, Laughing Buddha,
Footnotes ( returns to text)
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Let’s get you up and rolling on a bicycle! Whether you’re using it for exercise or transportation, biking is a great way to stay active and explore the world around you. That’s why we encourage it in our Online Coaching Program when we discuss fun exercises! Here’s what we’ll cover in today’s guide:
What Are the Benefits of Cycling?There are a lot of excellent reasons to take up riding bikes:
Cycling has a magical ability to be whatever the rider wants it to be. Fun, challenging, scary, romantic, social, silly… you name it and there’s a type of cycling for it. You can even change what type you are doing to suit your mood on any given day, which is why most avid cyclists end up with several different bikes. Some Rebels in the NF Coaching Program have even used cycling as a tool to help them get in shape, as demonstrated by Kyle here: Note: Kyle also switched up his diet for his result. The world can use more cyclists, so I’m stoked you’re interested in getting started. The 6 Different Types of CyclistsLet’s spend a few minutes thinking about what type of rider you’d like to be. The below list is not mutually exclusive, mind you. You can flip back and forth, contradict yourself, or mix and match them to suit your own needs. #1) Mountain Biker No one loves the outdoors as much as these guys do. If you’d rather ditch the pavement for a trail, mountain biking may be for you. #2) Roadie As the name would suggest, these riders are going to be found pedaling down your street. They often wear bright colors to make them easily seen by commuters. If you go this route, you can pretend like you have a sweet superhero costume to wear! You can take this idea too far. #3) Track Track cycling is a racing sport where riders zoom around a velodrome. If you’re a beginner, this is probably too advanced for you, but something to think about as you gain more cycling experience. #4) Triathlete A triathlon is a multisport race where participants run, swim, and bike their way to the finish line. They’re not a bad event to train for since you have to condition yourself for a few different sports. There are many triathlon events designed for beginners, some of which you can check out right here. #5) BMXer Generally when people do lots of tricks on their bike, it’s a BMX bike. BMX is an abbreviation for bicycle motocross or bike motocross. BMX bikes were originally modeled after dirtbikes (minus the engine). They’re popular with kids, but also good for adults who are looking to perform a stunt or two. #6) Casual Rider This is, in my opinion, the easiest way to get started. Just do whatever you want to on a bike and enjoy yourself in the process. How to Buy a BikeTruth be told, the best bike for you to buy is whatever one you like the best. I think it’s wise to get a bike shop’s help in buying a bike that fits you. Even though you can adjust your bicycle to fit (more on this next section), it could still be potentially too large or small. Here’s how to find a bike shop in your area. If you are going to select a bike on your own, you’ll want to consider its height:
Shown here from REI’s guide to bike fitting: Now, bikes do cost money. Expect to spend a few hundred bucks minimum at your bike shop. You don’t have to spend thousands, but you’ll have more fun on a decent bike than a heavy, crappy one from a department store. If you must buy as cheaply as possible, in my opinion, most people are best served with a steel-framed 80’s road bike. They’re cheap, nearly indestructible, and easy to find on Craigslist. Don’t be afraid to make counter offers and haggle a bit. You can also search the bike on Bicycle Blue Book to make sure you’re getting a fair deal. If you do buy a used road bike, steer away from 27” wheels, since 26” have become standard and will be easier to replace. Lots of people get mountain bikes for their first bike, and I think it’s a mistake unless you plan on riding through dirt. They are heavy and slow because they’re meant for trail riding on mountains. There’s also a cheaper bike option called bikesdirect.com. They sell off-brand frames with name-brand components, and seem to have good customer service. Remember: get the bike you like. If you like it you’ll ride it. Keep that in mind as you’re reading the flame wars and conflicting advice. After all, it’s just bikes. It ain’t rocket surgery. How to Setup Your BicycleWhile a professional at a bike shop can be a lifesaver when it comes to proper setup, you can totally do it yourself too. #1) Saddle Height A “good enough” way to determine proper seat height is the heel-to-pedal method. It might help to have someone hold your bike while doing this. Take a seat, then have one pedal go completely down in the six o’clock position. Your knee should be completely straight here when making contact to this low pedal. If your knee is bent, you need to increase the saddle height. If you lose contact with the pedal, lower your seat. #2) Saddle Angle For the most part, you’re going to want your seat angled so it’s parallel to the ground. Try this first, then you can adjust it slightly if you find different positions more comfortable. #3) Handlebar Reach While handlebar reach can be a bit more personal, in general you don’t want to strain yourself to control the bike. When seated, you should easily be able to reach the brakes and shifters. Your elbows should have a slight bend, not locked. Adjust your seat first, get that dialed in, then adjust the bars themselves for your ideal setting. What Gear to Purchase for BikingAfter initially purchasing a bike, there are a few other things you should consider. #1) Helmet – In my opinion, it is imperative to own and wear a helmet when cycling. I don’t think it should be a law that everyone has to, but I think everyone should of his own volition anyway. What kind of helmet should you buy? Giro, Bell, and Specialized all make good helmets. Try a few on and get a bike shop’s help with how it should fit. #2) U-Lock – One of the most awesome things about riding bikes to get places is that you don’t have to park a car. You can just ride right up to the place, lock your bike, and go inside. You will need a lock if you’d like your bike to be there when you come out, though. Read up on locking strategy here. #3) Blinky Lights – Get yourself a good set of blinky lights for your bike. I like the Blackburn Flea set, but also own the Spok LED light set, and the Planet Bike Superflash rear light. All are fine choices. Outside has the unmitigated gaul of getting dark without our consent. It’s wise to have lights in these cases, so that you can be as visible as possible on the roadway. #4) Clippy Shoes – If you’re going to ride often, eventually it’s wise to switch to clipless pedals and shoes. If you’re worried that they’ll make you fall over, rest assured. You will definitely fall over in them at least once. It’s called a zero-mile-per-hour fall, and it’s a rite of passage. It’s also completely worth it. #5) Lycra – If you’re doing any amount of riding at all, I recommend getting yourself a pair of bibs. Cycling shorts are nice too (they both have a chamois) but bib shorts are the ultimate in comfort. What to Bring on Your Bike RideWhen setting off on a ride, carry these things:
Everything except the tube fits nicely into a little canvas bag that can slip into a center jersey pocket, which eliminates the need for a seat bag, which has a tendency to fall apart after a few hundred miles. Don’t buy an expensive bike tool to carry on your rides. Any repair you can’t do with the above kit is a ride ender. Take a cab with the $20 instead and spend your tool budget on nice tools to keep at home if you want to wrench on your bike. Also don’t buy a frame pump or mini pump – they don’t work well at all. Get a floor pump for home and carry CO2 with you. How to Ride a Bike
Kidding. Here’s exactly how to ride a bike: Let’s explain some more tips for smooth bike riding: #1) Use your rear brake to check your speed and your front one only if you really want to stop. If you grab a handful of front brake on a modern bike it might become a catapult. #2) Remember when I said clippy shoes were worth it? It’s because they allow you to apply power throughout the whole revolution of the pedal, and to use your whole leg and butt to apply said power. They’re awesome. #3) Keep in mind also that it’s more efficient to spin than to mash. This means that you’ll be able to deliver more power for longer if you ride in a smaller, easier gear at a higher cadence (RPM) than in a bigger, harder gear at a slower cadence. The ideal cadence is said to be 90rpm or so, which is the exact tempo of Cake’s song The Distance. One foot should make a revolution for each beat of the song, or in other words, your foot is a quarter note. Your other foot will be offset, of course, so as a pair your feet will play eighth notes. And you didn’t even know you were a musician! #4) Your body should be pretty much still when you’re riding. Your knees should be in line between your hip and ankle, not out as if you’re trying to climb a pole: How to Improve Your Bike Riding SkillsCycling is beautiful and amazing, but the best cycling is also social. Having some friends who are into it will help keep you into it. Mind you, it is ten buh-jillion times easier to meet people who already like things you want to do than to convert people you already like into doing something new. So, go do your local group ride. There’s guaranteed to be a beginner one near you that runs out of a bike shop. Ask at the bike shop once you feel comfortable returning. Yay for socializing! You can also check out Meetup for a riding group. Bike Riding Etiquette for NewbiesThere’s a tendency for new riders to want to express their liberation from the metal cage of the automobile through a certain free-spirited attitude toward traffic laws. Please don’t do this. Whatever we do while riding in traffic will be remembered by every driver who sees us and counted either for or against cycling as a whole in that driver’s mind. Many new riders adopted a Me-Vs-Cars attitude, and it’s always a mistake. Figure out what the laws regarding cyclists on the road are in your area and follow them always! Google “bicycling laws + [ your state ]” You’ll also have a much easier time in traffic when you ride like traffic. It’s Time to Hit the Road (Next Steps)Above all, remember that cycling is a fun, social activity. Wave to other riders. Say hello to them when you pass them. They’re nice folks! Well, except “serious” roadies, of course, but only other roadies listen to them! Okay, that’s about it for this guide. Find a bike, wear a helmet, and get ready to roll: If you want to continue your journey with Nerd Fitness, there are three great options for you. Option #1) If you want a professional coach in your pocket, who can do video form checks, provide feedback, and adjust your workouts based on the equipment you have available, check out our Online Coaching Program! Some of our clients are avid cyclists and their coaches design workouts around their biking schedule: Option #2) If you’re looking for fun way to stay active, check out NF Journey. Our fun habit-building app helps you move more frequently, eat healthier, and level up your life (literally). We assign fun missions daily to get you to exercise in a way that doesn’t feel like exercise…because it’ll feel like a side quest instead. Try your free trial (no credit card needed) right here: Option #3) Become part of the Rebellion! We need good people like you in our community, the Nerd Fitness Rebellion. Sign up in the box below to enlist and get our Rebel Starter Kit, which includes all of our “work out from home” guides.
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Have fun out there, and ride safe, cycling friend! -Steve ### photo, photo, photo, photo, photo, photo, photo, photo, photo, photo, photo, photo, photo The post Blog first appeared on Nerd Fitness. via https://www.nerdfitness.com/blog/a-beginners-guide-to-biking/ Before you step foot in the great outdoors, read this guide! There’s nothing more embarrassing than a city slicker getting lost in the woods, so let’s make sure you know where you’re going, what to wear, and what to bring. That way your first hike will be fun, adventurous, and more importantly safe! Today we will cover:
I’m happy you’re excited about hiking and I can’t wait for you to get started! I took the above picture while hiking through Killarney National Park in Ireland many years ago, and every time I look at it, I can’t help but think of Tolkien’s Middle-earth masterpiece, so I apologize (not really) for all of the Lord of the Rings nerdery running throughout this post! Our community members love hiking too. In fact, one of our recent success stories specifically cited hiking as one of the fun activities she loved to do to help her lose 50 pounds: By the end of today’s post, my goal is to have you pick a trail, pick a date, and identify a fella or gal to join your fellowship (galship?). Before we jump in, are you here because you’re learning to hike to lose weight? Did you hear it’s a fun way to exercise and get your body moving? If so, you’ve come to the right place! As I mentioned, some clients in our uber-popular 1-on-1 Online Coaching Program used hiking as part of their weight loss training. These folks would rather head outside than jump on a treadmill, and our coaches designed a program so they could do just that! Here’s how it works: your NF Coach will build a custom workout plan based on your experience level and goals. Training to climb up a literal mountain? Maybe you need to get rid of an old ring? We’ll create a plan to get you to the top! Alright, let’s get you hiking!
How Do I Find Hiking Trails Near Me? (How to Start Hiking)When you think of hiking, you might imagine a bunch of road-tested perma-travelers with oversized backpacks, hiking through epic mountains for weeks upon weeks at a time. Or maybe, a pair of hobbits setting out on a worldwide adventure to destroy a ring of awe-inspiring power. If you’re just beginning your journey to a better lifestyle, just thinking about serious hiking can be enough to keep you inside your comfy hobbit hole. Although hiking can be an epic undertaking, it doesn’t need to be! A hike also can be super simple and fun:
Here’s my definition for hiking: A person (or halfing, or self-aware robot) exploring their surroundings and their feet are on the actual ground. Like, dirt. And grass. Some might say it needs to be difficult, have a certain elevation change, require a blah blah blah. It literally doesn’t matter. What matters is that you go outside and do something you wouldn’t have done otherwise. Here in the Nerd Fitness Rebellion, hikers would fall into the Adventurer class. If you’re looking for a fun “cardio” activity and want to exercise in a way that’s exciting, hiking is a great way to get your legs, feet, and body used to some strenuous activity. You get to pick your speed and difficulty, and you can always find the right amount of challenge for you. HIKING 101: 5 STEPS TO PLAN OUT YOUR ADVENTURE 1) Decide how long you have to hike. This is a beginner’s guide to hiking, we’re not looking to hike the Appalachian Trail. Instead, we want to start with trails that can be done in less than a day, that won’t require you to pack a tent, or bring an extra change of clothes. Pick a hike based on how much time you have – do you have the entire Sunday? Or do you just have a few hours on a Tuesday afternoon? It took Frodo and Sam 6 months to get to Mordor, but you probably don’t have that much time. However, if you DID want to “walk to Mordor,” I got you covered there too. You’re welcome! 2) Decide if you’ll be hiking solo or with a friend/group – I love hiking solo – it’s mobile meditation for me. However, it’s also more dangerous should anything happen while you’re out on the trail! If you’re heading into the wilderness, I’d recommend buddying up with a friend or your significant other for your hike. It’s the perfect bonding opportunity. This is especially true if they have more hiking experience or they know the area that you’re hiking in. 3) Determine your level – if you are a hiking newbie and horribly out of shape, sending yourself out on an eight-hour hike through the unmapped wilderness is incredibly unintelligent. And as your mom has probably told you before, “I thought you were smarter than that.” Start slow, and pick places around your town that will allow you to stop when necessary and get back to your car or home quickly. No need to be a hero; it’s always better to come back excited and say “wow that was easier than I expected!” than to realize you’re six hours from home and out of steam. Well, being a hero is cool. But not THAT kind of hero. 4) Pick your hiking location – Keep it simple! Go to AllTrails.com, put in your zip code, find your hiking trail! Or pull up Google Maps and look for big green plots of land. We call those “parks.” Google the park name, learn about it, and decide if that’s where you want to go. Do not overcomplicate this step. Just get started. Ask your active, adventurous friends or coworkers if they know any good spots. The world is FULL of hiking trails and awesomeness – you just need to know where to look. 5) Regardless of where you are going, let somebody else know where and when – if you are out hiking alone, take the time to email or call somebody and let him know that you’ll be hiking and when you expect to be back. We don’t want to hear about any 127 Hours[1] stories on NF…that would make playing video games way more difficult. You don’t need to tell them the brand of your underwear (please tell me you’re wearing underwear) or how many almonds you’re bringing, but let them know the important details so if they don’t hear back from you by a certain time they know to alert the proper authorities. So right now, you should have answers to the following questions:
That last point is about our fun new habit-building app, which allows you to level up (literally) by going on walks or hikes. You can try it for free right here: What Shoes Do I Wear Hiking? (Proper Footwear)This is simple: stilettos, your favorite mini skirt, a fishnet halter top, and a vest made out of raw meat. You’re welcome! Wait, don’t do that. I’m a big fan of being comfortable without breaking the bank. Like, you probably already have most of the clothing you need to go hiking. WHAT SHOES SHOULD I WEAR TO HIKE IN? We cover footwear extensively in our healthy feet article, but I’ll cover shoes specifically in the case of hiking here. We at Nerd Fitness are huge fan of Merrell products – Merrell shoes of various types have treated me well for the past decade. Just don’t let a lack of quality hiking boots keep you from a hike. If you’re concerned, pick an easy-paced hike with your current shoes to be safe and ramp up when you can ramp up your gear! Some people hike the Appalachian Trail in their bare feet (must be part-Hobbit), so whatever you do: don’t let your footwear options keep you from getting started. Just make sure you break your shoes in and take them on test drives! Don’t take the tags off a new pair of shoes and then go on a multi-day hike – that’s a recipe for blisters and a miserable time. Okay, let’s look at our feet. Now that we’ve done that, let’s look at some shoe options: LEVEL ONE: Hiking shoes – “hiking shoes” are great if you’re going to be doing simple day hikes or hiking occasionally: they have a good grip on the bottom, give you enough support, but aren’t too heavy that they are a hindrance. Here are my favorite options if you are in the market for some new basic walking/hiking shoes:
Oh, what’s that? “Steve, I don’t have hiking shoes! Is this the end of the world?” Well, do you have any sort of athletic shoe? Depending on the grip on the bottom, they could be decently okay for you to get started with when it comes to a basic hike. If sneakers are your only option, lace em up, pick a beginner hike, and see how they do. Just be careful on slippery surfaces – your kicks might not give you the grip you need to get over them. LEVEL TWO – Hiking boots – I don’t hike enough or do enough multi-day hikes to justify the cost of hiking boots, but again I would point to Merrell boots if you’re in the market. “Why boots over shoes, Steve?” Although many prefer trail shoes (like yours truly), I can absolutely see the value in a great pair of hiking boots if you’re going on a serious hike, traveling for multiple days, or more. They have more ankle support, thicker tread, thicker shoes, and provide your feet with significantly more protection. REI has a great article helping you pick between Trail shoes and Trail boots. My advice? Start with what you currently have before deciding whether or not to invest in big boots. Once you build up the habit of hiking and decide you want to make it a bigger part of your life, you can make the investment. My advice? If you are going to buy boots, go to a professional store, get fitted properly, and then break them in over many weeks before going out on a trail. WEIRD BUT FUN FOR SIMPLE HIKES: Vibram FiveFingers – I hiked all around the globe, in various situations, wearing my Vibrams for close to 4 years. They made me feel like a ninja monkey and a hobbit. I got weird looks, but something just felt right about being able to feel the contours of the ground beneath me. I will say, when hiking in Vibrams it can be easier to twist an ankle when stepping on a root or rock, stepping on sharp rocks can hurt, so I found myself watching my feet much more than expected. These days, I’m much more of a trail shoe kind of guy, but some still swear by Vibrams! If you’re in the market for buying new boots, this quick video is a good primer: WHAT SOCKS SHOULD YOU WEAR? If you’re wearing boots or sneakers, you want to wear socks that aren’t going to give you blisters or make your feet all sweaty and gross. Depending on how long the hike is, how serious you are about hiking, and your budget, you can look into merino-wool socks. Like the rest of your outfit, what you wear on your feet will largely be dependent on a few things:
Here’s Switchback Travel’s best hiking socks of 2018, and here’s a great article from Art of Manliness on proper feet care after a hike or ruck! What Do I Wear While Hiking? (Clothing)SHOULD I WEAR PANTS OR SHORTS? Pro tip: Don’t go pantless through the wilderness. I cannot stress this enough. The real advice when it comes to pants/shorts is heavily dependent upon your environment. If it’s going to be cold, shorts might keep you shivering. If it’s going to be hot, pants might get too uncomfortable. Jeans? Ehhhhh. Sure. ONLY if it’s going to be a comfortable temperature and you have no other option. Being sweaty and hot while wearing jeans isn’t very fun. I’m a big fan of my nerd pants – the Columbia Silver Ridge pants. Although they look kind of goofy, they’re incredibly lightweight, dry quickly, and can transform from pants to shorts in mere seconds! Traveling through woods, not sure what you’ll encounter? Wear lightweight pants. I am horribly allergic to poison ivy and who knows what else, so I like to keep as much of my body covered while hiking to make sure I don’t make contact with anything I’m allergic to. [2] WHAT TYPE OF SHIRT SHOULD I WEAR? My favorite options are merino wool long shirts and t-shirts: they’re light, wick away moisture, hide odors, and breathe well – though you will be paying top dollar for them. If you’re just starting out, pick an old t-shirt and rock that – you can work on optimizing performance once you’ve got a few hikes under your belt. If you’re on a multi-day hike in various conditions then having lightweight merino wool shirts you can layer and not need to wash would be great. But just going for a hike in the woods in your backyard? Whatever you would wear while running, training, etc. Aka whatever won’t chafe! SHOULD I BRING A JACKET? I’ve been wearing this Mountain Hardware jacket on most of my hikes and it has been awesome (10 years and counting) – very lightweight so packing it isn’t a hassle, waterproof so it keeps me dry when it rains, and heavy enough to block the wind to keep me warm when it’s chilly. Don’t go out of your way to buy a new jacket if you have a decent windbreaker, but if you’re going to be doing a lot of hiking or you’re in the market for a new coat, here’s my advice: go to a local store and try out all of the jackets until you find one you like. Once you find the perfect jacket, go home and check online (you can sometimes find the same jacket for up to 60% less) – then, ask the local store if they’ll price match or just buy it online. SHOULD I WEAR A HAT? You should definitely bring a hat. I’m usually rocking my Nerd Fitness hat or my Red Sox hat (booo Yankees), but while hiking in Australia I wore a hat with a giant floppy brim to keep my ears and face protected from the sun. The tops of your ears and back of your neck are highly susceptible to getting burned while on the trail, so either get some sunscreen or wear a hat that keeps them covered. The same is true for keeping pesky things out of your hair, the sun from burning your ears and face, and keep you a bit cooler. WHAT KIND OF BACKPACK SHOULD I BRING? Digging into the ins and outs of backpacks is far beyond the scope of this article. I’d recommend you check out my friend Chase’s Bag Review Youtube channel – guaranteed to be the most fun you’ll ever have learning about bags. So what would I recommend for a beginner on a hike? The bag you currently have! If you’re going on a short hike, you can start with simply whatever bag you have. The lighter and comfier it is, the better. Multi-day hikes where you’re living out of your bag, packing up, and building a tent each day – this is beyond the scope of this article. I have rocked a Kelty Coyote bag that I’ve lived out of for months at a time, and have also used on multi-day hikes. If you have the means and the time, and you’re planning to go on certain hikes, go to an outdoor specialty store, speak with a professional, and get fitted for your body type and the type of hike you’re doing! THE MORAL OF THE STORY: VERSATILITY If your weather forecast is “75 and sunny,” and you’re hiking for the afternoon through a gradually sloping wooded forest, you can severely limit what you’re bringing with you. If it’s questionable or looks like things might change during the day, versatility is your best bet – a jacket, pants that can become shorts, a long sleeve shirt that you can take off or roll the sleeves up, etc. Don’t go out and buy all new stuff until you’re sure hiking is an activity you want to invest in. Borrow from friends, make do with what you have Just get started. BY NOW YOU SHOULD HAVE A ROUGH IDEA OF WHAT YOU WILL BE WEARING! In your head you should be saying, “Steve how can you read my mind?! I just decided:
I feel like I’m good to go!” Perfect.
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How Much Water Should I Bring On My Hike?If there’s ONE thing you should not leave home without, it’s a water container so you can stay hydrated. “How much water should I be drinking on my hike, Steve?” Great question. I knew you were smart from the moment you started reading this article. You should be drinking 1 liter of water every two hours as a rough guideline. Increase this amount if you are hiking in very warm/desert climates. FAVORITE WATER CONTAINERS: I’m partial to stainless steel bottles or aluminum bottles over Nalgene or reused plastic bottles, but make do with what you have. Just make sure you bring enough water with you to keep you hydrated through your adventure. Going on longer hikes? Get yourself a hydration backpack (which can double as your hiking pack!) to transplant water more conveniently. Not only that but make sure you have been consuming water before you go hiking so that you’re not starting at a hydration deficit. Hangovers + early morning hikes – water = bad news bears. What Gear Should I Bring on My Hike? (Sunscreen, Knives, and First Aid Kits)If you’re just getting started, I’m going to guess you won’t be climbing to the top of a mountain in Alaska, but rather going on an introductory hike that will help build your confidence and get you rolling. Here’s what I’d recommend you bring with you on your adventure:
If you’re going on a longer hike, bringing a lightweight phone charger that you can use to charge your phone up quickly is usually pretty easy. What Food Should I Bring Hiking? What Should I Eat on a Day Hike?FOOD! You know, the stuff that keeps us alive. The answer to this will vary greatly depending on how long you plan on hiking for, the time of day, your love of snacking, so the advice here is going to largely mirror the advice we give in our nutritional posts! Although by no means a complete list of snacks, this is usually what I like to pack in my bag before a hike:
What about trail mix or granola bars? You’d probably think granola bars and trail mix are synonymous with hiking, but I’m actually not a fan of either unless they’re homemade – these products are usually loaded with salt/sugar and processed grains and are pretty damn unhealthy. If you’re gonna go with trail mix, make your own with dried fruit and raw unsalted nuts. If you DON’T have other options, tossing a few granola bars in the bag isn’t the end of the world. More food advice here: A book (optional) – I LOVE READING (more than I love lowercase letters), so I always travel with my Kindle. Although hiking with friends can be fun, I also get a huge thrill out of hiking out to a remote location overlooking a valley or sitting on the edge of a river with a book so that I can spend a few hours getting lost in a story. If it’s a multi-day hike and you’re avoiding technology, then bringing a dead tree book is worth the extra weight in your bag! A camera (optional) – Although I have a camera that I travel with, most of the pictures I’ve been taking recently have been done with my iPhone using apps like Camera+ or ProHDR (which I freaking love). Both apps are worth the price. You don’t need to be a great photographer, just need to capture the moment to look back on fondly as a crotchety old grandpa. Obviously, if you’re a serious photographer, you’ve already planned to pack your DSLR so I won’t get into that. Seven Hiking Tips for Beginners
Not all those who wander are lost (sTART hIKING tODAY)This article is just a primer, meant to whet your appetite and make you excited to go hiking and exploring the wonderful world around us. Here are a few other resources on hiking if you want more information. Feel free to let me know more in the comments: I challenge you to plan a hike for this upcoming weekend. YES, even if you’re in the opposite hemisphere and it’s really cold out! Get some great snacks, strap on your shoes, grab a friend, and go explore. I’d love to hear from you about the place you’re going hiking this weekend. Leave a comment below and let me know:
-Steve PS: Still unsure if you’ll be ready for your big hike? I’ll again remind you of our 1-on-1 Online Coaching Program. We have clients who successfully used the program to train for hiking up large mountains, and we’d love to see if we can help you too! PPS: If Coaching ain’t your bag, you can always use our new app to jumpstart your new adventures! ### photo credit: 77krc Mixed Nuts All other photos from my Photostream
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The post Blog first appeared on Nerd Fitness. via https://www.nerdfitness.com/blog/hiking/ So you want to learn about Olympic lifting? I get it! I could use a gold medal hanging off my wall too. I kid, I kid. Even if you don’t have plans on competing, performing the Olympic lifts can be a great way to build strength and power. It’s why we teach them in our Online Coaching Program for those that are interested. And you DON’T even need a barbell or dumbbell to get started. Here’s what we’ll cover today:
Let’s do this!
What are the Olympic Lifts?In the video above, I show you exactly how to start performing Olympic lifts (even if you don’t have any equipment). This may bring up a question: What the heck are the Olympic lifts? Olympic lifting aka Weightlifting (all one word) is a sport where athletes train and compete in the snatch and the clean & jerk. We’ll cover variations that can be done with dumbbells (or even soup cans!) then explain how to progress up to barbells. Either way, the basic techniques will remain the same. OLYMPIC LIFT #1: THE SNATCH The Snatch is where the athlete grabs the bar with a wide grip, then lifts it from the ground to overhead in one strong motion. This is a HUGE simplification of a very technical lift, but it gives us a quick definition and lets us identify the exercise when we see it. OLYMPIC LIFT #2: THE CLEAN & JERK The Clean & Jerk is two movements done back to back in competition:
Let’s break both of these down a little. The Clean: The clean is where the athlete grabs the bar with a grip slightly wider than shoulder-width grip, then lifts it from the ground to the front of their shoulders. If you’re interested in performing the clean, getting comfortable with the front squat will help your technique. We have a great video about it here: The Jerk: The clean may be performed by itself in training, but in competition the athlete must follow up the clean with a jerk. And not like that… The jerk gets the bar from the shoulders to overhead and completes the lift. You’ll often see the athlete take a staggered stance when they get the bar overhead, in order to increase stability, like so: The difference between the two Olympic lifts comes down to the number of movements:
For both Olympic lifts (the snatch and the clean & jerk), the athlete must hold the weight steady with their feet underneath themselves until a judge gives them the command to drop the weight. Basic Technique for Olympic LiftsThe basic technique for all the lifts is to explode upwards with your entire body, then quickly change direction to get underneath the weight. I promise we’ll get under the weight safer than that. This is the same concept whether you’re lifting 5 lbs or 500 lbs. (Oh also – weightlifting is normally discussed in kilos – so whether you’re lifting 2.5 kg to 227 kg!) If the thought of exploding upwards and quickly changing directions seems odd, we also do this every time we box jump! There’s an explosion upwards, then a quick change in direction for the legs in order to get underneath the body and up on the box. We cover the ins and outs of performing box jumps in this video: This is also why some will describe the Olympic lifts as “jumping with weights”. Again, as always, a huge simplification but it gets your mind around them a bit more! What’s the Difference Between Olympic Lifting and Powerlifting?Olympic lifting is NOT powerlifting – a term you may have heard before. Powerlifting is training and competing in the three lifts: #1) The squat: #2) The bench: #3) The deadlift: In both Olympic lifting and Powerlifting, we’re trying to lift the most amount of weight. It’s just that the lifts are completely different. We’ve got a great article on powerlifting from Coach Staci if you are interested in that too! What Are the Benefits of Performing Olympic Lifts?Olympic lifting is often described as “gymnastics with weights.” Athletes perform fast, powerful lifts that seem to display superhero levels of strength. According to this review from the British Journal of Sports Medicine, Olympic lifting improves one’s vertical jump.[1] But you don’t need a study to tell you that. Just watch some Olympians jump! Like this: Or check out the jumps from this team: Even if you’re not interested in improving your dunking skills, the Olympic lifts will still build plenty of strength and coordination while providing a lot of fun variety in your training. Is Olympic Lifting Safe?When you see these fast, powerful movements you might immediately think these exercises are dangerous. However, the movements are quite controlled and predictable. As opposed to pick-up sports which are inherently unpredictable. In addition, just like any exercise, one would start light and build up slowly to maximal weights. A study out of the U.K. from Brian P. Hamill actually shows that within 100 hours of participation, weightlifting incurs the lowest injury rates at only 0.0017 injuries during that time.[2] Weighting lifting is safer than badminton!?! This is as opposed to schoolyard soccer which incurs a rate of 6.20 injuries during that same time, yet we think nothing of letting a kid kick around a soccer ball with friends. 5 Exercises to learn Olympic Lifting TechniqueLet’s cover 5 exercises that will help you conquer the Olympic lifts. #1) The Pop and Drop So if you recall, the basic technique for all the Olympic lifts is exploding upwards, then quickly changing direction. We’ll work on that with a drill we’ll call “pop and drop.” Olympic lifting Coach Don McCauley has taught this as the “dirty dancing” drill too, but because we didn’t want to omit or misrepresent any cues from his original drill, we’ll simply call it the “pop and drop.” This drill starts with something called the power position. No, not that power position! This power position: After a few warm-up squats, here’s how to get into the power position:
Think of this position like a loaded spring ready to be released. You’ll see this same position in the snatch, the clean, and the jerk exercises we’ll do later. For the “pop and drop”, once you’re in the power position you’ll then explode upwards, quickly shuffle your feet out to squat width, and drop down into a squat. Like so: Once you’ve popped and dropped – then stand up, get your feet back underneath you, get set into the power position, and try it again! You’ll notice that while we are exploding, we are *not* trying to jump as high as we can. This would not allow us to have a quick change in direction. There is a RHYTHM to this exercise: the quick upwards movement followed immediately by the quick squat. Feel it, practice it, get comfortable with it! #2) Dumbbell Snatch We’re going to take that basic concept of popping and dropping to an exercise called the dumbbell snatch. Now, the end of a regular barbell snatch has the athlete catching the barbell in a squat with arms wide overhead: For the dumbbell snatch, we’ll be catching the dumbbell in a squat with one arm overhead: Give this squat a go right now – with or without weight – lift your arm overhead and squat five times on each side. Go as low as you feel comfortable – you do not have to go as low as you might normally go in a regular squat. Next, let’s practice the explosive dumbbell snatch exercise without weight in slow motion: To perform this beginner snatch variation:
When that feels good, practice the movement without weight at regular speed. Pop and drop! And when that feels good – add some weight! It doesn’t have to be much (could even be a soup can). #3) Dumbbell Clean At the end of a regular barbell clean, we have the barbell up on the front of the athlete’s shoulders. For the dumbbell clean, we’ll be catching the dumbbells in front of the shoulders in the dumbbell front squat position. Lift up your dumbbells to this position and give this squat a go right now for five reps. Go as low as you feel comfortable. We’ll follow the same progression as the dumbbell snatch, so let’s practice the movement without weight, in slow motion first (Zack Synder style). To perform this beginner clean variation:
When that feels good, practice the movement without weight at regular speed. Pop and drop! And when you have that dialed in – as before – add some weight! Again, it doesn’t have to be much. Look for a strong, smooth movement! #4) Dumbbell Jerk We have learned SO much so far. You’re doing awesome. It’s time for us to learn the dumbbell jerk. Now, the end of a regular barbell jerk doesn’t usually end in a squat…although there are athletes that do that: The athlete is usually landing in a staggered stance, like so: For the dumbbell jerk, we’ll drop into the same staggered stance, with dumbbells overhead. But first, let’s try just getting the leg position right: When you start to feel good with your leg position, get your arms involved like so: To perform this beginner jerk variation:
And when that feels good – just like before, add some weight: #4) Dumbbell Clean & Jerk Time to go for the gold and combine these two movements – the dumbbell clean and the dumbbell jerk. If you’ve made it this far, I know you can finish. Here’s how to perform the clean & jerk with dumbbells:
That’s the dumbbell clean and jerk! When to Train With Olympic LiftsBecause Olympics lifts (and the variations covered here) are technical and require you to explode powerfully, they are best done near the start of your workout when you’re first learning them. When you train with Olympic lifts:
Once you’ve developed some proficiency, you could also do some Olympic lifts with lower weight, higher reps (10 reps+) at the end of your workout as a conditioning exercise. For more here, check out our guide How to Build Your Own Workout (for the Gym or Your Home). Want to Progress Further? (Next Steps)Have we whet your appetite for the Olympic lifts? Well, the next step would be to get a coach! Getting a coach in person would be ideal, to be able to watch your technique time and time again. But we understand that’s not necessarily possible for everyone (here’s how to hire a personal trainer if you do go that route). If you are unable to find a coach in person, check out Nerd Fitness Online Coaching – where you’ll exchange videos with a qualified coach who can help you, no matter where you are and what equipment you have. Ready to progress up to a barbell? Then check out these great tutorials on Olympic lifts: #1) How to Do a Barbell Clean: #2) How to Do a Barbell Snatch: #3) How to Do a Barbell Jerk: California Strength crushed these three videos. Alright, I think that about does it for our guide. Now, your turn:
Let me know in the comments! For the Rebellion! -Coach Jim PS: Have fun with the Olympic lifts! Start off with lighter weights so you don’t get too intimidated. ### Photo source: Olympic rings, cetkauskas © 123RF.com, alohaflaminggo © 123RF.com, Sorry but I really can´t see anything in your radiography, man lifting barbell in gym, Day 2 Weightlifting (16 Aug 2010)
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The post Blog first appeared on Nerd Fitness. via https://www.nerdfitness.com/blog/olympic-lifting-run-faster-and-jump-higher/ How Many Calories Should I Eat Every Day? A TDEE Calculator for Total Daily Energy Expenditure7/18/2021 “Steve, how many calories should I eat every day? I have goals!” Great question. Knowledge is power. So today, we are going to make you more powerful by calculating your Total Daily Energy Expenditure (TDEE). Of course, “knowing is half the battle.” The other half is using your newfound knowledge to achieve your goals! Fortunately for you, we’ve helped thousands of Online Coaching Clients lose weight and get healthy, and TDEE is just one of many factors we consider when building a specific strategy for somebody’s goals. Okay FINE, I’ll share the other factors and strategies below too. Simply click on the section below for quick reading, though I’d recommend you read the whole enchilada to properly apply your TDEE to your life:
THE NERD FITNESS TOTAL DAILY ENERGY EXPENDITURE CALCULATORWe’re going to start off by doing some math. Don’t worry, our robot calculator (beep boop boop) will do all the hard stuff for you. We will need to know your height in inches, your weight in pounds, and an estimate of your activity level. (Use the metric system? I wish we did too here in the States! Click right here for our Metric calculator). Although you can adjust it, I want you to set your “Activity Level” as “Sedentary,” (I’ll explain why in a minute): Nerd Fitness Total Daily Energy Expenditure Calculator(Note: we have used The Mifflin-St Jeor Equation to create this calculator! [1]) Hooray! You now know estimates of your BMR and TDEE![2] You may be thinking, “Ah, Steve, what do either of these mean?” I got you boo. Make sure you write down your two numbers, and then move onto the next section. If you’re already starting to get overwhelmed, have no fear! We help hundreds of men and women calculate their calorie goals, and we’d love to help you too! WHAT IS BASAL METABOLIC RATE (BMR)?Basal Metabolic Rate (BMR) is the total amount of calories needed to keep your body functioning. Body processes like breathing, cell production, pumping blood, and maintaining body temperature all burn calories. This means that even when you sit perfectly still, you still use plenty of calories keeping your body in good working order. To define BMR:
Your sex, age, weight, and height will all affect the number of calories you need, which is why they are variables in our equation above. The taller you are, or the more you weigh, the higher your BMR will be. There is simply more of you to fuel: more blood to pump, more cells to produce, more body mass to transport and manage. Your age will also factor in: the older you get the lower your BMR will be. Roughly two-thirds of the calories you need each day go into keeping your body running. The other third? That goes into powering your motion. You know, because going from one place to another requires energy. So does lifting stuff. So let’s talk about Total Daily Energy Expenditure (TDEE) next. WHAT IS TOTAL DAILY ENERGY EXPENDITURE (TDEE)?Total Daily Energy Expenditure (TDEE) is an estimate of how many total calories you burn in a day. Since your BMR includes the calories you need while resting, we’ll also need to factor in movement and exercise. To do this, we’ll take your BMR and multiply it by an “Activity Factor.” ACTIVITY LEVELS CAN BE THOUGHT OF AS THE FOLLOWING: Sedentary (BMR x 1.2): You regularly have to tell Netflix you are still watching. You don’t intentionally exercise at all. Lightly Active (BMR x 1.375): You casually stroll through your neighborhood a few times a week. On average, you walk for exercise about 30 minutes a day. Another way to think about this would be 15 minutes per day of vigorous exercise like running or lifting weights. Moderately Active (BMR x 1.55): If we called the gym on a weeknight looking for you, they’d find you. This averages out to about one hour and 45 minutes of walking (for exercise, not going around your house) a day, or 50 minutes of vigorous exercise a day. Very Active (BMR x 1.725): You work in construction during the day and you’re on the company softball team. This averages out to about four hours and 15 minutes of walking (again, for intentional exercise) a day, or two hours of vigorous exercise. If you’re following along at home, you may notice that different Activity Factors can make a big difference in the calories burned. Let’s use some numbers: Suppose you’re:
You’re also wearing a recently ironed collared shirt and it looks great on you. It really brings out your eyes. Awesome shirt or no awesome shirt, we know your BMR comes in at 1,882 calories given the variables we identified. Meaning you’ll need roughly 1,900 calories for basic bodily functions. This is where things get interesting. If you’re sedentary, we’ll multiply 1,882 (BMR) by 1.2 to get a TDEE of 2,258, which means you’ll need 2,258 calories to maintain your current weight, support bodily functions, and to walk around your house, to go from your car to your office, from your office back home, etc. Let’s imagine a scenario where you are not sedentary. Let’s say you’re lightly active – you walk around your neighborhood a few times per week. We take your BMR of 1,882 and multiply it by 1.375 to get a TDEE of 2,588. ”The difference between these two activity factors, in this case, is 230 calories. That’s equivalent to a single glazed donut. Let’s keep going. Let’s say you hit the gym a few times a week for strength training, and go on walks or do yoga on your off days. This will push you into the moderately active category. We’ll then take your BMR of 1,882 and multiply it by 1.55 to get a TDEE of 2,917. The difference here between sedentary and moderately active would be 659 calories. That’s an extra meal’s worth of calories! For reference, here are some examples of things that are roughly 650 calories: #1) A whole meal’s worth of Sicilian fish with sweet potatoes: #2) One Big Mac® with Bacon: #3) A large Orange Dream Machine® from Jamba Juice: All three items above have the same number of calories, but they’ll vary widely in how full they’ll make you feel! IMPORTANT NOTE: I’ve used the word “estimate” several times in this article and will continue to do so. Although BMR and TDEE estimations are extremely helpful, they are still just that: estimations. Hormones, genetics, medications, and macronutrient ratios all affect an individual’s calorie needs. Said another way, it’s CRUCIAL that we take our BMR and our TDEE as a starting point, not the definitive “answer.” It’s the place we can start from, and then adjust based on how our bodies respond! As we’ve just seen, different Activity Levels can influence the TDEE greatly too. So… WHAT SHOULD MY ESTIMATED ACTIVITY LEVEL BE FOR TDEE?Most of us are bad at estimating our levels of activity. Study after study demonstrates that people overestimate their levels of exercise and general activity.[3] For example, one study concluded that:[4]
Not only that, but our fitness trackers overestimate how many calories we expend through exercise too…some by as much as 90%![5] This infographic shows how big of a difference those calorie discrepancies can be: We think we’re working out “intensely” for 60 minutes, so we overeat, assuming we have lots of extra calories in our “daily budget” to spare. However, when researchers look at stuff like heart rate, VO2 max, and calories burned, they determine that we actually only exercised “moderately.” So yeah, don’t always trust your Fitbit: Oh, and this is only one side of the equation. As I said, folks also UNDERESTIMATE how much they ate. Regarding calories and food intake, folks consistently believe they eat less than they actually do. Oh, and this is even true of dietitians, who are specifically trained on calories contained in different meals. This study found that:[6]
Again, these are experts in the field of nutrition. What does this mean for regular people like you and me? If you’re looking to lose weight, always underestimate your activity levels and overestimate your food consumption. So when in doubt, choose the Activity Factor below your initial guess (i.e., instead of Moderately Active, choose Lightly Active). This will give you a more accurate estimate of your caloric needs, and give you a larger margin for error when trying to lose weight! The other thing to consider would be strength training. As we mention in our “Lose Fat and Build Muscle” article, strength training requires a lot of energy, not only for the exercise itself, but also for rebuilding muscle in the days following the activity. That’s why Coach Matt highlights the importance of strength training in our video on body recomposition: So when determining our activity level for our calorie calculator, we consider strength training to be “vigorous exercise” (as we highlighted above). Another way to think of this: if it takes 30 mins of walking a day to be “Lightly Active,” 15 minutes of daily strength training would roughly be equivalent. NOTE: if estimating your Activity Factor and TDEE is starting to freak you out: Trying to pick and calculate the right amount of calories to consume can be stressful. Especially if you’ve had trouble losing weight in the past. And that’s just the math part – we haven’t even got to the psychological part about how delicious pizza and ice cream are. It’s actually the reason we created our uber-popular 1-on-1 Coaching Program. We sought to take all the guesswork out of getting in shape, by creating a program to tell you exactly what to do. HOW DO I USE BMR AND TDEE FOR WEIGHT LOSS?If you’ve read this far into the article, I imagine you are interested in learning your Total Daily Energy Expenditure for weight loss. I also imagine you support my belief that The Shawshank Redemption is the greatest movie ever made: I mentioned earlier that if you are having trouble losing weight, it’s because you are eating too many calories. The TDEE we calculated above provides a decent estimate of the calories you require each day. If the scale is staying constant – congrats! You’ve found your “calorie equilibrium.” Your body is burning just as many calories as you’re consuming each day. However, I’m going to guess you’re here because your goal is to see the scale go down! In order for you to lose weight, you need to start reducing your total calorie intake, which then forces your body to start burning the stored fat you have for energy. You’ve already calculated roughly how many calories you burn (your TDEE) on a daily basis, let’s see roughly how many calories you’re consuming each day too! (If your weight is staying steady, then these numbers should be relatively close – provided your tracking is accurate!) It’s this nerd’s humble opinion that the easiest way to track calories consumed is with an app. We live in the future. Use a smartphone and download one of the following to track your food intake:
You certainly don’t have to track your food forever. But a solid week’s worth of data will help you get a sense of the food you are consuming, especially if you eat roughly the same food each day. Not sure if you’re getting your portion sizes correct? Most people don’t. Consider a cheap food scale to educate yourself on actual portion sizes! You can also check out our guide How to Portion Control, which will teach you how to use your hand to estimate calories: The important thing is to compare your daily calories consumed to your TDEE. To lose weight, your calorie consumption should be less than your TDEE. (If you’re currently thinking, “But Steve according to my stats I burn way more calories than I consume, but I’m not losing weight!” I would read this.) Some numbers to keep in mind:
Basic math suggests if you want to lose one pound of body fat in a week (a sustainable goal for some), you need to create a caloric deficit of 500 calories a day. We can get there by:
When you consistently consume fewer calories than you burn, your body will have to start pulling from your stored fat for its energy needs. Aka weight loss. Let’s imagine that your TDEE is 2,500. This means you’d want to consume around 2,000 calories a day to lose around a pound per week. As we discuss to great detail in “Why Can’t I Lose Weight,” sustained weight loss is largely a result of consistently managing the first half of the equation: “calories in.” Said another way: it’s much more difficult to sustainably increase your Activity Level than it is to reduce the calories you consume. After all, what’s more likely to become a lifelong habit? Changing your food choices, or going from being a couch potato to vigorously exercising 90 minutes per day? So start by focusing on your food intake. What’s the easiest way to eat fewer calories consistently? By prioritizing REAL food. Why? Because real foods are more likely to fill you up and satisfy your hunger while also keeping you under your calorie intake goal for the day. Remember that example above comparing a full dinner vs a burger vs a shake: MOVING TOWARDS A HEALTHIER WAY OF EATINGThe Nerd Fitness philosophy on diet can be written in six words: “You’re smart. Eat more REAL food.” I lay it all out in our Beginner’s Guide to Healthy Eating, but again, you’re smart – you know what real food is:
Meat, fish, eggs, vegetables, fruits, and nuts are all great examples of REAL food. This is what you should be eating more of. The fine folks at WiseGEEK made an awesome post, where they demonstrated what 200 calories of various foods look like. 200 calories of broccoli gets you enough broccoli to fill up an entire plate: Or half a Snickers bar: Yeah… By eating REAL food, you have a MUCH higher margin for error to stay under your calorie goal for the day.
Putting it all together: If you want to consistently be in a calorie deficit, focus on REAL food. And yes, I know a Snickers bar is way more delicious than broccoli – it was designed in a lab by scientists to be AMAZING! I’m not gonna tell you to never eat a Snickers ever again either. Instead, start being proactive about your food choices. If you want to eat a Snickers, plan for it by intentionally eating fewer calories earlier or later in the day. And if the scale isn’t budging – you’re still eating too much! Want help with any of this? Many of our coaching clients found weight loss previously unattainable until one of our trained professionals objectively reviewed their life and provided actionable feedback. Now, some of them have lost between 50-100+ pounds! WHAT’S THE BEST DIET FOR WEIGHT LOSS?Should you do the Mediterranean Diet? Keto? Vegan? Paleo? Maybe! They all follow the same premise: they reduce or eliminate certain foods or macronutrients, making it easier to eat in a calorie deficit. While all sensible diets will prioritize protein, some might limit carbs while others might limit fats. These differences come down to what works best for the individual. So yes, any diet can help you lose weight in the short term – just remember that you need to stick with the changes permanently to make the results stick permanently! After all, temporary changes create temporary results. I personally follow a mental model diet, that focuses on real food most of the time, and occasionally includes some junk food. I plan my week of eating ahead of time: #1) Limit your intake of processed food – it’s designed to be overconsumed. Do you really think you’d be able to eat half of a snickers bar to limit yourself to 200 calories? Of course not. This argument is essentially the rationale for following a paleo diet. #2) Eat veggies. Vegetables are nutrient-dense and light on calories. Because of all the fiber, they are also tough to overeat. Imagine eating a plateful of broccoli. Are you going for seconds? Probably not. So eat your veggies to help keep you full. Hate vegetables? I once was like you. Read “How to make vegetables taste good.” #3) Be wary of liquid calories. Cut back on soda, juices, smoothies, and any beverage with calories. Even most coffee orders (with sugar, cream, etc.) will have a ton of hidden calories. All these drinks are sugar bombs since there is no fiber to balance out all the carbs you are consuming. Stick to water and unsweetened tea or coffee. Here are our thoughts on diet soda. #4) Prioritize protein. Your body needs to use protein to heal and rebuild muscle after exercise. Outside of repairing your body, protein will also work to keep you full and satiated: 400 calories of chicken will leave you wayyy more full than 400 calories worth of Gatorade.[9] If you prioritize protein on your plate, you’ll be doing a lot of the heavy lifting on proper nutrition. As we lay out in our epic “How Much Protein Should I Eat?” guide, some great sources of protein include chicken, eggs, beef, pork, fish, nuts, legumes, quinoa, and most dairy products. These four points will help you on your journey to create a caloric deficit. Disclaimer: this is all easier said than done. After all, 70% of the country is overweight. Don’t worry though, because most of them don’t read Nerd Fitness. You do. This is like a strategy guide for life. We’ve helped thousands of people like you here at NF, and we really focus on nutrition. As we said, it’s 90% of the battle! It’s why we created our own free, fun 10-level nutritional system. Each level gets a bit more challenging, but you can progress at your own speed to make your changes stick. You can download our 10-Level Nutrition Guide when you sign up in the box right here:
Download our free weight loss guide
THE NERD FITNESS DIET: 10 Levels to Change Your Life
HERE’S WHAT TO DO TO LOSE WEIGHT WITH YOUR TDEELet’s recap this whole guide for you, with some actionable steps: #1)Determine your BMR and TDEE. This will be critical for computing your caloric deficit. They’re good numbers to keep in mind during the whole experiment. Calculate your TDEE here. #2) Track everything, as is, for one week. Log everything you eat. No judgment. If you eat five slices of pizza in a night, count every slice. This step alone has helped many Rebels turn their lives around. Consider a food tracking app or online tracker to educate yourself! #3) Compare numbers. Where is your current caloric intake at? How does this compare against your TDEE? If your intake is higher than your TDEE, you’re likely gaining body fat. We want to flip the equation. #4) Create a consistent caloric deficit. The easiest and most sustainable way to do this is to eat REAL food. Mixing in strength training and fun cardio can help too. #5) Track progress. Continue to track your calorie intake, to ensure you consistently expend more calories than you consume. That’s it. You can do this. I know you can because many of our readers have done it themselves. Want help taking your next step after calculating your TDEE? I have MULTIPLE options for you. Pick the path below that best aligns with your goals and timeline: 1) If you want step-by-step guidance on how to lose weight, eat better, and get stronger, check out our killer 1-on-1 Coaching Program: 2) If you want an exact blueprint for how to eat better and get in shape, check out NF Journey. Our fun habit-building app helps you exercise more frequently, eat healthier, and level up your life (literally). Try your free trial right here: 3) Enlist in the Rebellion! We need good people like you in our community, the Nerd Fitness Rebellion. Sign up in the box below when you download our free weight loss guide!
Download our free weight loss guide
THE NERD FITNESS DIET: 10 Levels to Change Your Life
You can do this, and we got your back! -Steve PS: Seriously, how great is The Shawshank Redemption? I could quote that movie all day long. But if you don’t agree… ### All photo citations can be found right here.[8]
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The post Blog first appeared on Nerd Fitness. via https://www.nerdfitness.com/blog/how-many-calories-should-i-eat-every-day-a-look-at-total-daily-energy-expenditure-tdee/ If you’ve ever asked yourself “Am I doing too little or too many reps and sets?” then this guide is for you. This article is part of our Strength 101 series, and we’ll show you exactly how to determine the number of repetitions and sets for specific exercises, so you can build your own workout routine. It sounds easy, but depending on your goals, the answer to “How many reps and sets should I do?” can vary greatly. We work hand-in-hand with our Online Coaching Clients to create the correct workout program that suits their goals, needs, and available equipment In today’s guide on workout programing, we’ll cover (click each to get right to that answer):
The Correct Number of Reps and Sets for a WorkoutAs Coach Jim mentions above, “Rep” stands for “repetition” and defines one complete motion of an exercise. And one “set” is a consecutive number of reps without stopping. And one “smorgasbord” is a buffet of food. This has nothing to do with this article, but it’s a fun word to say. As we mentioned throughout our Strength Training 101 series, how many reps and sets you should do is really going to be dependent on your goals. For example, is your goal to improve:
Depending on what your goal is, the sets, reps, and rest intervals will change. Oh, you’re just starting your strength training journey? Well, make sure you grab our free guide, Strength Training 101: Everything You Need to Know. I’ll send it to you for free when you join the Rebellion (that’s us!).
Download our comprehensive guide STRENGTH TRAINING 101!
Alright, let’s break down reps and sets for you, because I can see you still have questions. How Many Reps Should I Do?Remember, “Rep” stands for “repetition” and is more or less one complete exercise. Like a push-up: So “2 sets of 5 reps of push-ups” means, “5 consecutive push-ups, a rest, then another 5 consecutive push-ups.” Cool? Cool. When deciding on how many sets and reps to do, it begins by asking “What am I trying to get out of this workout?!“ We’ll group different rep ranges into different goals, for:
I’m going to share with you the commonly accepted answers, but they ALL come with a HUGE caveat that I’ll share at the end of this article. I’m going to start with the “widely accepted numbers here.” Let’s chat about the following: 1) MUSCULAR ENDURANCE (long-lasting muscle) – Endurance means encouraging and training your muscles to perform for an extended period of time. This means doing a LOT of repetitions. People targeting muscular endurance will aim for a range from 12 to 20+ reps. Obviously, you won’t be able to lift heavy amounts of weight for 20+ reps, so you’ll be lifting lighter loads. Also, because you’re targeting endurance improvements, you want to decrease the amount of rest between sets: 30 seconds to a minute.[1] If you are a runner or cyclist, strength training with higher repetitions can help your muscles develop more endurance as well![2] Reps for increased muscular endurance: 12+ 2) MUSCLE SIZE (“sarcoplasmic hypertrophy”) – This is for guys or gals looking to build larger muscles. The scientific term here is “sarcoplasmic hypertrophy,” as it focuses on increasing the amount of sarcoplasm, the non-contractile fluid found in your muscle. Up to 30% of your muscle’s size is attributed to the sarcoplasm, so focusing on this type of hypertrophy helps build overall size (i.e., increased cross-sectional area of the muscle). If you’re looking to get bigger:
Reps for increased muscle size: 6-12[3] 3) STRENGTH AND POWER (“myofibril hypertrophy”) – If you’re training for specific sports and just want to get stronger with more power – but not necessarily get bigger, this is the strategy for you. This type of training focuses on strengthening the myofibril, the contractile part of the muscle, hence the name “myofibril hypertrophy.” For this, target reps in the 1-5 range. And yep, that means you’re going to be picking up heavy weights, focusing all that concentrated effort into just one or a few reps.[4] Something to note when lifting for strength and power: not only are you shocking your muscles, but you’re also putting a lot of pressure on your body’s central nervous system (CNS). So what does this mean? In a way, it means your body’s ability to communicate with its muscles has grown fatigued, and performance may suffer. That’s why you may want to rest between 2-5 minutes in this range. Oh, and your CNS will adapt and become stronger, which will be critical for building strength and power.[5] This is how powerlifters train:
Since powerlifting really taxes the central nervous system, you may be waiting 3-5 minutes between sets when training in this fashion. TO RECAP, these are the rep ranges you should be considering:
I realize this is a lot to figure out, so if you are somebody – like me – who just wants to be told what to do and outsource all the worry of “am I doing the right workout for my goals?” I got you covered! I’d love to learn your story, and then build a custom program that fits your goals. We’ll help you with your nutrition, your workouts, and even check in regularly to keep you accountable! How Many Sets Should I Do?As explained above, a “set” describes a group of repetitions performed for an exercise without stopping. For example, if you do 10 squats right now, you just did 1 SET of 10 reps of squats. So let’s talk about the “correct” number of sets per exercise. The simple answer: “Do 3-5 work sets of a given exercise.”[6] Just make sure you’re not compromising your form. At least he’s trying! The National Strength and Conditioning Association (NSCA) will break this down, suggesting the following set ranges:[7]
“STEVE, JUST TELL ME WHAT TO DO.” FINE! Pick a weight that feels light to you, and then do 3 sets of 10 reps. (Learn how much weight should I be lifting”). And then next time? Do more than last time:
That’s the key to progressive overload, as Coach Jim explains in this article: If you’re not sure if “3 sets of 10” or “5 sets of 5” is right for you, we got you covered. We’ll build a program that fits your goals, and then adjust it each month based on your progress. Never guess or wonder what you should be doing again. How to Build a Workout Routine!Now that you have “edumacated” yourself on how your specific goals influence the number of reps per set, and what sets actually are, you can build your workout program around this info. TO RECAP, aim for 3-5 sets in the following rep rangers per exercise based on your goals:
Two points worth mentioning:
What this means: studies suggest targeting heavier weight with fewer reps for big lifts like squats and deadlifts to build muscle, while targeting high reps to absolute failure with bodyweight exercises for muscle building. Just remember to rest enough between sets so you don’t fatigue your central nervous system too bad.[10] One last point: Nutrition is still 90% of the equation! Your rep range doesn’t matter nearly as much as you think, so don’t overthink it! Here are some examples:
This brings me to my final point: because nutrition is 90% of the equation, your sets and reps don’t matter nearly as much as you think they do! All that matters? Doing MORE this workout than the last workout. Remember, how you build muscle and strength and burn fat: “progressive overload.” One more rep than last time. Doing one more set than last time. Picking up a weight that’s 5 lbs. heavier than last week. So get out of your own head, and START TODAY: 1) GET HELP: If you want expert guidance and accountability so you don’t have to figure out all of this stuff on your own, I got you. Click the red button below to get the details about our amazing online coaching program: 2) FIGURING IT OUT OUT ON YOUR OWN! Download our free Strength Training 101 Guide! You get it free when you join our Rebellion (the name of our awesome free online community). Sign up in the box below:
Download our comprehensive guide STRENGTH TRAINING 101!
3) WORKOUTS YOU CAN DO NOW:
Remember: the goal should be to get stronger each workout. Write down what you did last time, and then do MORE this time. By continually challenging your muscles to do more, they’ll have to adapt by getting bigger, stronger, burning more calories, etc. There’s a lot of different truths and fallacies on plateaus and how your muscles can get “used” to working out and stop growing. If that’s something you’re battling, here’s a way to continue making progress:
This will introduce a little chaos into the system, which could be a good thing…unless you’re Batman. What we’re talking about is muscle confusion theory, which is a preplanned period of variation.[13] Not, you know, wandering into the gym with no plan and just doing something different every time (whatever you feel like doing at that moment). That won’t help. But spend a week deliberating mixing it up. Then go back to your regularly scheduled routine and you’ll be right back on track. Make sure you know what you want, and then design a plan to get there. -Steve PS: If you want a nice shiny app to tell you EXACTLY how many seps and reps to do, our shiny new app will do just that! You can sign-up for a free 7-day trial to Nerd Fitness Journey, which will build a workout around your experience level! Jump in right here: ### All photo citations: Evel Knievel, Me riding a bicycle, Bicylelifter, Project Story 1/3
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The post Blog first appeared on Nerd Fitness. via https://www.nerdfitness.com/blog/the-correct-number-of-reps-per-set-in-the-gym/ Ugh, it’s time for yet another attempt at losing weight. For some, losing weight is as simple as just looking at a vegetable. For the rest of us mere mortals, it feels like running through quicksand. Fortunately, helping people lose weight in a way that doesn’t suck is what we do! And gosh darnit, we’re really good at it: we have thousands of success stories and 1 million+ people tune in each month for advice on this stuff. We help our Online Coaching Clients lose weight without dieting, and these are the exact tactics we use. I’m going to cover EVERYTHING you need to know about losing weight quickly, sustainably, and without hating everything. Here’s what we’ll cover:
Let’s jump right in! Why Diets Don’t WorkIf you’re reading this guide, you probably:
Whether we try popular diets like the Paleo Diet to Keto, or Plant-Based, to Intermittent fasting (I do it), to terrible diets like the Military Diet, juice cleanses, or the Cabbage Soup Diet, we’re all looking for that master key that unlocks effortless weight loss. Some of these diets are certainly more effective/healthy than others, but they all come down to two truths for losing weight: Truth #1: Nearly every diet works in the short term. Truth #2: Nearly every diet fails in the long term. So why does every diet work in the short term? Every diet you have ever tried has a clever way of restricting calories which leads to weight loss[1]:
99% of the reason why these diets result in short-term weight loss is that they get us to eat fewer calories. The problems arise when we get to Truth 2: “Nearly every diet fails in the long term.” Put another way: “Temporary changes create temporary results.” If somebody “goes Keto” for 60 days, they’ll probably lose weight, and might even feel healthier. This is cool. HOWEVER. If they spend those 60 days dreaming of carbs, counting down the days until they can “go back to eating like normal,” they will put all of the weight back as soon as they stop their diet. This is why I hate the term “diet” or “going on a diet”: In order for a diet to create permanent results, the diet needs to be adopted PERMANENTLY! You’ll lose weight in the short term with any diet, so long as you reduce your calorie intake. Today, we’re going to focus on weight loss that’s::
So, as you read about the 5 rules of weight loss below, I want you to be honest with yourself. You need to make changes you can stick with for at least a year. If a change seems too drastic or too scary, start small. Here’s how we help our coaching clients: we work with them to pick ONE change per week that we can implement: one less soda, try one new vegetable, etc. In other words, we STOP thinking about “How many pounds can I lose in a month?” and instead “What can I do today that isn’t scary, but will make me better off a year from now:“ Rule #1: Lose Weight Without DietingThere’s only ONE big-ass rule you need to follow when it comes to weight loss: Eat fewer calories than you burn. (Yes, I realize this article has 5 RULES, but the other 4 all build on this one.) Study[2] after study[3] after study[4] shows that our bodies obey the laws of thermodynamics and that in order to lose weight, we need to burn more calories than we consume regularly. Every day, our body needs a certain number of calories to carry out its daily functions: making your heart beat, your brain function, getting your body to move, and all sorts of other stuff. This is called your total daily energy expenditure, and you can calculate your TDEE here.
So, in order for us to lose weight, we need to find a way to tip the energy balance in favor of “burn fat, sucka!” Simplifying this really complex topic, we need to eat less and/or move more to get our bodies to start using our fat stores for energy. Unfortunately, that’s where the problems start. We humans are REALLY good at:
When we accidentally eat more calories than we realize, and then burn fewer calories from exercise than we assume, we think we “can’t lose weight” because of our metabolism or genetics. Nope. It’s because we are eating too much. And as we lay out in our MASSIVE Healthy Eating Guide, the most important factor in fat loss is eating fewer calories than you burn on a regular basis. The best way to do that is to focus on the right kind of food:
These foods are full of vitamins and minerals while also lower in calories, compared to ultra-processed foods that are easily overconsumed.[6]. They fill us up but aren’t overly calorie-dense. Which means we feel full while reducing our calorie intake. If we can do this consistently and sustainably, we will lose weight. To drive this point home, compare 200 calories worth of these two foods (courtesy of wiseGEEK): 200 calories worth of a bagel: …and 200 calories worth of broccoli: Which one do you think you’ll be more likely to accidentally overeat? The bagel, duh. Who eats only 2/3rds of a bagel? Literally zero people. So here’s how we’re going to lose weight: eat fewer calories without realizing it, and then burn extra calories without being miserable:
Let’s dig into these 3 things next: Rule #2: Prioritize Protein and VegetablesIf we want weight loss that doesn’t suck, we’ll want to build meals with foods that fill us up and make us feel good! PART A) PRIORITIZE PROTEIN FIRST: Protein is fuel for our bodies to rebuild muscle. It’s also nutritious, delicious, and satiating. How much protein should you eat? As we cover in our Protein Guide, aim for 1g per lb of bodyweight (2g per kg) every day (with an upper limit of 250g). Protein can come from any number of sources, including:
Not a meat-eater? Read our massive plant-based guide! A serving of protein is about the size and thickness of your palm. *The 4 oz serving is for an uncooked piece of meat. Cooking reduces about 25% of the weight, bringing it down to about 3 oz. When building a plate, aim for the following amount of protein:
PART B) HALF OF YOUR PLATE SHOULD BE VEGETABLES: When it comes to weight loss, veggies can make the difference between success and failure. Vegetables are nutrient-dense and low in calories. So you can eat lots of them and feel full without overconsuming calories (remember that mountain of broccoli was only 200 calories!). A serving of veggies is about the size of your fist, and 2 servings of veggies should take up ½ the plate! Here’s a quick, non-complete list of veggies that can fill your plate:
“But Steve, I don’t like vegetables…yet!” That’s cool, I didn’t eat vegetables until I was 22. Now, they’re a main staple of every meal I eat. If this is you, read our guide on “how to make vegetables taste good.” RECAP: In our quest for weight loss that doesn’t suck, we should focus on foods with fewer calories that still make us feel full, satisfied, and happy. Always start with protein and vegetables, and then the rest of your plate can have fats and carbs. Speaking of which… Rule #3: Know Your Carbs and Fat Portion SizesIf 3/4ths of our healthy plate is occupied by protein and vegetables, where do fats and carbs fit in? You can still lose weight while consuming fats and carbohydrates, as long as they’re consumed in the right quantities. Remember how I said earlier “we UNDERestimate how many calories we eat every day?” Fat and/or carbs are almost ALWAYS the culprit. Let’s discuss. PART C) HEALTHY CARBOHYDRATES FOR THE WIN. Everybody loves carbs, but most people overeat this macronutrient without realizing it. Here are some examples of healthy carbohydrates that are less likely to be overconsumed:
This is a list of REAL foods, minimally processed, that also have plenty of fiber[9]. This then puts them in the “healthy carbs” category: when consumed in appropriate amounts, these foods can help you feel full and give you energy and all that jazz. Just make sure you know your portion sizes! EVERYBODY accidentally overeats carbohydrate-heavy foods, even healthy ones, and then wonders why they aren’t losing weight. To help you get better at eyeballing carb serving sizes: 1 serving of a starchy carbohydrate is 1 cupped hand (uncooked), or two hands forming a cup (cooked). Here are some images to help you learn proper portion sizes (thanks to SafeFood): PART D) DON’T FORGET ABOUT FAT! Dietary fat used to be vilified, but now it’s considered a superfood by many. Here’s the truth: dietary fat is neither a superfood nor evil. It’s just a macronutrient that we can eat that can help us lose weight when consumed in the right quantity, or keep us from our goals if we eat too many calories of it. Healthy fat can be found in foods like:
Saturated fats – consumed in moderate quantities[10] – can come from things like:
To help you gauge: a serving size of fat is roughly the size of your thumb! THIS is a single serving of almonds (162 calories): THIS is a serving of olive oil (119 calories, taken from Runtastic): What about cheese? Cheese is fine, provided you consume a proper sized portion of it! This is a portion of cheddar cheese (116 calories): So bringing them all together, here’s the healthy plate for weight loss (from our Healthy Eating Guide): If you prioritize protein and vegetables, while consuming appropriate amounts of fats and carbs, you’ll likely lose weight. “But Steve, what about low-fat diets? Low-carb diets? No-carb diets?” Low carb diets like Keto and Paleo are all the rage right now, but are they healthy and will they help you lose weight? Maybe! It depends on how your body regulates glucose (blood sugar)[11]: Studies show that people who follow EITHER a low-fat OR a low-carb diet will lose weight, as long as they are in caloric restriction and can adhere to the diet for at least a year[12]. So, it comes down to: “which strategy are you more likely to stick with for a year or longer?” If you think you can go Paleo or Keto or follow another low carb/low fat strategy for over a year, go for it. Otherwise, make small changes! MY ADVICE: Stick with changes that aren’t too scary. Work on reducing portion sizes or adding a new vegetable each week, and don’t get dogmatic, all-or-nothing about your diet! If you can find a way to reduce your total calorie intake without being miserable, you WILL lose weight over time, AND keep it off. There’s one other piece of the puzzle I HAVE to address. Rule #4: Exercise for weight loss (Strength training and cardio)Although exercise isn’t necessary for weight loss (nutrition being the most important part), I would HIGHLY recommend you exercise. There are three forms of exercise that I’ll cover when it comes to weight loss, and ALL three of them are important:
#1) Fun cardio is doing any sort of exercise that gets you off your butt and moving. It makes our heart healthier, AND it can serve as a reminder that we’re doing things differently now, and that we need to eat better so we don’t ruin our efforts! (Whatever you do, DON’T say: “Welp, I exercised – and thus I earned this donut and Coca-Cola” – you’d have been better off NOT exercising and skipping the donut and Coca-cola). Here are 40 fun ways to exercise without realizing it. Feel free to do a fun activity as often as you can! #2) High-Intensity Interval Training (HIIT) burns more calories per hour than steady cardio, so you get more “bang for your buck” when it comes to efficiency. If you’re limited on time and trying to burn more calories, 20 minutes of HIIT burns more calories than 20 minutes of steady jogging. Here are 3 HIIT workouts you can do today, no gym required! Both of these activities can help tip the energy balance in favor of “weight loss” when combined with calorie restriction. When you’re in a “caloric deficit” for weight loss, the hope is that your body will mostly pull from fat stores, though depending on how you are exercising it will also break down muscle too.[13] Said again: when you are eating a caloric deficit, your body will pull from both its fat stores AND existing muscle for energy. From a physique and health standpoint, obviously we’d prefer that we don’t break down muscle when in a caloric deficit, and instead get our body to use ONLY fat stores.[14] Your goal in fitness shouldn’t only be “weight loss,” despite the common vernacular used. The goal instead is to reduce body fat while also keeping the muscle you have (or even building more muscle). Which brings me to the most important form of exercise for weight loss: Rule #5: Strength Training For Weight Loss#3) Strength training is the prizefighting champion when it comes to weight loss. You can find study[15] after study[16] after study[17] that shows you the benefits of strength training for weight management, when combined with calorie restriction. Let me explain it here quickly, borrowing from Harry Potter: (You know, the wizard.) At the Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry, when each student arrives they put on the “Sorting Hat,” an actual hat that determines which House (group) that child will join for his/her time at Hogwarts. The hat acts like a traffic director: “Harry, you will go to Gryffindor! Draco, you will go to Slytherin!” Your body operates in a VERY similar fashion: every day, it receives new calories (when you eat), and it needs to decide what to do with them! It’ll sort those calories into one of three Houses:[18] A: Burn for Fuel. B: Rebuild Muscle. C: Store as Fat. There’s a number of calories your body burns each day just existing: to keep your liver functioning, your heart pumping, your brain operating, and so on – it burns a good chunk of calories just keeping the lights on. Here are two quick examples (from our BMR calculator!):
When you start strength training, actual wizardry starts to happen. When you do push-ups and pull-ups or do a strength training workout, your muscles are “broken down” during the exercise itself, and then they rebuild themselves stronger over the next 24-48 hours. Guess what happens during those 24-48 hours? Your body diverts as many calories as possible to “Rebuild Muscle!” It also diverts additional calories to “Burn as Fuel” to handle this increased “muscle rebuilding” activity. Which means two amazing things:
There are significantly fewer calories available for “Store as Fat.” AND THEN IT GETS BETTER. When you consume fewer calories than your body burns each day, strength training will cause your body to get even more efficient. Your body can pull from “Store as Fat” to make sure all the work still gets done, including your daily functions as a human, and rebuilding the muscle. This is the Tri-wizard cup[19] of physical transformation victory:
This would be a “win-win-win” according to Michael Scott, Regional Manager, Dunder Mifflin Scranton. So NO, you don’t need to lose weight first before you start strength training. You will lose weight BY strength training (and keep the muscle you have). Here’s how to start with Strength Training:
BRINGING IT ALL TOGETHER: Regular strength training is the most efficient type of exercise to do for losing fat and looking great naked Adding in intervals or fun exercise on your off days is a fantastic supplemental activity to strength training. Want help learning how to strength train? You can absolutely build your own workout, or you can work with one of our coaches who can create a custom program that’s specific to your goals and lifestyle. We’ll even make sure you’re doing the movements correctly via video, because we’re nice like that ? 25 Tips to Supercharge Weight LossThe 5 Rules above gives you the best chance to lose weight in a way that doesn’t suck. Changing your nutrition is like playing a video game: if you attack too many high-level bad guys at once, you’re going to lose. Instead, you’re better off picking 1-2 smaller bad guys (changes) that you know you can win, and level up slowly. THAT’S how you make changes that stick. No more temporary dieting for temporary results! Permanent changes create permanent results. Here are 25 other quick tips that are supplementary to the above important ones! 1) Consider low-carb OR low-fat diets. Studies show BOTH low-carb and low-fat diets will result in weight loss, IF you can stick with it.[20] Lots of people lose weight quickly on low carb, but they also tend to abandon the diet. You don’t need to do Keto or Paleo if you don’t want to. 2) Consider intermittent fasting. Fasting helps you reduce your calorie intake by limiting your daily eating window – it entails simply skipping meals or occasionally fasting for 24 hours. It affects men and women differently, but has tons of benefits and is backed by science. Read our Guide on Intermittent Fasting. I’ve been skipping breakfast since 2014! 3) Minimize liquid calories. Beverages with calories in them are probably sabotaging your weight loss efforts. Cut out the sodas and lattes and high-calorie smoothies (unless you account for them in your calorie goal!). Stick to sparkling water, black coffee or tea, or other zero-calorie beverages. 4) Cut back on alcohol. Yes, you can still drink alcohol and lose weight, but you still need to account for the calories, of which there might be many! And if you make poor food choices while drunk, it’s going to be tough to lose weight. Read our guide on alcohol and stick to low-calorie beer, whiskey neat, or vodka with club sodas. 5) Know your condiments and cooking oils. Just because you’re eating grilled chicken and vegetables doesn’t mean you’re guaranteed to lose weight! If those foods are smothered in sauces or covered in 1000 calories of healthy olive oil, the calories still count! Keep an eye on the sauces and oils you use to cook with. 6) Know your next meal. Most of our coaching success stories plan in advance what their next meal is. Because it’s a pre-made decision, it removes emotion and makes them less likely to make a bad choice while hungry, sad, or angry. Think of it this way: you can still eat unhealthy foods with this strategy because you plan ahead and can eat a healthy meal before and after. No harm done! 7) Look at restaurant menus before going. Restaurants serve notoriously large portions of food, often with hundreds of hidden calories. Give yourself the best chance to succeed by looking up the menu online before going and decide BEFORE you get there. Also, consider taking HALF the entree and boxing it up for an additional meal (a tip we mention in our Guide to Portion Control). 8) Eat the same foods over and over. The healthiest, most successful coaching clients we have tend to eat the same handful of meals over and over. Once you learn portion sizes and calorie counts of your favorite meals, you’re much more likely to eat within your goals for the day. 9) Learn to batch cook. Read our guide on batch cooking! If you can prepare all your healthy meals ONCE at the start of the week, you’ll set yourself up for success. Why? Because now your default, easiest, laziest option is to simply reheat and eat the food you have at home – much less work than ordering takeout or driving to fast food! Win-Win-Win. Here’s how I batch cook chicken for the week: 10) Employ the “Never 2 in a Row” rule. If you ever eat an unhealthy meal, simply make the next one healthy. One bad meal doesn’t ruin a day, so letting an unhealthy breakfast derail you for the rest of the day isn’t smart. Simply eat a healthy lunch and get right back on track. 11) Ask “What would Batman do?” If you’re not sure what you should eat, ask what would Batman do. A study showed that children were more likely to pick an apple instead of candy when instructed to ask this question.[21] And we’re all kids at heart, right? 12) Track your calories. If you can’t lose weight, it’s most likely because you’re accidentally eating more calories than you realize. Use an app or spreadsheet and track your food for a week. You can calculate how many calories you burn every day too. 13) Weigh your food (advanced): STILL not losing weight? It’s time to get your portion sizes fixed too. Get a cheap food scale and weigh your food for 2-3 days. Doing this, I discovered I was eating an extra 400 calories without realizing it. 14) Eat more slowly!
If we’re not careful, we can eat more than we realize because we eat too quickly for our body to understand it’s full! Tactics to help with this include consciously working on chewing your food more frequently before swallowing. Studies show eating slowly can help reduce calorie intake.[22] 15) Use smaller plates and forks! If we have big plates and big utensils, we’re more likely to pile more food on our plate AND consume it more quickly. Throw out your big plates and get smaller ones. Get smaller utensils, and you’ll trick yourself into eating smaller portions without realizing it. 16) Don’t “Eat AND [activity].” Just “eat.” We eat more food if we’re eating while doing something else (watching TV, scrolling through our phones, etc).[23] Why don’t you try JUST eating? Enjoy each bite. Savor the food. Make it an experience. You’ll tend to eat less. 17) Stop snacking. All calories count. Instead of snacking throughout the day, why not eat 3 regular sized meals that you truly enjoy? As we cover in our Guide to Intermittent Fasting, it doesn’t matter WHEN you eat, it only matters HOW MUCH you eat. Not snacking between meals gives you more leeway during your actual meals! 18) Seek professional help if necessary. If you struggle with your relationship with food, consider reaching out to a therapist or doctor. We believe mental health is really important here at Nerd Fitness, and we know food can be an emotional trigger for lots of people that struggle with their weight. You don’t have to do this journey alone! 19) Fidget more! From tapping your toes to getting up frequently, fidgeting (small micromovements) can burn hundreds of additional calories per day.[24] It all counts. So get wiggling! 20) Move more. From parking farther away at the grocery store to taking the stairs instead of the elevator, do whatever you can to MOVE MORE! Get a cheap fitness tracker and try to get more steps than you normally do. Important note: don’t rely on the tracker for calories burned (they’re all notoriously inaccurate, some by as much as 90%[25]). We show you just how inaccurate these fitness trackers are for calories burned in this infographic: However, these devices are often a great ‘trend tracker.’ Do more than you did before and you WILL get results. 21) Find ways to exercise in a fun way! ANY sort of movement helps, so check out our 40 ways to exercise without realizing it. Dance, yoga, wrestling with your kids, rock climbing, hiking, it all counts! Just like your parents told you when you were a kid, “Go outside and play!” 22) Get strong as hell. Pick up heavy weights. Our bodies have to burn tons of calories to recover from a heavy strength training session. Plus, you get to keep the muscle you have and burn the fat on top of those muscles. As Coach Matt explains in the video below, that’s how you lose weight AND gain muscle at the same time: 23) Hack your Batcave: We are creatures of our environment, so use that to your advantage! Stop relying on willpower, and instead get smarter. Increase the steps between you and the activity you’re trying to avoid (eat junk food), and decrease the number of steps between you and the NEW activity you want to do more of (eat healthily):
24) Surround yourself with people who are healthier than you. We’re the average of the 5 people we associate most with. Join a running club. Eat lunch with healthier people than you at the office. We subconsciously adopt the traits of the people around us, so use that to your advantage! 25) Forgive yourself. We are all flawed. If you eat a bad meal or have a rough weekend, who cares?! The month is not ruined. Make the next decision a healthy one and get right back on track. Remember “never two in a row.” I know this is a lot to absorb, so don’t beat yourself up if you’re totally overwhelmed! If you want help implementing these tactics and supercharge your weight loss journey, that’s what we do best. Click below to learn more! How fast can I lose weight?There are MANY factors that are involved in how quickly you can lose weight, but here are the big ones:
First Week Weight Loss Expectations: Depending on how poorly you eat now, if you swap out unhealthy food for protein and veggies – reducing your calorie intake significantly – you might lose as much as 10 lbs (5 kgs) in your first week. It’s awesome to see the scale drop by that much in the first week, but it’s important to note that this type of weight loss won’t be typical week to week. If you normally eat a lot of carbs and sodium, your body is carrying a lot of extra bloat and water weight. When you switch to mostly protein and veggies, you’ll lose TONS of water weight and some fat initially. We’ve seen many Coaching Clients lose 5-10 pounds in their first week, again mostly due to the reduction of water weight with SOME fat loss. First Month Weight Loss Expectations: Depending on how strict you are with your nutrition – you can lose 1% of your body fat, or 0.5-3 pounds per week after that (heavily dependent on how much weight you have to lose). We have seen people (who have a lot of weight to lose) lose 20 pounds in their first month, mostly due to large water weight reduction in the first week, with a steady consistent drop after that. (Curious how quickly you can lose weight? Use our Total Daily Energy Expenditure TDEE Calculator.) There’s nothing wrong with losing weight quickly, provided you’re doing it in a healthy, SUSTAINABLE way – like following the rules and strategies laid out in this article. Quick weight loss doesn’t guarantee long-term success. It comes down to making PERMANENT changes! If somebody reduces their calorie intake by 1000+ calories a day, they might be so damn hungry and angry all the time that they abandon their journey after a week or two. This is bad news bears. They would have been better off reducing their calories by 200 calories a day for 6 weeks, and then by another 200 6 weeks later, and so on. We want sustainable, permanent weight loss. So it doesn’t really matter how much weight you lose in your first week or first month, but rather how much weight you have lost after 1 year, and how you feel after that year. As we cover in our “Why can’t I lose weight?” guide, this is a lifelong journey. You should think of this as a lifestyle adjustment – not a temporary diet change. Put your focus on building the habits and fixing your environment. Focus on the changes you can make on a day to day basis, and with each meal. And over time, your weight WILL drop in a way that’s sustainable and healthy. How to Lose Weight Quickly“STEVE JUST TELL ME EXACTLY WHAT TO DO TO LOSE WEIGHT QUICKLY.” Fine! But you don’t need to yell at me like that! Here’s what I would do if I needed to lose weight quickly but ALSO didn’t want to hate life:
I’ll leave you with some final words of wisdom: this is NOT all or nothing. If you can implement just ONE change and stick with it, that’s a victory. That’s better than doing 10 things and giving up after a month. I know I just threw a LOT of information at you. But I hope that you can implement this stuff in your day-to-day routine, because it WILL lead to sustainable weight loss ad change your life. If you are looking for more guidance, support, and instruction, we have 3 options for you to level up: #1) JOIN OUR COACHING PROGRAM: We provide nutritional guidance, constant feedback and support, customized workouts for your goals, and keep you accountable wherever you are. We are really good at this stuff and would love to help you reach your goals. #2) If you want an exact blueprint for how to eat better and get in shape, check out NF Journey. Our fun habit-building app helps you exercise more frequently, eat healthier, and level up your life (literally). Try your free trial right here: #3) Join The Rebellion (it’s free)! Sign up for our biweekly newsletter and join the Nerd Fitness Rebellion! I’ll send you tons of free nutritional guides and bonuses to help you get started on your journey today. Sign up below:
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THE NERD FITNESS DIET: 10 Levels to Change Your Life
If you were just trying to start building healthier habits and lose weight sustainably, instead here’s what I would do: Make 1 change per week. Change ONE meal a week, or cut back on ONE soda. Make a change that’s so small that it doesn’t make you sad or scared. And then repeat. What’s the ONE change you’re going to make this week to make your weight loss journey SLIGHTLY easier? -Steve PS: Make sure you check out the rest of our Sustainable Weight Loss Content:
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Footnotes ( returns to text)
The post Blog first appeared on Nerd Fitness. via https://www.nerdfitness.com/blog/how-to-lose-weight-without-dieting-5-rules-of-weight-loss/ Want to get strong like these LEGOs but don’t how to start? In this Beginner’s Guide to Strength Training (part of our Strength 101 series), you’ll have both the confidence to start getting strong with resistance training AND a plan to follow. These are the exact strategies we use with our Online Coaching Clients to help them start strength training, and I’m excited to cover everything you need. We’ll be digging into the following:
By the way, we’ve combined this article along with the rest of our strength articles into a “Strength Training 101: Everything You Need to Know” guide. Grab it free when you join the Rebellion by putting your email in the box below.
Download our comprehensive guide STRENGTH TRAINING 101!
How Do I Start Strength Training?Welcome to the first day of the rest of your life. You’ll look back years from now and thank “Past You” for starting strength training today. And I promise, you WILL strength train today. After all, strength training or resistance training doesn’t need to be scary or overcomplicated! Strength training really comes down to two things: #1) Movement of any weight against “resistance”(including your body weight) – Doing ANY exercise that pushes your muscles outside of their comfort zone, forcing them to rebuild stronger to prepare for the next challenge. #2) Progressive overload: doing slightly more than last time (lift heavier weight or do 1 more rep) consistently. Your muscles will constantly have to adapt and rebuild themselves. These microscopic tears (that don’t hurt) force your muscles to go through hypertrophy, meaning they grow bigger and stronger so they can meet the demands of the exercise.[1] Coach Jim explains the ins and outs of progressive overload in this video: That’s all there is to it: do some resistance training and attempt to make it more and more challenging, and you’ll grow stronger.[2]
In other words… Now, there are many different “strength training” and “resistance training” paths. Like a “skill tree” in a video game (with branching paths and progressions), you can progress up one path, and mix and match movements from others depending on the situation. These paths depend on your goals and what equipment you have available to you. What are some examples of Strength Training?Let’s chat about a few different types of strength training. BODYWEIGHT TRAINING Bodyweight training is simply doing an exercise in which your own body is the “weight” you are “lifting.” Duh. This is the BEST place for anybody – regardless of weight or age – to start their strength training journey. Why is this the best place to start? Two big reasons: #1) You always have your body with you (unless you are a ghost, in which case, this is awkward). This means you can work out ANYWHERE with bodyweight training:
#2) Using your body for resistance training is the most “human” thing ever! By learning to push and pull and hang and squat and lunge, you are doing what your body is literally designed to do. By getting strong with bodyweight movements, you’re making yourself antifragile and less injury-prone. Now, it’s SCIENCE TIME! While learning the movements with bodyweight exercises, you are allowing for proper communication to develop between your neuromuscular systems. More efficient communication between your neuromuscular systems will result in something known as “proper motor unit recruitment.” You may be asking yourself: what is a motor unit? That’s okay because I was asking myself this same question.
You can think of two different types of motor units:[3]
When you start strength training, you really are helping your muscles communicate better together.[4] This is why we recommend starting with bodyweight exercises, to help start this process. However, bodyweight training isn’t as easy to ‘scale’ the difficulty as some of the other strength training methods (“put more weight on barbell”), but you can get REALLY strong with just bodyweight training. For example, you can start with knee push-ups, then go to regular push-ups, then elevated push-ups, then even up to things like handstands and handstand push-ups. You just have to know HOW and WHEN to scale up (we can help there too). DUMBBELL TRAINING Dumbbells are a great first step into the world of weight training and strength training:
KETTLEBELL TRAINING A kettlebell is essentially a cannonball with a handle on it. They come in any weight imaginable, they don’t take up a lot of room, and can be used in dozens of ways for a great compact workout. Our 20-minute kettlebell workout has 8 simple exercises you can do with just one weight. Although there are “adjustable kettlebells,” you’ll most likely be working with a single kettlebell, and then adjusting your movements for “progressive overload” (making the workout slightly more difficult each time). If you are a member at a gym, they’ll probably have multiple kettlebells that you can use to level up. BARBELL TRAINING Regardless of sex or gender age, if your goal is to get strong quickly, use 20 seconds of courage and get comfortable training with a barbell (I’ll help you, I promise):
The biggest downside to barbell training is that in order to train at home, you need to have purchased a squat rack, a barbell, a bench, and enough weights for your house or garage (which can be an expensive investment, especially when starting out!). If not, you definitely will need to join a gym. WHICH RESISTANCE TRAINING PATH IS RIGHT FOR YOU? Not sure which path to pick? You’re not alone – this stuff can be overwhelming. Check out our 1-on-1 Coaching Program. We get to know you and your goals, will check your form via video, and make adjustments based on your progress! Which Strength Training Program is Right for Me?So, what’s the best workout program to start as a beginner? Realistically, it’s the one that you will actually do. Barbell training might be optimal in terms of building pure strength quickly, but if you don’t see yourself actually getting to the gym regularly – or you’re too self-conscious to enter the free weight section (for now) – no problem! Start with bodyweight training.[5] Conversely, bodyweight training might seem convenient and easy to start now, but if you can’t motivate yourself to work out at home, you might be better off joining a gym.[6] So let’s get you a workout program! As we cover in our “How to Find the Perfect Workout Plan (for you)”: MOST beginners will be best served by following a “full-body” or “total body” routine, 2 to 3 times per week, with a day of rest in between each workout.[7] This full-body workout will have 4-5 big compound movements. A compound movement is an exercise that recruits LOTS of muscles simultaneously and forces your body to work in unison. These compound exercises are considered multi-joint exercises meaning that they involve more than a single muscle group.[8] An example would be the barbell squat, which recruits every muscle in your core, butt, and legs to work together to lift the weight. This is WAY more efficient – and effective at building pure strength – than doing 5 different isolated leg exercises.[9] Why do 5 exercises when 1 exercise will get you better results in 20% of the time? To answer your next question, let me tell you about how many sets and reps you should do as a beginner! As we explain in our “How Many Sets and Reps” guide:
If you want more, Coach Jim breaks down different set and rep ranges in this video: Many beginner strength programs will encourage you to keep things simple, doing just 5 sets of 5 reps for each exercise. Personally, I encourage people to aim for a weight that they can lift for 8-10 reps. This gives you a chance to really work on your form and lift safely! The max lifts will come later, my friend. You gotta learn to walk before you can run! “Staci, which workout plan is best for me?” It depends on your goals! If your main goal is general fitness and fat loss, doing a circuit training workout will likely help you reach your goals (make sure you see our section below for “strength training for weight loss”).[11] If your main goal is to get stronger and/or put on muscle, following a more traditional, pure-strength-style gym workout is going to get you there faster. TRUTH BOMB: ANY strength training workout will help you reach nearly any goal provided you do two things:
Depending on your current situation, and how quickly you’re looking to cut through the “trial and error” and get expert guidance, I might have an interesting solution for you. We have a pretty killer 1-on-1 Online Coaching Program here at Nerd Fitness. You’ll work with a coach that will build a workout program for your body type and goals, check your form to make sure you’re doing them safety, and even help plan out your nutrition too. The 5 Best Beginner Strength Training Programs“Alright Staci, are there any ‘out of the box’ beginner workout programs I can start following now?” Yup! Let me share with you some of our suggestions: Here are 5 resistance training workouts you can follow TODAY. Pick the level that you feel most comfortable with, and then level up when you feel ready: #1) BEGINNER BODYWEIGHT WORKOUT: Our Beginner Bodyweight Workout has a variety of rep ranges to promote endurance, strength, and cardiovascular health. Complete one set of each exercise and then moving directly to the next exercise:
Want to stick with bodyweight training? When you’re ready to level up, check out our advanced bodyweight training circuit.[13] Otherwise, you can move onto weight training when you feel comfortable! #2A) BEGINNER NERD FITNESS DUMBBELL WORKOUT If you are just getting started with dumbbells and you’re looking for a beginner workout program to follow, this is our Level 3 Gym Workout, “Dumbbell Division”:
I knew you’d ask, so here is Goblet Squat video explanation (from Nerd Fitness Prime): And here is our video on how to do dumbbell rows: #2B) BEGINNER NERD FITNESS KETTLEBELL WORKOUT Our Beginner Kettlebell Routine is a workout you do anywhere you have room to swing a kettlebell. So, probably not in a phone booth or a closet or a bathroom stall. But other than that, pretty much anywhere else. Complete 3 Kettlebell Workout Circuits:
#3) BARBELL TRAINING: 2 DAY WORKOUT SPLIT As we cover in our “how to train in a gym” guide (where we take you from “lost sheep” to “barbell badass”), this routine is a much more focused weight training, strength building workout that gets your feet wet with barbell training. Click on ANY exercise to learn how to do it properly. NF BEGINNER BARBELL STRENGTH WORKOUT: DAY A Do 3 rounds of:
NF BEGINNER BARBELL STRENGTH WORKOUT: DAY B Do 3 rounds of: WHAT ARE SOME OTHER POPULAR STRENGTH TRAINING PROGRAMS? #1) “Starting Strength” is considered the gold standard beginner barbell weight training program by many. We highly recommend you pick up the actual book if you are serious about barbell training – it’s one of the most important training books you can ever read. #2) Strong Lifts 5X5: A solid workout program that starts you out very slow, with just the barbell, and helps you master form before you get too heavy. It also keeps things VERY easy with “do 5×5.” Strong Lifts has been around for a long time and is a solid program. #3) Jim Wendler’s 5/3/1: This program allows you a little more freedom to do exercises that you enjoy, or work on personal weaknesses, because you choose some of the assistance work. Note: You can modify any of the barbell training programs to be done with dumbbells, if that’s what you have at home! Lastly, you can always write your own workout plan! I wrote my own workouts for a decade and it taught me a LOT about training and health. We do have our own 1-on-1 Online Coaching Program where you’ll work with a coach that will build a strength training workout program for your body type and goals, check your form on each exercise via video, and even help you plan out your nutrition too. How Much Weight Should I lift?We have a FULL resource on how to determine your starting weight for lifting, but I’ll give you the gist here. The simple to learn but tough to implement answer: lift enough so that you can get through the set, but not too much that you have NO fuel left in the tank at the end. And then, try to lift sliiiightly more than last time. Here are two common questions on strength training: #1) How much weight should I start with?
#2) How fast should I add weight to the bar? Here’s what we teach all of our coaching clients: add the minimum amount of weight each week you can, even if you THINK you can lift more. It’s better to finish a workout full of momentum and say “I can do more!” than defeated and saying “that was too much, crapola.” Think of it this way, even if you are adding just 5 pounds per week to the bar, within a year you would be lifting 300+ pounds! The National Strength and Conditioning Association (NSCA) recommends a similar approach:[14]
So go SLOW. Even slower than the NSCA recommends if needed. Team NF’s Steve even bought little half-pound weights and increases many of his lifts by just 1 pound per week. It’s a big part of how he transformed (jokingly) from Steve Rogers to Captain America. And if you are looking for this content in easily digestible form, make sure you download our free Strength 101 Guide when you join the Rebellion below:
Download our comprehensive guide STRENGTH TRAINING 101!
The 9 Best Strength Training Exercises to LearnIf you’re new to all this “strength training” stuff, hopping into a program and going from zero to sixty might be a recipe for failure. Instead, be patient, and take the time to learn these movements first. I’m going to share with you the 9 best strength training exercises that every beginner should master (scroll down for full video and explanations!):
All of the exercises listed above are considered functional (closed-chain) exercises. That means they relate to our everyday movements and can be used to predict our success in sports, recreational and occupational activities, and activities of daily living.[15] When attempting all of these above listed exercises, aim to master the movement and perform the exercise through its entire range of motion (ROM). Why? Because it will decrease your risk for injury, activate all of the appropriate muscle groups, and result in greater muscle hypertrophy.[16] Let’s go over these now. Click on any of these exercises to get a FULL explanation of the movement, step-by-step: 1) The Push-Up: The best exercise you could ever do for yourself when it comes to using your bodyweight for push muscles (your chest, shoulders, and triceps): 2) The Bodyweight Squat: This exercise serves a dual purpose: it is the foundation for building strength AND helps build proper mobility. If you are going to ever do barbell squats, you need to work on hitting proper depth with a bodyweight squat first! 3) The Inverted Bodyweight Row: Until you can get your first pull-up or chin-up, these exercises are GREAT to start building your pull-muscle strength: your back, biceps, and forearms. 4) The Pull-Up and Chin-Up: Once you can support your bodyweight above the bar, the world becomes your playground. No strength training routine should be without pull-up or chin-up work! (Click here if you can’t do a pull-up or chin-up yet?) 5) The Bodyweight Dip: As you start to get stronger with push-ups and need to find a way to increase the challenge, consider doing dips – warning: these are very advanced, but incredible strength building exercises. And now we’re into the best weight training exercises: 6) The Barbell Squat: Probably the best exercise when it comes to building strength and muscle throughout your whole body. It also burns crazy calories and makes life better. This is a MUST: 7) The Barbell Deadlift: Maybe the best exercise of all time. Actually no, it IS the best exercise of all time. It’s certainly the most primal: “pick the weight up off the ground. Done.” This is a very technical lift, so make sure you read our article on how to do it with proper form: 8) The Barbell Press: Press a barbell above your head. This recruits all of the muscles in your chest, shoulders, and arms in order for you to lift the weight over your head. As a bonus, you need to really flex and brace your core, which gets those muscles working too. 9) The Barbell Bench Press. Lie on a bench, and lower a barbell until it almost touches your chest. Pause, and press it back up towards the sky. Repeat! And get strong. NOTE: All exercises were explained according to the guidelines that have been established by the NSCA.[17] Your mission, should you choose to accept it: commit to trying ONE of these movements in the next week. Use 20 seconds of courage, recruit a friend who has lifted or trained before, and try your best. And if you want somebody to help you put these into a workout program, teach you HOW to do these movements properly, and have the confidence to know you’re training correctly for your goals… How to KNow you’re doing a strength training movement Properly (Form Checks)Always start out with just your body’s weight and make sure your movement is correct!
When it comes to movements like squats, deadlifts, pull-ups, bench press, your form is crucial. Develop good habits with lightweight and you will save yourself months of frustration later and will protect you from injury.[18] If you’re struggling with certain elements of a movement, don’t get frustrated! Remember, proper communication between your neuromuscular systems needs to develop. Things will start to improve.[19] How do you know if your movement is correct? Do regular video form checks! Record yourself and watch the video. Alternatively, an expert reviewing your specific movement can be invaluable. If you’re looking for someone who can do video form checks, provide feedback, and adjust your workouts based on your progress, you can check out our 1-on-1 Online Personal Training! I’ve had an online coach for 4 years and it’s changed my life. You could also get expert guidance in person: Look around at your local strength and conditioning gyms and see if you could hire a coach (here’s how to find a good personal trainer) for one or two sessions just to go over the basic movements. If you can’t do either of those two options, no big deal! Videotape yourself and compare it to the videos here in the articles. You can also post your video to the form check section of the Nerd Fitness Forums. When I started, I really liked practicing all of the movements at home because I could watch a video online at the same time as I was watching myself do it in a mirror. Studies have found this can actually help![20] Strength Training For Weight LossSo you’re looking to lose weight, and tired of hours of cardio (me too). And you’re wondering if strength training for weight loss – by following one of the workouts in this guide is a viable solution. Or, gasp – will strength training make you too bulky? (SPOILER: it won’t) Yes, Strength training will help you lose weight IF you do two key things for effective weight loss:
As we point out in our “Cardio vs Intervals vs Weight Training” article, strength training is the MOST efficient method for weight loss. Not only that, but you can find study after study after study that shows you the benefits of strength training for weight management when combined with “calorie restriction.”[22] As we cover in our “Why can’t I lose weight?” article, here’s why eating a caloric deficit and strength training is SO magical when combined:
Guess what happens during those 24-48 hours? Your body will divert as many calories consumed as necessary to “Rebuild Muscle!”[23] It also diverts additional calories to “Burn as Fuel” to handle this increased “muscle rebuilding” activity. This means two amazing things:
Not only that, but when you eat a caloric deficit, your body doesn’t have enough calories to fuel all the day’s activities. In these instances, your body will pull from your stored fat to make sure all the work still gets done. This is the trifecta of physical transformation victory:
In other words, strength training + eating right is the BEST path for weight loss out there! And yes, in certain situations, you can actually lose weight AND build muscle at the same time. Coach Matt explains how to gain muscle WHILE losing fat in this video: So how do you put this into practice? Pick one of the strength workouts in this article. Calculate your daily caloric needs. Learn about healthy eating. And start. In other words… Pick up something heavy, and eat a vegetable. These are the types of things we work on with our 1-on-1 Coaching Clients: helping them lift weights confidently and eat correctly for their goals! Let us help you: “Just Tell Me What Strength Training Program to Follow!”Okay! Unless you are collecting underpants, you should now have a workout program you want to try out! “Staci, this is a lot, can you just TELL me what to do?” Okay fine. Here are the steps again for you: STEP ONE: PICK YOUR WORKOUT PATH: A) If YOU ARE TRAINING AT HOME. Pick one of these 3 based on what equipment you have:
B) IF YOU ARE TRAINING IN A GYM: Amazing! I love gyms. Read our “How to train in a gym” guide and go from Level 1 to Level 6 over the next month. Gym closed? Here’s how to build a home gym. STEP #2: TRY A NEW EXERCISE: In addition to following a workout program, I’m gonna push outside of your comfort zone – that’s where real growth happens. Learn ONE new movement this week. Pick one of the exercises below and try it out!
Here are 42 bodyweight exercises you can do too. STEP #3) HIRE A YODA: If you are somebody that just wants to be told exactly what to, how to train for your goals, and are good at following direction, consider hiring a coach. I’ve been working with an online coach since 2014 and it has changed my life – and I do this stuff for a living!
STEP #4) JOIN THE REBELLION! If you like how we do things around here at Nerd Fitness, we’d love to have you in our community of misfits, mutants, and rebels! Sign up in the box below and I’ll send you our free Strength 101 guide:
Download our comprehensive guide STRENGTH TRAINING 101!
No matter what you do today: Don’t be afraid of doing anything wrong – truth be told, the majority of the people in the gym don’t have any idea what they are doing, and are just as nervous as you are! Muster up your 20 seconds of courage if you need to, and let me know in the comments how it goes! What questions do you have about getting started? So, what’s the biggest thing holding you back from starting strength training? -Staci PS – Check out the rest of the articles in our Strength Training 101 series:
photo source: LEGO bench pres, tonobalaguer © 123RF.com, Stormtroopers lifting, Chris Christian:Strongman, W_Minshull: Stormtroopers in Gym, Lego Lifting, Rainstorm, Kristina Alexanderson: Teddy Love,
Footnotes ( returns to text)
The post Blog first appeared on Nerd Fitness. via https://www.nerdfitness.com/blog/strength-training-101-where-do-i-start/ Want to build muscle like this guy? (Leopard print unitard optional but encouraged) In this guide, we’ll provide step-by-step instruction that will help you start building muscle immediately! Like, today! We’ll explore:
That may seem like a lot of topics to cover. DON’T PANIC! Because gaining muscle and strength really comes down to three things. If you’re looking to start building muscle, getting bigger, and becoming stronger, these are the things you need to do: I realize doing those three things is much easier said than done – I struggled with progress for a decade and know exactly what you’re going through if you’re feeling unsure. You probably don’t have years to make the mistakes that I did, and you just want to start getting results today. In addition to the free resources below, we also offer 1-on-1 Online Coaching, where you’ll get personalized instruction for your body type and goals, and professional accountability from a Coach on Team Nerd Fitness! But enough of that, let’s get into the nitty-gritty of how to get started with strength training! How do you build muscle and Strength? Lift Heavy ThingsIf you are going to build muscle, you’re going to need to lift heavy things. This means you’ll most likely need access to a gym with a great free-weight section. Sure, bodyweight exercises can be fantastic for weight loss and keeping the muscle you already have.[4] But if you’re serious about weight training you’ll need a gym with a:
But we won’t completely nix bodyweight exercises because ideally, you’ll have a spot to do:
This space and equipment will help us be the most efficient, in order to apply the progressive overload principle to maximize your results. Got access to a decent gym? If so, good, it’ll help us get started. Gym closed because of COVID? No problem, here’s how to build a gym in your own home.[5] Because we’re looking to create functional strength and size, we’ll be doing lots of full-body routines with compound exercises that train multiple muscle groups at once. They’re more efficient, they create solid growth and stimulation, and they will keep you safe.[5] Why is that? Well, when you spend all of your time doing stupid isolation exercises on weight machines (ugh), you’re only working those specific muscles and not working any of your stabilizer muscles (because the machine is doing all of the stabilization work).[6] On the other hand, when you do compound exercises like barbell squats, you work pretty much EVERY muscle in your body, setting yourself up to be strong and injury-free.[7] Stay away from machines if you can and focus on dumbbells and barbell exercises. If you’re going to do a full-body routine each workout (which is what I would recommend for ANY beginner), each routine can have one leg exercise, push exercise, pull exercise, and a core exercise:
That’s IT. Don’t worry about adding in any ridiculous machine shoulder shrugs, iso-chest flys, preacher bicep curls, calf-raises, whatever. Learn these few exercises, get really good at them, and your entire body will get stronger and bigger. Focus each week on adding more weight to each exercise.[8] For example, from one week to the next you could do:
If you do that, you’ve gotten stronger. Then, repeat next week. Eat right, and you’ll get bigger too. what’s a sample routine for building muscle?Using the principles I’ve laid out in my “how to build a workout routine” article, here’s a three-day routine I’ve created for myself recently:
Each day has a leg exercise, push exercise, pull exercise, and some core work. Besides having rest and recovery days in-between MWF, adequate rest intervals have been established in the workout itself! By following the leg exercise, push exercise, pull exercise, and core exercise routine you will maximize rest in-between each exercise, therefore, limiting muscular fatigue and allowing you to perform each strength training exercise to its fullest extent.[9] I know what you’re thinking: that Steve is very clever. While it’s possible to build out the perfect routine on your own, many of our Rebels end up spending hours and hours building something custom – only to realize it isn’t what they need (or isn’t effective) weeks and months later for their goals. For people who want to avoid that altogether, we built the solution – our uber-popular 1-on-1 Nerd Fitness coaching program pairs you with your own Nerd Fitness Coach who will get to know you, your goals, and your lifestyle, and handcraft a workout plan that’s specific to not only your body, but also to your schedule and life. Click on the image below to schedule a call with our team to see if we’re a good fit for each other! How many sets and reps should I do?We have a MASSIVE guide on the exact number of sets and reps (it’s where the video above comes from), but you can follow the basics here.
If you get bored, want to change things up, or you’re looking to bust through a plateau, you can do the following:
For example, I’ll do an overhead press in the following sequence:
The good news is that no matter which path you take (pure strength, size, or a mix of both), as long as you are adding weight each week – and eating enough – you WILL be getting stronger.[12] ANY path will work, provided you are progressively overloading your muscles with an increased challenge! Coach Jim explains it all for you right here: Progressive overload involves exerting slightly more effort than last time (lift a heavier weight or do 1 more rep) consistently. Your muscles will have to adapt and rebuild themselves to get stronger. So in order to see improvements, your training must gradually and constantly increase. We just have to make sure we get the right pace! According to Mike Rebold from Hiram College:
Slowly but gradually increasing your challenge could look like:
Get stronger, which is 20% of the puzzle. The other 80% is nutrition (which I cover later)! As I said before, if you want even more info, you can head to our article “Determining the Correct Number of Reps and Sets” for a deep dive into the subject. Any other Muscle Training and weight-lifting tips?#1) Warm-up before exercising – don’t walk into a gym, slap 45-pound plates on the bar, and then start your routine. Get your heart rate up and muscles warm first by doing a dynamic warm-up of jumping jacks, lunges, bodyweight squats, hip raises, push-ups, leg swings, jumps, etc. After that, always start with doing a set or two of lifting JUST THE BAR.[13] Only then should you start adding weight for some warm-up sets before moving into your real sets. #2) Have a focused form – if you’re doing a bodyweight squat incorrectly, you might develop bad habits. However, if you do a barbell squat incorrectly with 405 pounds on your shoulders, you could do some serious damage. If you’re just starting out, check your ego at the door: start with a VERY light weight and make sure you are doing the exercise properly. There is NO SHAME in starting with just the bar. You can always add more weight next week if this week is too easy. #3) Stimulate, don’t annihilate – I try to always have one more rep left when I finish a set. Some trainers will preach working your muscles to annihilation, but I think that’s just asking for an injury, poor form, and beyond-sore muscles. Your muscles get built while resting, not in the gym, so don’t worry about destroying them completely each day you step in the gym – it’s not worth it.[14] #4) Change up the time between sets – if you’re doing 3 sets of 5 reps of a really heavy weight, it’s okay to wait 3-5 minutes between sets – you’re focusing on pure strength here. If you’re doing sets in the 8-12 range, try to keep the time between sets around a minute or so. This will affect your muscles in different ways. Learn all about sets and rep ranges. Just be consistent between sets and when doing the same workout between weeks to track your progress.[15] #5) Don’t overdo it – More does not mean better in weightlifting. You don’t need to spend two hours in the gym, you don’t need to do 15 different kinds of chest exercises. My routines last no longer than 45 minutes, I only do three or four sets (after warm-up sets) for each exercise, and it’s enough to stimulate muscle growth.[16] Three routines a week is plenty too – you shouldn’t lift every day, as you need to give your muscles time to regrow bigger – remember muscles are made in the kitchen![17] Less is often more – just make your routines really intense and exhausting.[18] #6) Write down everything – Keep a training journal, and write down exactly how many sets and reps you did for every exercise. That way, you can compare how you did this time with how you did last time. You’ll know how much more you need to lift this week to make sure you’re stronger than last week. #7) Follow a routine, have a plan. The best thing you can do is have a plan to follow and stick with it![19] We provide a free bodyweight routine, and a comprehensive gym training routine to get you started with strength training in our free guide, Strength Training 101: Everything You Need to Know. Grab your guide when you sign up in the box below:
Download our comprehensive guide STRENGTH TRAINING 101!
Proper diet to gain muscle (and which Supplements)If you’re skinny and trying to bulk up, this will be 90% of the battle. If you’ve been lifting weights for a while “but can’t seem to gain weight,” then you are not eating enough – it’s that simple.[20] I thought I was one of those people who just could never gain weight…and then I learned it was all diet, started eating 4,000 calories a day, and I put on 18 pounds in 30 days. Yeah, I wanted to throw up from always eating along with three Muscle Milk shakes a day, but it worked. Looking back I would have done things differently (so many calories and so much sugar/carbs), but after 6 years of exercising without putting on any weight, it was great to see so much progress in such a short period of time. 4,000 calories sounds freaking insane, right? I know. It makes eating a full-time job. You’ll always either cooking, eating, or cleaning up after yourself. But if you really want to get bigger and you’re struggling to do so, then all of your effort is going to have to go into eating more, eating healthier, and eating ALL THE TIME. I’ve since changed my strategies and gotten much more calculated in my approach. It’s how I (jokingly) went from Steve Rogers to Captain America. Here are a few different techniques for weight gain: PATH #1: Eat a lot of whatever – this was my first plan years ago: it’s cheapest, the fastest, but probably the least healthy. Just make sure you get 200+ grams of protein a day and 3,500+ calories in any way that you can:
Whatever. This is how I went from 162-180 pounds in 30 days. I’m not proud of how I ate, but it produced results and I remained healthy and strong.[21] PATH #2: Eat a lot of “healthy” stuff – I did this once and put on about 10 pounds in 30 days. Lots of:
Still not optimal, but it works and is better for your insides than the previous method. Still relatively cheap, as tubs of oats, brown rice, and bread are inexpensive and can add on a lot of calories quickly. PATH #3: Eat Paleo – I’ve tried this strategy too, and despite my best efforts to GAIN weight I managed to lose five pounds (all of which was fat). It’s certainly possible to gain weight on the paleo diet (try adding in three big-ass Primal Shakes per day), but it is tricky and very expensive to get 4,000 calories of paleo-approved food daily. LOTS of nuts, eggs, sweet potatoes, shots of olive oil, and yams along with tons of chicken, grass-fed beef, fruit, and veggies. PATH #4: GOMAD (Gallon of Milk a Day) – Obviously this method will only work if you’re not lactose intolerant. Oh, and it has to be whole milk. You’ll definitely put on some fat, but you’ll build muscle and get really strong quickly – and then you’ll adjust the diet to thin out. I’ve attempted this diet occasionally, as whole milk is certainly a fast path to tons of carbs, fat, protein and calories. Plus, the calcium in the milk mike help. Mike Rebold explains:
If you go the GOMAD route, be prepared for your stomach and body to constantly feel bloated. Note: you can adjust the amount of milk you consume daily based on how your body responds. “Which Supplements Should I Take to Build Muscle Quickly?” As we lay out in our Nerd Fitness Supplement Guide, most supplements are a waste of money and completely unnecessary for building muscle. However, there are two supplements that CAN BE helpful in building muscle quickly:
Are you vegan and trying to build muscle? Read our full article on how to go plant-based properly![25] How many calories should I eat to build muscle?That’s going to depend on your situation – your age, how much you weigh now, how much you want to weigh, and how fast your metabolism is.
The only way to find out is to track your normal calorie intake for a few days, and then start adding on 500 extra calories per day for a week or two and see if you notice any changes.[26] Want a rough idea of how many calories you should be eating? Head right here for our calorie requirement calculator. Bottom line: If you don’t see any change, then you need to eat more.
But if you really want to be bigger, then you are going to need to really dedicate yourself in the kitchen. Unless you’re a genetic mutant, it’s incredibly tough to build muscle and strength without overloading your system with calories and nutrients. Just keep eating. Won’t all of this eating make me fat? I don’t want to get bulky.
I get this question all the time in emails, usually from guys who are 6 feet tall and 130 pounds. Don’t worry, if you can’t gain weight now, putting on extra weight is going to be great for you. Yes, you will put on SOME fat along with the muscle you’re building if you’re running a calorie surplus. This is why picking the right amount of calories per day is important:
Everybody is different, so you need to experiment and find out what works best for you.[27] Once you get to your desired weight (actually, aim for about 10-15 pounds heavier than your goal weight), you can scale back the calories, add in some extra sprints to the end of your workout, and keep lifting heavy – the muscle will remain, the fat will disappear, and you’ll be left with the body you want. I’m not skinny, I need to LOSE weight – what’s different for me?As Coach Matt explains above, you can actually build muscle and lose body fat at the same time. You just have to be careful about how you do it. We cover the subject in depth in the post, “Can You Lose Fat and Gain Muscle at the Same Time?” This gist goes like this: If you are eating enough protein, and have decent fat stores to pull from for energy needs, you can build muscle even while in a caloric deficit. As long as you are resting (next section) and strength training (previous section), you can shed body fat while still putting on muscle. Now, this only works if you have plenty of fat stores to pull from. Once you start to lean out a little, you’ll likely have to increase your calories to start putting on more muscle. I recently added some strength (and muscle) while losing 22 pounds in 6 months. Just remember, you can build muscle while losing weight if you:[28]
Let’s talk about that last one for a bit. Rest days for building muscle and strengthIf you’re skinny and trying to bulk up and build muscle, avoid cardio like the plague (also avoid the plague). Why? Take a look at the best marathon runners in the world, and compare their physique to somebody like Usain Bolt, the best sprinter in the world – tons of muscle, power, and a body to envy. There’s nothing wrong with EITHER body – we’re all awesome and are special and blah blah blah. But you’re reading an article about how to build muscle fast, right? So focus all of your effort on building muscle![29] You want all the calories you’re consuming to go towards “building muscle,” and not “fuel my run.” I will admit that I’m biased against chronic cardio, but mostly because it bores me! You can be far more effective when you focused on getting stronger and only do ‘cardio’ on things you enjoy – after all, your success will largely depend on your nutrition, NOT your cardio! Personally, I spend three days a week in the gym, with each workout clocking in at 45 minutes. I go for long walks on my off days along with a day of sprints to stay active, but I know that my muscles get built while I’m resting, not when I’m working out. I really focus in on my workouts to make them as exhausting as possible, and then I give my body ample time to recover (while eating enough calories to produce a surplus). If you’re lifting heavy, and eating enough, make sure you’re also getting enough sleep! 5-6 hours a night isn’t going to cut it – you need to get at least 8-9 hours of sleep per night for optimal muscle-building. Take naps too if you have the opportunity. Sleep needs to become a priority, because while we’re asleep, growth hormone, a hormone responsible for regulating muscle growth is released.[30] If you’re a big guy/girl trying to slim down, a little extra cardio might speed up your fat loss but if you’re not eating correctly, it might result in losing some of the muscle you already have. Don’t worry about going for 10 mile runs on your off days – do 20-30 minutes of intervals or go run hill sprints in your park. The weight will come off more slowly, but you’ll only be losing fat, not fat AND muscle. Once you hit your goal weight and the target amount of muscle mass, I’d recommend adding back in some cardio for your overall conditioning, but keep it varied (sprints and intervals). The focus is to keep building explosive muscle and not long, slow, boring muscle. If you love going for long runs and aren’t going to give that up, I’m not gonna stop you. Just know that the long hours of cardio will severely inhibit your progress on building strength and size.[31] Get Started Building Muscle TodayThis is a basic overview to get ya started. It really boils down to a few major things:
Simple to understand, tough to implement. Trust me, I know – I’ve been battling this for the past decade. If you made it this far, and you want more specific instruction, here’s how Nerd Fitness can help! 1) If you are somebody that wants to follow a tailor-made program designed to build muscle and grow strong, check out our popular 1-on-1 Online Coaching Program. You’ll work with our certified NF instructors who will get to know you better than you know yourself, check your form, and program your workouts and nutrition for you. 2) If you want a snazzy app to teach you exactly how build muscle and strong, check out NF Journey. Our fun habit-building app helps you exercise more frequently, eat healthier, and level up your life (literally). Try your free trial right here: 3) Join the Rebellion! We need good people like you in our community, the Nerd Fitness Rebellion. I’ll send you two free resources that will help you reach your goals: our massive Strength Training 101 guide and a Bulk Up Cheat Sheet and Shopping List.
Download our comprehensive guide STRENGTH TRAINING 101!
So did I miss anything: Any unanswered muscle building questions? Do you have any tips or tricks I’m missing? Any success stories from our community to share? Post your questions in the comments and I’ll go ahead and answer them. Let’s hear your strength and muscle stories! -Steve PS: Be sure to check out the rest of our Strength Training 101 series:
### All Photo Sources are found right here.[1]
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The post Blog first appeared on Nerd Fitness. via https://www.nerdfitness.com/blog/the-beginners-guide-to-building-muscle-and-strength/ So you’ve got kids running around the house… And you need to work out, but can’t seem to distract the little monsters any longer? No problem! Many of our coaching clients have to train at home with their kids around. Today, we’ll show you how to get them involved! Here’s what we’ll cover:
How to Workout With Your Kids (Video Tutorial)Quite a few of our Nerd Fitness Coaches are parents, so they know firsthand how challenging it can be to train while you have a three-year-old running around in the background. When I asked them for advice for this guide, the most common response I received went something like: “Training with kids running around is going to be chaos. That’s okay. Do the best you can.” In other words, it might be challenging to hit personal records (PRs) in your deadlift while also watching over a four-year-old. This doesn’t mean “Don’t bother working out.” It just means you should forgive yourself ahead of time if all doesn’t go according to plan. If you want proof of how working out with kids can be “a hot mess,” watch Coach Matt exercising with his young children. The video is all sorts of adorbs. THE BEGINNER BODYWEIGHT WORKOUT (KIDS EDITION): When working out with kids, remember: #1) Meet kids where they are. For young kids, invite them to be a partner. Maybe they can count your reps, tell you when to start, etc. On the other hand, older kids might be able to participate more fully, and maybe even train alongside you. No matter what, it’s a good idea to invite kids to join when and IF they want, without requiring it. #2 ) While every kid is different, here are some very general guidelines from Coach Matt’s experience:
#3) Consider a focus on skills/practice. It can be really frustrating to have a timed exercise or workout interrupted. Instead, consider thinking of it like “practice time” of building a skill. You can practice for a couple of minutes, take a break, come back to it, etc. Kids might respond better to “skills” training instead of “exercises” too. Together, you can practice:
This might go over better than “let’s do squats” or “push-ups.” #4) There are lots of different ways to get workouts in throughout the day:
#5) Whatever happens is okay! Remember, do the best you can, and it’s perfectly fine if your workout gets cut short because your kid starts drawing on the walls. The 8 Best Exercises to Do With Young KidsIf your kids are light enough, you can actually use them as makeshift weights during your workout. Just be careful, and if anything feels unsafe, don’t do it. But if things DO feel good, here are some exercises you can do along with kiddos (or using them as weight). #1) Bodyweight Squats (with Child) This is much like a normal bodyweight squat, but with your kids sitting on your shoulders. Coach Matt recommends having your kid’s legs come forward, and for you to grab them, almost like you would with a safety squat bar. Before attempting this, make sure you can do squats with comparable weight! #2) Lunges Much like the bodyweight squats above, but instead do a lunge: Since you’re engaging one leg at a time, this can be really challenging with a kid on your shoulders. #3) Touch the Sky As Coach Matt explains, getting young kids to do squats and push-ups might be tough. But kids do like to jump! For “Touch the Sky,” sit in a squat or frog position. Then stand up tall, arms reaching towards the sky. Bonus points if you jump up! This will train many of the same muscles as you would with squats. #4) Jumps Another good squat substitution to try with kids is long jumps! You probably want to try this on some type of soft surface (or in your backyard), like the tumbling mat Coach Matt uses. As long as it’s safe, jumping can be really fun with kids. Make a game out of it, by pointing to a line (or marking one with a soft object) and seeing who can jump over it. You’ll not only train your lower body with jumps, but you’ll also build some explosive power. #5) Push-ups You have a few options here. The first is to have your kid crawl on your back and use them as a weight: Feel free to do knee push-ups here too if it’s a little too challenging. The next option is to include your kid in the workout by giving them high-fives between reps: Lastly, you can have your kids crawl under you between repetitions, trying to worm their way from one end to the other: #6) Bear Crawl A fun exercise to do with your kids is to crawl around like a bear with them latched on! Crawling is a great functional fitness exercise that will help you stay mobile on the floor. A kid on your back will up the intensity of the workout. Bonus points if you make growling and roaring noises. #7) Goat Bag Hinge This exercise will have you strengthening your hinge muscles, kind of like you would in a kettlebell swing or deadlift. Stand tall, clenching your kid, chest to chest. Have them hold onto you too. Push your hips back, again, like you would in a kettlebell swing. When your torso is parrell-ish to the ground, come back up, driving through your heels. #8) Balancing One leg balances can become a lot more challenging when your kid is trying to push you over: Another idea is to stand on one leg, then have your kid push you, and use that force to jump onto your other leg. Attempt to only use one leg at a time to balance: 10 Workout Games to Play as a FamilyBeing able to lift your kid a few times for some exercises is great. But Coach Matt highlights that anything over 10 repetitions, probably isn’t happening. The kids will get bored, whine, or revolt. That’s why you might be better off playing some games with them. Here are 10 fun and active games to play as a whole family: #1) Ninja Training This is easy: just ask your child: “Want to train like a ninja with me?” If they’re into it, start practicing some of your jumps and crawls! You can also hoist them up and help them hang from something (ninjas always have to climb up buildings), which would work if you have a pull-up bar: Don’t have a pull-up bar? We makeshift clever replacements in our guide to building a home gym. Some house parkour might also be in the cards here. #2) Chase (Cops and Robbers) Here, you’re gonna build some type of fort. When playing this game, Coach Matt stands up his gymnastic mat tall and together, then places his kids in the middle. Their job? Escape! Run and track them down and send them back to jail (or your makeshift fort) Feel free to teach them the phrase, “You’ll never catch me alive, coppers!” #3) Freeze Ball This might require a purchase, but foam dodgeballs are a great way to play with kids. Have the different colored dodgeballs result in a different outcome:
#4) Animal Walks Have someone call out an animal. Then everyone has to walk around like that! Walking to Mordor is much tougher if you need to crawl like a snake for part of the journey. #5) Hot Lava With this game, you’re more or less building an obstacle course in your house, trying to jump from furniture to furniture…because the floor is now lava. Here are some ideas on creating home obstacle courses: Another fun way to start this game: start counting down from 5 out loud. After “1” shout “hot lava” and if anyone is still on the normal floor, it’s time for them to start playing like Gollum when he finally got the ring: This is a fun standing game to ensure spontaneous activity. #6) Jump/Duck This game is pretty easy: take an imaginary sword and swing high or low at the kids, or have them come at you with their imaginary weapon. You need to either jump if they’re coming low or duck if they’re coming high. This is really simple, but lots of fun, and can be done with a group of people. #7) King of the Log (Balance Challenges) Much like the balance exercises we showed you earlier, but as a game! Find some territory (a mat, some comfy carpet, grass) and try to push the other off it. Let your kiddos team up on you for a more even match. #8) Wolf & Rabbit Create a mark or identify a “safe place” within a short sprint away. Have two people face each other, but keep enough distance that the “Rabbit” feels comfortable reaching safety. The Rabbit stays frozen until the Wolf makes a move. Then the Rabbit attempts to sprint to safety before the Wolf can tag it. #9) Ninja Red Light, Green Light If you’ve ever played “Red Light, Green Light” this is similar, although it involves some sneaking around, because ninjas. “The Mark” walks around aimlessly, taking turns liberally, while the Ninja tries to sneak up behind and tag them. If the Mark faces the Ninja, the Ninja must freeze. Otherwise, the Ninja is free to tag the Mark. #9) Commando This game is kind of like Ninja Red Light, Green Light.
The Counter picks a number from five to ten, then counts down. Before doing so, they announce “Fast” or “Slow.”
So twice as many “dots” are said allowed. While the Counter counts, they move about (carefully) with their eyes closed. They make sure to turn around a lot to keep the Runners on their toes. When the Counter reaches “1,” they freeze and open their eyes. Any Runners caught in the Counter’s eyes has to do a silly “croak” finality. Working at Home With Kids: A Discussion With Two Nerd Fitness Coaches (And Parents)Over the last year, many parents found themselves having to work with their kids running in the background. In the video above, taken from Nerd Fitness Prime, “The Matts” talk to you about how they handled this “new normal.” Some highlights of the “Quarantine with Kids” discussion:
And much more! If you’re juggling working remotely with your kiddos around, give the video a watch. How to Workout as a Family (Next Steps)The most important thing about working out with your kids: have fun! If kids see you having fun, they might want to join you. If you make your exercise together enjoyable by including some game elements, they might want to keep doing it. That would be great! If you need more ideas, here are 40 ways to exercise without realizing it. However, if your kids are not into it, that’s okay. Just try to sneak in whatever workout you can, when you can. Do the best you can. It’s something we bring up throughout our guide on How to Stay in Shape (While Staying Inside). The most important thing you can do now: try an exercise or game with your kids! You’ll never know how your kids deal with your workouts, until you try it out. So pick one of the exercises or games we highlighted and give it a whirl. If it devolves to chaos, you can always try again with a different workout or strategy. Again, just do the best you can. If you want some more help, Nerd Fitness is here for you. We have three options on how to continue with us. Pick the option that best aligns with your goals: Option #1) If you want a daily prompt for doing home workouts, check out NF Journey. Our fun habit-building app helps you exercise more frequently, eat healthier, and level up your life (literally). Try your free trial right here: Option #2) If you want a professional coach in your pocket, who can do video form checks, provide feedback, and adjust your workouts based on the equipment you have available, check out our 1-on-1 Online Coaching Program! For example, let’s say you find yourself stuck indoors and you want somebody to custom-build you a workout program based on the equipment and furniture you have. That’s where an online coach is a game-changer! Personally, I’ve been working with the same online coach since 2015 and it’s changed my life. You can learn more by clicking on the box below: Option #3) Become part of the Rebellion! We need good people like you in our community, the Nerd Fitness Rebellion. Sign up in the box below to enlist and get our Rebel Starter Kit, which includes all of our “work out from home” guides.
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Alright, I want to hear from you and your experience with working out with your children! Are you a parent who is now learning how to exercise with your kids? Any tips or tricks for training with screaming kids in the background? Any fun games we missed? Let me know in the comments! -Steve P.S. If you have older kids, they might be more into doing a workout right alongside you. If so, have them pick a routine from The 7 Best At-Home Workouts and try it together! ### Photo Source: Cargo bike family, The clones are working hard, Family looking into sunset, Untitled, Simpson…Maggie Simpson. The post Blog first appeared on Nerd Fitness. via https://www.nerdfitness.com/blog/how-to-exercise-with-your-kids-work-out-as-a-family/ |
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