The Grind Part 2: Move it!

If you're a normal person just looking to get in shape, then the stuff I talk about in this section will hopefully help you. Here are some starter notes to get you...uhh, started.



*Everyone is different. What works for you might necessarily work for others. When your start to exercise, you'll begin to realize this as you see people do the myriad of physical activities available to them. If you're just starting out, there are three exercises that you can choose to start with (and hopefully keep a part of your regimen for the rest of your life.)

=There are people who run or jog.

=A few people choose to sweat it out with cardio.

=Then there are those who lift.


=Some even do all three or at least two of these activities.

One thing is for sure, if you do any of this two or three times a week for the next couple of months. Trust me, you will see results. As long as you will commit. It's up to you choose which exercise will fit your schedule and what works for your body.

It is a myth that muscle weighs 3 times more than fat and people use it as an excuse as to why they haven't lost weight.

Lose weight: In order to preserve muscle while cutting fat, try to lift as heavy as you can.
You may not be able to add weight every week but at least try to avoid losing strength during this time.

Gain Muscle: The only difference here is that you are eating a lot of calories a day. In this period,
you have to be careful because it is very easy to eat the wrong kind of foods.

Just a few terms that you will keep hearing over and over again. And finally...

Muscle is made from a completely different kind of cell than fat. What happens is that people stop exercising and continue their calorific intake meaning they gain weight in the form of fat.

Now that we got that covered. Let's begin breaking down the three exercises that everyone should be doing in their lives. Starting with:

RUNNING

Barney Stinson guide to running/marathons:

As much as I would like to agree with Barney, there's more to running than that though.
I personally did not take up running until late 2015 and I am not a fan of it. If you do however find it works for you then here are a few Tips for running and I'll fill out some more here as we go along the way. I just run nowadays to increase my lung capacity but hey, if it works for you then keep on running!


CARDIO

First off, cardio (or cardiovascular training) refers to any type of activity that involves testing your cardiorespiratory system. Basically any activity that increases your heart and breathing rate can be considered a form of cardiovascular exercise. Activities such as walking and dancing (e.g. Zumba) can be considered cardiovascular exercises. What I do want to focus on though is that when you do cardio, you must be targeting parts of your body and that you should cover all of it so you'll get the most of the time you spend on it.

Here's a sample regimen for your cardio workouts. You should be able to find one that works for you (there are literally thousands on the internet) but the one most important thing here is that consistency is key. Doesn't matter what you're doi as long as you stick to it. When you say you wan, it should be MWF no excuses. If you don't have time, you make time.

Personally, I used an app called 'Max Capacity Training' for Android phones (I think it's all available for the Iphone). It's claim of doing it for 16 minutes a day, 3 times a week for 12 weeks actually works. It may not essentially give  the best shape you've ever been in your life as the app claims but it surely make you make you stronger, leaner and meaner. You'll feel amazing after doing it for two months. I guarantee it.


LIFTING

Let's just get one thing straight right off the bat:

You may see body builders lifting heavy weights and think "I don't want to look like that".
The fact of the matter is that these guys are eating 5000+ calories per day in order to put on this weight.  By lifting weights, you become stronger and more toned.

Now that's out of the way. Let's start off into the wonderful world of weightlifting.

These three lifts are by far the best weightlifting exercises that should be included in every person's regimen when starting out with heavy lifting as these exercises are said to be the best for increasing the body's testosterone levels naturally. The benefits of increased testosterone are well documented: increased libido, healthy heart, less fat more muscle, denser and healthier bones and, most importantly, better mood in general.  Naturally increased testosterone levels is not just important for males, but for females as well. Do remember that you should ask someone who actually knows what he's doing or has been lifting for quite some time now to both show you the proper form and technique and if possible, to spot you. It's easy to say that you'll just watch a video about it on Youtube or I'll just wing it but trust me, it's better to be safe than sorry with these workouts because one false move and you can end up getting seriously injured or worse, get embarrassed at wherever you're working out (emotional pain too stronk lol)

So how much weight should you be lifting? First off, let's cover a few things first:
Strength training means choosing weights that allow you to train in a rep range of 1-6.
Building muscle mean choosing weights that allow you to train in a rep range of 8-12.
Focusing on muscular endurance means choosing weights that allow you to train for at least 15 reps.

Basically, what we need to be focusing on is building muscle as strength training focuses on well, building strength and is only advisable if you plan to compete in heavy lifting or body building competitions soon. Muscle endurance can come later when you actually have muscles that you can work with. Keep in mind we are just starting out here.

There are just two things that I need to point out when it comes to lifting:

You must use good form.. Each weightlifting exercise has its own "good form." Generally speaking, you have to control the weight, and only designated joints are supposed to be working. If it takes hip or knee action to curl a barbell, you're using joints that should not be involved.

Perform a "true" set of 8-12 reps. Of course, you can just adjust the weight and say you did 12 reps, but that's not a true set. A true set means that you're muscles are already hurting or at the point at where you cannot do another rep on your own with good form. If you can do a 13th rep, the weight you used was too light. Similarly, if you can do only 4-5 reps, the weight is too heavy for maximum muscle-building. The sweet spot lies in choosing a weight in which you can just do 8-12 reps on your own.

Gym rats or serious body builders also train the fast-twitch muscle fibers, usually starting with multijoint movements sorted by body part. Here the recipe calls for higher volume (3-4 working sets of multiple exercises at different angles) and shorter rest periods (60 seconds for smaller muscle groups and up to 90 seconds for larger ones) but you can focus on that later...

Right now, try to build a system where you can incorporate the three weighlifting exercises (Squats, Bench Press, Deadlifts) and mix it up with say, barbell curls for your arms or behind the lifts for your triceps. Make sure you hit that 8-12 reps marker and always use good form

Finally, I'd like to focus on this as well. Growth will also depend on the type of muscle cells the muscle is made up of.  One of the reasons squats is responsible for greater muscle growth on the quads, hamstrings and gluteus (maximus, medius and minimus) than other muscle groups is because of the eccentric muscle contraction on the downward movement of squats.
*The effect of resistance training combined with timed ingestion of protein on muscle fiber size and muscle strength. - Andersen et al., 2005

That's about it for this section. Moving on to part 3.



-Chady