Filed under: Basics
There are some people who continue to hit the gym year after year, and seem to make little or no progress towards achieving the body they desire. Most times it is due to a lack of the second FITT element; Intensity.
Intensity It is much like learning math; you wouldn’t expect to learn advanced calculus by simply adding 2 plus 2, over and over again for a year. The same goes for the body, you can’t expect to develop a stellar physique if you simply keep lifting the same amount of weight for the same amount of sets over and over again. You have to push your body, providing it with a reasonable overload, so that it is stimulated to respond and improve.
When you weight train, you should be continually trying to increase the amount of weight that you can lift. During the final set of an exercise you should completely exhaust the muscle so that you fall just short of being able to complete the full amount of repetitions. If you can perform three full sets of twelve repetitions for an exercise, then most likely the weights you’re using are slightly too low. The muscles are being exercised but they are not being stimulated to improve. To correct this you simply have to use a slightly heavier weight the next week.
Your cardio workouts should also increase in intensity. Each week you should be trying to improve upon the speed or the incline or the length of the session. Though you may not be successful in making an increase every week, it should always be your goal. To do this safely, you should only increase the length or speed of a workout by a maximum of 5% per week and you should always try to not exceed your target heart range.
As always, if you have any questions, don’t hesitate to ask the knowledgeable staff at Riverside Fitness.
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