BIG RED

What is the Best Type of Exercise

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 If you want to get active and look after your health, the best type of exercise is an activity that you enjoy.  If you enjoy the activity you are more inclined to stick at it and make it a part of your lifestyle.  Generally exercise takes on two forms Aerobic and Resistance.

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Aerobic Exercise

This is commonly referred to as cardio.  Its exercise that requires pumping of oxygenated blood by the heart to deliver oxygen to working muscles. Aerobic exercise stimulates the heart rate and breathing rate to increase in a way that can be sustained for the exercise session.  This could be riding your bike or going for a walk or run.

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Resistance Training

This is training with weights to provide muscle conditioning.

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If you combine both types of exercise you will be the best results.

 

Australian Guidelines on Physical Activity

Australian guidelines suggest:

• To be active most if not all days of the week

• Undertake 150-300 mins of moderate intensity physical activity (such as dancing, brisky walk, swimming)

• or 75-150 mins vigorous intensity physical activity.

• Complete resistance training at least twice a week.

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Training for Results

Reminder:

• Always warm up first

• Movements should be controlled

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How do you break plateaus and constantly get results?  No matter if the goal is to loose body fat or to build muscle constantly changing how you train and what exercises you do is critical to your success.

 

Here are some tips to mix up your resistance training routine:

 

Super sets

A superset is when you complete two exercises working the same muscle group.  Firstly you complete one set of the one exercise followed by one set of the second exercise.  There is no rest between exercises in super sets.  A rest of 60-90 seconds is taken once both exercises of the superset are completed.

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Add in a pause

A 3 second pause is plenty.  When the muscle is fully contracted on any exercise it can be very effective if everything is shaking you definitely pushing your limits.

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Drop sets

This is when you complete the exercise until muscle failure then reduce the weight and complete as many reps as you can until you achieve failure and continue until you complete hundreds of reps till its burning so bad you want to spew!

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Uploading

Similar to drop sets but it is kind of the opposite.  This is where you start with a lightish weight and complete high reps, then next increase the weight and do lower reps.  For example: bicep curls 7.5kg 20 reps, 10kg 15 reps, 12.5kg 12 reps, 15kg 8-10 reps.

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Change the tempo 

Trying doing any exercise in slow motion is always tougher feel the burn baby!

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Change your grip or the width of your stance

Alter how you grip or stand when using equipment.  Narrow grip/stance, neutral grip/stance or wide grip/stance.  For example for barbell curls you may even decide first set narrow grip, second set neutral and third wide grip.

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Negatives

This is when you perform and exercise fast up to the point of contraction and slow on the way down.

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Train High Reps

Some weeks try training lower weight higher reps.  Other weeks heavy low reps.