WEIGHT LOSS:

-Vegetables are the most nutritious food group, it is also the group with less calories per gram. Make sure you include a great variety of veggies in your diet.Plan your meals around vegetables rather than think of them as optional side dishes.

-Eat 2 to 3 servings of fruit a day. Most people are scared of fruit because of the high sugar content. The reality is that fruits are a rich source of nutrients and eaten in moderate quantities are an essential component of any diet.

-Not all carbs are the same. We have heard this jingle before but it is true: refined carbs are all calories and very few nutrients. Eat whole grains and avoid anything with the word “enriched” it actually means that nutrients have been taken away from the grain. Avoid white bread, white rice, white pasta and other refined sugars, eat 100% whole grains and get the nutrients your body needs rather than diminished products.

-Reduce the amount of saturated and polysaturated fats in your diet. They are much harder to burn.

-Reduce your red meat intake to avoid excess cholesterol and saturated fats.

-Make fish you primary source of animal products, it is leaner has healthy omega-3 fatty acids and it is a great source of protein.

-Reduce alcohol intake. Alcohol has a similar structure as a carbohydrate but it metabolizes like a fat (twice as slow). Alcohol in very small quantities can be good for the heart but even in moderate amounts can be detrimental to your organs, slows down your metabolism and makes you gain weight.

-Drink plenty of water. Water helps with circulation, metabolic processes and has zero calories.

-Reduce meal portions, especially if you are eating foods that are large in calories. Weight loss is about calories in vs. calories out, you won’t loss weight if you eat more calories than the ones you burn.

-Avoid Hydrogenated Fats, this chemical will not just make you gain weight it could also contribute to cancer development.

-Exercise, exercise and exercise. If you think diet alone will make you lose weight then you are…RIGHT. However, the weight you lose will include large quantities of muscle and eventually halt progress as your body adapts to eating less calories. The only way to successfully lose weight, keep it off and live a healthy life is to eat a healthy diet and have an active lifestyle.

-According to the ACSM in order to lose weight a person must spend 5 to 6 hours of moderate intensity exercise a week along with a sensible diet.

-Don’t be a prisoner of the scale. While the number of the scale can measure progress, sometimes when you exercise the gain in lean muscle will make that number stay the same or even go up. Do not get discouraged as this is a desirable effect that will pay off in pounds lost in the near future.

-It takes a deficit of 3500 calories to burn a pound of fat. This means that your activity level must be 3500 calories above your food intake to lose one of fat.

-Fats regulate hormonal function and protect and insulate organs among other essential functions cut down on saturated and polysaturated fats as well as trans fats and hydrogenated oils but do not eliminate all fats or your health will suffer. The good fats are unsaturated fat and their consumption in moderation curves appetite and helps you lose weight.

-Measure your waist line, it is the best indicator of healthy weight loss. If you lost a lot of weight and your waist line remains the same you are losing mostly muscle. If it happens the other way around you are burning fat and adding muscle and tone.

-Learn to read labels. Here are some definitions to some key terms:

+Free: a product that contains “physiological Inconsequential” amounts of those components. For example: calorie free means less than 5 calories per serving and sugar fre means less than 0.5 grams per serving.

+Low: refers to foods that can be frequently consumed without exceeding dietary guidelines.

+Lean and extra lean: lean means less than 10g of fat, 4.5g or less of saturated fat, and less than 95 mg of cholesterol per serving and per 100g. Extra lean refers to less than 5g of fat, less than 2 g of saturated fat, and less than 95 mg of cholesterol per serving and per 100g.

+High: food that contains 20% more of the Daily Value for a particular nutrient in a serving.

+Good Source: one serving contains 10 to 19% of the daily value for that particular nutrient.

+Reduced: a nutritionally altered product that contains at least 25% less of a nutrient or of calories than the regular product.

+Less:a food that whether altered or not contains less than 25% of a nutrient or of calories.

+Light: can mean two things: first that a nutritionally altered food contains one third fewer calories or one half the fat of the reference food. Second, that the sodium content in the food has been reduced by 50%.

+More: the food contains 10% more of the daily value recommended. This definition also applies to terms such as fortified, enriched and added, although in these cases the food had been altered.

-Do some self analysis. Find out when you eat unhealthy foods and why. Are you eating out of boredom, for emotional reasons. Pinpoint the reasons and formulate alternatives to avoid those bad habits. If staying at home watching TV next to the refrigerator makes you want to pay numerous visits to it then spend more time outside and burn calories rather than add them.

-Every little effort counts. Take the stairs, walk an extra block, walk at a faster pace, do an extra 5 minutes in the treadmill, do some push ups before getting in the shower, turn happy hour into an activity that will make you happier in the long run.

-Do not shop for food when you are hungry.

-Plan your meals. Don’t wait until you are hungry to make the decision of what you want to eat, your body craves fatty and sugary foods.

-Look constantly for inspiration and motivation, set goals and fight to accomplish them. After you get them set new ones and keep going. Weight loss is only the first stage. You must make those changes permanent by creating a healthier, active lifestyle with better nutrition choices that will keep you looking but most importantly feeling the way you want.

RESISTANCE TRAINING TIPS:

I.DEFINITION: Resistance Training (RT) includes all form of training that uses resistance with the purpose of develop the person’s strength, muscular endurance, muscle hypertrophy or power. In order to develop an efficient program you must first ask yourself the following questions:

1.WHAT AM I TRAINING FOR?

The development of strength, muscular endurance, hypertrophy or power can go happen at the same time but not nearly with the same degree. To get the best results is best to focus on each element independently through a periodized program. Most athletic programs begin with the development of muscular endurance and then move on to develop strength and power. The training program must reflect its goals. If you are training to develop speed and power then slow repetitions will not help,if weight loss is the goal then emphasis on total body movements will be more efficient burning calories than single plain small muscle emphasis.

2.HOW MUCH TIME AM I WILLING TO DEDICATE TO MY TRAINING?

After you have decide what you goal is you must then consider the time and frequency that you have to dedicate to achieving that goal. Dramatic improvements will need larger investments in time and effort. Generally to see any significant benefits from RT a minimum of 2 sessions a week are needed.

3.WHERE WILL I TRAIN?

Location is of great importance. Many programs are abandon because of lack of convenience or boredom. Few people are able to achieve great results with a few pieces of equipment by themselves. Be honest with yourself and be aware that consistency is necessary for improvement and steady motivation. If you join a gym make sure is one you will be able to go with relative ease. If you hire a trainer make sure your schedule will work with his/hers. If you buy a piece of home equipment think of whether you will really use on regular basis for extended periods of time. The location of training is key for motivation and adherence to a program.

4. DOES THE NUMBER OF SETS, REPETITIONS AND AMOUNT OF REST MATTER?

The answer is yes, but do not get caught up into rigid programs without much variation. Generally speaking the following guidelines are used to work on the different components of RT:

A.MUSCULAR ENDURANCE: 12 plus repetitions at less than 70% of maximum weight you can lift taking short rests of less than 30″ in between sets.

B.HYPERTROPHY: 6 to 12 repetitions between 70 to 85% of max with 30″ to 1′ rest in between sets.

C.STRENGHT: about 6 reps at 85% or higher of max with 1 to 3 minutes rest.

D.POWER: 1 to 5 repetitions at higher than 80% of max. The movements must be fast and rest can last from 2 to 5 minutes in between sets.

5.HOW DO I MEASURE PROGRESS?

Progress can be measured subjectively and objectively. Subjective measures include the way you look and feel and a higher level of performance if training for a specific sport. Objective measures include the scale, body composition measurements and fitness testing. Lifting more weight, performing a more complex form of an exercise, taking less time to recover and the overall feel of greater connection with your body should be the easiest and most consistent way to measure progress.

II. Sample Routines: now that we have cover general aspects of RT let’s talk about the different routines you can use:

1. CIRCUIT TRAINING: this is form of training is ideal for designing muscular endurance workouts as well as providing a cardio workout. To design a circuit choose a series of exercises that could be a combination of machines, band, body weight, dumbbells,etc. After you have pick the exercises choose the order you will perform them, since endurance and hypertrophy are the primary goals of a circuit training workout you must keep rest to a minimum and the best weigh to do this while guarantying maximal effort is to alternate upper and lower body exercises in the circuit. There are no rulers written in stone so use this guidelines but do not be afraid to mix it up, include same cardio in between and try different sequences. 2.AGONIST-ANTAGONIST ROUTINE: this is a great way to ensure muscle balance.An agonist is the muscle that is doing the work (eg. bicep on bicep curl) where the antagonist is the muscle who performs the opposite motion to that muscle (eg. triceps on bicep curl). When designing an Agonist-Antagonist (AG-ANT) routine you must first know basic functional anatomy. Another way to think about is to perform pushing exercise and follow it by a pulling exercise or a flexing exercise following it by an extension move.Here are some pairing samples of this routine:Push Up-Pull up /Dumbell Press-Cable row /Bench Press-Lat Pull Down /Shoulder Press-One Arm Row/ Leg extension-leg curl/ Bicep curl-tricep pull down / Leg abduction-leg adduction/ Front Crunches-Lower Back Extensions.3.SPLIT BODY ROUTINES:a typical practice for bodybuilding routines. Since muscle groups generally need 48 hours to recover from an RT workout of moderate to high intensity and the goal is to RT more than 2 days a week and as many as 2 times a day then the routines need to be splited to prevent overtraining and injuries. Here is a sample split routine for a 5 a week RT program (cardio not included):Monday: Chest and Abs

Tuesday: Lower body (multijoint focus)

Wednesday: Back and Triceps and Abs

Tuesday: Lower body (single joint focus)

Friday: Shoulders and Biceps

The more frequent the workouts the more specific the splits, let’s look at a 8: workout a week sample routine (cardio not included):

Monday Morning: Quadriceps, Hamstrings and Glutes

Monday Evening: Abs

Tuesday Morning: Chest and triceps

Tuesday Evening: Calves and Abs

Wednesday Morning: Rest

Wednesday Evening: Rest

Thursday Morning: Repeat Monday Morning with a different sequence and exercise choices.

Thursday Evening: Biceps and Abs

Friday Morning: Back

Friday Night: Rest

Saturday: Chest, Biceps and Abs

4. SPORT SPECIFIC ROUTINES: here you must look at the biomechanics of the sport: the muscles involved, the needs for power, strength, etc. Every sport can benefit from RT but the programs vary because of the specific needs of every sport and the different player positions (eg: a running back needs more speed than a lineman and a lineman needs more raw strength and size). While some sports and positions need to work on size and strength (a rugby player or basketball center), others must develop maximal strength with minimal hypertrophy (a swimmer of triathlete). Muscle imbalances can be a problem when routines are too specific and this should not be overlooked. Olympic lifts and variations of them dominate specific sports performance training because almost every athlete benefits greatly from the development of power. When training for a sport more variables need to be considered to not waist time on a component that will not play a significant role in the performance of that sport (hypertrophy on distance running) or that could cause injuries due to overuse (excessive over the head exercises for baseball pitchers or swimmers). A needs analysis is essential before designing a Sport Specific Program.

5. GROUPING OF EXERCISES: this is probably the most common form of RT out there. The most common is to combine 3 exercises and perform 3 rounds of these exercises. You could also combine 2 or 4 exercise and perform less or more rounds. The options here are flexible but each grouping should have a purpose and follow the guidelines set for your specific goals (endurance, strength, hypertrophy, etc). Don’t be afraid to experiment and do not get caught into doing a routine over and over again. Your muscles will get use to it and they will progress slower.

6.TOTAL BODY ROUTINE: for people that workout no more than 3 times a week and beginners the Total Body Routines are adequate. When designing this routines make sure to begin with the larger muscles and multijoint movements before moving to smaller muscles and single joint moves. Here is an example of a Total Body Routine:

Chest Press/ Lat Pull Down/ Squat (repeat 3 times)

Lunges/ Cable flies/ One Arm Rows (repeat 3 times)

Bicep Curls/Tricep Pull Downs/ Leg Curls (repeat 2 times)

Lateral Raises/ Front Raises/ Leg Extensions (repeat 2 times)

Abs for 5 minutes

III. Resistance Training for Weight Loss: when using RT for Weight Loss purposes we have two main goals:

1.To develop muscle mass, so we change our body composition from adipose to lean tissue. This will eventually lead to a faster metabolism, better health, help with weight control and a create a more attractive physique.

2. To burn calories.

While a Weight Loss Program must include cardio and nutrition as well, RT plays a key role in this process. People who loss weight through diet only have a harder time keeping it off than those who exercise. In the area of exercise both cardiovascular training and RT play important roles and should not be excluded from the program. Here are some guidelines for the design of an RT program for weight loss:

-Keep repetitions from 10 to 20 for most of the sets (almost all).

-Focus on the larger muscles such as the quads, hamstrings, chest and lats. This ensures more oxygen being used, more blood being pumped by the heart and more calories burn.

-Don’t spend too much time working smaller muscles such as the biceps of calves. The get worked will doing other exercises (eg. biceps during a lat pull down).

-Do as many multijoint exercises as possible such as squat , lunges and bench press or push ups.

-The legs require more blood and oxygen to move and burn more calories. The build up of muscle on the legs will enhance Total Muscle Mass at a higher rate than building the upper body.

-Keep the rest to a minimum since hypertrophy is the main goal of the program.

-Mix some cardio with the RT, especially at the beginning. After cardio workouts became more intense this could be taken out of the RT sessions.

-Do 3 cardios and 3 RT sessions a week. Your goal should be to train for 1 hour at a moderate or higher intensity.

-At the beginning go easy, lift mostly body weight and light weights, keep reps high, take larger breaks (still try to keep them low) and focus on technique to avoid complications as the intensity increases.

-Increase intensity by lifting more weight and working at a faster pace. As you get more experience you can add some Strength Sets (4-6 reps with high loads) but don’t spend too much time on this mode as it does not promote as much calorie burning and muscle building. Still training for strength and/or power can be part of an Weight Loss Program.

-Change routines, don’t get stuck doing the same thing for months. Outsmart your body, change things up and create faster results.

IV.Resistance Training for Muscle Gain:

-Concentrate on working large body parts with multijoint movements.

-Don’t get stock on a particular number of sets of repetitions. The muscle cells have a greater growth response when they are exposed to different demands frequently.

-Change routines to avoid boredom and activate other muscle cells.

-Beware of developing imbalances or injuries by focusing on a particular body part too much.

-Consume extra calories and elevate your protein intake. Normal intake is about 0.8 g of protein per body weight. Depending on intensity of training you may wat to up that measure by 50% or more.

-Allow time to recover. It is in the recovery process that your body regenerates and grows, training at high intensities will develop faster results but if appropiate rest is not taken overtraining may halt progress and may lead to injury.

-Consume a carbohydrate-protein mix within 30 minutes of finishing your workout. This will enhance protein synthesis which produces growth and recovery.

-Get enough sleep so you can trigger hormonal responses that produce larger gains in anabolic (building phase) capacity.

-Keep adding intensity to your workouts. Don’t allow your body to complete adapt to the demands of your training. You must progressively push yourself to increase loads, reps and other elements of complexity such as coordination and balance to produce greater responses at the cellular level.

-Don’t fall into the trap of over supplementation. Your body will grow because of the training you do. Supplements such as protein powders and creatine might help you reach your goals but without hard training and clean nutrition based on natural foods you won’t get too far.