Sunday, July 24, 2011

How Best To Spend Your Workout Time ?


I have spent my whole adult life studying fitness and eating for health and obtaining a lean body with plenty of energy and youth.

I have trained for marathons and also lifted heavy weights in the gym as well as participating in Yoga and group exercise classes like RPM and spinning.

While i have always enjoyed cardio exercise the most I recently have realized  after studying the latest research and testing some of the theories on myself, that for most of us over 40 years of age need to do more weight training and core exercises like TRX, Bosu Ball, Fit Ball and Yoga, and perhaps a bit LESS cardio!

Less Cardio???...You may be surprised to hear me say this but sometimes LESS is MORE!!
Our bodies can only take so much cardio as it is a stressful form of exercise, not only for our joints and bones and muscles but also for our hormonal systems in general.

I would like to suggest that 40 minutes of cardio daily is enough for just about anyone and additional time you may have for fitness is best spent doing:
1.       Yoga
2.       TRX
3.       Weight training
4.       Circuit training with Bosu Balls, Medi Balls, etc for core muscles
5.       Stretching
6.       Pilates

The best person to consult is a personal trainer you trust who is certified by a reliable organization like IFPA or AFAS.

I am sharing this information with you because i often see many gym members in Jakarta doing an hour of cardio or more but not seeing improvement and finding they feel tired and run down and even gaining weight because the stress is too much for the body to handle.

If you do TRX, Yoga, or weights you will build a stronger faster metabolism that will keep your body lean and allow you to eat more!

See you in the gym soon!

Brian J Billdt