2 posts tagged “strength training”

Today I will be doing a split workout or what in sports circles is called a "two-a-day" workout.  I don't do split workouts very often because I usually can't fit two workouts into my days.  I'm NOT an early morning workout person, nor am I inclined to workout after 8pm.  So, 95% of the time I do one workout a day.  Today, I have the time to do 2 workouts.

When I feel like I need an extra fat and calorie burning boost (or back when I was training for half marathons), I do a split workout.

The advantage of a split workout is that you will burn more total calories over the course (and after) the workouts than if you just do a total workout once a day.  For men, the advantage is increased muscle gains (muscle hypertrophy)over a shorter period of time.  If you are a body builder, or are lifting for gaining size on a regular basis then you can take more days off for total rest.  For women, we will burn more fat overall and we girls need that. 

There are a million different ways you could do a split workout.  I won't go into the intricacies of some of the diffferent ways.  I prefer to do my cardio for one workout and my strength training for my second workout. 

If you decide to start doing splits, keep your workouts to about 30 - 40 minutes each (this includes warmup, cool down and stretching).   Also, make sure you have 5 - 6 hours of rest between workouts.

A good way to incorporate split workouts into your regular routine is to do two-a-days once a week, do your regular routine the next day and take the third day off, resuming your regular workout schedule for the rest of the week on the 4th day. 

Give it a try!

According the the latest U.S. Department of Health guidelines, we adults should aim for 2 1/2 hours of exercise per week. Or basically 30 minutes of physical activity 5 days a week because Americans were just exercising too much!

Ok, ok, I jest.

It seems the guidelines from a few years ago have been scaled back by about half.  In 2002, the guidelines were one full hour of exercise per day for adults to maintain health and weight. 

I have to both agree and disagree with both guidelines, old and new. 

With approximately 25% of the U.S. adult population medically obese there is a need for all of us to get off our butts and sweat a little (or a lot) on a regular basis.  Some exercise is way better than none even if it's only 30 minutes one or two times a week.  It really should be three times a week, but if you are not someone who exercises regularly you gotta start somewhere. 

I'm not advocating doing less exercise, but again, some is better than none.  For busy people, thirty minutes of physical activity 5 days a week is very doable.  I will advise that in addition to the 30 minute minimum you should add a 5 minute cool down and 3-5 minutes of stretching. 

Remember that the 2 1/2 hour recommendation is the bare minimum required to improve health.  If you need to lose weight (body fat) you need 30 minutes to 1 hour of aerobic exercise 3-5 days a week.  Make sure you are also getting 20 minutes of resistance training at least 2X per week as well.

If you workout daily I know I don't need to remind you to take at least one day a week off from exercise to allow your body to fully recover.  

Just get moving, or as Nike advocates....JUST DO IT!

Sabrina Peterson

Personal Trainer and Weight Loss Coach, Corrective Exercise Specialist