Sun, Jan-10-10, 04:38
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Plan: Muscle Centric
Stats: 238/153/160
BF:
Progress: 109%
Location: UK
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Yesterday's workout:
Squat 3x12
Lat pulldown 3x12
Standing overhead shoulder press 3x12
One-arm dumbbell row 3x12
Bench press 3x12
Calf raise 2x15
Swissball crunches 100
Quote:
From The Times
January 9, 2010
How much does exercise really matter?
Dr Mark Porter
Regular exercise is the closest thing medicine has to a panacea — benefits range from alleviating depression to protecting against breast cancer — yet three women out of four and two thirds of men in Britain shun it, and the remainder often do the wrong types for the wrong reasons. So what is the latest thinking on exercise, and how can you gain the maximum returns from the minimum investment?
The Department of Health recommends that adults should exercise for at least 30 minutes (an hour for children) on most days of the week; where moderate exercise is defined as something that makes you slightly sweaty and out of breath, but not enough to stop you holding a conversation. Most experts now agree that you need to work harder than that, and if you can hold a conversation while exercising you are not pushing hard enough. The most beneficial exercises are probably high-intensity workouts, such as Spinning classes, fast circuits and interval training (jogging interspersed with short bursts of faster running).
If you are plugging in the headphones and pounding away on an exercise bike or treadmill for half an hour while watching a bank of TV screens, you need to change your gym, or ask a trainer to show you how to get more out of your session. I do very little aerobic exercise (cycling, jogging, etc) when I go to the gym and prefer to concentrate on balance, flexibility and core stability — routines that involve lunging, planks, medicine balls/kettle weights or anything involving an exercise ball. Routines like this will improve your posture and help you to cope with problems from stress incontinence to lower back pain.
In the ideal week you should intersperse three gym sessions to work on strength, flexibility and posture with two outdoor sessions aimed at improving your aerobic fitness. Why go to a gym to run or cycle when you can do the real thing in fresh air? And be careful about depending on exercise to lose weight. If weight loss is your primary aim, always combine diet with exercise and try to avoid rewarding yourself with a treat after a workout.
Exercise will help to protect your body against the ravages of time, but the older you are the more you will have to do to maintain the status quo, so get into the habit early.
DOCTOR’S TIPS FOR FITNESS VIRGINS
The key to starting any exercise programme is to avoid overdoing it; it will just put you off and you will give up within a couple of weeks. Use the formula below to train at the optimum intensity — the level of exertion at which you will maximise your return on your effort.
First buy a heart-rate monitor from a good sports shop; monitors start at about £30.
Subtract your age from 220 to get your maximum heart rate (MHR). Never exceed this in training. I am 44, making my MHR 176 beats per minute.
Aim to work out at an intensity that raises your heart rate to between 65 per cent and 85 per cent of your MHR , making my training range 114 — 150 beats per minute.
For maximum benefit, aim to exercise within your training range for at least 20–30 minutes four times a week.
As you become fitter you will have to push harder to raise your pulse rate into the range. At first, brisk walking may be enough; six weeks later you could be cycling up hills.
http://women.timesonline.co.uk/tol/...icle6979655.ece
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I rather liked this article, mainly because it's how I work out; 3 sessions of strength at the gym each week, combined with yoga classes for flexibility and posture, and walking (and some running) outdoors.
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