We run this race because God has given us a crown. We don’t need to win the crown, we just have to receive it.
I press on toward the goal for the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus. Philippians 3:14 NASB
Run. Endure. Finish Strong.
Understanding your health and physique goals and programming to those goals is very important.
I am not the fastest and I am not a body builder, but I have achieved most of my health and physique goals.
There is a balance in my training between endurance and resistance training to achieve those goals. I want heart health, weight loss and a muscular physique. At the same time, I want to eat the foods I love.
So, I can’t over index on endurance training if I want continuing muscle growth. Yet, for cardiovascular health and an efficiently running “motor”, I need the aerobic endurance training.
Below us an excerpt from a really boring study to help us all understand this.
Chronic endurance/aerobic training, in the absence of regular anaerobic training (e.g. resistance training and/or high intensity interval training) provides ONLY a catabolic stimulus to the body. It does not provide an anabolic (muscle building) stimulus.
There also seems to be an inverse relationship between endurance and both muscle hypertrophy and rate of force production (i.e. you aren’t going to get bigger and stronger by engaging only in endurance training — the opposite will occur).
This is partly because muscle fibers adapt by becoming smaller in size so that, along with an increase in mitrochondrial and capillary density and function, there is less muscle mass for oxygen to diffuse through to enter the cells, which assists in allowing the muscles to be much more efficient in consuming oxygen and increasing aerobic capacity — oxygen can get into the cells more quickly.
What are your thoughts on this? Are you pushing aerobic training too much? Maybe you are hitting the resistance training and forgot about the health benefits of aerobic exercise?
Do you need guidance on creating an exercise plan to meet your goal? If so, set up a call with me to get started.
Periodization is important when maintaining lean muscle mass and continued hypertrophy.
For the last couple of months I’ve been doing body weight, stability and endurance exercises. Mostly due to gym closure. But for the month of June I will be doing a Hypertrophy focus again.
Hypertrophy (yes, gym muscles) requires a little bit different programming and acute variable. I’ll use a split-routine (different muscles groups each day of the week) and will use 3 set, with 6 to 12 reps and will use a weight equal to 75% to 85% of my 1 rep maximum.
For example, if my maximum standard bench press is 210, then I will do my reps with 75% to 85% of that weight to help grow muscle mass or surface area.
Of course, I won’t totally forsake endurance and stability training. So, I’ll continue to sprinkle that in on days that I can’t get in the gym.
What are your plans for the month of June?
Contact me and let me help you by creating a specific plan for you. And join the Flesh Tamers Fitness community.
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The simple (and complicated) answer is that there is no “best way” to lose fat. The truth is that you will lose fat when you continuously get less energy than you use. No matter what you eat and when.
Most people are after a specific diet or exercise to get rid of excess fat from different areas of the body. And people tend to forget that all exercising burns calories. Of course, HIIT may burn more than walking, but you should always aim for exercises that you like because you are better to maintain things that you make you feel good.
Fat never burns locally. It will always disappear first where it most easily accessed by the body.
But doing resistance training will increase muscle mass, and it forces fat to divide into the broader surface area. That makes you look more fit, and more lean muscles mass will help you burn calories more when you exercise and when you are at play.
To read more about this and to download my nutrition plan, check out the Flesh Tamers Fitness app.
This weekend is going to be packed with activities.
Saturday morning is F3 workout with the men of F3 Northwest Arkansas at 6:30. Which includes my 15 year old who we call Fortnite. They call me Huckleberry. Fitness, Faith and Fellowship are the key principles.
Then a long 20 mile bike ride with my wife.
We’ll hopefully have a relaxing lunch before the grass mowing begins. And then hopefully we’ll enjoy and nice family dinner.
Sunday will be church. I’ll go early to help serve at 9:00 and then I’ll attend worship at 10:15.
On the way I’ll need to stop by Red Barn donuts and 7 Brew. I have to fuel up for my long run Sunday afternoon.
This Sunday will be a 10 mile run at a 7:45 pace. That’s the goal anyway.
What are you doing this weekend to tame the flesh? Comment and share.
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