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Afraid of putting on too much muscle?

November 17, 2011 By Courtnie Leave a Comment

Lean muscle is your weight loss friend!

Most women worry that they are going to get too muscular if they start lifting weights. But the truth is, it very hard genetically as a female to increase your muscle mass!

Amanda and I can both vouch that it is a lot of work to put on muscle as a female :O

Time and time again I see women at the gym with there 3-5 lbs, dumbbell weights doing biceps curls……..Let me put this into perspective for you, the average purse that you carry probably weighs more than those 3-5 pounds, even a four liter jug of milk from you local shopping market will weigh more then 3-5 pounds.

The truth is putting on some muscle is going to help you lose weight, not bulk up!

Most people know that muscle burns more calories than fat but, just how much more? Over the years I’ve heard that a pound of muscle can burn anywhere from 30-100 extra calories a day!!

Tip #1. Things to watch when trying to put on muscle is, believe it or not: the birth control pill, this will increase your estrogen and or progesterone hormone levels and make it harder to add muscle.

Tip #2. I frequently get asked what to do first, cardio or weights, and the answer is; do what ever you would like to improve first. So if you are looking to improve your time or distance running, do cardio first. However if you are looking to in muscle mass do weights first. This allows you to put your greatest effort into reaching your goal. Even better yet split your workouts up, but this will require you hit the gym twice a day!:O)

So get pumped up, and let your muscles melt the calories away!

~Courtnie~
Filed Under: Exercise, Random

Running shoes have a shelf life too

November 12, 2011 By Courtnie Leave a Comment

Once you have put too many miles on your running shoes you must get a new pair, to avoid injuries and set backs.

Running shoes have a shelf life too!

Stopping in at running shoe specialist store such as the Running Room, maybe a good idea before getting a new pair of runners.

They are professionally trained to assess the wear and tear on your old shoes and can suggest a new pair of runners that will meet you your needs in functionality and will help you choose a shoe that will provide your feet with the proper support.

Inspecting the wear and tear on my shoes, especially the soles, and also by feel. I can usually tell by small aches and pains that start in the chins, heels and arch of my feet.

I prefer the Sacony runner myself, it fits and my feet best, and I feel it is reasonably priced for it’s value! But again this is why seeing a specialists will help you in determining what shoe brand/model  best fits your needs.

Things to think about when choosing a shoe include:

  • Do you  have high or low arches?
  • Do you have wide or narrow feet?
  • Do your feet invert or evert?
  • Assessing your gait; such as your heel strike.
  • Most important of all what activity will you be using the shoe’s for?

As far as shoes life span, it depends on the activity that you are preforming and what type of surface your on! For a runner, running on ashfault their shoes life will not last as long if you were running on trails! For me personally an average life span is somewhere between 400-600km.

Exceeding your shoes life span can lead to major problems if not caught early. Including shin splints, knee, hip and even back issues, Yikes. So remember to be nice to your feet and treat them to a new pair of shoes when needed.

Once you have purchased your replacement runners remember to slowly switch over, break them in gradually!

And now tie up your laces and get sweating!! :O)

~Courtnie~

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Are you working out hard enough??

May 10, 2011 By Courtnie Leave a Comment

How do you know if you are working out to your full potential?

 

Try using your Target Heart Rate Zone (THR)

When working out within your THR zone your body is getting an optimal workout with maximum benefit!

You can accurately track of your  heart rate using a heart rate monitor. The heart rate monitor will give you constant update of your heart rate, without having to stop and manually take it.

If you opt-out of buying a monitor you can take you pulse that same why you did it when first figuring out your target heart rate! (see instructions below)

You can use this easy calculation to figure out your Target Heat Rate;

Step 1

Take your Resting Heart Rate (RHR)

The best time to take this is when you first wake up.

However you can also take it during the day, just make sure you have been resting/ sitting for at least 5 minutes.

Using your index and middle finger, place it at the inside of your wrist at the base of your big thumb.

Step 2
 

Using a digital watch our  clock with a seconds hand, you are then going to count the number beats in 60 seconds

this gives you x beats per minute (bpm)

Step 3

Grab you calculator…… Yes there is a little bit of math involved!!

We are going to use 60-80% as our target heart rate zones.

Start by:

Subtract you age from 220

Example calculation;

220-20 = 200

then using this number you are going to to times it by your upper and lower limits!!!

Lower limit

.60 x 200 = 120

20 + 120 = 140 bpm

Upper limit

.80 x 200 = 160

20 + 160 = 240 bpm

You want to warm-up with you heart rate below your lower limit, so in the example above, you would warm -up with your heart rate below 160 bpm and train between 160-240 bpm!

 

There are different zones that you can use when working out. Not only is it useful to know what the different zones are used for but also when you should apply them to your workout;

 

Warm-up zone  50 – 60% of maximum heart rate: This is the easiest zone and would be good for someone who is just beginning a fitness program and has not been physically active in a while! Don’t be fooled even though your are working a slower pace 85% of calories burned in this zone are from fats!

 

Fitness Zone 60 – 70% of maximum heart rate: This zone is a little more intense, improving your cardiovascular health and helping decrease cholesterol levels. In this zone you are burning more total calories.

 

Aerobic Zone 70 – 80% of maximum heart rate: In this zone you are improving your endurance. Overall you are still burning more calories in total however the amount of calories from fat are at 50%.

 

Anaerobic Zone 80 – 90% of maximum heart rate: This zone would be used for high performance training. Helping improve your VO2 maximum (the highest amount of oxygen one can consume during exercise) and a higher lactate tolerance ability which means your endurance will improve and you’ll be able to fight fatigue better. This is a high intensity zone burning more calories, 15 % from fat.

I would suggest working out between 60-80% of your Heart Rate maximum as calculated above, but depending on your goals you can calculate your target heart rate for any of the zones noted above.

Remember to always train safely, and to check with a physician prior to commencing any new workout program!

Have fun :O)

your fitness expert

~Courtnie~

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Interval Workout

April 22, 2011 By Courtnie Leave a Comment

Want to try a High Intensity Interval Training/ Sprint workout but don’t know where to start?

High Intensity Interval Training (HIIT) will help inprove your performance in shorter training sessions and leave you burning tons of extra calories well after you are done your workout!!

Interval training increases your Resting Metabolic Rate (RMR) up to 24 hours post workout!!!!!

OK, so here is a great way to get started,  I just finished this workout with my personal trainer/dog Axel!! He keeps me going even when I want to stop :O)

If you love the new Britney Spears CD you will love this workout!!

First download ”Till the World Ends” by Britney Spears onto your ipod. Check out the link to hear the song.

Then start jogging and everytime Britney breaks into the coarse “Woah oh oh oh oh oh”  Start your sprint, and then bring your intensity back down to a jog/walk recovery once the corus is over!

Put the song on repeat giving you three sprints per song!

Remember to properly warm-up and cool down! :O)

Have fun

~Courtnie~

Filed Under: Exercise, Our Workouts Tagged With: , , , , , , , , , ,

Lucky Number 7

April 8, 2011 By Amanda 1 Comment

A Learn2Sweat Faveeee! This is a great fat blasting circuit! High Intensity, interval workouts get your metabolism revving for many hours after you workout

Cardio on its own at a steady state is said to increase your metabolism for 6-7 hours

Weight training can increase your metabolism for 6-7 DAYS

& HIIT (high intensity interval training) is said to increase your metabolism  for 3 to 4 days.

So in this type of workout we’re taking advantage of our metabolisms and combining weight bearing exercise with HIIT. Making our metabolism’s increase drastically for a longer period of time! Burning fat and gaining muscle!!

I know our girls at our bootcamps will love this one! Here is what we will be doing tonight:

Repeat 7 times! (7 seems to be our lucky number)

1. 50 Step Ups (25 per side)

2. 20 Over head shoulder presses

3. 20 Push ups

4. 50 Kettle bell swings

5. 50 Medicine Ball Twists

6. 20 Tricep dips

7. 7 Burpees (hehehe Lucky number Seven!)

Have fun trying this one out!!

Filed Under: Exercise, Our Workouts Tagged With: , , , , , , , , ,

Sleep deprivation is detrimental to you workout program

March 31, 2011 By Courtnie Leave a Comment

Sleep and exercise go hand in hand; exercise improves your sleeping quality and getting proper sleep will help with muscle recovery

When working out your muscles become sore because you create small micro tears within the muscle. These micro tears are good, this is how our muscles grow. When your body repairs these tears it causes muscle hypertrophy (muscle growth).

For muscle hypertrophy to occur, you must allow an adequate muscle recovery period.  Including enough time between workouts (split routines), proper nutrient intake, and enough sleep!

A lot of your muscle/tissue repair occurs while you are sleeping!

On the other hand, an adequate amount of exercise could improve your sleep quality and quantity, but too much will could cause a disturbance in your sleep pasterns, So find your balance.

Tips on how to get a good night sleep;

  1. Try drinking some warm herbal tea prior to going to bed, to help unwind and relax before
  2. Stick to a routine
  3. Sleep only at night, no more naps through the day
  4. Don’t workout prior to going to bed as this causes a release of endorphins, and elevates heart making it hard to settle down for bed
  5. Take a warm bath or hot shower helping your you muscle and to relax and relieve stress
  6. Avoid eating (~2 hours) prior to going to bed, so your tummy isn’t churning while you are trying to fall asleep
  7. Avoid caffeine
  8. Make a peaceful sleeping environment, aviod studying, working or watching TV in bed
  9. Get your 30min+ of exercise in a day. Try adding yoga/meditation classes to you daily fitness routine
  10. Try reading for fun (novel) to help get your mind off of every day life stresses

Hope these tips  help!

Keep track of your sleep pasterns while training, because a some signs of over triaining include;  disturbed sleep patterns, and increased need for sleep.

Check out the blog “Are you over doing it?” for other signs and symptoms of over training.

Like what you see!! Leave a comment, and like us on facebook so you can stay updated with our innovative work outs and healthy eating and every day fitness tips!

Sweet dreams :O)

~Courtnie~

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Are you afraid of the gym?

March 3, 2011 By Courtnie Leave a Comment

Are you afraid of the gym??

If you are, you are not alone!

A lot of people are intimidated when they first start working out in a gym.

Having thoughts  such as:

” I don’t want to look like I don’t know what I am doing, I don’t know where anything is, everyone is going to stare at me if I do something wrong.”

Don’t worry, you can put your negative thoughts at ease.

There are many others at the gym who are thinking the exact same thing as you.

And the good thing is those who don’t have these thoughts,  avid gym goers, will be so involved in their own workout to even notice you!

However I do recommend, anyone starting a new work out program, to get a few sessions with a Certified Personal Trainer. This will help you not only learn how to do new and exciting exercises properly, but also help  avoid unwanted injuries due to bad technique!

So there you go, another excuses to start working out avoided!!! So start Learning how 2 Sweat today :O)

Learn2sweat Certified Personal Trainers Courtnie McInnes and Amanda Lee offer one-on-one and group training, where we teach you how to sweat, and get you the results you want :O)

You can book your own time with Courtnie or Amanda by going to Learn2Sweat Programs, and by checking out our Learn2Sweat Calender for current training availably.

Filed Under: Exercise, Motivation Tagged With: ,

Are you over doing it?

December 28, 2010 By Courtnie Leave a Comment

Are you over training?

Most people think that more is better, but not in this case. By over training you actually end up with hurting your progress, and possible even yourself. Learn2Sweat workout programs are designed to prevent over training and provide you with the tools to recognize over training.

look out for these signs and symptoms of over training:

Decrease in performance

Decrease in aerobic power

Decrease in appetite

Decrease in skill level

Increase in injuries (usually over use injuries)

Increase infection (Upper respiratory infections)

Increase in RHR

Disturbed sleep patterns

Change in mood

Increase in perceived exhaustion (same activity that seemed manageable, now feel too hard and unmanageable)

Depression

Irritability

Increased need for sleep

Loss of training desire

Watch out for these signs and symptoms of over training.

At first the the side affects may not be corrected with a short break from working out, however if over training symptoms are ignored for an extended period of time, it could months/ years to fully recover.

Be kind to your body and train safely!

~Courtnie~

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Order of Exercises

December 28, 2010 By Courtnie 2 Comments

Who knew you had to use your brain to build muscle?

Determining how you are going to split up muscle groups is very important when it comes to creating a workout program.

You want to ensure that you are neither neglecting, nor over training any muscle group.

Over training can cause injuries which will put you even further back from you end result goals. On the other hand  neglecting certain muscle group (such as apposing muscle groups) can also put you at a higher risk of injuries. So this is why it is very important to give your workout routine a lot of thought.

First you have to start by deciding how many days a week you can commit to your workout program.

Once you have this narrowed down you can then split up your muscles groups up evenly so that you are uniformly working out each muscle group, allowing enough time for full muscle recovery.

Muscle recovery is almost as important as the work out it’s self. Muscle soreness is actually caused by little micro tares in you muscles and your body needs the proper nutrition and rest to repair itself. As the muscles repair themselves, they grow in size, and is when/how your muscles grow. So someone who is the gym 5 days a week and working out the same muscle group everyday is not actually getting any further ahead, as they are impeding their muscle recovery and there progress.

Learn2sweat workout programs are designed to ensure proper measures are taken to avoid these types of injuries, and provide you with the results you want.

Filed Under: Exercise

Only piece of equipment you need is a deck of cards

December 28, 2010 By Courtnie 2 Comments

A workout that you can do anywhere, all you need is a deck or cards!

The suits of cards are assigned an exercise;

Spades = Lunges

Clubs = Squats

Diamonds = Sit-ups

Hearts = Push-ups

Flip one card over at a time and the number on the card is how many reps of the exercise you perform until you finish the entire deck.

Check out our card work out video>>>>>

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