Getting Results In Record Time!
This article was written by Ken Babich.
Sound nutrition (like that demonstrated by all Fit Over 40 role models) and an understanding your goals and abilities in the gym can keep you in great shape well into your senior years. Too many forty-plus folks have fallen for the myth that you need numerous days per week of hard training to get good results. That is more bunk from the “magazine” world, which is full of bodybuilders putting their body into a dangerously high gear using illegal steroids. Good news-drugs and lengthy workouts are not required!
For us in the forty and over club, it’s important to consider frequency, intensity and time. The frequency of your training can make or break your results. I split my workout up into 4 days. Below is an example of my personal results-oriented routine:
- Monday-Chest/traps/abdominal
- Tuesday-Back/Hamstrings
- Wednesday/rest
- Thursday-Shoulder’s/Bi/Tri/abdominal
- Friday-Quads
- Saturday/rest
- Sunday/rest
Remember, you do not grow in the gym—you grow while resting. You must give your body rest, and that’s why I space my days the way I do. I learned a long time ago that its not how much time you put into your workouts as much as it is what you do with each exercise while your working out. Beginners and older bodybuilders will not grow from using a continuous all out effort in their workouts. It won’t take long for it to have a negative reaction on your body and send you into overtraining.
Varying Intensity
Your intensity will vary according to your personal level of fitness and tolerance to strenuous exercise. Your weight selection should always be ruled by the workout tempo. To many folks in the gym simply “perform the exercise.” It’s not about the exercise-it’s about what the exercise is doing. Seek to understand that each exercise has a specific pathway and each movement should be done slow and deliberate. Sixty percent of your strength is during the eccentric (lowering) motion; so lower the weight slowly for maximum effect. There’s no reason to overload the joint with massive weight.
Do not take long rests. Thirty to forty seconds is my suggestion. As we move into our 40’s and up, we must train smarter and strive for less and less time spent in the gym. Your muscles thrive on discipline. There is an electrical energy that’s generated when working out hard! Don’t disrupt it with lengthy rests. Maintain concentration not only during your set but also even during your prescribed rest period.
Time In The Gym
The amount of time you spend training is another make or breaker. When asking most people how long they train, I’ll usually get “about three hours”. This myth can be debunked with some simple math. Most sets take a person about 18 to 20 seconds, so twenty seconds times 12 sets for a body part (a high number) would take you only twelve minutes-and that includes a 40 second rest! It’s just foolish to train longer than you have to. You have nothing to gain from a three-hour workout. Your body will reach a catabolic state within 60-90 minutes. So get in, do your workout and get out. I also change my exercises every four weeks and adjust my rep ranges at the same time. On days that I’m really feeling my oats, I do an abdominal exercise during my rest period for even greater time efficiency. This burns more calories as well.
The Secrety of Time Under Tension
Lastly, here’s a great secret for intensity. It’s called “TUT”, or Time Under Tension. Prolong each of your sets for 30 seconds. Don’t just burst’ into the contraction phase of your movement, you must squeeze the muscle. Give the set time under the weight. Your muscles will respond with new growth and tone.
Editor’s Note: To read more about Ken Babich, order Fit Over 40: Role Models For Excellence At Any Age today!
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