Making the weights heavier after time off from exercising

A client said, “You goofing on me; these weights are lighter”.

I replied, “No they are actually heavier”. I then showed him the recorded weights from our last workout. I had increased the weights since his last workout. He had gone on a cruise and was out for more than two weeks. 
He came back and fully expected to be weaker, as he had not workout in some time. He came back rested and the workout with the heavier weights was almost easy.

Once you have committed to an exercise program for an extended period taking a few weeks off can be a very good thing. How much rest is enough and how much is too much? If you are fully recovered and your body has overcompensated you come back stronger. The amount of time it
takes will vary by individual. Through trial and error you can eventually find
out what works. I spent years figuring it out; I was slow to learn that I would come back stronger after time off. At Austin TX Personal Trainers and New Orleans Personal Trainers our personal trainers have developed a high intensity training program (HIT) with special attention paid to
recovery to insure that the improvements are ongoing – our business depends on it. We cannot afford to have clients come in and ruin two workouts in a row by not being adequately recovered.

Related post:
How To Ruin Two Workouts

Does added muscle burn significant calories

Does adding a pound of muscle burn the often-quoted number of 50 calories a day? The 50-calorie-a-day number can’t be true if one makes the assumption that the muscle tissue you all ready had before adding that pound of muscle will produce the same calorie burn - i.e. all lean muscle tissue consumes 50 calories a day. A 155 pound man with 62 pounds of skeletal muscle would have to consume 3100 calories each day just to support his muscles.

A more reasonable assumption is that strength training will results in an increase in resting metabolism for existing muscle plus and an additional increase in metabolism for new muscle. From the article examining two studies Why The Confusion on Muscle and Metabolism? Wayne Wescott concludes:

Strength training does have a significant elevating effect on resting metabolic rate, and is therefore a highly beneficial exercise for increasing daily calorie utilization and enhancing fat loss. It would appear that the metabolic increase occurs in all of the strength trained muscle tissue, and that the additional energy utilization may be about 1.5 calories per pound of muscle per day.

The stats from the studies examined:

A standard three-month strength training program may produce the following effects in previously sedentary adults and seniors:

1. Increase overall resting metabolism by
about 7 percent.
2. Increase lean (muscle) weight by about 3 pounds.
3. Increase daily resting metabolic rate in all of the trained muscle by about
1.5 calories per pound (from 5.7 calories per pound to 7.2 calories per pound).

Interestingly both studies were conducted using brief, intense 30 minute workouts of the type we use at our facilities- Austin Personal Trainers andNew Orleans Personal Training. With strength training you burn calories four ways:

1. Added muscle burns additional calories.

2. Excess Post-exercise Oxygen Consumption (EPOC) - recovery and rebuilding muscle as a result of the workout

3. The workout itself.

4. Existing muscle regularly trained will experience an increase in tone and an increase in resting metabolism.

Strength training is something one might want to consider if one is embarking on a weight loss program. Not only will stronger people burn more calories at rest, people who are stronger can engage in more activities and do them for longer periods with less chance of injury creating a beneficial cycle of fat burning. For those will little free time you might want to consider high intensity strength training. For time spent nothing burns more calories than high intensity strength training - nothing. One study examining the effect of high intensity strength training on metabolism showed a nine-fold improvement in fat burning.

The value of strength training

From this Reader’s Digest article, The Importance of Strength Training:

The consensus is growing: Strong muscles are good for everyone. In fact, the American Heart Association now recommends that all adults strength train their major muscle groups at least twice a week.

The benefits mentioned in the article:

Strong muscles require active living.
More strength results in more protection for your joints and your back.
Improve your looks with strnger muscles.
Strong muscles help you lose weight
Strong muscles give you a mental boost.

Strong muscles are healthy for your heart

Strong muscles help fight free radicals

At New Orleans Fitness Training and at Austin Personal Training and we employ a high intensity interval training (HIIT) that addresses more of thebio-markers of aging than any other training protocol.

Lowering Blood Sugar with High Intensity Interval Training

From this article The Brief Way to Better Blood Sugar: 

Men in a small study who added short, intense bursts of activity to mini workouts seemed better able to metabolize sugars.

When the men were given the equivalent of a meal's worth of glucose at the end of the study, their bodies metabolized it better than before the study.

Researchers suspect that bursts of intensity during workouts elicit stronger contractions and therefore more glucose uptake in the large muscles attached to bones.

The high intensity interval training in this study was performed on exercise bikes. High intensity interval training can also be incorporating into strength training - perform a series of high intensity strength training exercises will little rest between the exercises.

This form high intensity interval strength training produces more Excess Post-exercise Oxygen Consumption (EPOC) than any other form of exercise. This is the type of personal training we do at Kelly's
Austin Personal Training in and at New Orleans Fitness Trainers.

The heart benefits of weight training

The results From this study Get Heart Healthy by Lifting Weights :

Resistance training is more beneficial than many believe," says lead researcher, Dr. Scott R. Collier. The resistance exercises produced a different pattern of blood vessel responses than the aerobic exercise, suggesting that the former may have important and unique benefits for cardiovascular health. The resistance exercise produced greater increases in blood flow to the limbs—even though it also caused small increases in central arterial stiffness. In contrast, aerobic exercise decreased arterial stiffness—but without an increase in blood flow.

Resistance exercise also led to a longer-lasting drop in blood pressure (as much as 20 percent) after exercise, compared to aerobic exercise.

High Intensity Interval Training HIIT utilizing strength training exercises is the type of training we do at Austin Personal Trainers and New Orleans Personal Training. The demanding work strengthens muscles, and it heart health as well.

Past blog entries dealing wht the heart health benefits of strength training:

1. The Heart Can Benefit From Brief Intense Exercise

2. Conventional wisdom and the benefits of strength training for cardiovascular health and weight loss

3. Brief, Intense Exercise Can Benefit The Heart

4. High-intensity exercise better at improving metabolic syndrome risk factors

Less intense exercise can be better – two observations.

Some trainees want to go all out every time. Some trainees think they are going all out. They really haven’t revved up their engines as high as they think they have, but that is another matter. For those who like to go all out it is a good thing for awhile. After a time the most hardened trainee will suffer from burnout or become over-trained.

A good trainer will anticipate the burnout or the over-training and make pro-active adjustments for the trainee. Sometimes as trainers we miss the cues and have to make adjustments after the fact. I had one client who absolutely loved the workouts and trained very hard. He then became sporadic in his attendance. I asked him about it. He told me no longer looked forward to the sessions and would look for a reason to stay late at work so that he could avoid an appointment. Lesson learned; we made adjustments. We did not go hard every time after that. When we did he was really up for it.

I had driven woman who swam hard three times a week at 6:30 in the morning in addition to her training with me. When she first started training with me she improved steadily. The improvement soon diminished, and then it stopped. I had raised her weight on the leg press just two pounds. With great difficulty she managed 60 seconds of exercise, not the usual 90 to 120 seconds. I had her take a week off. We avoided the leg press for a while, and we did a few moderate workouts. After five weeks we went back to the leg press. I was anxious to see what would happen after five weeks of not doing the leg press. For her the weight almost felt easy, and she did the exercise a minute longer than her previous effort – she had doubled her time on an exercise that had crushingly defeated her the last time out.

Had I not had her rest and told her to fight through that plateau she would be forever stuck at the same weight on the leg press. From that point on we trained on the leg press less often and her improvement continued unabated.

Everyone has a different capacity for demanding exercise, just as some people can tolerate more time in the sun before burning. As trainers we make inferences concerning a client’s ability to recover and improve from exercise primarily by monitoring a client’s improvement or lack thereof. With experience we get it right most of the time.

Through trial and error you can eventually find out what works. At Austin TX Personal Trainers and New Orleans Personal Trainers our personal trainers have developed a high intensity training program (HIT) with special attention paid to recovery to insure that the improvements are ongoing – our business depends on it.

Related post:
How To Ruin Two Workouts

Less frequent exercise can be better - a personal experience

When I first began lifting weights I worked out every other day - Sunday, Tuesday, Thursday and Saturday, Monday, Wednesday, Friday - repeat - and I never missed for five straight months.  The sessions were with a personal trainer, and accurate records were kept.

Soon my progress stopped. I was particularly stuck with bicep curls just barely achieving eight reps each time for five months. Twice during that time I got nine reps on that one exercise; I likened it to a religious experience – achieving beyond the realm of normal.  The workouts during this time were grueling, as I was hell bent on breaking through a plateau.

I went home for Christmas.  It had been more than a week since my last workout when I found a health club with the very same line of equipment I had been using. I thought surely I would be weaker. I was shocked to find that I was stronger. On the bicep curls I got eleven reps, not the usual eight. I had no explanation for it. I concluded that it must be that the equipment was better oiled. I was not ready to accept that less can be better.

The positive adaptation resulting from strength training involves a structural change - the rebuilding of muscle. For most that involves several days to be fully recovered. Think how long it takes an injury to totally heal. Some go back to the gym before being fully recovered and as a result make minimal progress. Some repeat this mistake for years. I was one of them. 

On the other hand, the positive adaptation as a result of aerobic activity is primarily a bio-chemical change - the body up-regulates its ability to burn sugar for an extended time. The recovery period is short - hence running can be done with greater frequency.

After much trial and error I eventually figured it out. There are those for whom two or three times a week might be appropriate; I was not one of them. I came to realize that we all improve in the beginning at two or three times a week because we are learning a skill, and that must account for some of the improvement.  Also, in the beginning we are not yet taxing our bodies as much as when we work up to higher intensities, and as such require less recovery time. When I cut back my workouts improvement was almost easy. Had I not figured it out I would have quit never to return to the weight room again. I think this is the experience of many in the weight room.

People have different tolerance for exposure to sunlight before getting burnt. The same applies for exercise; everyone has a different capacity for exercise and ability to recover from that exercise. As trainers at first we don’t know what the individual’s rate of recovery from a workout is, but we quickly infer it by seeing the progress or sometimes the lack of it. From those inferences an experienced personal trainer can gage the frequency, intensity, and duration of the training sessions to keep progressing.

When I finally did cut back and started to improve again I had more enthusiasm, focus, and I actually did work even harder. That will happen when you are seeing improvement for your efforts, and you will be more likely to stick to it.

You can get more out of exercising less with High Intensity Interval Training. We use HIIT at both our locations - New Orleans Fitness Training and Austin Fitness Training.

Related posts:
High intensity exercise and recovery - how much is enough?
Strength Training: 67 Percent Improvement in 28 days

How To Ruin Two Workouts

Lowering metabolic syndrome risk factors, which type of exercise is most effective?

A study designed to test the efficacy of exercise in lowering metabolic risk factors consisted of three groups.  One group used a less-intense regimen called “moderate continuous-training” (CME). Another group did not exercise, and the third group used a high-intensity aerobic-interval training for four months.
From this article High-intensity exercise better at improving metabolic syndrome risk factors the results:

“• Short bursts of high-intensity exercise, rather than longer spells of moderate-intensity, exercise may improve the health of people with metabolic syndrome.

 • Once previously sedentary people with metabolic syndrome can comfortably exercise at a moderate intensity, they could consider more vigorous exercise, if they can do it without adverse symptoms, according to American Heart Association spokesperson.”

This study involved high-intensity aerobic-interval training. For more bang for you time one can obtain the positive heart benefits, have a positive effect on your metabolism, and also increase strength at the same time with high intensity interval strength training. High intensity interval strength training can increase metabolism four ways.

The type of strength training we do at New Orleans Fitness Trainers and atAustin Fitness Trainers is high intensity interval training (HIIT). It is a full body workout where a series of strength training exercises are performed with little rest between the exercises.  Strength training has more to offer than stronger muscles and bones; it is a heart healthy and beneficial to your metabolism as well.

The Heart Can Benefit From Brief Intense Exercise

From this Science daily article Brief, Intense Exercise Can Benefit The Heart, Study Shows:

"More and more, professional organizations are recommending interval training during rehabilitation from diseases like chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, peripheral artery disease and cardiovascular disease. Our research certainly provides evidence that this type of exercise training is as effective as traditional moderate intensity training," says MacDonald. "We wouldn't be surprised to see more rehabilitation programs adopt this method of training since it is often better tolerated in diseased populations".

Six weeks of intense sprint interval exercise training improves the structure and function of arteries as much as traditional and longer endurance exercise with larger time commitment.

Short bursts of high intensity sprints--known to benefit muscle and improve exercise performance--can improve the function and structure of blood vessels, in particular arteries that deliver blood to our muscles and heart.

This type of training mentioned in the article is called high intensity interval training (HIIT). With HIIT you really can get more out of exercising less. This training can be incorporated into strength training sessions as well. HIIT is the type of strength training we do at both of our facilities: New Orleans Fitness Trainers and Austin Fitness Trainers.

Some of the benefits associated with high intensity interval strength training beside a healthy heart are:

Improves athletic performance
Increases metabolism
Preserves bone density
Lowers anxiety
A Ninefold Improvement in Fat Burning
Improves cognitive development

Don't hang up those cleats just yet

At 78 years of age Jack had few golfers his age to golf with. His friend Marcus was 73 and about ready to hang up his cleats for good. Marcus could play nine holes and that was about it; the next day he’d be too rundown to play again. Jack insisted that Marcus start doing the strength training program Jack had been doing for years. Jack said, "Anybody can stick to one half hour a week. You have nothing to lose and everything to gain."

A year later Marcus was playing 18 holes of golf, and the next day, he would play 18 holes again. He was hitting the ball farther and enjoying golf again. Marcus had added quality years to his life, and it took just minutes a week.

Every time Marcus exercised he would do a little more. Each week he gave himself ample time to recover, and because of that each week he would improve.  52 weeks of continuing improvement add up.

Strength training is by far the most effective exercise in addressing the bio-markers of aging that effect not only how young we look, but more importantly, how we young we feel. Loss of strength ultimately leads to life compromising conditions such as osteoporosis, arthritis, herniated discs, type-2 diabetes, weight gain, and heart disease. People aren't put in nursing homes because they're out of breath; it's because they're too weak.

The strength training programs at Austin TX Personal Training and New Orleans Personal Training start with the premise of not seeing how much exercise one can withstand but with just how little one can get away with doing and still have significant results. There is no magic bullet; the exercise will be demanding, but such a program will be brief, efficient, produce significant strength increases, and be one that people will stick to for life - a life where one looks better, feels better, and is free to enjoy life more without endless hours in the gym.

The many benefits of strength training

From this LA Times article Strength training does more than bulk up muscles:

A growing body of research shows that working out with weights has health benefits beyond simply bulking up one's muscles and strengthening bones. Studies are finding that more lean muscle mass may allow kidney dialysis patients to live longer, give older people better cognitive function, reduce depression, boost good cholesterol, lessen the swelling and discomfort of lymphedema after breast cancer and help lower the risk of diabetes.

"Muscle is our largest metabolically active organ, and that's the backdrop that people usually forget," said Kent Adams, director of the exercise physiology lab at Cal State Monterey Bay. Strengthening the muscles "has a ripple effect throughout the body on things like metabolic syndrome andobesity."

The list of benefits of strength training for any age is long.

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Austin TX Personal Training
New Orleans Personal Training 

Healthy Hearts and Strength Training

Is strength training safe for cardiovascular health and is it healthy? You might be surprised by the results of one study. From this study, Strength Training Early After Myocardial Infarction, comes this quote:

“For the three treatment groups, 30 of 42 subjects had one or more cardiovascular complication (arrhythmias, angina, ischemia, hypertension, hypotension) during the aerobic exercises as compared to only 1 subject with complications during the resistive exercises.”

 An interesting result that speaks for itself - 30 complications for aerobic rehab versus one for resistance exercise rehab.

Another quote from the study:

“In selected patients, low-to-moderate intensity strength training performed early after infarction is effective and may have lower rates of cardiovascular problems than aerobic exercise.”

For recovering patients resistance exercises need not be very demanding to be productive. At New Orleans Personal Trainers at Austin Fitness Trainers we follow a simple rule: Perform a little more exercise than you are used to handling and then rest and recover adequately. This applies to advanced athletes and recovering patients. For the recovering patients it will not involve much to take them to a point of exercising beyond what they are used to handling. For the advanced trainees doing a little more than they did last time will be difficult but doable. Both groups will improve but the recovering patients often show the most profound improvement, as they start at a much lower base line.

Our workout program involves circuit resistance training. There is no resting between exercises, so there is a cardiovascular component. Each week recovering patients come in a little stronger and each week we increase the weights lifted by small increments. After a few months the recovering patients are dramatically stronger.

Aerobic activity has been stressed as necessary for cardiovascular health. This cannot occur if the muscles are too weak to allow adequate aerobic activity. The muscles drive the heart not the other way around. Also strength training has been shown to lower blood pressure. In the end we will not be put in a nursing home for being out of breath; it is because we are too weak to carry out daily activities. Remaining strong is good for the heart.

An exercise plan anyone can stick to

From this NY Times article Full-Service Gyms Feel a Bit Flabby: 

“Up to 45 percent of fitness-club members quit going in any given year, according to the International Health, Racquet & Sportsclub Association [IHRSA].”

 And this

 “Up until the last six years, it’s been relatively easy to sell memberships, and to replace people going out the back door with people coming through the front door.”

It is nice to have full service clubs will all the bells and whistles, but most people only utilize a small part of all the clubs have to offer.  Worst still, with all they have to offer, most people fail to use the facility with any regularity.  At the end of the year the only thing lighter is their wallet.  According to IHRSA only 30 percent use their club memberships on a regular basis.  For many health clubs end up being collection agencies disguised as health clubs.

 A better plan that you can stick to for years:

• Do something you enjoy. You more likely stick to it.  Ride a bike, golf, swim run, or (fill in the blank).  I take my dog on long walks. I am never bored, and I always look forward to it.
•  
• Make modest changes in your eating habits.  Follow an eating plan that you can stick to.  You burn about 150 calories for each mile you cover. You can run a mile or eat three less Oreos.  I choose to eat three less Oreos.
•  
• Strength train.  It will help with #2 above - it will boost your metabolism.  Strength training is also good for #1 – you’ll be able to do those things you enjoy longer, better, and with less chance of injury. 

Choose a strength training program that is effective, efficient, and safe.  High Intensity Training (HIT) for strength does not require a big chunk of your time, the improvement you see will likely motivate you to stick to it, and it is safe. HIT is the type of training we use at Austin Fitness Training and atNew Orleans Fitness Trainers.  We can guide you through a personal training program that will enable you to get more out of less time exercisingand keep improving.

Five months with no improvement - lesson learned eventually

When I first started strength training improvement came quickly, but soon it trickled to a halt. I figured I was a slow gainer stuck on a plateau that I just had to push through. For five straight months I worked  every other day with a trainer to make sure that I did not cheat on my form.  I never missed one training session, and pretty soon I stopped improving no matter how hard I tried.  My reps stayed the same every workout.  Twice during that period I managed to get nine reps instead of my usual eight on the bicep curls.  I likened that ninth rep to a religious experience – beyond the realm of normal.

My perfect attendance was broken when I went to visit family at the fifth month.  I managed to find a gym with the very same line of equipment, so I did the very same workout.  The only difference was that I had over a week’s rest.  Miraculously I improved on more than a couple exercises.  On the bicep curls I managed to get eleven reps.  I thought to myself if nine reps were a religious experience what is eleven reps?

I could not explain my improvement.  I came to the conclusion that the machines were better oiled and possibly it was my mother’s cooking.  It never occurred to me that the simple act of resting allowed me to get stronger.  I eventually figured it out but many don’t.  They go into a gym improve for a while and then stop improving.  At that point they often get injured or quit in frustration.

By training too often you ruin two workouts. The first workout that stimulated change is worthless if you do not give your body a chance to recover.  The second workout is worthless as well, as you cannot give your best effort if you are not 100 percent.  

How often you need to exercise will depend on a number of factors; most important are duration of exercise, level of intensity, recovery ability, and frequency of certain exercises. It took me years of trial and error to figure out the right formula. That formula will be different for different people. An experienced trainer will know how to manipulate the variables safely to produce continuous improvement for her clients.

Strength increases occur exercising as little as once or twice a week, If it's the right exercise program. The personal trainers at Austin Fitness Trainingand at New Orleans Fitness Trainers can guide you through a personal training program that will enable you to get more out of less time exercisingand keep improving.

Living with pain or living without it

“ A year ago at this time I was experiencing frequent bouts of aches and pains in my neck, shoulders, and back. I figured it was just part of growing older. Since I started strength training last January, these problems have gone away. Amazing!”

This was the experience of Bill Milliken who trains with Timothy, one of our Austin Personal trainers. Carole had a similar experience: “I woke up every day with back pain. Going up and down stairs was painful for me knees. I am now pain-free”.

There are many changes that come from exercise - increases in strength, speed, stamina, body leanness, and flexibility – that can be measured. Changes that cannot be accurately measured include how well you feel and the decreased likelihood of injury and the attendant pain. The right exercise can result in an increase in one’s quality of life. In some cases it can be dramatically life changing. As trainers this is the most rewarding result we experience with clients.

Exercise can go a long way in relieving pain and decreasing the likelihood of injury if it is the right exercise and the right amount of exercise. At Austin Personal Trainers and New Orleans Personal Trainers we use MedX rehabilitative exercise equipment that is easier on the joints and can be adjusted to accommodate those with limitations. We also use exercise protocols that were derived from exercise studies and have been proven effective for all ages and levels of fitness. We also have many years of experience working with those with pain, so that they can avoid the trial and error and the possibility of additional injury that can result by doing it on their own.

Previous blog entries in the series What Clients Are Saying:
1. @#%& incredible
2. Seems too good to be true, but it actually is that good
3. After each session, I always felt better on all levels.
4. This would not have happened to me if I had a personal trainer
5. This affects all aspects of my life.
6. I saw a remarkable change in my body
7. A Radical Transformation
8. I don’t think I would be alive today
9. Amazing and remarkable
10.My doctor said it would not be necessary to start taking drugs to preserve my bone density
11.What Clients Are Saying - "My years of strength training helped me survive cancer"
12. Under no circumstances stop exercising because that is what is keeping you going
13. I have officially lost 50 pounds
14. I was in tears walking on the Great Wall of China
15. I love this workout

16. More results in eight weeks than I had in three years.

Best method for reversing the the aging process

Our bodies undergo many changes that can be reversed with proper strength training. Wearing glasses, dying one’s hair, or applying creams for age marks have their place, but nothing compares to the long list of benefits from high intensity interval training for strength:

1. Base Metabolic Rate (metabolism) decreases. Those who are stronger can have the metabolism they had when they were twenty years younger. More muscle requires more calories.

2. Body cells become resistant to insulin. Added muscles will lower your blood sugar level and lessen the need for insulin.

3. Loss of strength, energy, and speed. Proper exercise will make you stronger, and day to day activities will be less strenuous and be less taxing energy-wise.

3. Loss of strength, energy, and speed. Proper exercise will make you stronger, and day to day activities will be less strenuous and be less taxing energy-wise.

4. Muscle mass decreases. Stronger muscles are more toned, and this requires more calories. As adults we lose about five pounds of lean muscle each decade.  Stronger toned muscles present a younger look.

5. Loss of flexibility. Muscles have the plasticity that tendons and ligaments do not. More muscle contributes to flexibility.

6. Fat increases as a percentage of body weight. A stronger leaner person will be more active and the increased activity will further enhance one's health and burn additional calories. High intensity interval training producing more excess post-exercise oxygen consumption (EPOC) – the body continues to burn substantial calories after the workout is over. By increasing muscle mass, fat as a percentage is automatically less, and this extra muscle requires more fat burning calories.

7. Bone mineral density decreases. Increase the demands on the muscular-skeletal system, and as self-protection, the body responds by maintaining stronger muscles and bones.

8. Loss of aerobic capacity. Choose a strength training program that involves circuit training to get the aerobic benefits. Non-stop circuit training method has a very significant cardiovascular effect and increases both aerobic and anaerobic capacity.

9. Unsatisfactory cholesterol/HDL Ratio. Circuit strength training will improve your HDL or High Density Lipoprotein Cholesterol, the "good" cholesterol.

10. Increased susceptibility to sickness and injury. This might be the most important benefit. People wait until injuries occur and then exercise becomes problematic. A stronger body is less like to get injured and will have a stronger immune system. To help avoid surgery the best thing you can do for your joints is to make the muscles supporting those joints stronger. Take the steps now to avoid herniated discs and hip and knee replacements.

Studies have shown that significant strength increases result from high intensity interval training as little as once a week.  You need not spend hours in the gym to make a profound difference.

It all starts with strength. As you become stronger you will find you will be able to engage in more activities, and this will further enhance your health. Just improve a little each week and over time you will feel years younger. High intensity interval training is the type of personal training we do at New Orleans Fitness Training and at Austin Personal Trainers.

Sticking to an exercise program for the long term

Every January health clubs are crowded for what I call the two week resolution. By the end of the month the crowds are gone. The only thing that remains constant and enduring is the mandatory monthly payment for a gym membership not used.  You go there to lose weight, and the only thing lighter is your wallet.

Seven out of 10 American adults don't exercise regularly despite the proven health benefits, a study released Sunday says - Study: Most Americans don't exercise regularly. That sounds about right. The renewal rate for health club membership is 30 percent. Of those that rejoin a small minority use the club on a regular basis.

Here just one approach for sticking to an exercise program that has worked for me and for those whom I have worked. (1) Select an exercise that produces the most benefits.(2) Commit to something you know you can maintain for the long term. Don’t set the bar too high.  (3) Select a program designed to produce the highest marginal return – the most benefit for minimal time exercising.

Regarding number one, the most benefit: High intensity strength training reverses more of the bio-markers of aging than any other form of exercise.

Regarding number two, not setting the bar too high: consider high intensity training (HIT). HIT requires as little as one 30 minute session a week. The remainder of the week do something physically that you enjoy. Ride your bike. Go for walks.

Regarding number three, for the highest marginal returning for time spent exercising nothing compares HIT for the time spent. There is a long list of benefits

Studies have shown that significant strength increases result from high intensity strength training as little as once or twice a week. Just improve a little each week and over time you will feel years younger. As you become stronger you will find you will be able to engage in more activities, and this will further enhance your health. It all starts with strength. High intensity strength training is the type of personal training we do at New Orleans Fitness Trainers and at Austin Personal Training.

Minutes a week to stay strong

One can live well without requiring hours each week engaged in monotonous exercise. Significant strength increases occur exercising as little as once or twice a week IF it's the right exercise program with the right trainer.

Such a workout can be very demanding, but people or any age or fitness level can do this and benefit from it. Clients slowly build up to a level they can handle. It is an attractive alternative for those who often don't have time for exercise.

From this Wall Street Journal article GE's Bob Wright Stays Strong By Lifting Weights Very Slowly:

“Workouts typically consist of one set of six to 12 exercises with little rest between sets…. trainers find a weight load that renders muscle fatigue in 60 to 90 seconds, and take clients through a full-body workout in approximately 30 minutes”.

Bob Wright is a very busy man. He serves as vice chairman and executive officer of General Electric Co. He injured his shoulder playing golf. To avoid surgery he began lifting weights to stabilize his shoulder. He got great results. Others with shoulder injuries have too.

The fitness trainers at Austin Personal Training and the fitness trainers atNew Orleans Personal Training can guide you through a similar personal training program that will enable you to get more out of less time exercising.

Lose weight by lifting weights

Strength training can have a positive role in fat loss. If one goes on a diet with significant caloric restriction the body's response of self preservation is accomplished by lowering it basal metabolic rate. The body does this by catabolizing lean body mass. The weight loss will be both fat and muscle. If one strength trains the body receives the message that lean body tissue is vital to survive the demands placed on it. Rather than losing lean body mass the body preserves it and adds to it.

From Men's Health magazine article 5 Reasons You're Not Losing Weight:

"In a study at the University of Connecticut, we put overweight men on a 1,500-calorie-a-day diet, and divided them into three groups — one that didn't exercise, another that performed aerobic exercise 3 days a week, and a third that did both aerobic exercise and weight training. Each group lost almost the same amount of weight — about 21 pounds. But the lifters shed 5 more pounds of fat than those who didn't pump iron".

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Austin Personal Training

New Orleans Fitness Trainers

Fat burning at a rate nine times the rate of endurance exercise

From this article, Impact of exercise intensity on body fatness and skeletal muscle metabolism, this quote:

“The metabolic adaptations taking place in the skeletal muscle in response to the HIIT program appear to favor the process of lipid oxidation”.

And this:

“Despite its lower energy cost, the High Intensity Interval Training (HIIT) program induced a more pronounced reduction in subcutaneous adiposity compared with the ET program. When corrected for the energy cost of training, the decrease in the sum of six subcutaneous skinfolds induced by the HIIT program was ninefold greater than by the endurance training (ET) program”

If you want to get the most for your minimal free time or if you hate to exercise HIIT will burn more calories for the time spent. Calories are burned four ways with this workout:

*After the workout your body burns calories in the process of rebuilding and recovery - especially after HIIT.

*As you become stronger you enhance muscle tone. This burns more calories.

*You burn calories while you exercise.

*As you become stronger your body will add muscle. Muscle is metabolically active. Your resting metabolic rate will rise with the additional muscle.

HIIT is the type of fitness training we do at Austin Personal Training andNew Orleans Fitness Training. The fitness training sessions are infrequent (once or twice a week) and short (20 to 30 minutes), but the sessions are demanding especially in regard to calorie burning. For those who wish to do more ,this strength training program will free up your time to do other types of calorie-burning activities.