It’s not a trend, it’s a lifestyle choice. So that’s out of the way. Here are a few tips and methods to help you get fit fast. Where there is a will, there is a way, and fitness expert and trainer, Luke Worthington, suggests that the first thing to do is find a combination of exercise choices that have the most benefits. You need to be smart about how you organise your workouts across a week, the exercises you choose, and how you group them together within each workout, he says.
In three easy steps, he will show you how to work out more effectively. Here we go…
- Plan your Workouts for the Week
research shows that frequency, rather than intensity, is the most effective way to build progress when we are either new to exercise, or returning to it after some time away,” says Worthington. A full-body training plan is therefore recommended, rather than a split routine (those that focus on one body part or muscle group per workout). A full body workout allows you to work every part of your body (and every muscle group) multiple times a week, whereas a split routine sees them worked more intensely only once a week. According to Worthington, strenuous workouts should be scheduled alternately on alternate days (Monday, Wednesday and Friday), and then to use the days in between for some low-intensity and longer duration (running, cycling or walking) activities.
- Be Correct with your Exercises
worthington explains that every movement within our bodies is built upon fundamental movement patterns: push, pull, squat, hinge, and lunge. Think of these key ingredients as the tools we reach for the most often when cooking, he says. The most effective and efficient way to exercise is by focusing on multi-joint or compound movements, he says, which are exercises that use the most muscle tissue and, thus, build the most strength and energy. Here are some examples of compound movements for those who don’t know where to begin.
- The Best way to Group Them
How we put exercises together is key. it’s not uncommon for me to pair upper and lower body exercises together in supersets when I’m looking for quick results with clients. This means performing one set of an upper body exercise, immediately following it up with a set of a lower body exercise, resting, and repeating the process for the desired number of sets, says Worthington.
With regards to our muscles, this means that they would need both oxygen and nutrients supplied via the blood stream, when we perform a super set for the upper and lower body we can make use of a phenomenon called venous shunt, explains Worthington. With this sequence, the cardiovascular system has to work harder by rapidly moving blood to the upper and lower parts of the body at the same time. Consequently, the cardiovascular system gets trained, as does the muscular system. All in one go, greater energy burn, improved strength and muscle tone, and better cardio fitness.
