Free Weights vs Machines

I’m going to go ahead and lay it out on the table – I don’t like machines. Can they have a place in your workout routine? I suppose they could, but there isn’t much that a machine could do that free weights can’t do better. Let’s take a look at some of the benefits of using free weights over machines.

• Teaches you proper form – It’s hard to learn proper form with a machine. There’s only one way to move the weight. Free weights teach you the mechanics of the human body and why you should be in a certain position for an exercise. This knowledge will help prevent future injuries.

• Works through a natural range of motion – Machines restrict your range of motion through a predetermined plane of movement. Unfortunately, everybody is different and there is no one size fits all range of motion. Machines try to mitigate this factor by having certain adjustable heights and pads, but there is no comparison to the free range of movement that free weights provide.

• Weight increments are smaller – While sometimes machines jump in 5 pound increments, most of the time the jump in weight from one to the next is 10, 15, or even more pounds. You can sometimes find a specially designed small weight that you can add to the machine for smaller resistance jumps, but nothing can compare to the small incremental jumps free weights provide. You can purchase 1 pound plates for a very small weight jump.

• No false sense of strength – Machines provide you will many leverage advantages, and because of this, you get a false sense of strength. Adding 100 pounds to a machine is much less resistance than adding 100 pounds to an olympic bar. Pulleys and rails change the actual resistance of the exercise. Unfortunately, you aren’t quite as strong as you think.

• Increased use of stabilizer muscles – A great benefit that free weights provide over machines is the use of stabilizer muscles. When you do a free weight exercise, you activate dozens of small stabilizer muscles that help push the weight through the entire range of motion. Hold a bar over your head and you notice all the muscles that are activated to keep the weight from moving forwards and back, or side to side. You don’t get this effect with machines, as the weight is being stabilized by the machine.

• Cheaper – If you have a gym membership, this point might be moot. However, if you buy your own equipment, it would cost you several times the amount necessary to equip your home with a gym, not to mention much more space is needed for machine equipment. Machines focus on a single muscle group, and you would need several machines to work your entire body. Compare that to free weights where all you really need is a power rack, an adjustable bench, a bar and some weights, and you begin to see the monetary savings.

• Reduced risk of injury – Many people believe that machines reduce the risk of injury. I disagree. I’ve seen more people performing bad form on machines than with free weights. Whether they don’t have the machine adjusted right, or they are violently swinging through the motions, they are increasing their risk for injury as compared to someone who is using proper free weight form.

• Improved balance – Stand in the squat position with a bar on your back. Now sit down in the leg press machine. Notice any difference? The free weight squat is going to force you to stay balanced throughout the entire range of motion. Compare that to the leg press where all you have to do is press the weight against a rail. Free weights activate those stabilizer muscles and improve your balance.

• Increased motor neuron recruitment – Because free weights activate more muscle fibers as a result of needing the additional stabilizer muscles, you’re able to increase motor neuron recruitment for each exercise. Doing so will encourage much more uniform strength and muscle gains across the board.

As you can see, the benefits of free weights over machines are numerous. You will always hear arguments for instances when machines are more beneficial, but I stand by the belief that whatever machines can do, free weights can do better.

Over the course of this series, I will give you detailed and strategic steps that you can implement into your life to get you on the right track to eating nutritious, healthy foods the majority of the time – for a lifetime. Feel free to follow along with each of the steps in your own life, and report back how it’s working for you.

Why Change My Eating Habits?

If you’re reading Coach Calorie, you probably already know and understand many reasons why you should be eating clean and whole foods. But just in case you’re a complete beginner, let’s look at some of them:

• Eating processed, refined, hydrogenated, bleached foods and sugar is toxic to your body.  These high-calorie foods offer little to no nutritional value, and can cause your insulin to spike and then crash, which then results in a reduction in insulin sensitivity (which over time can lead to Type 2 diabetes). Many contain ingredients such as trans fats, which are known to have all sorts of negative effects on health including an increased risk for cardiovascular disease [1].

• High insulin levels have been linked to certain types of cancer including breast, pancreatic, colon, and stomach. Since Americans currently ingest an average of 22 teaspoons of sugar per day, you can put two and two together and see why cancer might be so prevalent in our society [2].

• Obesity is an epidemic in Western civilization. Obesity itself leads to an increased risk in an entire host of lifestyle-related illnesses that can cost us thousands in medical bills, medications, and even our lives.

• Eating a well-balanced diet of whole, clean foods will likely lead to an overall decrease in calories, which will translate to a healthy weight loss for those who are eating too many calories.

• Eating clean, whole foods will provide the nutrients to your body that so many are missing out on, but so desperately need — vitamins, minerals, fiber, protein, omega-3 fats, etc. Once you are eating these nutrients, your body will be able to function in the manner that it is built for – resulting in more energy, feeling better mentally, lowered body inflammation, and sleeping better at night, all while also providing it with important enzymes needed to do things like combat cancer and keeping your insulin levels controlled.

• Eating clean, whole foods will support a more appealing body composition (lower body fat), and also will support activities such as daily chores, playing with your children, and intense exercise or even athletic competition.

What’s Your Motivation?

If you want to change your eating habits for the better, there is likely something specific motivating you. Whether it’s to lose weight, to become a good role model for your children, to feel better, to support an exercise program, to lower your risk of diseases that may run in your family, or even just to have clearer skin, write down your motivation somewhere you will see it everyday. If you want something, you need to keep your eye on it so you don’t lose sight of why you’re making the changes. You might also want to make a list of the things in your life that you feel are stopping you from making the changes so that you can recognize them when they come up, and can better plan around them. This might include a busy work schedule, small children, injury, an aversion or allergy to certain foods, etc.

Are You Ready?

If you are ready to make changes, follow along here weekly as I offer you the steps to achieving a healthy diet. Read the articles with an open mind, a willingness to change, and always keep your motivation in mind. Before changing your eating habits, you should always check with your doctor to make sure what you are about to do is a good idea for you.

For this week: write down your main motivation for changing your eating habits, and put it somewhere where you’ll see it often. Also, write down your obstacles that have prevented you in the past from reaching your goals.

For next week: we’ll be taking an inventory of your current state of wellness and health; from your physical health to the state of your kitchen.

Today is the Day

You can’t reach your goals if you never start. Tomorrow and Monday are popular days to start diets, but today is just as good as any other. Why not start now? One of the toughest aspects of a fitness program is simply starting one. Everyone wants to, but not everyone does. Stop thinking about starting one and actually start one. Be a doer. Flip the switch and make your next meal a healthy one. You can do it.

My Friends Will Be a Positive Influence

Surround yourself with people who will pick you up instead of put you down for your lifestyle choices. We are strongly influenced by the people closest to us. Don’t feel the need to explain your choices to those who don’t support you. Be your own person. You have to live with the consequences of your lifestyle choices. Do what makes you happy. If you’re not happy, the people around you aren’t happy either.

That ______ is OK to Eat in Moderation

Most people hear the word “diet” and they immediately feel deprived. There’s no need to feel this way. You can still eat all the things you love as part of your healthy lifestyle. As long as 90% of your life is healthy eating mixed in with 10% of pleasure foods, you’re going to be very successful. The problem lies in the lifestyles that are 90% pleasure eating mixed in with 10% healthy eating. Get the ratios right, and you can enjoy just about anything within your caloric limits.

My Weight Will Fluctuate

Weight loss isn’t linear. It does not go from point A to B in a straight line. Successful weight loss is one gigantic zig-zag. This is partly due to body function variations or one-off lifestyle events, but it’s also because weight is such a meaningless measurement. Try focusing more on fat loss and body composition. Measuring your progress this way will keep you motivated instead of getting you discouraged over a meaningless number on a scale.

My Health is the Priority

I want to look great, but I understand the ultimate goal is to be healthy. With good health comes a better body. You might have started your weight loss journey for any number of reasons. Maybe it was to have a certain body. Maybe it was to fit into particular clothes. These goals are fine to have, but eventually you come to realize that you just want to be healthy. With that mindset, you will achieve all the secondary satisfactions and benefits of a healthy lifestyle.

I Need to Have Some Patience

It took a while to put the weight on, it will take a while to take it off. Have a little patience. Your current physique is the culmination of years of lifestyle choices. The good news is that lifestyle choices got you to where you are, and lifestyle choices will get you to where you want to go. Be patient. Be consistent.

I Can Do Anything

If you don’t try, you’ll never succeed. If you want to accomplish your goals, you’re going to have to put aside any preconceived notions for why you can’t accomplish them. Can’t is going to have to be erased from your vocabulary. You’ve already succeeded at many things in your life that others thought were impossible. People lose weight every day. There’s no reason why you can’t – you will.

This Will Only Get Easier

Don’t give up. The hardest part of starting a fitness program is getting a new lifestyle routine established as part of your day to day life. Whether it’s getting past those difficult first couple weeks of dieting, or it’s getting up a little earlier every day to work out, once you start making fitness a part of your everyday life, what you do – just is.

I Control My Body. My Body Does Not Control Me

This is a little bit of mind over matter. Point being, successful weight loss comes from being in control of your body. During your journey, your body is going to throw everything it has at you in an effort to maintain the status quo. Physical and mental challenges are going to be forthcoming. The key to remember is that you own your thoughts. You are what you think. Practice self-control and success will follow.

I’ve Already Made it So Far

Looking forward always seems so far away. It can be very discouraging to think that you have to keep doing what you’ve been doing for months or even years. Instead, take a look back at how far you’ve come. You’re already a different person from all the short-term goals you’ve accomplished. Simply undertaking and making it through a couple weeks of a new fitness program means you’ve made it farther than the majority of the population. Be proud of yourself, and keep that positivity moving forward.

When I walk into a gym I see plenty of men over the age of 60 lifting weights, but it’s much less common to see older women. That’s why when I do see an older woman lifting weights, I have immediate respect for her.

It’s no surprise that women don’t hit the weights like men – it’s only recently that strength training has become more main stream among women. Misconceptions persist, but it’s time to turn the tides on old beliefs and get the word out: Women of all ages belong in the weight room, especially those over 60. The quality of life and health benefits are simply too staggering to overlook.

See how these common misconceptions measure up against the truth:

• Once muscles get “old” and atrophy, they can’t rebound. Studies have shown that resistance training can benefit adults into their 90’s [1]! Research also confirms that muscles can be strengthened at any age. While muscle loss is a result of aging (a process called sarcopenia), it’s muscle inactivity and injury that are a major factor in muscle loss.

• Strength training will raise my blood pressure. A study published in October 2010 found that resistance training lowered blood pressure by as much as 20 percent [2]. In general, people who exercise benefit from lower blood pressure (consult your doctor before beginning any new exercise program).

• Strength training is bad for my joints. When done with proper form in a controlled manner, strength training promotes muscle growth that supports joint functioning. Strength training is often prescribed for rehabilitating joint issues (and a host of others). In fact, patients with rheumatoid arthritis have improved functioning with resistance training [3]. As with other medical conditions, consult your doctor before starting a fitness program.

• Physical decline is inevitable and just a part of aging. On the contrary, strength training (and any exercise) can slow down the aging process, give you energy, help prevent weight gain, and make day-to-day tasks easier. You’ve probably heard the grim statistic: Falls are the leading cause of injury death among adults aged 65 or older [4]. Falls also cause countless moderate injuries that can limit a person’s ability to live independently. However, strong legs and core muscles can counteract muscle weakness and loss of balance and range of motion that can lead to falls. Did you know that exercise is a proven mood booster of elderly adults and aids sleep [5]? Not only that, but cognitive functioning improves in older women who strength train [6]. And you’ve probably heard that strength training promotes bone health.

• To lose weight, all I need is aerobic exercise. Have you noticed how quickly the pounds pile on as you age? Weight gain is not a mysterious, inevitable result of aging but losing muscle is: Between the ages of 20 and 70 we lose about 30 percent of our muscle mass [7]. Losing muscle causes your metabolism to slow down, which contributes to weight gain.From the ages of 20 to 60, the average woman’s body fat jumps from 23 to 44 percent and the average man’s body fat jumps from 18 to 38 percent [8]. Unfortunately, excess weight can mean an increased risk of heart disease, atherosclerosis, and diabetes, so it’s worth it to fight fat with muscle.

How Can You Get Started?

Now that you understand the benefits – and myths – of strength training, it’s time to make an appointment with your doctor. Once you have the go-ahead to start a new fitness program (which should include aerobic exercise as well), choose where you want to strength train: Your home? A recreation center? A gym? How about joining a senior fitness class?

If possible, I highly recommend hiring a personal trainer for a few sessions to learn proper form and avoid risking injury. But if that’s not possible there are many books, classes, and online resources available.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention recommends strength training at least two days a week for 30 minutes per session. Do a gentle warm up of five minutes on an exercise bike or choose another low-impact activity such as walking on a treadmill.

Train all your major muscle groups with exercises such as wall pushups, squats (or wall squats), step ups, bench presses, shoulder presses, and lat pull downs. Repeat each exercise 10 times for two sets, working up to three sets. As you become more conditioned, slowly increase the weight. You should work up a sweat when you’re lifting weights but always use proper form. A final tip: Be sure to eat enough protein to aid muscle growth.

A year from now, I want to be gaining muscle mass instead of losing it. I want to be ahead of the aging game and doing all I can towards health. Are you?

Interval Cardio

You probably already know by now the benefits of high-intensity interval training (HIIT) cardio. Studies have shown over and over again how they are more effective at fat loss than steady-state cardio, even when it burns fewer calories. If you’re going to go for a 20 minute run, why not try running fast for a minute followed by a slow jog or walk for 1 minute. Repeat that for 20 minutes, making sure you push yourself during the fast intervals, and you might even find that your mile pace is faster with the intervals – I know mine is.

Alter the Gradient

Another way to have more effective cardio workouts is to change the gradient of your running surface. The easiest way to do this is to find some hills. The simple fact that you have to run up an incline turns hill-running into a form of interval training. You can either find a hilly running route, or you could find a single hill and sprint up it and then walk back down and repeat for your desired workout length.

Plyometrics

Plyometrics are not for beginners, but there are varying degrees of difficulty and impact that makes it possible for just about anyone to incorporate them into their cardio workouts. Try going to a track and run for 1 minute followed by 20-30 seconds of high-knees. Repeat this over and over again for the duration of your workout. You don’t have to do high-knees each time either. You can mix up the plyometric portion of your cardio workout by doing butt-kicks, skips, bounds, or other plyometric exercises. You can also vary the speed of the running portion of your workout.

Add Resistance

Adding resistance to your cardio workout is not always easy to do. You also have to be careful because of the added impact on your joints. However, with a little extra workout equipment or possibly a workout partner, adding resistance can be quite a bit of fun. For example, you could use a running parachute. These are vests that have a small parachute attached to a cord in the back. Once you start sprinting, the parachute opens and adds resistance. It’s kind of like running against the wind – times 10.

There are also bungee cord devices that you can use with a workout partner. Each of you wears a belt or vest with a bungee cord connecting the two of you together. One person stands still as an anchor while the other takes off for a sprint. The person sprinting eventually reaches a point where the resistance is too strong to keep them from moving forward any further. Once that happens, the person in the back takes off for a sprint. With the pull of the bungee cord, you end up running very fast. It teaches you to keep your knees up and use proper form. Be careful though, you could end up falling if you don’t get those legs moving!

One more way to add resistance is to run in water. Focus on good form and drive your knees and arms through their full range of motion. Doing so adds resistance to every part of your running form. Eventually, when you get back out on the track, the lack of resistance makes things much easier.

Change the Terrain

Finally, you could have a more effective cardio workout by changing up the terrain. Running in the sand at the beach adds a change of scenery and some added resistance. You could even do some off-road running? Think of it as hiking with a little hop to your step. Or maybe a nice nature hike already pushes you to your limits. You could also run flights of stairs, or you could go to a stadium and run bleachers. These force you to stay focused on your footing – making it nearly impossible for you to get bored. Any change of terrain that’s different than a solid running surface will add an extra challenging element to your workout.

All of these healthy recipes and more can be found on my Pinterest page. If you haven’t done so already, follow me on Pinterest.

(click the images to get the healthy recipe)

Cauliflower Pizza Bites

Parmesan Roasted Potatoes

Honeydew Salad with Poppy Seed Dressing

Dark Chocolate Almond Butter Bites

***Note: Use around 80% cacao content to keep it healthy

Grilled Tuna over Arugula with Lemon Vinaigrette

Make Hard Boiled Eggs in the Oven

Zucchini Spaghetti & Meatballs

Rice-Free Sushi

Steamed Cauliflower with Curry Butter & Toasted Almonds

Basil Hummus

I hope you liked these recipes and can use them as part of your healthy lifestyle. Stay tuned for future editions of the Healthy Recipe Roundup, and be sure to check out the full collection of healthy recipes on Pinterest.

The Scientific Literature

Lucky for us, there is no shortage of evidence-based literature showing that yes – it is possible to be overweight and healthy, just as it’s possible to be lean and unhealthy. For those of you who are on a quest to lose weight for whatever reason, don’t quit exercising out of frustration from lack of results – you are still reaping the health benefits of physical activity.

In a study of 9,824 men, all-cause mortality rates were lower in individuals that had a body mass index (BMI) over 18 (including overweight and obese) as compared to individuals that were underweight. In addition, at every BMI, those who were most active had significantly lower odds of all-cause mortality [1].

When looking at the mortality rates in men with diabetes, there was an inverse relationship between fitness levels and mortality rate. In other words, the more fit you were, the lower your odds of dieing. This wouldn’t be news except for the fact that this association was independent of BMI [2].

In another study following 22,000 men, it was found that unfit, lean men had a higher risk of cardiovascular disease than fit, lean men. Again, this isn’t all that surprising, but when comparing unfit, lean men to those who were fit and obese, the lean men had a higher risk of cardiovascular disease – once again showing that it’s your fitness level, and not your body weight that is the major predictor of your health [3].

Why the Confusion?

Correlation or causation – that is the question. Is being overweight correlated with bad health, or is it the cause of it? We’ve been taught that obesity is the cause of bad health. That’s a bit like saying a car accident was the cause of an injury, when in reality, it was caused by you not paying attention. That being said, obesity is correlated with bad health. This is not because unhealthy individuals are obese, it’s because unhealthy people are not fit. As a group, obese individuals tend to be less physically active. Because of this, the correlation between obesity and bad health is strong. However, once you adjust for physical activity, it’s clear that fitness is the major deciding factor of your health.

How many overweight people do you know who are physically fit and healthy, but overweight? Take a look at the linemen on professional football (American) teams. Nearly every one of them is overweight, but many of them can run sub 5 second 40 yard dashes. I guarantee you that these 300 pound men can run faster and are more physically fit than some people half their size. They also have better health than their untrained general public counterparts [4].

This is Not an Endorsement

Even after the overwhelming evidence that mortality rates are more a function of fitness levels than body mass levels, it’s still important to keep in mind the many intangible benefits of being at a “healthy” weight. Whether these benefits come in the form of improved self-confidence, better mobility, or even just a better selection of clothes, they are still benefits up and beyond just physical health. In addition, there is more to your health than just mortality rates. Extra weight can add stress to joints and organs, and cause other debilitating problems.

You didn’t think I was going to give the OK to go ahead and disregard your body fat levels and just focus on your cardiorespiratory fitness – did you? The important thing to take away from this information is that you should never quit exercising, even if your weight loss has stalled. Not every benefit of exercise is visible from the outside. Improved physical fitness has numerous health benefits, and may even be the biggest deciding factor for good health. What do you think? Is it possible to be fat and fit (and healthy)?

Benefits of a Warm-Up

The benefits of a good warm-up are many. When paired with an effective training regimen, a proper warm-up before exercise can enhance nearly every factor of physical fitness. Some of these benefits include:

• Increased Body Temperature
• Increased Heart Rate
• Increased Range of Motion
• Better Central Nervous System (CNS) Recruitment
• Improved Power
• Improved Strength
• Improved Muscular Endurance
• Increased Anaerobic Capacity
• Better Agility
• Reduced Injury

Avoid Static Stretching

Static stretching is what the majority of us were taught in school when we were younger. The basic idea is to bend over and touch your toes and hold that position for a certain amount of time. There is no doubt that static stretching increases flexibility and elongates muscles. However, unless your sole goal is to improve flexibility, avoid static stretching as part of your warm-up.

For starters, static stretching hasn’t been shown to reduce exercise-related injury [1]. However, there is some evidence that it can reduce musculotendinous injuries (muscle and tendon). This potential reduction in injury is great benefit, except for the fact that static stretching has been shown over and over again to reduce physical performance and impair maximal force production [2] [3] [4].

The cause of this decreased performance is not fully understood, but one explanation is static stretching causes an inactivation of muscle fibers when they are contracted [3]. It could also be caused by muscle damage or an inhibition of the stretch reflex, which would reduce performance [5].

Incorporate Dynamic Stretching

Dynamic stretching, on the other hand, not only has the potential to reduce the risk of injury, but it actually improves performance. Dynamic stretching is a way to increase performance by using movements that utilize momentum to propel your muscles through a range of motion. For example, doing some “high knees” or “butt kicks” before sprinting will have a much greater effect on your performance than the common static hamstring stretch.

Studies comparing the effects of static stretching to dynamic stretching overwhelmingly support the idea that dynamic stretching is the superior method for warming up prior to exercise. Dynamic stretching does a better job at increasing muscular performance, agility, sprint performance, vertical jump, speed, and power as compared to static stretching [5] [6] [7] [8] [9].

How to Warm Up Before Exercise

The goal of a warm-up is to prepare yourself for the exercise at hand. You don’t want it to inhibit your performance. A proper warm-up will improve performance and reduce the risk of injury. So what do you do?

• Step 1 – Increase blood flow to the muscle. You can do this by going for a short run (5-10 minutes), riding a bike at below your anaerobic threshold, or by doing any other activity that will get your heart rate up. This activity raises your body temperature, increases your heart rate, and begins the release beneficial hormones and chemicals.

• Step 2 – Start doing dynamic stretches. Focus on increasing your range of motion through various momentum “stretches”. If you’re about to do some sprint HIIT exercise, you might want to do some hopping, skipping, high knees, or lateral movements.

• Step 3 – Work up to your max intensity. You’re not just going to load up the bar with maximum weights right away. You need to give your muscles a chance to adapt to the increasing force production. Pyramiding up in weight if you’re weight training, or progressively increasing speed and intensity for other activities will ensure maximum motor neuron recruitment with minimal injury risk.

• Step 4 – Have a highly effective workout.

Follow these steps for a proper warm-up, and you’ll become both mentally and physically prepared to tackle the workout at hand.

Eat Your Protein

If you want to maintain a positive nitrogen balance and increase protein synthesis, you must get in enough protein. The FDA only recommends 0.8 grams/kg for protein intake, yet study after study shows the benefits and lack of side effects from an intake of 1 gram/lb of body weight [1] [2]. Given the importance of protein in everything from building muscle, to neurotransmitter production, to being a structural component to every cell in your body, it only makes sense to ensure you aren’t too low on this essential macronutrient. The problem for most is the price. Here’s 10 cheap sources of protein for the budget conscious.

Use Compound Movements

Doing curls can build you some biceps, but heavy rowing movements like barbell rows and pullups/chinups will really make your arms pop. If you want a better butt and legs, you could go station to station doing hip abductor, leg extensions, leg curls, and other butt isolation exercises, or you could get under the bar and squat and watch your lower body transform itself. If the exercise you’re doing only moves one joint, you are limiting your muscle building potential. Stick to compound exercises.

Emphasize Your Post-Workout Meal

No other meal will have as big of an impact on your muscle building than your post-workout meal. At no other time are your cells more receptive to receiving glucose. This is a very anabolic time, and a meal containing carbohydrates and protein will ensure maximum protein and glycogen synthesis [3] [4]. Many people aren’t hungry right after an intense workout. While the “window of opportunity” is a real phenomena, it’s taken to the extreme when you see people slamming down shakes immediately following their last set. Try to get your post-workout meal in within 2 hours after your workout for improved protein synthesis [5].

Prioritize Your Goal

What is your goal? Are you trying to add muscle, lose weight, and improve your agility all while training for a marathon? We would all love to be the most well rounded athlete, being the strongest, leanest, and fastest person in the world. However, that’s just not going to happen. Certain goals need specific training and nutrition. Muscle building is no exception. If you’re trying to lose weight and add muscle at the same time, it’s certainly doable, but it’s going to be much more difficult than if you were to focus on one goal at a time. It is much easier to add muscle when at maintenance calories or above, than it is to do so in a calorie deficit.

Don’t Negate the Eccentric Phase

When we work out, we typical perform two different movements – the concentric and eccentric phase. The concentric phase is when your muscles shorten when generating force. This phase is usually what most people think about when lifting weights. It’s when you press the bar up, or the “up” portion of a squat. On the other hand, the eccentric phase is when the muscle gets longer under loads. Most people think of this phase as the lowering of the weight before you press it back up. Most people only focus on the concentric phase; however, the eccentric phase has been shown to provide the most hypertrophy [6] [7]. Try lowering the bar in a more controlled fashion at a tempo of 3-0-1 (seconds to lower weight, pause at bottom, and perform concentric phase).

Get the Workout Frequency Right

There are all kinds of training philosophies out there, and all of them hold merit. They do all have something in common though – they leave enough time between working the same muscle groups to ensure proper recovery. Intense exercise can take 48 hours or longer to recover from. If you’re hitting the same muscle consistently on back to back days, you could be working against yourself. Try backing off on the frequency and increasing the intensity of the workouts you do complete. Quality over quantity.

Eat Enough Calories

Nothing will inhibit muscle growth more than a lack of calories. Building muscle is a highly energy intensive task. For many people, they undergo the goal of building muscle at the same time as they are trying to lose weight. If you are trying to accomplish these two goals at one time, you might want to consider cycling your calories so that you are eating more food on training days, and less on others. Doing so will ensure you’re getting the extra energy intake when it matters most for muscle growth.

Optimize Your Sleep

You stimulate muscle growth when you work out, but you build your muscle when you rest. A good night’s sleep provides a favorable metabolic and hormonal profile that is conducive towards building muscle. Growth hormone is released throughout the night. This powerful hormone is anabolic to muscle tissue and catabolic to adipose tissue. Getting 7-9 hours of sleep each night at about the same time will ensure proper glucose regulation, cortisol control, and hormone production [8] [9].

Have Some Patience

Putting on muscle is not as easy as it seems. Women in particular are fearful of weights because they’re afraid of bulking up. Here’s the thing though, you would be lucky to add even 1 pound of muscle in a week’s time, and that is if everything is perfect and you’re eating a surplus of calories to support muscle growth. Building muscle is hard work. The fears of bulking up are more a result of your diet than lifting weights. If you put on muscle but don’t change your body fat, then yes – you might start looking a little “bulky”. This has nothing to do with weight training though, and has everything to do with what you’re eating. Building muscle takes time. Expect a year’s worth of weight training to really start seeing dramatic changes in your physique.

Focus on Getting Stronger

Can you get stronger without getting bigger? Yes. Can you get bigger without getting stronger? That is much less likely to happen. Strength gains are mostly made through motor neuron adaptations. This is basically the idea of teaching your muscles to work together to perform a particular exercise. Your muscles learn the movement, and in return, they are stimulated up and beyond prior loads – resulting in muscle hypertrophy. As long as you place an emphasis on continually getting stronger, and you have the caloric environment to support muscle growth, new muscle will be synthesized.

What is the 80/20 Rule?

The 80/20 rule, also known as the Pareto Principle, states that for many events, 80% of the effects come from 20% of the causes [1]. In other words, 80% of your results will come from 20% of what you’re doing. Since we’re talking about applying this principle to our fitness lifestyle, that would mean that 80% of our fat loss, muscle building, agility, flexibility, or any other fitness marker comes from the top 20% of our training and nutrition.

Applying the 80/20 Rule to Nutrition

So, how do you apply the 80/20 rule to your fitness lifestyle? The key is to do what is going to give you the biggest return on investment (ROI). When it comes to nutrition, this means you first need to focus on what makes the biggest difference in your body composition. There are a couple factors that influence this the most, but there is only one that can make you fit and lean, or morbidly obese – calories.

Focus on counting your calories. Your calorie intake is going to have the biggest influence on your outcome. We all have the goal of not counting calories and just eating healthy. This is a great goal to have, but one that puts the cart before the horse. Counting your calories will teach you about the nutrition profiles of the foods you eat, and will lay the foundation for controlling portion sizes. Use a piece a paper, your phone, a website, or an app, and log all the food you eat every day. Once you find your maintenance calories, it makes it a breeze to lose weight.

Calories might be the most important factor when it comes to body composition, but it’s certainly not the only factor. This leads me to the second biggest influencing factor on your body composition – macronutrient ratios. Many people will argue that macronutrient ratios don’t matter. They believe that you can eat whatever you want from whatever macronutrient, and as long as your calorie intake is the same, your weight loss will be the same. I disagree.

There are many studies that show a difference in not only weight loss, but fat loss [2] [3]. After all, who cares how much weight you lose if it’s not fat. If you’re dieting and losing a lot of muscle in the process, you’re doing something wrong. Try to reexamine your macronutrient ratios. Are you eating enough protein? Are you eating more carbohydrates than you’re using? Eating all your essential fatty acids?

Applying the 80/20 Rule to Training

How do you apply the 80/20 rule to training? You pick the exercises that are going to do the most for your particular goals. If your goal is to put on muscle, you can go and do isolation exercise after isolation exercise, but compound movements that recruit maximum muscle fibers are going to give you the biggest bang for your buck. I have yet to meet anyone who couldn’t get the musculature they wanted using solely compound exercises. If you’re an elite bodybuilder, those isolation exercises can separate you from the pack. For everyone else, the bench, squat, deadlift, rows, and other compound movements are all you need.

Are you trying to be a better sprinter? Running distances over a mile might help some, but explosive weight training and short sprints are going to give you most of your results. Are you a marathoner? Weight training might help you some in rougher terrains, but doing more long distance running and interval training will give you the best return on investment.

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Using the 80/20 rule for your fitness lifestyle can help you make better use of your time and energy. Your time is limited. Train and eat smarter, and you’ll be attaining 80% of your results with much less effort.