OVERLOAD IT!!!!!

Progressive overload is a very simple concept but it is crucial - it lays the foundation upon which resistance training is built.

This principle refers to continually increasing the demands on the musculoskeletal system in order to continually make gains in muscle size, strength and endurance. In simplest terms - In order to get bigger and stronger you must continually lift more and more and make your muscles work harder than they are used to. If you don't, your muscles will not become any stronger or bigger than they currently are.

For those individuals whose efforts are to change the appearance of their bodies, the main reason for failure is EFFORT, or lack thereof. Instead of creating progressive overload or forcing the body to do more than it's accustomed to, they simply go through the motions and maintain what they have. Once the body has gotten used to a particular intensity of exercise, you’ve got to up the ante and add some difficulty to the exercise by either adding weight, manipulating the angle of the exercise

If the demands on your muscles are not at least maintained and are actually decreased, your muscles will become smaller and weaker. To get bigger and stronger; you need to place even more demands on your muscles until you've reached your genetic potential.

1 - Increase Resistance

Progressively increase the weight you lift as you become stronger and the weight becomes easier. A good indicator of when to increase the resistance is when you are able to perform more than your target repetitions (e.g. your lifting program calls for sets of 10 repetitions but you are able to get to 11).

2 - Increase Sets

Increase the number of sets you perform for a given exercise. Instead of 2 or 3 sets maybe you'll want to increase to 3 or 4 in order to really fatigue the muscle(s).

3 - Increase Repetitions

Increase the number of repetitions you perform for a given exercise. Don't stop yourself at some magical number - Push yourself to do 1 or 2 more reps with the aid of a spotter if necessary. If you are able to get those extra reps completely by yourself and it is higher than your target rep range then you know it's time to increase the resistance.

Push Harder.. aim Higher

PUSH HARDER!!!

One sunny day, I and a friend were working out in the gym. I had just completed a set on the bench press with 100kg weight i.e (80kg in weight plates and the 20kg weight of the barbell), and I was encouraging my friend to take a turn with the same weight. He glanced at the loaded barbell with a look of trepidation and confessed that he did not believe he was able to lift that weight.

I urged my friend to test himself against the weight, assuring him that he could lift 80kg with relative ease. I didn’t tell him he was actually lifting 100kg!  

He lay on the bench, grasped the bar with a resolution of steel, and pushed hard. He pushed through the first rep, the second, the third and the fourth reps; he continued until he reached 10 reps, surprising himself in the effort.

That day, my friend was able to lift 120kg (thinking he was lifting 100kg of course) and would have tried out 140kg if his strength had availed him.  

That event underscored an important lesson, that although we can achieve whatever we set our minds to, we must first commit our minds to the task with the unbending belief in our abilities.

Many people fall on the wayside in the fitness journey because they lose faith on themselves, and in the process deny themselves the opportunity to reach the heights attainable by their physical and mental resources. No matter how high you find yourself, always remember there is still room for improvement. You need to continuously renew your mind, emptying it of all that is redundant and detrimental to your growth. Associate yourself with people who operate at the level you aspire to reach.

Refuse to rot in your comfort zone; focus on how to consistently improve yourself and your performance in every area of your life, maximize what you can do and who you can be, and ultimately be the best you can be.

SPARTAN WORKOUT – By Spartan Race

Be Free!!!!

 "You cannot dream yourself into a character; you must hammer and forge yourself one."
 

 -Henry David Thoreau

Less dreaming, more doing. It’s time to hammer out some character 800 meters at a time.
You don’t need lots of expensive gear to get a wicked workout in. Here, a box is enough. For our minimalists, use a box-ish rock or box-ish tree stump. Whatever! Just no excuses.

Warm up with an easy one mile jog

main sequence:
Run 800 meters hard
20 Squat jumps

Run 800 meters hard
20 box jumps

Run 800 meters hard
20 Tuck jumps

Run 800 meters hard
20 Lateral Jumps over box

cool down with easy one mile jog

Do a couple of handstand push ups to show off 

How would you fare if you got into a fight with these guys?

THE ART OF BREATHING – By Anirvachan

With The Art of Breathing Course, the answer to stress is right under your nose.

Have you ever been told to breathe in while counting from one to ten? You may have been given this advice to calm down from stress, and noticed that it worked. Did you know that it is possible to keep the same sense of calm from day to day? The key to achieving greater happiness isn’t very far. In fact, an Art of Breathing Course instructor would tell you it is right under your nose. Literally. It’s all in something as simple as the breath.

So, why the breath?

So why is the breath so important in dealing with stress? With ever greater demands on our time, one needs more energy to handle the stress of daily life. Confidence, inner peace, enthusiasm and a smile - these qualities shine through naturally when the body is  full of energy and vitality. Learning the breathing techniques  taught in The Art of Breathing Course allows us to dissolve stress and negative emotions, calm the mind, and uplift our energy.

Many have found more ease in relationships and in decision-making, thanks to clearer thinking and a more peaceful, understanding mind. Participants have found they have greater self-esteem, and even feel much younger than their years! So if you’re looking for the secret to happiness, why not join an Art of Breathing workshop near you? Start learning to be happy – by having a stress-free mind.

All this is achieved by attending the course and doing simple and fun exercises, also by doing easy practices at home

Benefits

"The secret lies in our own breath. Through breathing exercises, certain breathing techniques and some practice of meditation, we can rekindle positive vibrations within and around us."

Reduced stress

Greater sense of happiness and enthusiasm

More confidence

More ease in interpersonal skills

Anti-aging and rejuvenation effects

Anirvachan is a Computer Engineer and Yoga Instructor with Sri Sri Yoga. He delivers free yoga classes every Tuesday by 7pm at Ikoyi Club. The Art of Breathing Course is an Initiative of Sri Sri Yoga International.

(DE)TRAINING AND ITS EFFECTS

I just picked up the weights after taking a two week break to recover from an injury sustained during training; and it feels terrible. My joints feel like someone poured sand between the surfaces, each inhalation feels like I’m taking in molten lava instead of oxygen, I’m as stiff as the Tin man, and let’s not even go near how my muscles felt after the first session.

Haven’t you ever wondered why you feel weaker, get exhausted quicker and generally feel like crap when you resume exercise after a break of a few days or weeks? That’s the effect of Detraining (sounds like a legal term, doesn’t it?). This is the gradual loss or reversal of the beneficial effects obtained from exercise after a few weeks of not exercising.

For exercise to be effective, it has to be performed regularly with increasing levels of intensity. This has the effect of convincing the body that it is facing an external threat and forces it to develop speed, muscular and cardiovascular endurance, agility, strength, and flexibility.

Therefore, when we reduce intensity levels, or even cease exercising entirely, our bodies revert to lower fitness levels. This is because your body feels like the threat posed by the external stimuli which required you to grow stronger, move faster/longer or become more flexible, has passed and it is no longer required to remain at the earlier fitness level.

While the specific effects of conditioning require at least 4-6 weeks of consistent training to see, deconditioning/ detraining occurs relatively quickly. You start to detrain within 1 week of reduction or cessation of exercise.

In order to combat the negative effects of detraining, it is best to maintain usual exercise intensity during exercise and strength workouts, when the number or length of workouts is decreased. In other words, if you can only train for 10 mins a day as opposed to the 20 mins you were used to, you have to reduce your rest periods and ensure that each repetition is performed with perfect form.

Try to exercise at least 2-3 times a week, this will keep your fitness levels fairly steady and minimize the effects of detraining. Strength gains can be maintained by including one or two strength exercises in each workout as opposed to waiting for a particular day to perform strength exercises.

Fitness is not a one off thing, it’s a lifestyle.

SATURDAY MEDITATION

I took a Yoga class on Tuesday and I must admit that the benefits attributed to yoga are not merely hype. At the close of the class, I felt so rested, so refreshed and so rejuvenated that I have decided to try it once more.

Here are some of what I learnt that day.

1.  Sit comfortably, you should not feel pain or discomfort 
2. Close your eyes and breathe in and out very deeply; try to make each breath deeper than the rest
3. Ensure that you empty your lungs with each exhalation
4. Relax and let your thoughts pass through, dont attempt to stop them or understand them

 The above are some really simple ways to relax yourself and de-stress. You can een apply these methods if your'e feeling stressed in the office.

 

Have a wonderful day ahead.

 

Chimezie