Time for another plate?

One of the questions I get asked most about resistance training is, "When is it time to add more weight?" A good rule of thumb is when using the current weight becomes easy. Of course, easy is a very subjective term. I am a hard head, and my threshold of a task being arduous usually involves an bruise, limp or a story I can tell for the next 20 years. For others, they fall off the "hard" cliff when the first beads of sweat appear on their furrowed brow.

So, I will give you Darryl's Law when it come's to easy. Let's say you are doing three sets of 12 repetitions of a dumbbell bench press. If you can do the same weight, in good form, for two consecutive workout sessions, it has become too easy. Move up your resistance 5-10 percent next time. Not so tricky of a concept.

OK, some side notes:

• Do not try to move up more than 10% in back-to-back sessions. Your muscles may be strong enough, but your connective tissues and joints may not be quite ready yet.
• More weight affects your balance. Take it nice and easy next time until you feel comfortable.
• If there was a day where you should take extra time stretching, the session where you are moving up weight is the day to do it.
• It will seem a great deal harder than last time. That is the point. In a few sessions, it won't anymore!

Some exercises are more complex than others, so it might be hard to move up 5-10% and still maintain good form. Also, some machines have weight plates that go up in greater than 5-10% increments. In both cases, try moving up to the new weight for the first set and then back down tot he previous weight for the next two. During the next session, do the next weight for two sets and the old weight for one. Within a week or so, you will be at your new personal best!

One other note, if you are never able to move up (e.g., stuck on 11 reps for the last three months), it is an indication you are not training with the right level of intensity and might be letting your mind shut you down early. You are at the gym to work, so push it!

In the next post, we will talk about how this principle applies to your career as well...

Where strength comes from

Any of you that know me well know that I adore (Governor) Arnold Schwarzenegger. Whether or not you think the man is a bit too brash, cocky or on the wrong side of the political aisle, you have to admire the fact that he has achieved in every single thing he has ever set his mind to do.

Today's posting is very brief. It is a link to quote from the Austrian Oak. I could not say it any better, so I will just stop typing.

Fatness equals forgetfulness?

Most people that read this blog depend on their mind for work. Their intellectual horsepower is what clients and colleagues value (in addition to that winning personality of yours). So, you should take notice of a March 2008 study in Neurology magazine that showed how an excess of abdominal fat in midlife increases the risk of dementia in later years.

Take a look at what you earn per hour and multiply it by the number of hours you work in a year. Having five extra years of being at your mental peak equate to a mountain of money. Exercise may may be essential to maintaining your livelihood as well as your youthful appearance.

Laymen's guide to diet plans

Oh my goodness, there are more "foolproof" diet plans out there than you could shake a tasteless, boring carrot at. All of us are definitely in the wrong business. It seems like anyone with some type of initials or suffix after their name can create a plan, market it and sell a million books. It does not really matter if it actually works. By the time most people find out it might be a false yellow brick road to a six-pack, the next diet comes out on the market.

Avoid any and all diets that have these kind of fanciful statements or marketing techniques:

• Lose weight and never exercise!
• Never be hungry!
• An easy way to lose unwanted flab!
• An overuse of the words melt, vanish, disappear or effortlessly
• Before pictures where the before picture is someone not smiling, very pale and in bad lighting
• After pictures where the person is flexing or standing sideways

This recent article about some of the more popular diet plans of the last year explains some of the options you have. They all have similar themes:

• Restrict caloric intake
• Eat healthy foods right off the ground or right off the farm
• Plan your days and track your progress
• Make it a permanent change to your eating habits

Your body is a machine that is desperately trying to maintain homeostasis. If you are overweight, it means you consumed more calories than you needed over time. The only way to lose weight is through caloric restriction and increased caloric expenditure. You have to create a caloric deficit in order to make your body burn off the excess weight that affects your health, looks and self-esteem.

Diet plans are just strategies to accomplish what I just mentioned. They are not magic formulas or shortcuts. If you want to lose twenty pounds fast, cut off an arm. If you want to lose twenty pounds for good, make a plan, execute it, track your progress and continuously make adjustments based on the results and changes in your lifestyle.

Relax or ride the stress coaster?

There was a detailed study in the Journal of Sports Science and Medicine about the differences in how elite and non-elite performers deal with anxiety before competition. Their findings showed that non-elite performers tended to use relaxation techniques while elite performers embraced their anxiety and channeled it into their psychological preparation.

Before you read this study, I wanted to give you a few preparatory statements about the study:

• It was specific to rugby, a high intensity, team-oriented sport
• The study is highly technical, so scroll down to the very bottom and read the sections labeled Conclusions and Key Points
• Elite and non-elite refer to levels of individual ability

The takeaway from this study is that you do not have to be an elite athlete to prepare like one. The findings show that the use of imagery and verbal self-persuasion are needed by all athletes to perform at a high level. In short, you should welcome the anxiety you feel before the big event and use it to better prepare yourself for the task ahead of you.

Model the best in the world

People are always looking for a magic formula or hidden secret to becoming more fit, excelling in a sport or breaking their own personal best. Luckily, there are researchers, coaches, athletes and others who do nothing all day except try to find out how to enhance human performance to a level that has never been matched.

The Olympics is a great demonstration of this ongoing experiment. You may not be a fan of the badminton or table tennis, but you cannot deny the fact that every one of these athletes are better prepared--physically AND mentally--than anyone else in the world. Even things like table tennis count: everyone can play it, but not everyone can play it at that level.

No matter what the endeavor, if you want to be successful, model those that are considered the best. Some of them are gifted athletes that have genetics and technique that none of us could ever match. What we can take away from them is their work ethic, focus and the advice that they get from their coaches.

Read this article about how to perform more like an Olympic athlete. Some of the common themes I noticed from all of the recommendations:

1. There is no need for fancy machines or exercises. A few cones, a jump rope or your own body weight will do.
2. Changing it up is critical to long term success. You get stuck in a rut by refusing to vary your routine. Variables to change include time, speed, weight, volume, order, etc.
3. Balance and form are essential to maximizing output and efficiency.
4. Core muscle strength makes all the other muscles capable of performing better.
5. Add power and reach to every stroke/stride instead of a greater volume of inefficient ones to make up for it.
6. Proper stretching and preparation reduce injuries, decrease recovery times and improve performance.

It may not get you a free trip to London courtesy of the USOC, but might help you achieve a new personal record that you can try to break next month.

Performance is reality

If you have been watching the 2008 Summer Olympics, it is hard not to be inspired by the accomplishments of U.S. swimmer, Michael Phelps. As of this posting, he has won more gold medals than any other Olympian, and he still has a few races to go

However, I think the most awesome thing about Michael is his mental attitude. To see what I mean, read this. You will be impressed at his work ethic, discipline and intensity.

He referenced a quote by Harold Geneen that motivated him: "...words are words, explanations are explanations, promises are promises but only performance is reality."

One other thing impresses me about him. Despite all the medals, accolades and sponsorship dollars, he is still the first in/last out of the pool every day.

So, think you can make it to the gym for 30 minutes today? I thought so.

Get moving. You'll feel better.

I just read a study, conducted by the University of Georgia, in the journal Psychotherapy and Psychosomatics that found that inactive people who stated that they were frequently tired from their daily routine could increase energy by 20% while decreasing fatigue by as much as 65% by simply participating in regular, low-intensity exercise.

Read more about it here: Exercise for Energy: Workouts That Work