What are your fitness goals? Are you sure you’re following a routine that’s right for you?
Did you know that depending on what you want to achieve, there may be specific workouts you should be implementing into your routine?
I’m going to try to keep it simple for you with the purpose of helping you get a little more clarity on what direction you may want to be going.
Keep in mind that this is a general suggestion and it is always a good idea to consult a professional in the fitness field to design a program that’s right for you and your fitness goals while keeping you injury free.
POSSIBLE GOALS:
1. Weight Loss
If you’re trying to lose weight then you want to make sure you incorporate a solid strength training routine into your program. This can be with or without resistance. You don’t necessarily have to add heavy weights into your workouts if you don’t want to but you can add resistance through the use of moderate weights, bands, and other props along with your own body weight.
In my opinion, the most effective way to lose weight and burn fat is through high intensity interval training. “HIIT workouts can burn more subcutaneous fat than long duration, low-to-moderate endurance training.” – National Academy of Sports Science
High Intensity Interval Training does not only mean exercises that involve jumping(plyometrics). Thou often, they do. But instead, HIIT refers to high energy time based activities that are short in length yet high in intensity such as plyometrics(jumping) but also sprinting, or exercises that involve performing at maximum capacity using explosive or speed based movements.
The idea is that a lot of energy is released within a small period of time which helps bring your heart rate up and down during your workout. Different energy systems are activated during the process which helps increase calorie burn and boost our metabolism.
However, that’s not to say that if you want to lose weight then you only have to do HIIT workouts. It just means that it’s a good idea to incorporate it into your routine in some way. Remember, it doesn’t need to be high impact to work.
You can do pilates one day and sprint or do a high intensity low impact routine that includes cardio movements another day. The idea is to have it as part of your weekly workouts. Not to overly work or exhaust your body by doing it everyday.
Remember, strength training overall is one of the best ways to shed excess weight so whether you add HIIT or not into your routine, as long as you’re doing strength training, you’re on your way to a stronger healthier version of yourself.
2.Strengthen
If you want to strengthen then you have to make sure you’re adding resistance into your routine.
This means strength training with weights or some equipment such as bands, etc. But, adding the external resistance from weights will typically help increase strength and build bone density which we want especially as we age.
Strength as we know it, is the ability to withstand force or pressure. Other ways to improve muscular health is by building muscle endurance. “While stamina is limited to performing at maximum capacity, the focus of endurance is on maximizing time regardless of the capacity at which a given group of muscles is performing.” – livestrong.com
But what does this even mean to you and how can you make sure you have a balanced strength routine?
From my experience, the key is in adding a little bit of everything to your workout routine while still having structure and consistency.
Ideally we should include traditional strength work that involves compound movements but also strength based exercises focused on sustained smaller movements involving equipment or your own body weight (such as found on the VB METHOD) -activities that challenge muscle endurance(aerobic).
3. Tone and Sculpt
The key to toning and sculpting is having a solid strength routine while focusing on specific body parts at a time. I call this DETAILING. What I personally like to do is, focus on maintaining a consistent routine with certain muscle groups until I’ve mastered that routine then I take it up a notch and continue doing that same routine but this time I add props(resistance) or increase my number of repetitions.
For instance, when I realized that I had a very weak mid-belly I started doing my core exercises with the bender ball until it got so easy that I was able to add weights to this routine to bring it up a notch and step it to the next level. I don’t do the routine as much as I used to but I make sure I do it at least once a week to maintain strength in these muscles while keeping my abs shaped the way I want to.
The key is in remaining consistent with working the exact muscles you want to shape and knowing when it’s time to bring it up a notch to continue to challenge those muscles and avoid reaching plateau.
Muscle toning and sculpting is my passion and expertise. All of my workouts on the VB METHOD focus on targeting specific muscle groups even when doing full body.
4. Stay Injury Free
If you want to stay injury free make sure you do workouts that involve lots of focus, control, and precision while staying mindful of your form, technique, and stability. Aim for strength and flexibility to help give you an overall balance without overly working any unwanted muscles.
Listen to your body and stop as soon as something feels like it’s not working the right muscles or even overworking the muscles you’re trying to target. Rest and pick it back up when you’re ready. In reality, we should do this not matter what.
This is why I add tons of cueing to my workouts. To help give you guidance on how to tap into the correct muscle groups even when you may not feel like you’re able to. One simple little cue can change the entire exercise and help you tap into a muscle you never have before thus giving you a whole new level of strength.
5. To Feel Good
If you just want to have energy, feel good, and be healthy; then do what fills your soul. Keep in mind that you can still achieve this even while working on more specific goals as any of the ones above. The key is in enjoying the process.
I personally do all kinds of workouts and like to take a day or two sometimes for feel good workouts that just make me feel awesome and balanced.
Each and every single goal above can be achieved within the same workout routine. The key is in incorporating a little bit of everything while paying attention to our bodies, the details, and making sure we choose exercises that feel good and exercises that challenge us.
If you have any questions, requests, or are looking for a trainer to help you design a fitness routine that’s right for you, feel free to email me at vilmaliz@vilmalizbosque.com or fill out the contact form found up on the footer section at the bottom of the page.
Check out the VB METHOD 7 day free trial if you haven’t yet.
xo,
Vilmaliz
#VBMETHOD
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