The days of sweating your head off for an hour are over. You might have noticed that the MAXPRO workouts are not 60-minute field trips to metabolic mayhem where you are on the brink of passing out or just wanting to quit. Work(out) more thoughtful, not harder is a statement applicable to the MAXPRO. Our training is delivered in a way to engage you. So you can duplicate it anytime you like. If this last year has taught us anything, it is the importance for our bodies to remain conditioned, strong, and mobile. Here are 8 essential tips you should apply right away to maximize your training and your time.
1. "Do Something Everyday." "Don't try to change everything in a day: this is a lifestyle change; small steps are key," says master trainer Tim Harris, the owner, C.E.O., and founder of Training in Motion in Germany. "If you only do one push-up, that is better than no push-ups," he continues to say. You showing up with the intent is better than regretting what you could have done later on. You can take a brisk walk for 15-30 minutes or a class in the MAXPRO coaching app with one of our coaches. You can do something every day but for you to change you have to make a decision. Choose your health and happiness.
2. "Have a Routine." If you have never heard this before in fitness, perhaps today is the first day. Make sure you create heat in your body and warm up before an activity, and take time afterward to cool down. "Devote time each session to proper movement preparation (tissue prep, mobility, activation, dynamic warm-up)," says Justin Russ, C.S.C.S. Assistant Strength and Conditioning Coach at the University of Virginia. There is a structure to maximize your training time. Keeping the order of warm-up, workout, and cool down will ensure success safely and effectively. A stretching routine to warm up with and cool down to go a long way when committed to changing your life and health.
3. "Quality over Quantity." It's not how many you can do; it's how many good ones you can do. "Execution above everything else, move on purpose with purpose," says the owner of Energia Fitness and N.A.S.M. Personal trainer Samantha Milk from Las Vegas, NV. Form matters. It will carry you to a healthy posture with a strong body that could be injury-free as long as you maintain an eye for quality of movement. With MAXPRO, our coaches will guide you every step of the way.
4. "Take off Your Shoes." Feeling the floor is what everyone needs. Staying grounded means your feet get to improve body awareness, balance, body alignment. Strengthen the (foot) muscle, especially in the arch. A healthy foot is a strong foot that pronates less and is less liable to develop a collapsed arch. Barefoot training promotes central nervous system activation, which in turn works its way up the kinetic chain. If you can't take your shoes off to work out. In that case, it's recommended that you wear (minimal) shoes that do nothing to interfere with the foot's natural ability, says Dr. Kris D'Aout. Research showed wearing VivoBarefoot shoes for six months improved foot strength by a whopping 60%. Foot strength is a huge factor as we age, and it will keep our postural (standing) and gait (walking) stability balanced based on how you approach what you put on your feet or don't.
5. "Engage your Core." Indeed you hear it all the time, but do you know what your core is? Your core is all the muscles that attach from your collarbone to the middle of your thigh. These muscles help stabilize your spine for it to remain neutral. That is a lot of muscles. Add in planks, single-arm planks, stirring the pot on a stability ball, and side planks will enhance your body awareness and strength. When your core musculature is fully engaged, you increase your ability to move safely and go after those "gains." You will also be able to move more load when focusing on core stabilization, so in other words, you will get stronger!
6. "Train in 3D." As humans in the modern world, we are inclined to go with the flow. We predominantly move in one direction, forward and back, think running, biking, rowing, climbing (machines), and lots of fitness machines keep us in one plane of motion. This particular plane of motion is called the sagittal plane, and it is one of three planes our body is divided in. This plane of motion divides our body into left and right, and the corresponding movement would be a squat or a front or back lunge, a triceps press, or a biceps curl. The second plane of motion is the frontal plane which divides our body into front and back. The corresponding movement to this plane would be a side lunge and shoulder press. Then last but not least, the transverse plane divides our body into top and bottom, and the corresponding movement here would be a crossing step back lunge or a push-up. Your body is made to rotate. Look at the angles of your muscles. Make sure you balance your workouts to maximize the usage of all 656 muscles in your body. Remember that you're made to function, but you're only a few poor habits away from dysfunction. Work the entire body!
7. "Balance your Workouts." Please make sure you practice working on your balance and stability since it's the most rewarding for your body and mind. Working on balance and stability can help you move more weight and improve joint health, neuromuscular control, and make sure you incorporate all phases of training. The O.P.T. model from the National Academy of Sports Medicine dedicates a large part of its programming to stabilization. Focusing on stability and balance will help you start your training program from a safe place, maintain what you've already gained, and work towards the more significant improvement of your strength and bio-mechanical health.
8. "Be Accountable." Hold yourself accountable by creating a weekly workout schedule that is attainable and not discouraging.
Start with at least 30 minutes per day of physical exercise and work your way up to the recommended amount of weekly activity. You don't have to do 30 minutes straight; you can break it up into bouts initially. If you're not familiar with the guidelines, they are based on the World Health Organizations Guidelines for Physical Activity. These guidelines recommend a person performs 150 minutes of moderate or 75 minutes of vigorous activity per week. It just means you have to show up, and with the Maxpro, we take care of the rest. There are many tips and tricks to maximize your workout time, but this is a solid foundation and a good start. Like Chris Frankel, Ph.D., Head of performance at Beaverfit USA, likes to say:" More isn't better, better is better." Continue to live a better life filled with quality and not quantity.
References:
1) https://www.ihrsa.org/improve-your-club/5-things-that-will-help-your-gym-members-stick- to-their-exercise-habits/#
2) http://barefootrunning.fas.harvard.edu/5BarefootRunning&TrainingTips.html 3) D’Aout et al (20)