Fitness results for men are in fact the easiest to achieve because mens bodies are designed to quickly respond to adverse conditions by adding strength in the form of muscle. Also virtually any type of resistance training will improve your body at least to a certain extent. However; without any type of “home fitness strategy” or plan, you just won’t achieve maximum results.
Truly fast and more permanent results always come with some type of plan. An inclusive regimen that blends the best of cardio workouts, resistance training and of course nutrition. A meticulous well thought out plan that includes these key elements not only brings fast & long lasting results but it also inspires motivation as well.
The Reasons Home Fitness Programs Fail
Read em and weep because the statistics just don’t bode well for a man starting out to get in shape today. Over half will drop out within the first six months and of those who remain, over half again will be gone by the end of the year. The main reason for this can be blamed for the most part, on mistaken beliefs and “common folklore”.
Men who simply fail to properly educate themselves about the subject matter, such as methods of effective and proper warm-up and cooling down, proper lifting speed, heavy weight training, safety and more. They simply go at it in a random fashion and become disenchanted when of course they don’t see the results that they had “invisioned”.
The Pre-Workout Home Fitness Warm-Up
The fact is that before any workout, even a light to moderate workout, you absolutely “must” warm up and stretch out your joints, muscles and tendons properly. Doing so will not only intensify your overall performance and hasten recovery time but it will also help to prevent stress and impact injuries.
It relaxes and prepares your muscles, while it induces them to become more elastic. You’ll also find that you’re more relaxed and far able to “focus” so much more intently during your workout sessions after a proper warm-up. It also functions to enlarge blood vessels and increase blood flow which in turn brings more needed oxygen and nutrients to the muscles.
Two Types Of Warm Up Exercises
For optimal effect, there are two basic types of warm up exercises that must be performed and they are as follows: The first will be some type of light cardio regimen that should be performed for five minutes. The next home fitness warm up routine will be 10 – 20 light weight reps in the muscle groups you intend to focus on.
Use 30% to 40% of the weight that you intend to use for your workout routine and make sure to not become exhausted in any way. Over doing it during your initial warm up phase can in fact be “counterproductive”. The goal you see, is to be fresh and invigorated for your main or primary reps.
Focusing On Muscle Groups
There’s just no way around it. To achieve “maximum” & well balanced muscle gain, you simply must select out at least one weight resistance exercise for each major muscle group. Another important element that’s all to often ignored, is the order in which these muscle groups are focused on.
Always start with the largest muscles in your body first then successively work your way down to the smallest muscle groups. By doing so, you’ll insure that you have the strength and energy that’s required when it’s time to stress the larger muscles. Try it once in reverse and you can see for yourself how your performance level is lessened.
Home Fitness Speed & Intensity
One of the most important factors and one that’s so often ignored by men is the “speed or tempo” of a weight resistance workout routine. Another thing worth noting, is that the tempo at which you lift plays an integral part in preventing injuries, such as muscle and ligament tears.
A slow and even lifting rate or tempo will cause the muscle being stressed to perform more work and will result in less momentum. Also a slow tempo ensures a concentration of force throughout the entire muscle group. It insures a “complete” and entire range of motion in the rep.
It’s also well worth noting that the “down” part of a rep is just as, if not more important than the “up” part. This means that a nice even lift up followed buy a smooth even return down in any type of lift means that the entire muscle is being evenly and thoroughly stressed. Always return to your starting position after each lift.
The Most Common Workout Mistakes
So just what are the most common home fitness mistakes that are made? The truth is there are several and not only can they hinder your overall development but some of them can be dangerous. Remember a “danger” doesn’t necessarily mean that it’s something that can send you to a doctor. A danger can be something that can cause even a minor injury that can simply hinder or interrupt your home fitness program.
The first and most common mistake, is using too much weight. Remember that every session is not the “Olympic tryouts”. For maximum effect, use the amount of weight that you can do a rep of ten lifts with. This doesn’t mean that you can’t test yourself from time to time but bear in mind that maximum weight means maximum risk of muscle and ligament tears.
The second common mistake that you will see people doing is “bouncing or swinging” the weights. It’s most commonly done on chest lifts where the weights are bounced up off the chest but it can be done in other types of reps as well. Don’t do it. It negates from the intent of a rep and also can result in tears from the down-side of the bounce.
The third very common home fitness mistake is “abusing” your back during any type of exercise or routine. Never arch your back or over rely on your back for support. If you’re bending or straining your back unnaturally, you’re simply gambling with your health. Back injuries can happen in a split second and may never heal even with surgery.
The fourth mistake that you may find yourself making is training and lifting at too fast a pace. It’s just so easy to do. You get your momentum up, the music is blasting, you got your groove on and all you’re thinking is “go-go-go”. Take a little bit of time to unwind between reps and try to time yourself so you keep a good steady, even pace.
Nutrition and Body Building
Any home fitness program must include some type of nutrition plan as well. It’s simply impossible to cover such a complex topic here but what I can tell is what not to do. Don’t diet when your attempting to add muscle bulk and don’t go on any drastic fad programs. “Do” buy a good book on the topic from a reputable source and read it.
Nutrition is like good looks. Everybody can use a little improvement, so if you think your diet is perfect and you’re “good to go”, then for sure you need to delve into the subject. There’s just so much that is known now and remember that what you eat is what your body will be building its self back up with.
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