Category — Workouts

Do you ever feel like you’re spending all of your free time at the gym? Even if you love working out it’s normal to sometimes think that the gym is becoming your second home. Well, if you feel like you need to free up more “you” time and gain more precious days of rest then you may want to consider working out twice a day.

Split workout schedules are probably the most common regimen, however they can sometimes be detrimental because while your goal may be to work your triceps every third day, you may end up working them sooner than that when you’re doing other exercises. For instance, you may use your triceps unknowingly to assist you in another exercise.

AskMen.com outlines a workout schedule for twice a day sessions and things you should consider before deciding to undertake this. Remember, this type of workout plan isn’t for everybody. Depending on your work schedule it will be ideal to workout once in the morning and and once at night (or late afternoon). While working out two times in one day nutrition is going to be even more crucial to the recovery and fueling of your workout as you will definitely need to increase your caloric intake.

When I first joined a gym years ago I made the mistake of doing cardio before I lifted. Not good. 

Cardio before weight training is counter-productive to your muscles. Think about it. If you run for 20 or 30 minutes on the treadmill your muscles are going to fatigue and the glycogen it has stored is going to burn out. So you’ll be lifting weights using less than 50% of your muscle’s potential.

You also lower your blood sugar when you lift weights, so when you start running you’ll immediately begin to burn fat. Obviously when you’re lifting you want to maximize your output so wearing yourself out on the elliptical first makes no sense.

Tip: It’s okay and actually recommended to do a light 5-10 minute cardio warmup before you being weight training.

With most sports, the more time you spend away from the game, the harder it is when you do return. I remember stepping back onto the court after graduating college. I had not played basketball in over 2 months. Just shooting the ball felt weird. The good news was that everything came back to me once I regained that muscle memory.

Sometimes doing some training before you step back onto the court will do wonders for your skillset and your ability to regain your “touch.” I found an article that outlines some basketball exercises that can help you develop muscles and gain strength in key areas that will allow you to perform at a higher level.

Personal trainer Sean Green takes you through the five movements that will transform your game.

I think many weightlifters would agree that leg muscles in general are the toughest muscles to develop. Mainly because we’re walking on them all day and they’re already experiencing a good amount of contraction. So, it takes quite a bit of shock and variation to see significant growth.

MensHealth.com has highlighted a few tips that can be applied to your leg workouts that may jumpstart growth. These tips focus on a few adjustments to standard leg exercises that allow for better form and in turn, bigger gains. Personally, I’ve had some moderate success in training calves and quadriceps by performing about 4 sets of high repititions (20-25) using minimal weight.

The thing about muscle building is that there is not just one way to be successful, that’s why I’m curious as to how other people have found success with building leg muscles.

Share your stories and comments below.

Electrolyte drinks like Gatorade and Powerade have gotten a bad rap over the past few years primarily due to the fact that they are loaded with sugar. Now granted, if you’re just drinking these beverages all day long without working out then you’re probably going to gain some weight. But don’t be afriad to take them to the gym with you when you’re getting ready for a long workout.

Suzanne Girard Eberle, a sports dietitan echoes those sentiments. ”When you’re training long and hard, you shouldn’t minimize your caloric intake. Don’t work against your body while you’re asking it to perform,” she says.

If I’m going to gym to do a full workout plus cardio I’ll definitely bring some Gatorade with me to replace those electrolytes and fluids that I’m going to lose. It’s okay to consume sports drinks during workouts, even though they contain high amounts of sugar, it’s going to help fuel your training. It only becomes counterproductive to your body when you start drinking them all the time without exercise.