Change your mind for success in 2 minutes (using your body).
You might have seen the famous ted talk and research by Amy Cuddy, social psychologist, about how our body language links directly to our brain chemistry.
I share further on this 2 minute hack for more confidence and also how powerposing has the ability to rapidly reduce the stress hormone cortisol. Even when you don’t feel confident in the moments before you begin.
If you’re curious to add more of these power poses to your tool kit, Amy shares more in her TED.
• Here is the 3 minute version of the TED talk to learn more :) : Click here.
• Or the full version of her famous TED talk: Click here.
LITTLE & OFTEN: AFFECTIVE APPROACH TO EXERCISE
Crunched for time? No problem, to get the biggest bang for the buck without wasting hours at the gym, you'll want to focus on volume and intensity. Volume; the number of exercises you do, or the combined reps and sets. Intensity; how hard you push it.
Science confirms the intensity you put into your sweat is more important than how many times you actually break it. A recent study published in the Journal of Strength and Conditioning Research found that those who worked out three days a week saw the same strength-building results as those who exercised six days a week.
For strength gains the ideal intensity is to work near failure, stop when only 1 more rep is possible with perfect form. Nike master trainer Joe Holder suggests hitting complex movements with decent weight to get away with 1-3 strength sessions to see gains.
If you choose this method of training, the importance of rest days has just stepped up. To dominate your next workout you can also opt for active recovery that lets your muscles replenish glycogen and your body. If you ignore the rest and recovery and doing HIIT workouts multiple days in a row, it could lead to some overuse issues or injuries and negative effects. It's not designed to be done five to six days a week, rather just two or three.
If you hop on the three-day-a-week train to get fit, here are a few things to keep in mind to make the most of your time spent sweating;
Have a game plan for your strength, cardio, or HIIT session, plan your sessions in advance so no time is wasted figuring out what to do.
Include 3 things; strength to improve strength (likely weightlifting), and conditioning (such as a HIIT circuit to improve heart rate and energy systems), mobility (i.e. dynamic stretching or band exercises) to improve the way you move.
LESS WEIGHT, MORE REPS? OR MORE WEIGHT, LESS REPS?
With so much conflicting, confusing advice out there it’s challenging to get a straight answer on one main question; what is better; lifting less weight with more reps or lifting more with less reps?! Research suggests that as we age, we can develop joint problems and this can also be exasperated by the wrong kind of training. One thing is for sure; resistance training is incredibly important, for overall health and longevity, not just for aesthetic results.
Two of PPG’s most popular workouts are CYCLE and BARRE, both of which incorporate work with light weights, high reps. High repetition training creates a lactic acid burn, working to the point that your muscles begin to shake. Working with this method generally means a shorter recovery period between workouts, along with shorter rest periods between sets.
Working with light weights also allows you to perform movements through your full range of motion properly and precisely with the risk of injury much lower. However, training with light weights is likely to take longer to build muscle and you're not likely to improve your strength massively but the number of calories burned is in the high numbers and there's less pressure on joints.
The benefit of lifting heavy is that it takes less time, it is geared towards adding muscle mass yes, but this doesn't mean that by lifting heavy you'll start resembling a body-builder. You’ll only build muscle if you're in a calorie surplus — ie. consuming more energy than you're burning. When lifting a higher weight with lower reps, you'll definitely see strength improvement, along with bone density and a greater fat loss than when training with light weights. The cons of this type of training are that you'll need longer recovery periods for the muscle group in training, your workout is likely to be longer, and you're placing joints under a lot of stress.
Depending on what you’re trying to achieve decides what training method you should choose. What is absolutely key is that you create a progressive overload, this means increasing the number of reps over time or the weight volume. Ultimately, training less with more or more with less is going to be beneficial, we suggest mixing it up and incorporating both into your regime. Just be sure to work hard enough that your muscles start to fatigue.
The benefits of; less weight, more reps
Low weights, high reps creates the muscle shake which could lead to burning more calories afterward.
Low weight and high repetition training are fantastic for those looking for defined and lean muscles without bulk.
High repetition training creates longer-looking muscle as less power is needed and the entire length of the muscle is used to create each contraction.
Lower risk of injury and less pressure on joints.
Shorter recovery period between workouts, along with shorter rest periods between sets.
The benefits of; heavy weight, less reps
If you want to build muscle, heavy is the way to go. Higher loads and lower reps produce strength gains.
For building strength, it is better to lift heavier weights because the heavier loads train your nervous system to be able to recruit more of your muscle cells to produce more force more quickly, something that a light load will not duplicate.
Quicker improvement of strength and bone density.
Quicker fat loss.
