Check out Eric Cressey's Blog Here
Always remember, I am here to help all of you. If you ever have any questions please don't hesitate to contact me.
Best,
Doug Spurling, CSCS, NSCA-CPT
dspurling@une.edu
Showing posts with label NSCA. Show all posts
Showing posts with label NSCA. Show all posts
Friday, February 18, 2011
Understanding sets and reps...
Tonight I am sharing a link with you that I promise is worth reading. Eric Cressey breaks down sets and reps and goes over how you assign them. If you are not familiar with Cressey, he is a leader in the field of strength and conditioning. He owns his own facility west of Boston. He has been a great resource for me, and I return the favor by sharing his blog with all of you.
Check out Eric Cressey's Blog Here
Always remember, I am here to help all of you. If you ever have any questions please don't hesitate to contact me.
Best,
Doug Spurling, CSCS, NSCA-CPT
dspurling@une.edu
Check out Eric Cressey's Blog Here
Always remember, I am here to help all of you. If you ever have any questions please don't hesitate to contact me.
Best,
Doug Spurling, CSCS, NSCA-CPT
dspurling@une.edu
Wednesday, February 16, 2011
Know your goal
I can't stress how important it is to know your goal. So many people come up to me and they want to gain strength, add muscle, lose fat, and get a 6-pack all at the same time. Well, it ain't gonna happen.
If your looking to get stronger you need to lift heavier weight, less reps, and more rest.
If your looking to add muscle you need a hypertrophy style workout with high volume.
If your looking to lose weight you need to get your diet in check and then shorten your rest periods.
It is so important to remember your goal. If your trying to gain strength chances are you are going to gain a little fat since you need so many carbs for the energy required to lift heavy weight. That is why so many people fail at their programs. They try to find an all in one program. Well, those don't exist. You need to periodize your workout so that you are working on one goal at a time. That is how you are going to get the best results.
For example:
February-May: Cutting/Fat Loss. You are going to lower your carbs so you are not going to have as much energy in the gym. Increase your cardio and decrease your intensity with the weights.
June-Sept: Hypertrophy-Building muscle size-Usually 4-5 sets of 8-12 reps for each exercise. Exercises are usually done in a body building style where muscle groups are separated each day.
October-January-Strength/Bulking-This is where the numbers on lifts go up. Heavy heavy weight. However, you will gain weight with eating more and gaining muscle. Just make sure its clean, this doesn't mean you can eat whatever you want.
For athletes its slightly different, goals are usually broken into seasons:
Preseason: Power-Olympic Lifts i.e. powerclean
In Season: Maintenance-With practices and games you are lucky to get 1 or 2 workout a week
Post Season: Hypertrophy-Build muscle size
Off-season: Strength-Lift heavy, get strong
Although a simple breakdown, the above is so important. You need to remember your goal.
If you have questions regarding this or anything other topics please don't hesitate to contact me.
Best,
Doug Spurling, CSCS, NSCA-CPT
dspurling@une.edu
If your looking to get stronger you need to lift heavier weight, less reps, and more rest.
If your looking to add muscle you need a hypertrophy style workout with high volume.
If your looking to lose weight you need to get your diet in check and then shorten your rest periods.
It is so important to remember your goal. If your trying to gain strength chances are you are going to gain a little fat since you need so many carbs for the energy required to lift heavy weight. That is why so many people fail at their programs. They try to find an all in one program. Well, those don't exist. You need to periodize your workout so that you are working on one goal at a time. That is how you are going to get the best results.
For example:
February-May: Cutting/Fat Loss. You are going to lower your carbs so you are not going to have as much energy in the gym. Increase your cardio and decrease your intensity with the weights.
June-Sept: Hypertrophy-Building muscle size-Usually 4-5 sets of 8-12 reps for each exercise. Exercises are usually done in a body building style where muscle groups are separated each day.
October-January-Strength/Bulking-This is where the numbers on lifts go up. Heavy heavy weight. However, you will gain weight with eating more and gaining muscle. Just make sure its clean, this doesn't mean you can eat whatever you want.
For athletes its slightly different, goals are usually broken into seasons:
Preseason: Power-Olympic Lifts i.e. powerclean
In Season: Maintenance-With practices and games you are lucky to get 1 or 2 workout a week
Post Season: Hypertrophy-Build muscle size
Off-season: Strength-Lift heavy, get strong
Although a simple breakdown, the above is so important. You need to remember your goal.
If you have questions regarding this or anything other topics please don't hesitate to contact me.
Best,
Doug Spurling, CSCS, NSCA-CPT
dspurling@une.edu
Sunday, October 25, 2009
Do you really want your health in the hands of a weekend personal trainer?
Personal trainers have a horrible reputation. When someones mentions personal trainers they think of big meat heads, who were jocks in high school, and couldn't do anything in school so they just became a personal trainer.
In my opinion, true personal trainers are professionals who have a MINIMUM of a four year degree in exercise science and have an accredited certification. In addition, they keep there certification current by attending seminars and conferences in order to expand there knowledge.
Unfortunately, there are personal trainers out there training clients with no certifications or schooling. There are several organizations that offer weekend certifications to become a personal trainer. However, do you really want your health in the hands of someone who learned everything in two days. NO!
I am 6 months away from receiving my bachelors degree in exercise science, and I don't even know half of what there is to know in the world of fitness. That is why every day I try to learn as much as I can about the human body and how it works. I am constantly attending conferences and seminars in order to improve my knowledge about fitness and currently in the process of applying to graduate school.
So, next time you meet with your trainer or choose to work with one, ask them about their credentials. Then think to yourself, do you really want your health in the hands of a weekend personal trainer or would you rather work with an educated professional exercise specialist!?
In my opinion, true personal trainers are professionals who have a MINIMUM of a four year degree in exercise science and have an accredited certification. In addition, they keep there certification current by attending seminars and conferences in order to expand there knowledge.
Unfortunately, there are personal trainers out there training clients with no certifications or schooling. There are several organizations that offer weekend certifications to become a personal trainer. However, do you really want your health in the hands of someone who learned everything in two days. NO!
I am 6 months away from receiving my bachelors degree in exercise science, and I don't even know half of what there is to know in the world of fitness. That is why every day I try to learn as much as I can about the human body and how it works. I am constantly attending conferences and seminars in order to improve my knowledge about fitness and currently in the process of applying to graduate school.
So, next time you meet with your trainer or choose to work with one, ask them about their credentials. Then think to yourself, do you really want your health in the hands of a weekend personal trainer or would you rather work with an educated professional exercise specialist!?
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