FITNESS GUIDE
LEARN ALL THE MAJOR DO'S & DON'T'S YOU NEED TO KNOW ABOUT EXERCISING IN GENERAL OR WHILE AT THE GYM + ALL OF YOUR POTENTIAL FAQ'S ASKED & ANSWERED.
> Be CAUTIOUS while using any gym equipment on your own especially for the first time to avoid the risk of getting injured.
> Seek guidance from any qualified gym staff to help you out if you were ever confused or didn’t know how to use any certain piece of gym equipment -better safe than sorry!
> AVOID pushing, pulling or lifting any weights that are TOO HEAVY for you to handle on your own, as heavy weights can easily increase your risk for injury.
> An adequate recommended weight to use in any exercise should allow you to perform 10-12 clean repetitions without experiencing any immense struggle and while still being able to execute full-range-of-motion (FOM) with Full Extension & Full Contraction.
> STOP immediately if you felt any severe pain or extreme discomfort while performing ANY exercise, and seek immediate help.
> Push yourself and train hard, but never put yourself at risk for injury - Your health & wellbeing comes first!
> To properly perform any exercise, you should ALWAYS aim to execute full-range-of-motion (FOM), which means achieving (full extension) as you fully stretch that particular muscle group you're targeting, then establish (full contraction) as you squeeze in that same muscle group as hard as you can to achieve maximum results.
> Achieving FOM is probably the most important aspect of getting the most benefit out of any exercise.
> Before starting with any exercise, make sure to adjust the weight or the level of resistance on the tool or piece of gym equipment you'll be using (Machine - CrossCable - FreeWeight) to your desired weight.
> Light - Medium : A weight or resistance level that should allow you to perform 15 or more clean repetitions without experiencing any immense struggle and while still being able to execute full-range-of-motion (FOM) with full extension & full contraction.
> Medium : A weight or resistance level that should allow you to perform 12-15 clean repetitions while struggling only on your last 2-3 repetitions and while still being able to execute full-range-of-motion (FOM) with full extension & full contraction.
> Medium - Heavy : A weight or resistance level that should allow you to perform 10-12 clean repetitions while struggling only on your last 2-3 repetitions and while still being able to execute full-range-of-motion (FOM) with full extension & full contraction.
> For 12-15 reps sets : You'll need to execute 10-12 repetitions in one go without taking any rest, pause for 10-15 seconds, then resume by executing another 3-5 repetitions to finish your set.
> For 15-20 reps sets : You'll need to execute 12-15 repetitions in one go without taking any rest, pause for 10-15 seconds, then resume by executing another 5-8 repetitions to finish your set.
> For 25-30 reps sets : You'll need to execute as many repetitions as you can in one go without taking any rest, pause for 10-20 seconds, then resume by executing the remaining repetitions to finish your set.
> To Failure sets : Execute as many repetitions as you can in one go until your muscle is completely fatigued and you're not able to perform any extra reps for that set.
> It is that short break you take between sets to give your body a chance to briefly recover before starting your next set.
> Resting time between sets should be anything between 60-180 seconds depending on how fast your Heart Rate (HR) is beating and to how deep and intense your breathing is.
> Since each one of us has a different cardiovascular capacity, I highly recommend taking as much time as you need between sets even if it surpasses 180 seconds, just until your HR and breathing becomes relatively less intense than when you finished your previous set, and for when you feel confident enough to start your next set - as long as your resting time between sets doesn't get too long that your body starts to cool down.
F I T N E S S . F A Q
1 . What should I do if I miss a day of training?
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If you ever end up missing a day of training for any reason whatsoever, then you can simply just make up for it by doing that same workout-out you’ve missed on the following day. After that, you can continue with your fitness program as you normally would.
Every single day of your fitness program is just as important as the other 3 or 4 days of the program.
It is absolutely crucial for you NEVER to skip or neglect any days of your fitness program, and make sure to NEVER move on to your next week of the program before finishing every single day of your current week’s 4 or 5x training days first.
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2. What should I do if I hit a 'Weight Loss' Plateau?​
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1) Increase your ‘post-workout’ cardio by adding an extra (10-30mins) to your usual post-workout routine.
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2) Decrease your daily food intake/meals portions by (10-30%).
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These are the best two courses of actions to take if you ever hit a 'weight loss' plateau. By doing these two things you'll end up forcing your body to rely more on burning more stored fat while functioning on lesser fuel.
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Less fuel intake (food) + More output (exercise) = Weight loss.
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Make sure to stick to 'small-medium' sized food portions with at least 3-5hrs gaps in between, and try to drink lots of water between your meals (preferably on an empty stomach).
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NEVER decide just to cancel any of your main meals all together and rely mostly on starving yourself to lose weight, as by doing so you'll end up causing more harm to yourself than good.
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Eating 'smaller' food portions and making better/cleaner food choices is always a much healthier choice to make than starving yourself or cutting any of your main meals all together.
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'IF' you’re in a ‘healthy’ caloric deficit and your 'output' (a.k.a the amount of calories you burn and consume during your workouts and throughout your day) exceeds your 'input' (a.k.a what you eat & drink during your day), then the outcome should ‘always’ be in your favor to losing more weight.
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In other words, if you constantly make sure that you burn more calories than that which you intake, then your body should 'always' be forced to burn more fat and drop more weight (fat & water).
3. What should I do if I hit a 'Muscle Gain' Plateau?
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1) Increase the weights you’re currently using (but not by too much) so your muscles are a little bit more challenged and are more likely/forced to grow.
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2) Increase your daily ‘Protein’ intake (Egg whites / Fish / Chicken) by 10-30%, as well as increase your daily 'good' carb intake (Veggies & Salads) also by 10-30%, so your muscles are more likely to rebuild & recover better while adapting to the increased weights you just started using.
4. When should I increase my training weights?​
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Once the weights you’ve been using and/or are currently using started to feel a bit too ‘light’ or ‘too easy’ for you to use, only then you can 'up' your weights by just a bit & not by too much.
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Make sure to first 'test' the new increased weights by making sure that they get you to start struggling with the weight around your 10th repetition, while still being able to maintain good form and while establishing full-range-of-motion (FOM).
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Make sure to maintain the same weights for at least ( 2 x weeks ) before deciding to increase them again.
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Muscles usually need more than just 1x week to adapt to handling heavier weights.
5. When should I do an ‘alternative exercise’?​
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1) If the equipment or tool you’re supposed to be using as per your fitness program was missing from the gym facility you’re working out at, or if it was ‘under maintenance’.
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2) If the equipment or tool you’re supposed to be using as per your fitness program was occupied or being used by many people who are using it all at the same time, where you’d have to wait for long before it’s your turn to use it that will lead to you unintentionally cool down in the middle of your workout -not good.
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3) If you ever felt any form of unusual sharp pain or severe discomfort while performing any particular exercise, then you should STOP immediately and try an 'alternative exercise' as per mentioned in your fitness program and see if you feel ok doing the alternative exercise without experiencing any sharp or unusual pain or severe discomfort.
6. Can I do the same exercise more than once on the same day?​
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Yes, you can.
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For example: If it’s mentioned in your fitness program that you need to perform ‘Seated Leg Curls’ as well as ‘Lying Leg Curls’ on the same day, but the gym you go to only has a ‘Seated Leg Curls’ machine, then it’s perfectly fine for you to perform ‘Seated Leg Curls’ twice on the same day as an 'alternative exercise' for ‘Lying Leg Curls’ if the machine was absent from the gym you’re at, and since both exercises are meant to target the same muscle group anyway so it's fine.
7. What should I do if my Heart Rate (HR) suddenly got elevated in an abnormal or uncomfortable way while working out or while doing my ‘Pre’ or 'Post-Workout’ Cardio?​
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If you ever experienced any form of abnormal physical pain and/or any chest pain and/or any form of abnormal sudden elevation in your Heart Rate (HR), then you should STOP exercising immediately, hydrate (drink water), sit down or even lie down on your back and give your HR a chance to gradually slow down and get back to a normal pace, then you can cautiously attempt to resume your training session ONLY if you felt normal again.
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If your Heart Rate (HR) didn’t start to gradually slow down after stopping and hydrating, and your condition still persisted, then you should STOP exercising all together on that day, head back home and get plenty of rest, as you can always exercise another day when you’re feeling better. If the same episode occurred when you're back at the gym, then I reckon you seek professional help and consult a physician about your condition to get a proper medical diagnosis.
8. What should I do when I feel muscle soreness?​
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If you haven’t worked out in a while since 2weeks ago or more than that and you only just started working-out again, or if you’re someone who just started working-out or following a fitness program for the first time ever and you started feeling muscle soreness all over? Then know that it‘s perfectly normal to feel that way!
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If you haven't worked out in a while and all of a sudden you started putting your body under a decent level of physical stress (weight resistance training), then your body will naturally respond by undergoing a brief phase of recovery where it gets to readjust itself and adapt to this new form of stress you’re exposing it to, which will manifest itself in the form of muscle soreness.
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My one & only advice in regards to muscle soreness is to be patient, and rather avoid using any pain killers (oral like aspirin or local like Voltaren) and rather just continue with your fitness program as you normally would.
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Muscle soreness is a natural biological response where your body is simply reacting to muscular exhaustion, and it just needs a bit of time to readjust and recover.
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Getting a massage or using a foam roller to apply a decent level of pressure to your sore muscles can also help immensely with your muscle recovery.
9. What should I do if I finish all exercises mentioned in my fitness program on some days, yet feel like I can still do more?​
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If you ever felt that you can still do 'a lot more' by the end of your training session, then it’s mostly because the weights you’ve been using during that session were 'too light' or 'too easy' in comparison to your strength level, meaning that they were 'not heavy enough' to challenge you.
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For every training session you’ll have to make sure that the weights you're using are challenging enough to push and provoke your muscles to grow, and for you to feel like you can't possibly do any more by the end of your session.
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A proper weight or level of resistance should have you struggle around your 10th repetition, and if your main goal was mainly to ‘lose-weight’, then you can also add an extra (10-30 mins) to your daily ‘post-workout’ cardio routine to help promote extra fat burn.
10. How often can I change my daily workout timing?​
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God created the human body to function at it's best when it’s used to performing certain activities at certain ‘fixed’ times of the day.
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In other words, your body should be at it’s most ‘receptive’ state when it’s used to eating, exercising and resting/sleeping at the same times everyday.
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That’s why for example if you’re used to working out everyday @ 6pm right after leaving your work during week days, you’ll find your body unintentionally hyped up and energized around that same time of the day (6pm) on your off days as well when you aren’t meant to be at the gym working out! Same rule applies to your 'eating' and 'sleeping' time patterns.
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So I reckon not to confuse your body by constantly changing your exercise, meals and sleeping timings, and rather do your best to fix certain timings for each activity on the daily.
11. I got really sick and couldn't exercise for the past couple of days or whole past week... How should I resume my ‘Fitness Program’?
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​If you ever end up exercising less than 4x times in total by the end of your usual week due to any form of sickness or illness, then you’ll have to repeat that entire week all over again from the very beginning once you're fully recovered and are able to exercise once again!
12. I’m traveling and I don’t want to pause my training, what should I do?
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If you're staying in a 'hotel' while traveling, then you can simply just use their available in-house gym facility -even if it’s a small and not a fully equipped gym facility- since your fitness program does provide you with multiple ‘exercises alternatives’ that allows you to be able to workout anywhere even with limited tools of gym equipment.
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Or you can put in a little extra effort and search for any other gym facility near by the hotel you’re checking-in.
13. I don’t feel that I've reached the progress I was expecting, is that normal?
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Always remember that your progress extends beyond the time you spend at the gym. In other words, if you’re killing it at the gym with your workouts yet you're not having the right type of food at the right time(s) of day within the right amount of portions, and/or if you're not getting enough sleep to recover as you should, then YES, it will be normal for you not to reach that level of progress you were hoping for!
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You have to know that it is a literal ‘trifecta’ when it comes to reaching any substantial progress, which means that your 'diet' as well as your 'sleep & recovery' are just as important as your 'training'.
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So remember that if any of these 3 prerequisite pillars for progress gets neglected, then your final overall progress will get subsequently negatively affected.
14. What should I focus on the most while chasing my ‘Fitness Goal’ ?​
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Chasing a number that you need to see on the scale is the last thing you should worry and obsess about!
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How good you need to feel about your overall health and how confident you want to feel about your physique, in addition to how well you need to function as a human being, should all be your main and primary focus when it comes to chasing any health & fitness goal.
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For example: If you step on the scale and it mentions that you haven’t lost that much weight after a couple of weeks or even a month of training & dieting, yet :
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- You can still notice that your waist line has gone down quite a bit -irregardless to your scale reading, or ;
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- You‘ve noticed that you’ve gained some decent muscle tone or packed some lean muscle size (depending on your fitness goal), or ;
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- Those around you have noticed some improvement on your appearance or overall demeanor and they started giving you compliments, or ;
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- If you felt better about your overall health in general, then these are the main barometers you should solely focus on irregardless to whatever number your scale tells ya at the end of your journey!