Workouts not working? Are you training 60-90 minutes a day and on a healthy eating plan but still not getting results? Do you often end a workout laying on the floor in a pool of sweat and follow a strict regimen of Paleo-Dieting only to find that you're still not as toned, or fit, or young looking as you want to be, plus you're in pain and exhausted all the time? Hey guess what, it's no you it's your workouts!
Can you relate to the lady in the video below? If you can then it's time for smarter workouts. Harder, longer, and heavier doesn't necessarily = results and neither does going paleo but smarter workouts and eating that fits your needs always gets the job done.
Smart Workout Tip #1: Going hardcore daily isn't smart. Wave load your workouts so you're getting 2 days of moderate intensity, 2 days of high intensity, 2 days of low intensity and 1 day of no intensity each week. Pretty simple and works better for fatloss because you're not constantly stressing your body and raising cortisol levels. Remember that not allowing your body to recover from exercise (a stressor) = no fatloss. Stay tuned for 4 more smart training tips that will help you get results fast.
Are you training your body or draining it? How can you tell when your workouts are hurting your body instead of improving it? Most people assume that burning fat and getting results is all about torturous hardcore workouts that leave you completely drained and laying on the floor in a pool of your own sweat or worst (hate to get graphic but you know what I mean).
Nothing wrong with pushing yourself past your comfort zone but the reality is that most people rarely push hard enough and the rest go way overboard and ignore signs that something is really wrong until it's too late and they end up in the doctor/chiropractors office seriously injured or complaining of severe shoulder, knee, hip, or back pain. It happened to me just a few weeks ago.
Smart workout tip #2 The key to getting results from any fitness plan is to know the difference between training and draining. Pay attention to how you feel after a workout. Are you hurting and completely drained not just for a while but for days after?
If you answered yes then you need a more balanced workout plan that addresses your weak spots. Finding your weak spots and improving in these areas boosts performance and allows you to push harder without getting injured or feeling like you ran an ultra-marathon after every workout.
Training with chains, tires, or doing crazy bodyweight exercises? Make sure you balance your body with a Prasara Yoga Flow like the one in the video below.
Looking to get a better workout? Tired of not feeling what you're supposed to feel when you workout? Choosing the right type of mobility exercises to prep for each workout is the key to getting an amazing workout every time.
Your workout results depend 100% on whether you're doing your exercises with excellent form but focusing on form is only part of the equation. In order to have excellent technique your muscles have to actually do their job and these days muscular imbalances caused by a sedentary job or activities make that very difficult.
The best way to get your muscles to work the way they're supposed to is with the right type of mobility exercises.
Smart Training Tip #3: Begin ALL your workouts with mobility exercises that prep your body for the work ahead. If you're going to be doing a lot of squats, lunges, step-ups or jumps be sure to work on mobility exercise that activate your glutes and release tension in the hips, just like the ones featured in my primal workout warm-up B video.
If you're going to be doing a lot of rotation or upper body work then prep your body with mobility exercises that reinforce those patterns. Check out my primal workout warm-up A video for ideas.
If you'll be doing high intensity interval cardio then try a more dynamic total body mobility workout like the one in the video below. You will be amazed at how much better your body performs when you warm-up using the right exercises. All it takes is 2-3 minutes and the difference is pretty amazing.
No need for fancy choreographed mobility exercises unless you want to really let loose. If you do then get busy with the Dancing Warrior Sun Salutation from Shiva Rea's Yoga Shakti DVD (one of my new favorite yoga dvds).
We went on a grueling hike this weekend. It was only 4 miles total but it was 2749 ft. straight up in 2 miles (then back down). The hike up was a fun cardio/ rock climbing challenge but the way down was pure lower body torture. I could actually feel all my leg and core stabilizers working to keep me from face planting or falling right off the trail.
In the pic above we were still about 500 ft. away from the top and we could almost see our car which was parked just a quarter mile in from the main road you can barely see at the bottom of this evil rock mountain.
The #1 thing that made a huge difference this time around in preventing my usual hip/knee pain is the fact that I've been doing primal movement workouts. I was even able to workout the day after without a problem (this was a huge problem all last year).
Smart Training Tip #4: Just because a workout plan looks or feels hardcore doesn't mean it works. If you want a body that functions in a way that is useful for whatever it is that you like to do (hiking, martial arts, running, dance, etc.) you need smart workouts that build stability, functional strength, and real endurance, not workouts that drain you and tear your body down.
Get started with my primal fitness workouts plan, a smart training that builds a better looking body that also functions without pain.
Implement the No Marriage workout rule and you'll avoid plateaus, frustration, and reach your fitness goals much faster every single time (not just the one time).
Smart Training Tip #5:
There are workout tips, tricks, techniques, strategies, facts and statistics that can help you get fit but the No Marriage rule is probably one of THE most important rules to follow if you want to workout smarter to build a body that looks better and functions better too.
According to Paul Chek, one of the worst mistakes you can make when training is getting married to your workouts, your diet, your body type, your outcome or your current condition.
NOTHING in life is permanent and your body proves that to you daily by adapting to whatever stimulus you throw at it. Any workout plan you try will work but only until your body adapts and then your body WILL require new stimulus to continue improving.
Another thing that can change drastically is your mindset.... that fitness goal you thought you wanted (i.e. six pack abs) can change and so can your response to food, as well as your body type, lifestyle, emotional state, etc. To get anywhere with your fitness (or in life) you must be willing to shift when it's time to shift.
Be sure to stick to any plan you're on for at least 4-12 weeks but never stay married to your routine forever especially if it isn't working for you. Instead start paying attention to your body and your mind for clues about what will work for you.
The No Marriage Rule is actually part of the 3 Universal Truths of Fitness coming next week.
More exercise, harder exercises, and more intensity can help you burn more fat but only when your workouts focus on excellent technique.
I've seen a lot of scary workout videos lately of clients in boot camps doing pushups and lunges and planks with the worst technique ever. Instructors just screaming and counting out reps and clients who mainly look exhausted and beat down.
It's hard to believe that people actually pay money for these low quality workouts. My client Sandy and her hubby Richard started training with me after having been to one of these bootcamps. Neither one of them had lost any fat or weight or learned how to do any type of exercise correctly.
Most people have been led to believe that more, harder, or longer is better but it's not better if you do it with poor technique. Doing more of the wrong things will actually stall your fatloss progress or worst lead to serious injuries that make it even harder to stay lean as you get older.
If you are serious about getting results from your workouts be sure to incorporate smart exercise modifications, exercise regression, and of course exercise progression too.
Focus on good technique no matter what level you're at and you'll be able to move on to more advanced, challenging and fun exercises faster. Watch my video below to see how easy it is to modify one exercise and how quickly you can progress not just in the exercises that you struggle with but with other movement patterns.
Those are only 3 modifications of many that you can do with that particular exercise. Remember that any exercise can be modified dozens of ways to benefit your body and to fit your current fitness level and goals. You just need to be creative and think outside the box.
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only to find that you're still not as toned, or fit, or young looking as you want to be, plus you're in pain and exhausted all the time? Hey guess what, it's no you it's your workouts! 
like the one in the video below.
DVD (one of my new favorite yoga dvds).
