Here you can ask your questions.
The best time to exercise during the day is between 9-12h and 14-17h. These are the time periods where our metabolic levels are the highest. Of course, if one works on a 9-5 schedule it would be difficult to do this. In such a case, it is preferable to plan the workout for the morning before work, when our body, although not fully functional, has replenished its energy.
It is imperative to plan the training process in order to get the optimal result for you. The chaotic performance of exercises without prior planning leads to unsatisfactory results. If you do not have experience in how to plan it, it is best to consult a professional who will take care of creating, upgrading and tracking the implementation of a plan aimed at achieving your goals.
Depending on your experience and goals, the frequency of your fitness workouts will be determined. For beginners 3 sessions per week would be sufficient, however for professional athletes 3 times a day is something common. For the average fitness enthusiast 3-4 sessions per week would be enough to achieve optimal results. To have sustainable results we recommend that your personal trainer prepare a versatile plan with varying levels of intensity and volume for each micro cycle of your long term action plan.
Your physical condition, experience and goals are the factors that determine the length of your training. In high-intensity training session, 30-45 minutes are quite enough, in training for maximum strength, the training time can be doubled, due to the need for longer rests between sets. The most important thing is that the training is tailored to your current physical condition in order to achieve progress and to avoid unpleasant injuries.
The human organism has high adaptive abilities. Precisely, because of this fact, it is recommended that the training sessions are different in intensity, volume, frequency and content. This is necessary in order to optimize the training stimulus and avoid entering the so-called "plateau", where stagnation or regression in physical condition is observed.
A myth created by the way professional bodybuilding and fitness women athletes look, fueling the belief that any lady who starts lifting weights will inevitably look the same! In reality, the only way for a woman to develop that kind of physique is, if you have such a goal. To look as a pro athlete you have to train like one - detailed goal-oriented planning, two or three peat daily routine, strict nutrition regimen and performance enhancing drugs. Your personal trainer will make sure to plan for you to achieve your goals only and it will be practically impossible to develop a bodybuilder physique, if that is not your goal.
Hypertrophy occurs as a result of micro tears of the muscle fibers and their regeneration. That effect is achieved by executing optimal number of repetitions with an adequate weight. The number of repetitions should be 6-12, in the 6-8 range the work is mixed strength-hypertrophy. The number of sets is usually 3-4 per exercise. For the regeneration to happen your nutrition program should provide the necessary macro and microelements.
Strength is a base for the development of all the other physical qualities, thus it is of a great importance to improve it constantly. In most cases, to develop strength 4-6 reps with the proper weight would be sufficient. The number of sets is increased at the expense of the number of exercises.
If your goal is to develop maximum strength, then the number of reps goes down to 1-4 with a maximum load. The rest periods are longer and depending on your goals the whole workout might consist of a single exercise.
Simply put, losing weight is a result of the ratio between caloric intake and expenditure, but in reality things are much more complex. It is recommended to combine several methods of work, namely aerobic, high-intensity interval and strength training. The goal is, through the right combination of these methods, to achieve and maintain high metabolic levels not only during training, but also for hours post workout. In conjunction with the fitness program, a nutrition program should be developed in order to achieve caloric deficit and lose weight effectively.
For optimal recovery, we recommend 48 hours when exercising full body routine. In a split, routine is important to plan the week, so that the aforementioned interval is present between workouts involving the same muscle group. When in split routine, we have a cumulative buildup of fatigue and one or two days off must be planned.
In both cases, the goal is to develop one’s physique and improve self esteem. Fitness training is focused on muscular hypertrophy and building a perfect body. Functional training aims at bringing the clients in optimal functional state, applying methods and exercises simulating daily activities to ensure they are most productive and confident in everyday life.
Stretching is necessary and extremely important part of a workout!
During the worm up for the session, a dynamic stretching should be used to prepare the muscles and the joints. In between exercises stretching could be used to improve blood flow and speed up recovery, however it must be performed carefully. At the end of the workout as a part of the cool down static stretching is applied with the purpose of speeding up recovery, reducing the risk of injury and increasing mobility.
To maximize the effect of the training it must be accompanied by individualized goal-oriented nutrition program. Such a program will provide the client with all the nutrients needed to optimize the physiological processes related to hypertrophy and recovery.
Adequately planned training elevates the endorphin levels in our body and is causing a feeling of wellbeing, while if one over trains, the levels of the stress hormone cortisol are elevated and the effect of the training is diminished. Well-structured and adequately planned workout session can increase the sense of wellbeing, reduce stress and improve concentration.