"Motivation is what gets your started. Habit is what keeps you going."

Is Four Minutes of Exercise sufficient for fat burning?

Tabata Training was developed by Izumi Tabata at the National Institute of Fitness and Sports in Tokyo, Japan.  Tabata training consists of 20 seconds of high intensity exercise, followed by 10 seconds of rest, repeated 8 times.
 
A 6-week study comparing VO2 max levels (the highest amount of oxygen a person can consume during exercise - denoting cardiovascular efficiency) and anaerobic capacity (the first system the body uses to generate energy for work - think of sprinters as using anaerobic system while marathon runners using their aerobic system) between moderate intensity exercise and intense intermittent exercise (tabata training) was conducted. The study discovered that the moderate intensity group increased VO2 max levels 10% but the training had no effect on anaerobic capacity. However, the intense exercise grouped improved VO2 max levels 14% and had a 28% improvement in anaerobic capacity. It is important to know that each group exercises 5X a week. For the tabata training group, this means 20 minutes in a week of exercise to see such vast improvement.
 
Tabata training can be performed with any exercise but I find it best to incorporate whole-body movements. A sample program could be:

20 sec speed squats
10 sec rest
20 sec thrusters
10 sec rest
20 sec box jumps
10 sec rest
20 sec high knees
10 sec rest
20 sec speed squats
10 sec rest
20 sec thrusters
10 sec rest
20 sec box jumps
10 sec rest
20 sec high knees

The goal being to go all-out for the 20 seconds of work. As fast, as hard and as many reps as you can! This workout will leave you breathing and sweating for an extended period of time after the workout...... fat burn!
 
 
 
source: http://www.squidoo.com/tabatatraining

Alli Cain, B.A.Kin, C.K.
Personal Trainer
www.ACAINtraining.com
905-806-7198

Teaching my Dad a thing or two!

My Dad, who is undoubtedly the most avid reader of this blog and an ACAINtraining.com #1 fan asked me the other day, "what is better, an hour of running or an hour lifting weights?"

This question was quite thought provoking so I told him to check my blog in the next few days for his answer :) Hi Dad!

First off, I am going to assume that "better" refers to - higher caloric burn, and increased overall health benefits for time spent and ignore everything else.

Increased caloric burn:

An hour of cardio could include walking, jogging, hiking, skipping, biking, swimming etc. When performing these activites for an extended period of time, your body begins to operate in "steady-state" if the intensity of the exercise does not vary.  When your body is performing in steady state, the demands of your tissues for oxygenation can be met by the cardiovascular system, meaning a balance between oxygen intake and oxygen consumption. Overall, by placing the demands on your body for energy output over this length of time, you will burn a consistent amount of calories
 
An hour of weight training provokes constant changes in the active tissues and therefore heart rate and oxygen consumption varies greatly. When you are lifting (assuming you are lifting the correct amount of weight to stress the muscle tissue and using proper form), your heart rate and need for oxygen increases. During the rest phase between sets, your body regulates itself by the heart rate slowing and a decrease in oxygen consumption. Overall, during the hour timeframe alone - you will burn less calories than an hour of cardio.

But hold on! Our bodies are still working when we unlace our shoes, or we leave the gym!
Upon ceasing weight lifting activites, our muscle tissues immediately begin growth and repair. In order to support this growth and repair, calories are burned in the process. That is not all! As lean muscle tissue is added to the body, we burn more calories in order to support and maintain the muscle mass. Some studies indicate that per 1lb of lean muscle on the body, we burn an extra 50 calories - even while sedentary. With steady-state cardiovascular exercise, this post exercise caloric burn is not as apparent.

 
Health Benefits:
 
To keep my blog from being pages long I am going to answer this question simply. Health benefits are dervied from participating in both cardiovascular exercise and weight lifting exercise. If you have to choose between the two, choose the one that most appeals to you and that you will most consistently participate.
 
 
Terms:

Steady State - The condition of a system or physiological function that remains at a relatively constant (steady) value. After a few minutes of submaximal exercise, for example, a person reaches a steady state in which heart rate and rate of oxygen consumption tend to remain constant at a constant rate of work

from: http://www.answers.com/topic/steady-state
Alli Cain, B.A.Kin, C.K.
Personal Trainer
www.ACAINtraining.com
905-806-7198

Weekend Warriors!

If you find it difficult to take time for exercise or proper nutrition during the week - make the weekend yours!
Give yourself an hour on Saturday/Sunday morning to focus on you. Do an at-home workout, go for a walk/jog or hit the gym.
Take Sunday to shop for healthy meal options, and prepare meals for the upcoming week.

Fitness Tip: High Intensity Cardio will burn more calories than steady-state low intensity cardio. On the treadmill, you can increase your cardio session by adding incline or employing sprint intervals (example: 30 second sprint, 30 second brisk walk).

Nutrition Tip: Oftentimes protein powder just does not taste pleasant. Besides smoothies, a way to increase the flavour of a protein shake is by adding a flavoured crystal light packet to vanilla protein powder.

Song: Outkast - B.O.B. (Bombs over Baghdad)

New training facility!

I am excited to announce that I will now be training out of FitCity located on Leslie St. in Newmarket!
This is a great, fully-equipped gym with tons of cardio machines, weight machines, free weights, squash and studio space. Non-members will be able to train with me without joining the club, as well as members are more than welcome to achieve results faster by starting a program with me!
I am looking forward to this next step and plan to implement boot camp classes, running clinics, sport specific training as well as 1-1 and group training sessions.
If you are interested please contact me at 905-806-7198 or alli_cain@hotmail.com

Thanks!

Dietary Supplements

Supplements are substances intended to aid individuals in acquiring their recommended daily intake of vitamins, minerals, amino acids and other parts of these substances. Typically, supplements are sold in pill, liquid, powder, tablet or capsule form. Supplements are not a substitute for food, rather a quick and efficient way to ensure you are receiving adequate nutrition.

Some of the most popular supplements in the fitness industry are protein powders, protein bars, and multivitamins. I want to take a brief look at these three supplements.

Protein Powder

Whey and Soy Protein Powder are commonly used by individuals involved in exercising and weight lifting in order to achieve the high level of protein intake necessary for muscle growth and repair. However, it can be used by anybody as part of daily nutrition. In fact, starting the day with a protein shake can help to stabilize blood sugar levels throughout the entire day.

A common question I get from my clients when I advise them to start with protein powder, is "won't I gain weight or get bulky?"

This is a common misconception from the marketing of protein powders by men and woman who are bodybuilders. To achieve the look of a bodybuilder, it takes much more than 1-2 scoops of protein powder a day. It is a strict and disciplined lifestyle. A calorie is a calorie - if you are intaking 100 calories of protein powder in lieu of 100 calories of carbohydrates or fat, at the end of the day your energy consumption will be the same. However, those 100 calories of protein will aid you in muscle growth and report, supply your body with essential amino acids and help to stabilize blood sugar levels.

Protein Bars

Protein bars are everywhere - and when looking to add this supplement to your diet for any reason it is important to read the nutritional label. Certain brands of protein bars are great if you are too busy to prepare or pack a meal for the day - as oftentimes it provides a good balance of carbohydrates and protein and is a reasonable 200-250 calorie snack. However, many protein bars or "energy" bars are loaded heavily with fat, sugars and other ingredients that I am unable to spell or pronounce. I urge you to read the label when purchasing protein bars, and to use them only when you are unable to access whole foods.

Multi-Vitamins

With many brands on the market, it is best to do research and compare ingredients to find the multi that is just right for you. In our typically fast-paced lifestyles, it is tough to consume the vast variety of foods necessary to satisfy the daily requirements for vitamins and minerals. This is where the multi comes into play. It supplies a baseline amount of an assortment of vitamins and minerals and ensures your body is receiving at least a small supply. There are multi-vitamins geared towards gender, age, sport performance etc.

This is a very brief and simple overview of supplements. If you have any further questions, please contact me!

Fitness tip: When you can easily achieve a certain amount of repititions of an exercise, it is time to increase the weight you are using.

Nutrition tip: Salba can be considered a "superfood." It is an ancient grain oilseed that contains 2.2X more fibre than All Bran, 10X more Fatty Acids than Salmon, 6X more calcium than milk and much more. It can be easily added to any food. (www.sourcesalba.com)

Song: Killin' in the Name of - Rage Against The Machine

If it were easy, everybody would be doing it.

One of my favourite quotes is "If it were easy, everybody would be doing it."
This applies to so many aspects in life but for me, it especially pertains to training for sport and fitness competition.

Making a drastic change in your lifestyle to achieve your sport, nutrition and/or health related goal is never easy but it is worth it.
I challenge you to take a look at the goal that may have flickered across your mind as you read last's weeks blog and make two or three changes in your daily routine this week.

If your goal is weight loss, burn extra calories by taking the stairs, parking further away from your office doors or sneaking in an extra 10 minutes of cardio in a day.
If your goal is to clean up your diet, spend tonight preparing your meals for tomorrow, throwing away the snacks that always tempt you or even making a meal plan for a week.
If your goal is to excel at a sport, take the time spent doing nothing that you tell yourself is your "relaxing" time - and do some sport specific training.

You have already set a goal for yourself. Take it day by day and use small weekly goals to achieve the big picture. You can do it!
Remember, you have already set yourself apart from the crowd by taking these measures - everybody does not do what you do because it isn't easy, but it is Iyour goal and it is worth it!

Fitness: Incorporate more complex movements into your workout routine. While isolation exercises are great and have their place, complex movements such as the deadlift utilize more muscles groups and therefore increase caloric burn. They also allow you to get more done in a shorter period of time.

• Pair together a bicep curl and a shoulder press
• Lunge and an oblique twist
• Pushup and a deep squat jump

Nutrition: Make water your only drink of choice. Caffinated beverages cause dehydrated while sugary juices are high calorie and have little nutritional value. It is best to stick with water!


Song: Letting Go - Sean Kingston Ft. Nicki Minaj