One scenario I see quite a bit while working as a personal trainer at the Sculpt Fitness Training Gym in Bath Ohio is men wanting to regain their body that they had years ago. One common them though is lack of time. These hardworking men are working hard day in and day out on or in their business, but sometimes forget to take care of themselves. One day they look in the mirror and realize that they no longer are happy with how they look and make a smart decision to hire the best person to coach and assist them in becoming strong, looking better, and regaining their youth and athleticism.
I have worked with many of these hard working men , and enjoy these type of people because they are driven, and hard working once they have a set goal in their head. It is my job as their personal trainer to give them simple cues, steps, and exercises that give the most “Bang for Your Buck” you could say. Time is of the essence so their is no use giving them a bunch of small and useless exercises to do thinking that they will produce drastic changes. I follow simple and easy to use principles that will work for men wanting to make big changes fast.
1. Strength Train 2-3 Times a week using Heavy, Compound Exercises
* At the bare minimum 2 workouts a week are needed to see any big changes to the body. I recommend setting aside 30-45 minutes each workout towards strength training. If you perform under 30 minutes, most likely you are going to miss some necessary exercises. More than 60 minutes and your body’s stress hormones will begin to rise to high and testosterone levels during exercise will begin to decline.
* I recommend each workout begin with 1 or 2 compound lifts such as Bench Press, Squat, Dead lift, Shoulder Press, or Cleans ( If you are familiar with performing barbell cleans)
* Always try to go as heavy as possible for your desired sets and reps. If you go to light you will fail to stress the body enough. With only performing 2 to 3 workouts a week, each workout must provide enough stress and muscular damage to the body so that it responds with added strength, muscle, and fat loss.
2.Eat Consistently and Consume Protein
* When you begin working out at a higher intensity, your body will break down muscle tissue during your workout from lifting the heavy weights. To replenish and provide the body with building blocks, protein in large amounts and carbohydrate in small amounts are needed. Their is a 30 minute after a workout in which it is crucial for some type of protein to be consumed to increase and utilize protein synthesis. Protein synthesis is when the body is making and using protein to rebuild muscle tissue in an increased fashion. Meats, dairy, protein shakes, peanut butter are some options for high protein options.
* A big mistake I see from people is forgetting to eat breakfast or skipping a meal here and there. There is nothing that will stop progress in its tracks like skipped meals will. If you are desiring to add muscle to the body, this requires some dedication and consistency in eating 4-5 meals spread out a couple hours apart from each other. This will keep the body in a positive balance, allowing for more protein to be used for muscle building. When you skip meals, your body will release hormones that increase fat production, lower testosterone levels, increase cortisol and other stress hormones among other things. I may be coming off as harsh, I just don’t wish to see anyone’s progress stopped because of missing one minor but important detail.
3.Stretch
As a personal trainer in the Akron area, I work with a lot of working men who are in a sitting position for most if not all of the day. The only time they are not sitting is walking to and from their work, and their workout with me. I like to incorporate a few important stretches at the beginning and end of a workout to help loosen them up some. Tight leg muscles are a big culprit to lower back pain in the work place. If you fail to lengthen those muscles, they will only continue to tighten with strength training.
a.Toe Touches: This stretch can be done by putting one foot fully straightened out on a chair or 12 inch box, You place both hands on that foot or slide hands down shin if you are unable to reach the toes. Hold Stretch for 1 minute then switch.
b. Chest Stretch with band: This stretch is used with a stretching band. Both hands are pushing against the band. I have the client bring both arms over head and slowly bring the arms back until it is behind the head, stretching out the chest muscles. When you are sitting all day facing a computer monitor, The chest muscles shorten over time because of the crouched position of the body. This stretch helps loosen up all those frontal muscles.
c.Back Tree Hug Stretch: This stretch needs no added tools or equipment. Stand up nice and tall and pretend that you are reaching both arms around a huge tree trunk. As you perform this stretch you should feel an opening of the back and shoulder muscles. Hold for 45-60 seconds
4. Take added Supplementation
With most peoples food intake daily, some nutrients may be missing that are needed when involved with an exercise program. I suggest some simple but effective supplements to help increase progress.
a.Whey protein supplement
b.fish oil
c.daily multivitamin ( whole food supplement, stay away from cheap, low priced synthetic vitamins. These are not absorbed fully by the body)
* I hope these tips can help aid and help your progress! If you find that you would like some added coaching to assist in your progress check out my program options to see which package would best fit.
Your Sculpt Fitness Trainer,
Chad Maleski
