The core principles of training

Training principles? Yes they do exist! In all things we do we have to apply principles to guide our activities. Training your body is really no different.

We all have our different training objectives, routines and techniques, some of us train to gain muscle mass and strength, while others are in it for weight loss and cardiovascular fitness. Whatever your goals, there are some core principles you need to ensure you get the best out of your fitness regime. From my extensive reading I have come across many ideas, some wonderful and helpful and others not so wonderful and totally useless! Today I want you to learn the 5 core principles of training that can help guide you to achieve you fitness goals, they can be adapted to ANY exercise regime. I guarantee that if you follow these principles in designing your workout then you will be on your way to a fitter, healthier body.

Do you really want to lose that pot belly?

For a lot of us it’s a never ending war between us and our bellies, at times it seems like a losing battle, because the older you get the more difficult it becomes . You exercise and eat right but nothing seems to work! The good news is there is a solution, today’s post will teach you a new way to fight belly fat. Follow this method religiously and I promise you will start to win the war, one battle at a time.

Let us start by stating the obvious. To lose that unwanted belly fat you have to lose weight, right? Having said that, there is the wrong approach and the right approach. Let us first explore the wrong approach.

Many people try to lose belly fat by targeting their belly only, I have lost count of the number of times I have heard people say “I just want to lose fat on my tummy the rest of my body is ok” but it’s not!  As a result, most people will concentrate only on the tummy, doing hundreds of sit ups and ab crunches every day! The problem is you cannot target belly fat exclusively, at best you will develop strong abdominal muscles but little else. Do not be fooled by those miracle tummy fat loss devices like your ubiquitous tummy trimmer, Ab flex, Abs isolator being hawked in Lagos “go slow” traffic it won’t work! Don’t bother with fancy belts that shock your tummy and promise to melt fat I have been there and done that, it won’t work! Same goes for fat loss creams, there is no miracle cure or short cut.

BMI? IGNORE IT!

I have a friend named Tony; he is 6 feet 2 inches tall and weighs about 112 kg. His BMI is approximately 33, so according to this indicator, tony is obese and needs to lose about 35 kg to be safe.

There is only one problem, Tony is a muscular with very little body fat, and is as fit as is humanly possible. I have a massive grouse against BMI being used as a measure of fitness or health, due to people like Tony who disprove it, but I am getting  ahead of myself so let me start at the beginning.

BMI (Body Mass Index) is used by many Doctors, nutritionists, dietitians etc as a measure of heath. Its value is derived by dividing your weight in kilograms by your height in Meters squared:

WEIGHT(KG)/HEIGHT(METER SQUARED)

I do not believe in the effectiveness of BMI as it does not take into account body frame, you could be muscular and large framed and share the same BMI as a smaller individual with more body fat.

                                                  Different frame same BMI!

Do you know your numbers? Part 2

1. Blood pressure:

This number should be number one on your list! Uncontrolled high blood pressure is a precursor to such stroke and heart attack. The terrible thing is that this chronic condition has virtually no symptoms! So do invest in a blood pressure monitor, it just might save your life. Conversely low blood pressure can also be dangerous, as it causes dizziness and people with this condition are at risk. Try to control your intake of salt and alcohol and watch your stress levels. Your key numbers are blood pressure readings of between 90/60 and 120/80.

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Do you know your numbers?

Do you know your vital numbers? If someone asked you this question your first thought would probably be “I don’t need to know them, that’s why I store them on my phone!” Nice one, but I am not talking about important phone numbers, I am talking about vital health numbers that indicate your current physical condition. Learning where you fall in the numbers can be the difference between life and death, literally! The human body is a delicate machine; you just never know when it’s going to clunk out! Everybody should know their vital health numbers, now there are all sorts of vital signs you can measure but these eight I am going to talk about are in my opinion the most important. Take care of them and everything else will fall into place. Today we will look at four of them, I will Endeavour to complete the list in my next post.

You do have time to exercise!

Imagine this scenario; you are in your doctor’s office, and he drops a bombshell: you have a terrible medical condition, you must lose ten percent of your body weight through physical exercise or you will be dead in six months! Would you answer “doctor, I would love to but I just don’t have the time to exercise”?

It’s safe to bet you would never give that answer; you would be so scared that the time would be found and the weight lost in two months!.  Proving that you can achieve anything, given the proper motivation. My friend, you don’t have to wait till that loaded gun is pointed at your head! I know it’s tough to squeeze out time from your hectic schedule, but think of exercise as an investment in your body and the profits are a healthier body and mind, powerful weapons in this battlefield called life.

IS SUGAR THE ENEMY?

Sugar! It’s the twenty first century health nightmare! That monster, waiting round the corner to destroy you. There are countless books, websites, articles and television shows that have chronicled its evil effect on your health. Diabetes, obesity and more health conditions have been blamed on this monster. 

 Let me not beat about the bush, sugar is the enemy; however it is a qualified enemy. In its refined state it is pure evil, only your taste buds love and crave it. Sugar is more of a foe, but can also be your friend, you will never escape it, in its friendlier guise sugar is present in all carbohydrates and fruits you consume and in this form it provides you with energy without which you just cannot function, and this is the sugar your body and brain crave.

WELLCOME TO COREFITNESSNGR!

                                   WELLCOME TO COREFITNESSNGR!

WHO AM I?

I am a fitness and healthy lifestyle enthusiast with a background in sales and marketing. I am passionate about weight training, cardio and nutrition as the key to achieving a healthy body and mind.

WHAT HAVE I DONE?

I have been a fitness enthusiast for 10 years and have been exposed to many different training techniques and philosophies which have helped me develop physically, mentally and spiritually.

WHAT DO I WANT TO DO?

I desire to help people achieve their fitness and lifestyle goals with some fun and laughter thrown in!

HOW DO I WANT TO I WANT TO DO IT?

I want to achieve this through this blog: corefitnessngr , an interactive forum for us to share our experiences; victories, failures and ideas . I will update you on the latest health and fitness theories, suppliments, techniques and ideas; I will also test them out on myself as your guinea pig!