1. Glycemic Index (GI)
Refers to the different effects carbohydrates have on blood glucose levels. Foods that are labelled high GI will spike insulin and blood glucose levels. Sounds like a bad thing? Yes it can be detrimental to health if blood glucose levels are consistently high; however, spiking insulin levels after intense exercise (when the muscles need replenished) will help the recovery process. Further, GI levels will vary depending on factors such as what foods are mixed together and if food has been frozen or not.
2. When to Train
The simple fact is anytime is a good time to train. There are arguments that training in the morning on an empty stomach will burn more fat than training later in the day because in the morning the body has limited carbohydrate stores and quickly turns to fat as a fuel source. Whether or not the body utilizes fat as a fuel source more rapidly in the morning is debatable because intensity dictates what muscle fibres and fuel source the body uses, but what is most notable is that a fasted body will not perform as optimally as a non fasted body. A viewpoint that suggests only training later in the day is argued because the spine compresses as the day goes on, therefore placing heavy loads on the spine in the early morning (when it has decompressed in your sleep) could put your back at risk. Each argument makes sense, but it’s something only bodybuilders (who need to maintain every ounce of muscle) and power-lifters (who place extreme loads on the spine) should worry about. Bottom line: train when you can.
3. The Best Thing for Fat Loss Is…
…Knowing that there is not a best thing. All too often people look for a secret to success; a new gadget, a new diet or what the celebs are doing. What we should do is try to apply a bit more common sense and perhaps a little physiology. What’s best for burning fat; a bike, treadmill or kettlebell?The truth is it comes down to what intensity you apply on the machine, not what machine you use. So you’ve got anterior knee pain? Maybe it’s time to stop the running, rehab the overactive Illiotibia Band and utilize kettlebells as a means of fat loss as using them correctly will burn up the calories and help strengthen all parts of the body. Remember there are three key things you need to address for long term fat loss success; nutrition, resistance training and cardiovascular training.
4. Plan Progress
This is absolutely essential for success. You’ve decided it’s time to build muscle. Great! So how are you going to go about it? Think about it: one day if you decided you wanted to travel to London would you leave the house and see what happens? Or would you decide if you were going to fly, drive or take the train (choose equipment)? Then you’d find out travels times and map out the times/route (set goals and choose methods) in your head -step by step. It’s the same with training, each and every session should have a goal because this will increase motivation to complete sessions and allow you to see performance improvements. If you are progressively increasing loadings do you think that will help prompt your body to change?