Go To Training Tools By Tina Jo Orban

I am hardly sure if people have the patience to read entire articles anymore? But one should, not only is this article chockful of handy Go To Training Tools, but also reading helps keep your mind sharp and increases your vocabulary. Now about those training tools. I have listed four “tools” here that improve your training knowledge and your application of them will improve your results.
Status quo. If you have been training for some time, You might have gotten into a routine work-out. People are creatures of habit after all. Mix it up. Go To Tool Number ONE. Don’t keep doing the same workout, week after week month after month. For total body functionality and defeating plateaus, try: heavy lifting, light lifting, sprints, jogs, stretching, and even “aerobic” group classes for improved circulation and coordination. Any form of exercise really can improve your fitness. (I would not recommend however, marathon running if you are trying to put on mass).
Training Tool Number TWO: One Rep Max
This is a tried and true formula coaches and personal trainers all learn in school. The One Rep Max is the maximum weight you can lift for one particular lift. (Meaning you could not add one more pound to that one lift). One rep max is used to determine what weight you SHOULD use for lifting depending on what you are trying to achieve. And training at higher percentages of your one rep max can increase what your one rep max is. DUH! Say for example, you can only perform a bicep cable-curl of 40 lbs. If you train around 85% of that (lifting about 35 lbs.) for three reps (heavy lifting) you can increase your one rep max and maybe in six weeks you bump that one rep max up to 42 lbs. and so on. Training at higher percentages of your one rep max decreases the number of reps you can do, but this type of lifting increases your mass. Many people train around 75% of the one rep max and work at around a 10-12 rep range. That is fine too. And if you have the propensity to put on muscle you can build at this percentage too. But my advice is mix in heavy lifting for strength gains and to increase your over-size. How to determine your one rep max: one resource is BodyBuilding.com they have a ONE REP MAX CALCULATOR.[1]

Go To Training Tool Number Three: Cardio calculators.  To determine if you are getting maximum fat burning trainers and coaches learn about the aerobic thresholds. So, there is this idea about the maximum amount of Oxygen uptake a particular person has. You get into anaerobic training when you pass your threshold you are not meeting your Oxygen demands and this type of training is anaerobic. This is sprint type training or even weight lifting such as power lifting and bodybuilding/strength training. It also includes HIIT training. That said, the idea for fat burning maximum efficiency and fat as a fuel source use is at a percentage of your VO2 max. (look it up). Anyway, most machines and internet give you ‘Karvonen’s Formula’ [2] to calculate what percent of your heart rate (HR) you should; jog, run, row, etcetera at a steady pace to maintain your heartrate. When doing aerobic training the primary fuel source is fat. The percentages physiologists’ consensus suggest is  to train about 60-75% of your maximum heart rate MHR subtract your age.
It goes like this: 220 subtract your age. This is your MHR. Take that value and multiply it by 60%. Next use the same formula and multiply it by 75% those two values you get should be the range rate where your heart thumps steadily as you perform aerobic exercise. You need to do this a minimum of 20 minutes to be effective. More is not necessarily better especially if you don’t want to lose lean muscle (catabolism). Past one hour of aerobic exercise, your body can convert proteins as fuel if it needs to. If you are running all the time and for long distances you will be hard pressed to keep up your lean mass. This is why marathoners are not built like sprinters let alone bodybuilders. That type of training will not help your building mass efforts. But yes, aerobic training (in your zone) even up to six days a week around twenty or thirty minutes will whittle away fat.
Training Tool Number Four: Water intake.[3]
Water intake is critical for good health. Duh! It improves your skin, muscle performance, kidney and liver functions. Everyone knows the perils of severe dehydration. Headaches, muscle cramps, kidney pathologies, and even death. We need water. But how much?  Here is a quick formula:
1.    Take your weight (in pounds) and divide that by 2.2.
2.    Multiply that number on your age.
3.    Divide that sum by 28.3.
4.    Your total is how many ounces of water you should drink each day. Divide that number by 8 to see your result in cups.
5.    Add about 12 ounces to that for every half hour of exercise you do.

There you have it. Mix up your training, know your one rep max, know your training zone, and determine your water intake. Apply your knowledge to improve your results. And if you made it to the end of this article you have the patience and discipline to succeed.

[1] One Rep Max Calculator resourced from Bodybuilding.com https://www.bodybuilding.com/fun/other7.htm 5 May 2019.
2  Karvonen Formula  https://www.verywellfit.com/karvonen-formula-1229753
    6 May 2019.
3 Water Intake Calculator, resourced from Goodcalculators.com https://goodcalculators.com/water-intake-calculator/  6 May 2019.

[1] One Rep Max Calculator resourced from Bodybuilding.com https://www.bodybuilding.com/fun/other7.htm 5 May 2019.

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