Next-level workouts: Optimize the 3 types of exercise by Mark Macdonald

We each have a vision of the body we want. Maybe it’s defined arms, lean stomach, tight glutes, more muscle and shaped legs. Sculpting your body means getting that look you want, whatever it may be.

 As you follow the ZEN Project 8 philosophy of eating “PFC Every 3” – that means protein, fat and carbs every 3 hours – your body releases stored fat, which gets burned up in your muscle. To optimize your fat burning and truly sculpt your body, it’s all about working out smarter and more efficiently.

 3 types of exercise

·       Fat-burning cardio: This includes any moderate exercise like walking, stair-climbing, cycling, jogging or swimming.
·       High-intensity cardio: This is better known as interval training, which is characterized by bursts of speed (high heart rate) followed by recovery periods (lower heart rate). Some examples are sprinting, jumping rope, spinning, running stairs, boxing or most ball sports (singles tennis, racquetball, basketball, soccer).
·       Strength training: This is any type of exercise that overloads your muscles and causes them to become stronger. A few examples are weight training, Pilates, yoga, kettlebells, CrossFit and exercises such as push-ups, pull-ups and squats. Always remember, more muscle equals a faster metabolism, so strength training is great for men and women, and it also has been shown to help improve bone density.

Since you now understand the types of exercise, let’s dive into how to maximize every workout. Simply follow these steps when creating your workout plan:

Step 1 – Know your oxygen line
This line is established once you become familiar with both your fat-burning and high-intensity heart rates, and allows you to always be clear on which type of cardio and what type of muscle you are working. You’ll be smarter than before about how to perform your cardio.

Step 2 – Choose the best cardio movements and use proper technique:
Two factors determine the quality of a cardio movement:
·       The amount of muscle the exercise recruits
For exemple, walking on a treadmill on a 15 percent incline recruits approximately twice as much muscle as a workout on a stationary bike. This means that in the same exercise time, by doing a high quality exercise, you are actually burning twice the fat!
·       The level of impact the exercise has on the body
Sprinting and running stairs are your best high-intensity cardio exercise options. You can also cycle (or spin), row or swim at a sport level (some form of competition training). Cycling, rowing and swimming at a sport level can be done for both fat burning and high-intensity cardio exercises.

Step 3 – Optimize your strength training
Cardio increases your endurance and burns fat, while strength training improves your strength as well as your muscle tone and size.
Core training strengthens your entire body
In the most general terms, your core can be defined as your body minus your legs and arms, and core muscles are involved in every movement you make.
Core training will increase flexibility, improve strength, lengthen the body and develop muscle tone and definition without adding muscle size.
Initially, everyone should do core training. Once you learn how to activate your core, you can move on to the second type of strength training: weights.

Learning how to train your core requires connecting your mind with your body. Here are three ways to best activate your core:

·       Pilates:  core training that focuses more on strength
·       Yoga:  core training that focuses more on flexibility
·       Core specialists:  health professionals who focus on core training

Weight training increases muscle size and bone density Weight training is strength training that focuses on lifting weight to increase muscle size. In weight training, you continually increase the amount of weight you lift over time. Weight training causes minor damage to the muscle, causing it to repair itself and increase in size each time. That’s the soreness you feel the next day!
If your goal is to gain muscle, you should weight train. Once you achieve your goal, you can adjust your training by either shifting back to core training or lifting lighter weights to maintain – not gain – muscle mass.
Weight training is a learned skill that, when done incorrectly, can lead to injury or muscle imbalances. For that reason, it’s critical to work with a qualified personal trainer.

IMPORTANT NOTE: If your goal is to burn fat, make sure to do at least 4-5 days of fat-burning cardio and 2-3 days of high-intensity cardio per week, as well as 2-3 days of strength training.
If your goal is to maintain/gain weight and primarily build muscle, ONLY do 3-4 days of fat-burning cardio for 30 minutes, and no high-intensity cardo. Focus primarily on 4-5 days of strength training.