Where do I start?
Hello friend!
Allow me to introduce myself. My name is Angelo, I am a Strength & Conditioning coach and a Certified Nutritionist. Fitness has been a part of my life for almost 20 years now. I started at age 13, as an overweight kid who ate Mcdonald’s almost on a daily basis and beat myself up because I was too chubby to feel good… that was back then and I have a much healthier relationship with fitness, my body and my eating now. Eventually I made the shift over to actually working in the fitness industry and it has been the most rewarding experience for me. I found out that I have a passion for helping people along their journey but most importantly, I really strive to help people make this a lifestyle and not just quick results. That is what I hope this blog will do as well. I just want to serve more people with everything that 20 years of experience has taught me.
Now let’s get on with why you clicked on this! Maybe you are just getting started down this journey of becoming a fitter you, maybe you have taken some time off and now you are ready to come back but are overwhelmed with all the options out there or maybe you are just looking to change things up, to not keep doing the same thing you have been doing for the last decade! Working out is not just about lifting barbells and jumping on the treadmill anymore.
There is something out there for everyone, whether you have 2 hours per day to dedicate to the gym or if you just have 30 minutes to get in and out of a workout. On that note… ask yourself these questions as step one:
How much time do I have to spend working out per session and per week?
What are my goals? Do I want to look shredded? Do I want to improve my performance, in what way? Do I just want to feel better? Is this for my mental health or my confidence?
What are possible things that can hold me back from following through on my newly made commitment? How can I have a plan so these won’t stop me from showing up for myself this year?
Now that you have an idea of what you are looking for lets dive into what options are out there for you!
The Classic…
When most people think of working out they picture going to the gym, lifting some weights and maybe throwing in some cardio. This method works wonders, it has stood the test of time and there is proof that it works. With going to the gym you want to expect to commit minimum 3-45+ minute sessions or 2-90+ minute sessions per week. Since weight lifting for the most part is going to target individual muscle groups you need this time to make sure by the end of each week you have hit every muscle group at least one time. There are a lot of different “splits” you can use but the two most common are a Push/Pull/Leg split or an Upper/Lower split. The goal here is to build muscle mass (hypertrophy), while building strength and watching some of that body fat melt away. You can expect to start to see results yourself in the first three months if you are new or coming back. If you are seasoned and already fit it is going to take longer. Since you are literally picking up heavy things to cause microtears you want to make sure you give your body proper recovery to not cause injuries or damage to your muscles and tendons.
Circuit Training/Crossfit…
Now I know these are not the same thing but for the purpose of not making you read an essay lets bunch them together. Here the workouts tend to range from 15 minutes to 45 minutes and usually look like a full body workout. There isn’t as much isolation of muscle groups in this style of training but the calorie burning factor gets turned up to 10! Usually composed of compound movements (multiple muscle groups per movement) repeated in a sequence for a certain amount of time or repetitions. Usually the break time is very short, enough to catch your breath, then you are back into it. Like I mentioned this fast paced activity is going to keep your heart pumping and the calories burning. However you are not going to get the same muscular development you would get from more focused training like hypertrophy. Also because the whole point of these workout is to keep going you are usually rushing through your movement. If you are new to fitness and have not developed proper technique (it’s harder than it looks) you could end up injuring yourself. It will usually look like heavy weights (common in crossfit) getting moved at a fast pace or light weights being moved at a fast pace. Both are great for developing muscular endurance but not so great for building muscle size. These can include things like barbells, dumbbells, kettlebells, medicine balls, bands or body weight to get the job done.
Cycle, Zumba & Group Fitness…
classes is next on the list. These you will usually find offered at most big gyms or you can find more and more studios popping up, especially cycle studios. You are probably ranging in the 20-60 minute sessions with this style. These are great for a variety of reasons. You have an instructor, someone pushing you and guiding you along on what you should be doing. There is a community aspect to it. You aren’t popping your headphones in and closing off the world. Instead you are in a group of sweaty, excited people all looking to motivate themselves and each other. Although there are MANY different styles of this training the goal is to get you movin’ and groovin’. You can expect to come out of this sweaty and feeling like you had a good workout. Similar to to the previous, muscular hypertrophy is not the goal here. You won’t come out of here looking like Mr. Schwarzenegger but you will burn off some of that lovely storage and build some strength doing it. The main benefit here is having someone leading you through the motions although often its one person teaching a class of 15-25 students so the one-on-one aspect doesn’t really exist.
Lastly, Yoga or pilates…
In my opinion yoga is something every person that works out should incorporate into their routine. That doesn’t mean you have to attend a class for it. With youtube now you can find a HUGE range of yoga routines that range from 5 minutes to 60+ minutes. The cool part about yoga & pilates is that they work a lot on mindfulness and body awareness. This is not something you focus on when you are jumping from exercise to exercise. Also the stretching aspect of it is going to make your body feel younger and you will be less prone to any injuries. Because of all these factors I think everyone should find a way to incorporate these into their routines. Whether you are looking to build huge muscles or are looking to throw some weight around and go obstacle to obstacle yoga will help you show up your very best. That being said if you stick to consistent yoga routines that are going to challenge you, you will build some good lean musculature along the way.
I don’t want to leave out all the other options that are out there for training. Marathons, triathlons, Spartan races, Mud races, or 5/10K races.. just to name a few. These all have a place and can make your training have a specific goal behind it, which is probably going to help you push through those hard days. So sign up for something that is going to make your more accountable. This year I signed up for my very first Spartan race! So come June I will be in Quebec challenging myself in a way I never have before.
I hope this list was helpful in giving you some insight on what you can incorporate based on your lifestyle and goals. Join my email list to receive more information on fitness and how you can stop the starting and stopping cycle and how you can incorporate it into your life forever. A healthier you is something you won’t regret building. If you are still a little lost and want more guidance or are looking for some specific coaching for your goals and don’t want to do the trial and error, please click here and someone from the team will reach out to you!
Stay Strong!
Your coach, Angelo
