Types of Workouts ...

Of course it has been forever since I last updated this blog so for that I apologize. I did want to write a little something inspired by my new group training that started this week. Someone told me the definition of insanity (according to Einstein I think???) is doing the same thing over and over and expecting different results. Obviously the correlation you can make between this and working out is that if you continue to do the same workouts and/or follow the same dietary habits and expect to see different results then you are insane! Well, not really, just not thinking much about what you are doing.

So with my new group training, people have a chance to come and do something that is most likely very different from what they have been doing. IF I had to give percentages to what people do with their time in the gym I would guess that 85% of the people at MY gym spend most of their time on cardiovascular work. Of course, if you know me, I believe it should totally be flip flopped. I believe that the REASON that people do this is two fold. First, they think it is the way to burn calories and lose fat. Second, I think that people see cardio as a no brainer and weights as a complicated matter that is more trouble than it is worth.

My group training is designed for those people (that see too much complication with weights) as well as folks that see the value in weights but also in having direct instruction. With the group training model, you have the opportunity to almost go on auto pilot and get effective weight training workouts. The nice thing is that in a smaller group, I can still give individual attention to form, function, and intensity.

As far as the workouts we do. I am currently modeling the program after P90X but have obviously modified it a bit for our purposes. The fact is that it is a type of training that is very different - focused on muscular endurance, a little muscle building, and most importantly variety. This keeps your "body guessing" (sometimes called muscle confusion) and causes you to respond. Eventually the workouts will morph into other formats as I want the people who continue to come to group training to continue to be challenged and "stimulated".

Finally, a word about sets, reps, and weights. My current program has people doing timed sets that usually end up being in the 20+ rep range. Everyone I talk to concurs that those rep ranges sneak up on you and can be quite intense in the later stages. At some point we will do heavier weights (with which you could not manage those amounts of reps) and different sorts of exercises. The point of this is to cause the different muscle fibers to recruit differently and also to cause the muscles to respond differently. Thus they will always be working, changing, developing, and most importantly, working for the trainee.

If you don't know about my group training. It is at Prairie Life (Overland Park) and at this point happens 4 times a week - Tuesdays and Thursdays - 12 to 1 or 6 to 7 both days. In those two workouts we get total body workouts. Of course you can contact for more info. The first couple of sessions have been extremely successful and have had a great deal of interest.

Thanks for reading,

Andy