Month: October 2019

October 20, 2019 at 02:00PM by CWC I pick the dumbbells I work out with pretty much the same way I pick my lunch everyday: I go by whatever I’m in the mood for. Some days I like to go all-out, picking the heaviest weights that I can handle whenever I feel strong. Others? The lighter, the better. There is such a thing as lifting too light, though, which can affect just how beneficial your overall workout is. “If you aren’t lifting heavy enough weights, your results—AKA your muscle strength and growth—will be suboptimal,” says Brad Schoenfeld PhD, associate professor of exercise science at Lehman College in New York. In his research, he actually found that lifting at 20 percent of one repetition maximum (the highest amount of weight you can lift for one rep) produced not-so-great muscle growth when compared to lifting 40 percent and above. “Lighter load training in general, which is less than 70 percent of your one-rep maximum, produces lower increases in strength compared to heavier loads.” That said, if you’re working with a light load and want to see results, you’ve gotta up the reps. Chief running officer of Run-Fit Jason Karp, PhD echoes this idea, stating that getting stronger is all about pushing yourself. “To improve muscular strength, the intensity of your workouts must be high,” he says. “You have to work at the maximum or near maximum ability of your muscles to produce force, and that can happen only if your muscles contract

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October 20, 2019 at 12:00AM by CWC For the most part, people want to be distracted during their workouts. There are TVs in front of the treadmills at every gym, never-ending high-energy playlists and captivating podcasts, and about a billion different things to do on your phone. With that being said, maybe the one thing your fitness routine is missing is a little mindfulness. Being mindful during your workouts is scary. You feel every heart beat and hear your breath as you’re whipping out all those jump squats, and there’s no taking breaks between sets to catch up on your texts. But that mindfulness not only improves your sweat sessions, but also gives you a mental boost too, letting you feel those post-workout endorphins in a totally new way. Here’s exactly how to start, according to the pros. 7 simple ways to be more mindful during your workouts 1. Cue airplane mode “Turn your phone on airplane mode so you’re not distracted during your workout with outside demands during your self-care time.” —Koya Webb, yoga teacher, holistic health coach, and founder of Get Loved Up 2. Disconnect to connect “Putting your headphones on and playing your favorite music, audio book, or podcast can be a great way to multi-task, entertain, or motivate yourself to keep moving. The down side is that you’ll likely miss many details of physical experience. Movement is a wonderful opportunity to get out of your head and into your body, and disconnecting from your devices allows

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