Abandon Nest

Picking a time to workout is absolutely essential to sticking with your exercise plan. Without setting time aside, you’ll be tempted to say you’re too busy and can’t workout. That is pish posh and you know it. So now that you know you have to set a schedule and pick a time, what time do you pick?

The standard choice is to pick between early in the morning or after work in the afternoon. Some people are lucky enough that they can workout in the middle of the day, but I’m not concentrating on that minority in this post. Each time has distinct benefits and drawbacks. The choice is also a personal one. If you’re not a morning person, you’re probably not going to want to get up at 4:30 to go workout. So what are the benefits of each time?

Exercising in the morning leads to more alertness throughout the day. You’ll feel refreshed as the endorphins start flowing through your body. Along with these good feelings, you’ll more rapidly grow bigger (or smaller depending on your goal). What do I mean by this? I’ve read quite a few magazine and internet articles stating that working out right when waking up is good for mass building if you eat beforehand and go right to weightlifting after a short warm up. If you want to get smaller, go do some cardio before your morning meal and you’ll start to melt away fat. Getting out of bed that early is the hard part, so good luck with that.

Exercising at night seems to allow you greater strength to perform your workout. This is not from other readings, but from my own personal experience. When I lift weights at night I can usually go 10% or more higher than I can in the morning. This is probably because my muscles are warmed from the entire day of movement. Another good thing about exercising at night is the group atmosphere. You’ll more likely have a greater number of people around you. If this is important to you, then go right at 5:30 when everyone has gotten off of work. The hardest part of exercising in the afternoon is getting the motivation to go to the gym rather than home. That’s definitely something I struggle with, but your mileage may vary.

As you can see, there are benefits and drawbacks to both the morning and evening. In my opinion, it all comes down to a personal choice. Wake up early and get pumped or go after work to get ripped. In the end, it’s all up to you.

Technorati Tags: Lose Fat, Exercise, Fitness, Workout, Goals

Do you know where to look when you need information about an exercise or supplement? In today’s information-centric world, it’s easy to find facts about anything you want. The danger is you don’t always know if the source you’re referencing is correct. Today, I’m going to point out a few resources that I regularly use in formulating my overall fitness plan.

• Arnold Schwarzenegger’s Encyclopedia of Modern Bodybuilding - If you’re going to have one book on fitness, this should be it. Even if you aren’t looking to become a serious competitive bodybuilder (the demographic at which this book is squarely aimed) this book has a ton of information you can use. From an analyzation of the way the body works to detailed pictures of the anatomy and muscles, this huge tome is a masterpiece of fitness literature. All this and it’s not overpriced at all. Pick up a copy today, and you won’t regret it.
• BodyBuilding.com - My favorite thing about BodyBuilding.com is the user submitted workouts. There are hundreds and thousands of them for every possible reason. If you dig deep enough you might be able to find a real gem hidden among them. Their supplement database is second to none, and I would highly recommend checking the facts before taking any supplement. Overall, BodyBuilding.com is a great place to see many things and get inspired about fitness.
• Men’s/Women’s Health - So you don’t want to associate with the bodybuilder mystique? Try Men’s/Women’s Health magazine for fitness information. A lot of the stuff contained in the pages is recycled from month to month, but there are some unique perspectives put on cooking/dining and core exercise. This resource is more for those without the time or proclivity to devote to a total training regimen. This isn’t to say that some of the stuff isn’t good, but it’s often placed out of context. If you can make the connections, utilize the information and see excellent results.

These are obviously just a choice few of the resources that any gym nut can dig up. Look around you and you’ll find things to read, sites to surf, and people to talk to about fitness. Whatever guides you, make sure you take it seriously and you’ll continue well on your way to an excellent level of fitness.

Technorati Tags: Exercise, Fitness, Workout, Information

Building on yesterday’s post, Six Packs Start in the Kitchen, I’ve put together a meal plan for beginners. As I stated in many posts so far, a healthy diet is paramount to achieving an elite level of fitness. So what do I have in store for you?

Like I said, the meal plan is extremely simple. It’s a repeating 7 day cycle that boosts your protein and carbohydrate intake while limiting dietary fat. I followed this exact same plan for 7 weeks before switching to something else. So do you need to follow the plan exactly? NO. Try to follow the plan as a guideline and eat what you want every once in a while. Make sure your splurge is in place of a meal, though, instead of a total diversion from the plan. Remember your goal of a higher fitness level and you should have no problems following the meal plan I’ve set forth.

You can download the meal plan.

Technorati Tags: Lose Fat, Fitness, Goals, Food, Meal Plan