Fitness Tips, Part 6

What workout split should I follow? You may have heard of many weekly splits like Push/Pull/Legs, Bro Split, Upper/Lower & Full Body, but which one is the best?

Short answer: Whatever one gets you in the door of the gym and that you enjoy enough to stick to.

More nuanced answer: Fitness goes through many trends, and workout splits are not immune to that. Full Body splits where and are quite popular. It’s a good middle ground. Allowing 2-4 days per in the gym, while giving you plenty of rest between sessions. This is ideal for much of the general population, who have families & other commitments.

Upper/Lower is a little more hardcore, yet still quite beginner-friendly, when programmed properly. With 2x Upper body & 2x Lower body days, it will have you in the gym 4 times per week, perfect for people who want to be in the gym a bit more often. Despite the relatively high session frequency, it offers good recovery for your muscles, as each training day has its own focus. E.g. Mon/Upper, Tue/Lower, Wed/Rest, Thu/Lower, Fri/Upper & rest on the weekends as well.

The Bro Split is somewhat looked down upon in the Fitness Industry. It’s a more old-school way of training, with a higher frequency of 4-5 days per week. However, it only hits each muscle group once per week. (e.g arm day, chest day) It’s not the most efficient use of your time, as the other splits will hit each muscle group twice per week, which is ideal for muscle growth. However some people do like it and if you enjoy training this way, then go for it.

Push/Pull/Legs is a 6 day per week split. 2x Push Days, 2x Pull days & 2x Leg days, it hits every muscle group twice per week, however that’s a very high frequency split. It does work and if you can’t wait to go to the gym everyday, it’s great. However it doesn’t offer a lot of rest & recovery, only one day per week. This is the main criticism people give it.

Everyone has a different routine & enjoys different training styles. If you’ve found a split you like, great stuff. If you’re unsure, I hope this has helped you decide.

Fitness Tips, Part 5

Do I need to follow a strict diet? Short answer: No, try to have a balanced diet with a variety of colours on your plate.

More nuanced answer: Outside of food allergies/intolerances, there isn’t a specific food you have to avoid. The 80/20 rule would be a good rule to live by. 80% of you diet being wholefoods, minimally processed foods & the other 20% can be more processed foods like some junk food, & eating out at restaurants or ordering takeaways. While it doesn’t have to have that exact ratio of healthy/junk food, aiming for that would be a healthy medium for most people.

Try to eat plenty of fibre from grains, beans, legumes, fruit & veg. (If you’re not used to eating those foods, start slowly or it may be too much for your stomach). These foods are more filling & have protective benefits against heart disease, along with being rich in vitamins & minerals.

It’s important not to restrict yourself too much in the types of foods you eat, or it could be a slippery slope that could lead to an eating disorder, or at the least, disordered eating.

Fitness Tips, Part 4

How many days a week should I work out? Short answer: 2-5 days per week, but it depends on many other factors…

A more nuanced answer: For beginners, 1-3 days per week would be ideal. This gives you the chance to ease into exercise, so that you don’t do too much too soon. This number of sessions wouldn’t be too objectionable, even to someone who is very out of shape.

For Intermediate people who have been training for 2 years or more, 2-4 days per week would be a good suggestion. It’s enough for a good stimulus and adequate rest between sessions, and it still gives a good balance with other aspects of life.

The longer you’ve been exercising, you can typically handle a higher weekly volume of exercise. This means if you’re advanced (5+ years), you can train up to 5-6 times per week. However, you don’t need to in order to make progress, it’s just more likely you’re body will be able to handle it. It’s up to you to decide at this point, based on your goals and your physical capacity.

Fitness Tips, Part 3

How do I get toned?

Short answer: Reduce your body fat while lifting weights.

More nuanced answer: You can lose weight by eating less, moving/exercising more or a combination of the two. That is completely possible. The only issue is that "toned" means low-ish in body fat & being able to see some muscle definition. If you lose weight without having resistance training in your routine, you will lose muscle mass as well. Resulting in a not-so-toned" appearance, but more skinny fat. Skinny fat is a term that means you aren't overweight, but you look out of shape and chubby in certain places, because you haven't got much muscle mass on your frame.

Lifting weights lets you maintain and even build muscle mass while losing body fat. The building of muscle is a slow process and it's typically only beginners who can lose weight, whilst building muscle. Intermediate - advanced lifters will only be able to maintain their muscle mass whilst cutting weight.

Fitness Tips, Part 2

Will lifting weights make me bulky?
Short answer: No. It will develop your muscles & make you stronger, but you’re not going to grow a crazy amount of muscle by accident.

More nuanced answer: People think that just lifting weights will be enough to get them to look like Arnold Schwarzenegger, when in reality, that’s just not realistic. Yes, Arnold did lift weights very frequently back in the day, with a lot of intensity. However, just because he used weight training to achieve his physique, doesn’t mean you will get that big. It takes years upon years of hard training, with strict adherence to a diet to develop that level of muscle. It’s like saying, “Yay! I’ve just passed my driving test, now I’m ready to be an F1 driver”. It’s too big of a leap, one that is not achievable in such of short time.

Whatever your goal is, keep in mind that it doesn't happen overnight. The athletes you may be thinking of that look “too big” or “too lean” are not representative of a realistic body or of what the average person could look like. Their job is to eat, sleep & train, that’s it! It takes years to build a lot of muscle. For the vast majority of people, gaining a bit of muscle and losing a bit of fat will reshape you and give you that “toned” appearance that many people want. Staying at an average/healthy body fat level (no visible Abs) will put a bit more size on your frame.
The only thing that would make you look more “bulky” is if you are already overweight and you gain A LOT of muscle. However, most people won’t do that, & it’s more the excess of body fat that makes people look bigger, rather than muscle. Even if you accidentally get muscular in certain unwanted areas, it’s as simple as not training that area as much; it won’t keep growing and may even shrink.

Fitness Tips, Part 1

Do carbs make you gain weight? Short answer: No, they don't, not on their own.
Carbs have 4 calories per gram. If you overeat, aka consume more calories, and they happen to be from carbs, then yes, you will gain weight. However, it's not the carbs that did it, it's the excess of calories.

More nuanced answer: Foods that are highly processed will mostly be high in sugar (processed carbs) & fat. That's why they taste so good, that high palatability can lead to overeating them. Those foods will likely also be high in calories but low in volume, making it very easy to overeat them & therefore leading to weight gain.
Keep in mind that it's not just junk food like sweets & chocolate that are high in carbohydrates, it's also a lot of whole foods like fruits, vegetables, grains & legumes. There's a difference in how your body processes a simple carb like refined sugar Vs how it processes a complex carb like a sweet potato. For example, whole foods like potatoes and bananas provide longer-lasting energy, whereas processed sugar offers a shorter, immediate burst of energy. Whole foods tend to be more filling & less calorie-dense. Making it harder to overeat them.