​Two of the most common reasons people give for not exercising is lack of time and not knowing what type of exercise they should be doing. This is what leads many people to hire a personal trainer—they want an expert tell them how to achieve their goals. Typically, they also want to know how to do it in the most time-efficient manner possible. 

While single-joint, isolation exercises are ideal for people who have the inclination or time to sculpt the perfect body, they simply aren’t that effective for maximizing the calorie burning effects of exercise. If a client’s goal is improving his or her overall fitness level, compound exercises that feature multijoint movements involving more than a single muscle group can be extremely effective for realizing benefits from all three categories of fitness: cardiovascular, strength and flexibility. Knowing how to use compound exercises can give you specific strategies and techniques for helping your time-strapped clients. 

Here are five benefits of compound exercises, along with suggested exercises to help your clients experience the maximum benefits from a limited amount of exercise time. 

1. Compound exercises burn more calories.

The body expends 5 calories of energy to consumer 1 liter of oxygen. Exercises that involve more muscle tissue require more oxygen, which helps the body increase its net energy expenditure.

2. Compound exercises improve intermuscular coordination.

This is the function and timing of multiple muscles around a joint or joints. Consider, for example, the gluteal complex (gluteus maximus, medius and minimus), which is responsible for controlling motion of the hip. Compound exercises such as squats, lunges or steps that move the hips in all three planes can improve how all of the muscles work together to produce and control force.

3. Compound exercises elevate the heart rate and provide a cardiovascular training benefit.

The purpose of cardiovascular exercise is to improve the ability of the heart to function as a pump. This can be accomplished through activities such as running and cycling, or by doing exercises that involve a significant amount of muscle tissue. Sitting in a leg-extension machine doing knee extensions or performing biceps curls with dumbbells uses only a limited amount of muscle tissue; these exercises are more appropriate for focusing on isolated strength. Squats to shoulder presses, medicine ball chops or burpees are all examples of compound exercises that involve large amounts of muscle tissue, which challenges the heart to pump blood to keep the muscles fueled and active.

4. Compound exercises are a form of dynamic flexibility.

When most people think of flexibility they picture static stretching. While holding a muscle in a lengthened position can be effective for reducing tension in a muscle, it also reduces neurologic activity, which is not recommended prior to dynamic activity. Any exercise that involves an active range of motion can be considered a form of dynamic stretching, which involves moving a joint through a range of motion to lengthen the surrounding tissue. As muscles on one side of a joint contract, the muscles on the opposite side have to lengthen to allow contraction to occur. Over the course of a number of repetitions, the contractions and activity in the involved muscles elevate the temperature and inhibit activity, which reduces tension and improves length.

5. Compound exercises improve movement efficiency.

Have you ever noticed that body builders move robotically? This is because training only one muscle group at a time does not teach multiple muscle groups to coordinate their contractions and firing rates, which is how muscles actually contract. Compound exercises that involve large groups of muscles teach the muscles how to coordinate the firing of the motor units responsible for timing muscle contractions. Compound exercises can actually help your clients improve their movement skills and dynamic balance, which can actually help improve overall quality of life.

​Some of us are early birds, and some of us are night owls. We should just live and let live, right? While that may be true, there are many proven health benefits of waking up early. We should take these into account if we want better health and increased energy. Rising early and getting moving outside in the morning sunshine, for say a walk, hike, bike ride or run, correlates with many other health benefits. These include better dietary choices, improved quality of sleep and better mental health.
If you are still not feeling convinced, let’s take a look at what science has to say about this issue, and who knows, maybe you’ll transform into an early bird by choice by the end of this article.

Benefits of Waking Up Early: You Make Healthier Food Choices

I completely understand the appeal of pressing the snooze button a few times to squeeze in some extra shut eye. Before you know it, though, you can lose a few hours from your morning. This means you may skip breakfast and eat lunch instead. However, your body needs to be given a chance to absorb as many healthy nutrients as it can first thing in the morning. In fact, several studies have proven that breakfast kick-starts your metabolism and helps you burn more calories throughout the day.


Improved Mental Health


Talking about health only in terms of physical shape is a huge misconception that needs to change. Being mentally and emotionally stable is the prerequisite for having good overall health. Well, waking up early can help with that. A study conducted out of London found that morning people are healthier and happier. A second study suggested that getting up early improves your problem-solving skills and helps you deal with negative thoughts better. All of this leads to less stress, and therefore, minimizes the chances of developing various stress-related health problems over time.


Mornings are Perfect Time to Exercise


All of us have our own preferred time to get our daily dose of workout, but what if I told you that you will get the most perks out of morning training session? For a start, exercising in the morning lowers the risk of low blood sugar, when compared to afternoon workout.
It also boosts your strength and performance for the rest of your day. Other things that might attract you to break some sweat early one are enhancing your metabolism, helping the cultivating consistency of your workout, improving your physical and mental strength, and provides you with better sleep quality.

Health Benefits of Waking Up Early: Those Who do Sleep Better

Night owls usually finish their day by binge-watching Netflix, worrying or doing some activity that makes their falling asleep more difficult and their sleep patterns interrupted. Unlike them, most early risers stick to a consistent sleep schedule.
The good news is that you can train your brain to become an early bird. First, you can try to establish a consistent sleeping routine, which will include relaxing pre-bed activities, like taking a warm bath or reading a book. Another useful thing to have is a sleep mask. The evidence we have so far supports the thesis that wearing sleep mask increases the length of the REM cycle and prevents disruption in sleep patterns.


You’ll Be More Likely To Develop Good Habits


A team of researchers observed the link between the time of waking up and substance use. It turned out that early risers are less prone to use drugs, cigarettes, and alcohol. While the research was done on adolescent girls, it is relevant for everyone, because one good habit encourages another one – think of it as a line of dominos where one is leaning onto another. The absence of substance abuse will naturally affect your health in a good way.


More Motivated


Motivation is vital for everything you do, ranging from exercising to your career. An experiment conducted at Harvard University showed that early risers are more proactive than late risers. This affects your success at everything you do, creates positive thinking patterns, and helps you be more confident. Consequently, getting up at the similar time early every morning minimizes stress and negative thoughts which can be harmful to your health.


It Gives You Time to Actually Wake Up


Do you ever get the feeling that you are still sleeping when you arrive at your office? You need hours to be really prepared to do the work you are paid to do and to even talk with your coworkers. This is known as sleep inertia. The period between sleep and full wakefulness. According to research, it can last up to four hours. During this time many cognitive tasks, such as memory, reaction speed, attention, and alertness, are impaired. So, when you get up earlier, you have enough time to overcome the sleep inertia. In turn, be at your best when it is needed. Personally, I think this is one of the best health benefits of waking up early.

Final Thought

These are just a few of the health benefits of being an early bird. I have not even begun to scratched the surface of additional perks which can impact quality of life. Such as having more time, reducing that long commute to work, and much more. Now that you see there are some benefits, at least try to change your sleeping habits, and enjoy a healthy and happy life to the fullest.

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​1) Fatigue and Weakness

Fatigue and weakness is the first sign.  If you don't feel as strong in the gym or during any physical activity. Protein is crucial for muscle growth and repair.

2) Brittle Hair, Skin, and Nails

Brittle hair, skin, and nails is another sign. Insufficient protein intake can lead to weaker nails, thinning hair, and dry skin.

3) Constant Sugar and Carb Cravings

Constant sugar/carb cravings is the third sign. This one hits me like a truck. If you don't eat enough protein you will overeat on so much sugar but you won't be satisfied until you get your protein in.

4) Constant Hunger

Are you constantly hungry? It could be because you aren't fueling your body with enough protein. Eating enough protein will keep you fuller for longer and leave you more satisfied.

Science Has Found a Link Between Protein and Weight Loss

According to clinical trials, consuming more protein than the recommended dietary allowance not only reduces body weight (BW), but also enhances body composition by decreasing fat mass while preserving fat-free mass (FFM) in both low-calorie and standard-calorie diets.

Aim for 20 to 30 Grams Per Meal

How much protein should you aim for?  Protein needs depend on body size, gender, and of course activity level. Most people will benefit from at least 20 grams of protein per meal (women) and 30 grams per meal (men). If that isn't enough for the day, then make up more at snack time.

Protein Helps with Hunger and Fullness

For most individuals who are trying to lean out, we want to make sure that your protein intake is high because that will help with hunger and fullness. It'll also help preserve your muscle mass. And if you are lifting weights and you are training, it'll help you build muscle and recover. So we want to make sure that's higher.

Stick to Lean Fats

And, if you are trying to lean out, keep your protein lean, making sure the ratio of fat is lower. Fat just tends to be a more expensive macronutrient. In one gram of protein, there are four calories. In one gram of fat, there are nine calories. So if you're someone who's used to eating fattier pieces of steak, if you're eating darker meat, then you're going to have higher fat content. So it just comes down to if I eat a leaner source of protein, if I switch to non-fat Greek yogurt, if I switch to 1% cottage cheese, if I'm aware of those things, you're going to be able to increase the amount of it that you're eating without driving up your calories.

​It is well established that resistance training offers many important health benefits, including improved health, reduced risk factors for developing a chronic disease and an improved ability to perform activities of daily life. Unfortunately, many adults over the age of 50—including those who are physically active—miss out on these benefits because they mistakenly believe that resistance training with weights is only for the young and fit. However, nothing could be farther from the truth. 

In fact, the Physical Activity Guidelines for Americans, published by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, includes the following recommendation: 

“Adults should also do muscle-strengthening activities of moderate or greater intensity and that involve all major muscle groups on two or more days a week, as these activities provide additional health benefits. As part of their weekly physical activity, older adults should do multicomponent physical activity that includes balance training as well as aerobic and muscle-strengthening activities.” 

A group of researchers set out to determine how following these guidelines affects mortality. They used data from the 1997–2001 National Health Interview Survey (NHIS) linked to death certificate data (for study participants) through 2011. According to the data, older adults who performed strength training at least two times per week had 46% lower odds of dying for any reason compared to those who did not participate in strength training. Furthermore, adults in the survey who performed regular strength training had 41% lower odds of cardiac death and an almost 20% lower risk of dying from cancer. Additionally, those who participated in strength training were more likely to have a normal body weight, engage in aerobic exercise and abstain from alcohol and tobacco. 

Clearly, if you are looking for a way to improve your health, enhance your quality of life and increase your overall lifespan, you should consider adding more resistance training to your current level of physical activity. And if you’re still unconvinced that strength training is important, here are six reasons why you should reconsider, especially if you are over the age of 50: 

1) There is a difference between training for muscle size (hypertrophy) and training for strength. While performing a high number of repetitions can result in hypertrophy, for adults over the age of 50, the focus should be on improving muscular strength by lifting more weight. Using heavier resistance for fewer repetitions can enhance the strength of a muscle without significantly increasing its size. 

2) Resistance-training machines allow seniors to safely use greater amounts of resistance than free weights might. Strength training is safe for everyone, and machines allow for great benefits with a low risk of injury. 

3) Compound, multijoint exercises such as the leg press, shoulder press, seated row, chest press and lat pull-down can improve muscular coordination by improving the ability of many muscles to work together to generate and control high levels of force through multiple joints. 

4) Resistance training can elevate levels of anabolic, or muscle-building, hormones—specifically testosterone, growth hormone and insulin-like growth factor (IGF-1), which help repair muscle fibers damaged during exercise. Regardless of your age, strength training can help your body become more efficient at producing the hormones that help build and repair muscle.

5) Lifting heavy weights increases the hormone IGF-1, which is related to the production of brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF). This protein is responsible for stimulating the growth of new neurons in the brain and enhancing communication between existing pathways. In short, lifting heavy could make you smarter by boosting levels of brain-building chemicals. 

6) Resistance training with heavy weights can improve your self-confidence. Knowing that you can lift heavy stuff gives you the confidence that you can handle everyday challenges, such as placing luggage in the overhead bin on an airplane, moving a heavy piece of furniture or carrying heavy grocery bags. 

Resistance-training Guidelines 

To reap the greatest benefits from resistance training—at any age—the focus should be on using enough weight to cause fatigue within six to 12 repetitions. Fatigue means the muscles are unable to complete another repetition, and the best results from resistance training occur when exercise is performed to the point of fatigue. 

While all exercise provides general health benefits, regular resistance training is one of the quickest ways to achieve the specific benefits identified above. To learn more about resistance training or to get started with a program designed specifically for you, contact us today.

Put simply, if you need to ask “Am I working hard enough?”, the answer is likely “no”.  

Why? Well, when we have spent absolutely all of our energy in the gym, we’re usually out of breath, can feel our heart pumping out of our chest, and can’t fathom another rep or set. This isn’t to say we need to feel absolutely exhausted after each workout, but the point is, there are telltale signs that our training has been hard and we’ve pushed our body to its limits.

However, ahead of diving into a list of signs suggesting you’re not working out hard enough, it’s crucial to flag that training smart can sometimes triumph training hard.

It’s important to remember that exercise is itself a stressor on the body, and we need to have periods of low-intensity so that our body is able to take us to the next level during a challenging workout.

Now that that’s covered, I’ll admit that the opposite can be true – if you never push yourself during your training sessions, your fitness progress will become stagnant and your motivation to work hard will suffer as well.

If you’re new to exercise, or feeling unsure as to whether you’re working out hard enough, the best way to monitor exercise intensity is to use a heart rate monitor.

If you use a fitness watch to track your heart rate, a quick glance at your watch will tell you if you’re nearing your max heart rate – pushing your body too hard well and truly in the ‘red zone’. And vice versa, you’ll know if you’re not putting in enough effort and need to turn on the jets and work harder.

Interested in some other telltale signs you’re not working out hard enough? Listen up!

1. YOU’RE CLOCK WATCHING

If you’re in the middle of a hard set, your energy and focus should be on the exercise you’re performing – not wondering how much time is remaining in your workout.

To encourage entering this zone, I’d recommend plugging in some serious workout beats, not training directly in front of a gym clock, and setting a timer for each of your sets to ensure you stay focused.

2. YOU’RE NOT SEEING ANY RESULTS

If you’ve been consistently going to the gym, limiting the number of refined carbohydrates and sugars you eat, and you’re managing your stress (including getting quality sleep), but still not getting stronger, fitter or seeing any changes on the scale or to your dress size, then it’s time to reassess your exercise intensity.

If this sounds like you, I recommend trying a new type of physical exercise (get out of your comfort zone) or seeing a personal trainer to shake things up and learn new ways to challenge your fitness.

3. YOU NEVER EXPERIENCE DOMS

DOMs, aka delayed onset muscle soreness, is something every athlete – from rookie to elite – should experience. Why?

This doesn’t mean it’s good to permanently feel like you can’t lift your arms or walk the day after a killer workout, but if you’re never sore post-workout, it’s a tell-tale sign that you didn’t stimulate your muscles enough, and you need to train harder!

4. YOU’RE A ‘CHATTY CATHY’

Working out should be enjoyable, and having a friend to keep you company during a longer workout can definitely help the time pass faster. 

When we push ourselves physically our breath becomes short as our body looks to use oxygen to help us train harder, so if you’re looking to see physical results from your training, keep the chat post-workout.

5. ‘TRAIN INSANE OR REMAIN THE SAME’

Too often I have clients who come to me expressing how their 30-minute treadmill run in the morning just isn’t bringing them any physical results anymore.
Interestingly, this problem is simply due to physical adaptation, which refers to the incredible ability our bodies have to undergo stress and adapt to our physical demands. 

A heart rate monitor can easily assess whether you’ve become physically adapted to your training and will tell you when you’ve dropped out of the ‘red-zone’ (80-100% of your max heart rate).

In sum, judging your workout intensity by how much you’ve sweated or the time spent training might lead you down a disappointing path when it comes to achieving your training goals.

​Instead, strap on a heart rate monitor during your workouts so you can see very clearly when you need to up the intensity. Monitoring your heart rate is so easy now with all the wrist-based heart rate monitors available, so grab yourself one and get training!