Putting it all together...

I want debag the haze and help you to understand the right balance and type of training based on what YOUR goals are.

Finding your personal balance workouts depends largely on four things:

Goals

Ability level 

Schedule

Preferences

For most women who join us their goals are, to look good, feel good, feel healthy and strong.(footnote: obviously there will be exceptions)  That type of programming is going to look different than someone who wants to run a marathon or compete in CrossFit or just gain strength.

This article, is going to focus on women who want to look and feel amazing, healthy and strong.

Step 1: Be honest with yourself about your ability level.

Are you new to training, or have you been training for a while? Don’t go too hard too quickly. For instance, going from nothing to training 5 times a week is going to come back at you at some point in your journey. 

Conversely don’t limit yourself to believing you can’t do something before you have even tried. Don’t let ANYONE, including you, talk yourself out of trying something you feel like you could do. Only by giving it a go will you ever know, don't forget…

If you always do the same thing you always did, you will always get the same results.

The same goes for exercise. 

Step 2: Determine how much time you can devote to training each week.

It could be as few as 1-2 hours or as many as 5-6 hours. Be realistic so you can set yourself up for success.

Step 3: Don’t forget that what you enjoy doing matters.

If you don’t love lifting weights, but the way to reach your desired goal is including them, work with a trainer on a 1-2-1 basis to come up with a weights programme between you that you will enjoy and 

supplement that with Group Sessions to give you the other elements that your goal requires.

Today we’re going to outline the following types of exercise you should do to reach your goals if your goal is to lose body fat, gain tone, lean muscle and some strength:

Strength training

High Intensity Interval Training (HIIT)

Moderate Intensity Cardio (MIC)

Low Intensity Steady State cardio (LISS)

In terms of the Group Sessions at TRibeFitness we do it ALL for you.  

Our timetable includes ALL the elements required.  Depending on your schedule, current ability level and preferences.

To give you a guide On Mondays, Wednesdays, Fridays plus weekends,  we incorporate Strength Training with Bursts of Cardio with elements of HIIT and MIC built in. 

Tuesday and Thursday are largely dedicated to HIIT Training dominating the day's sessions. Including BOXHIIT, HIIT Burn Circuits, HIITCIRCUIT and HIITCARDIO.

Our lower impact sessions offer an overall focus on Moderate intensity cardio and Low Intensity Steady State Cardio, they also incorporate some elements of weights training on some sessions.

Let’s explain what each of the categories actually entails.

Strength Training

As a general guideline, for women who want to get stronger, gain a bit of muscle, and lose fat, most trainers generally recommend push/pull/lower body, upper/lower, or full-body workouts as opposed to body-part splits.

High-Intensity Interval Training

High intensity interval training (HIIT) is broadly defined as periods of very intense (9.5  - 10 out of 10 on the perceived effort scale) work, followed by periods of rest, repeated for time or for a number of sets.

HIIT can be performed a number of ways using a number of work : rest ratios and should always be incorporated into a programme for any woman who wants the goals of to look good, feel good, feel healthy and strong. In isolation HIIT won't “hit”  all those goals,  but it absolutely should be incorporated into your programme if you want to lose body fat , feel good, feel healthy and strong efficiently.

Benefits accredited to HIIT Training are:-

• HIIT can burn a lot of calories in a short amount of time

• Your metabolic rate is higher for hours after HIIT exercise

• HIIT can help you lose fat

• HIIT can improve oxygen consumption. ...

• HIIT can reduce heart rate and blood pressure. ...

• HIIT can reduce blood sugar.

In general, the longer you have been training, and the more fit you are, the more work you can do with less rest.  But keep in mind if you are no longer able to work at a 9.5 -10 out on the perceived effort scale during your work periods, and you're not feeling partially recovered during your recovery period, you probably need to decrease the work and increase the rest.

Moderate intensity cardio (MIC),

When people think of moderate intensity cardio (MIC), they always think of running, plodding away, but there are tons of options for this type of workout. As long as your heart rate stays in the 120-140 bpm range, you’re good to go.  This can be hiking, biking, swimming, fast-paced yoga, or Circuit training.

Benefits of MIC 

• Help with weight loss or maintenance.

• Support better brain function (memory, focus, and processing of information)

• Improve bone health.

• Reduce the risk of major medical conditions such as heart disease, type 2 diabetes, and dementia.

• Improve sleep and sleep disorders.

Benefits of incorporating weight training into MIC for Women

• Gain strength without bulking

• Improved fat loss. When lifting weights, you build lean muscle

• Enhance your mood and reduce stress

• Reduce your risk of injury, back pain and arthritis

• Reduce the risk of heart disease and diabetes.

Lower Intensity Steady State Cardio

This can be any kind of leisure movement you enjoy—from walking to hiking to biking to yoga—and should be restorative, not strenuous. Your heart rate should remain below 120 bpm, and this activity should be relaxing, and not stressful to your body.

Putting It All Together

Training 3 -4 times per week (ideally every 48 hours) is always going to be the guidance if you are looking to lose inches, tone up, feel great, gain muscle and gain some strength. Also remember rest is as important, if not more important when you’re training hard.

Don’t just stay in your comfort zone. when you feel like your form is correct and you can safely up your weights incorporate progressive overload - gradually increasing the weight, frequency, or number of repetitions. Vary your workouts and unless you are specifically looking to just build strength and muscle, incorporate ALL the elements mentioned in this blog to get to your goal most with the most efficiency.Keep in mind that it's recommended that you do as much additional general LISS cardio (i.e. movement) as someone has the time and desire to do each week, because the recommendations are always the same: move as often as you can.

I hope you find this information useful for helping you figure out how to achieve balance with your training, without ending up doing too much!