by Eric Corson
The Holidays are upon us and the New Year is just around the corner. I am sure that your New Year’s resolutions are the same as mine and everyone else: lose weight and get in better shape. The question is how?
If your time is precious like mine and you want to make your workout routine more efficient then read on.
For the most part you perform weight training to increase strength and joint integrity. You do cardio and classes to burn calories. You eat the right types and amount of food. Not too difficult right? The problem for most people is will power and consistency.
These two things are very difficult for us as fitness professionals to deal with. We can’t force you to show up and we certainly can’t cook for you every day. What we can do is give you the tools you need to achieve your goals by taking out the guess work and putting a little science behind your training program. That science is Metabolic and VO2 Max Testing!
What?
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| photo credit: www.korr.com |
Metabolic Testing or RMR is the exact number of calories your body burns to stay alive. It is a simple test requiring you to sit in a chair and breathe for about 12 minutes. The test will then give you the exact number of calories to consume each day dependent upon your goals.
Knowing the number of calories you should be eating makes it very easy to map out a meal plan and create a caloric deficit. The other part of the equation is where your heart rate should be for reaching your goals.
Weight loss and training for a marathon require very different approaches.
Either way, knowing at what point, heart rate wise, your body stops metabolizing fat and starts to burn more sugar/carbs is important. That is called your Anaerobic Threshold. Loosely put is the point at which fat starts to slow down as your primary source of fuel. Work under this point and you burn fat and build a strong aerobic base. Work over this point and you increase aerobic capacity and burn more calories overall but mostly from sugar/carbs. In a perfect world you would be doing your cardio at varying heart rate levels for different lengths of time.
The VO2 Max Test will give you the exact training zones for your goals. The test requires you to ride the bike or run on the treadmill for roughly 20 minutes wearing a mask/tube connected to our testing machine. How many calories do you need and where should my heart rate be are answered.
No guess work. It is simple and scientific. I love it.
Please check out korr.com for more information and ourHoliday Packages 2013 for prices!