What is over training? Personal coaching near me Mulgrave

Exercise is good, we all know that, so the more we do it, the better, right? In theory we should keep getting stronger and stronger, fitter and fitter. This is not necessarily the case, as always, too much of a good thing can be bad in the long run. Exercise is no different; there is a tipping point where the more exercise you do, can be  detrimental yo your body. We call this over-training and it’s the point where our activity levels exceed our ability to recover.  We call this over training syndrome (OTS), and it leads to a decrease in fitness levels and leaves us at high risk of injury. You may be thinking, this can’t affect me; I’m just your average gym goer.  Yet no matter your gender, age, skill level, experience etc. we all are at risk of over-training. This week we will go into some of the signs of OTS, and ways to combat it. Personal coaching near me Mulgrave 

Signs of Over Training

Increased fatigue: 

• Of course after training we get fatigued, however if we’re in an over-trained state this fatigue can continue on. We never allow the body the chance to fully recover and therefore are left feeling fatigued constantly. If you’re feeling more fatigued than usual this may be a sign of OTS.

Decreased performance: 

• The obvious sign of over training, when we feel or notice a decrease in performance. We may be increasing the intensity of our training, pushing heavier weights however we aren’t completing it as well. Or you may just not be able to complete the same weights you were doing a fortnight or month ago. This is the tell-tale sign of OTS.

Nagging injuries/illness: 

• When in an over trained state, we are overusing our muscles and joints. This can cause pain in certain areas, and leave us susceptible to injury. Excessive training also depletes our immune system, causing us to be sick more frequently. You may see in this time period an increase in the number of colds/sore throats and little pains here and there.

Insomnia: 

• Sleep is our perfect recovery zone, however when in a stressed state (we are during OTS) we produce hormones that can cause restlessness. This leads to us being unable to sleep, and recover, it becomes a snowball effect!

Some other signs:  

• Loss of appetite
• Moodiness
• Loss of motivation
• Headaches
• Constant soreness

Now how do I know if I am in an over-trained state?  Personal coaching near me Mulgrave

Well any of the signs above can help let you know whether you are or not, but they can be vague. As sometimes you can have a decrease in performance just well because, rather than being over-trained. Going deeper into this, there is one good way to give you a better picture, and that’s taking notice of your heart rate. When we are in an over-trained state, our resting heart rate can increase. Therefore during a training phase it can be important to track your resting heart rate. Every morning look at your fitness tracker, or go old school and count the number of beats in a minute. Record this down, do this daily for a month or so. If you are already experiencing the above symptoms and see an increase in HR over the month at rest, this can indicate you are in this over-trained state.

Ok well what do I do now?  Personal coaching near me Mulgrave

• Take a break: For over-trainers this is the hardest part, because they love their training, but taking a 2-3 day rest isn’t going to deplete all your gains! Taking a break can also mean moving from a 5 day split program, to a 4 day. Your body will love you for it.
• Reduce your training load; by reducing the number of sets, reps, intensity, this lowers the overall effort our body has to exert. Doing this for a week can really help.
• Plan your workouts better! A 3 day program with high intensity, good volume and the important exercises is better than 6 days of poorly structured workouts. This dispels that notion of training more is best, because if we don’t have the other workout factors right, the number of days is irrelevant.
• Nutrition & sleep: Make sure you have a well balance diet, one that can aid in recovery. Also ensure you are getting 7-8.5 hrs of sleep per night, as this time period is the perfect recovery time! For any tips on these two areas check out:

Sleep: https://pchealthclubs.com/reasons-enough-sleep-gym-near-me-springvale/

Diet:  https://pchealthclubs.com/nutrition-exercise-pchc-clayton/

Importance of recovery:  Personal coaching near me Mulgrave

Recovery from training is super important to get the results you are after. We need to allow our muscles and energy systems to replenish, and adapt from the training load we put them under. However we often forget about recovery, with more of an emphasis on the sets/reps and weight we are lifting.

Hopefully this weeks blog has made it clear that we need to be aware of our training loads and if we are reaching an over-trained state.  So as always check our our FaceBook page to find out more about exercise & recovery related information. If you have any further questions about it, ask us at PCHC!

For more information about us check out out:

Homepage

All the time we are asked, “Should I be taking supplements?” whether this be via a protein shake, creatine, pre-workout or the new ‘fat-burning pill”. Today we’d like to address this question. Giving some information about the massive range of supplements out there, the ones to go for, and ones to try avoid! Gym near me Clayton

Supplements, what are they good for? Gym near me Clayton

Over the past decade supplements have taken off! Below is a graph looking at the sales (in billions!) of vitamins/nutrional supplements in the U.S. As you can see, since 2000 sales have doubled from $17.2 billion to $36.1 billion. This is a massive industry that does tend to pray on the whim of a quick fix for a lot of people.

Therefore when looking at supplement products we need to ensure that

A) It works and is scientifically backed

B) Do you even need its benefits?

To start, we will look at

Protein powders: Gym near me Clayton

Protein powders are a staple of weight training, when you start out you’ve probably been asked “are you taking a post-workout protein shake?” Protein shakes are a great source of well, protein. This is good because protein helps synthesise muscle, so when combined with weight training, it becomes a match made in heaven. However for some people the shake isn’t necessarily that important. If you’re already consuming enough protein throughout your regular diet, then the protein shake can be that little extra boost. Therefore it is dependent on your goals, if it is muscle growth then protein powder will help speed that up. If this muscle growth isn’t a big part of your training goals, then protein powder may not be for you.

It is recommended to consume around 1g – 1.2g of protein per kg of body weight. Therefore if you weigh 60kg, that is between 60g – 72g per day. When weight training however it is recommended to consume more than this to aid in your muscle growth. The number shifts to 1.6g of protein per kg of body weight.

Have a check of this link below, where you can calculate the amount of protein your body needs. Then by checking what you regularly eat, you can begin to discover if you are protein deficient or not.

https://www.calculator.net/protein-calculator.html

Pros/Cons of Protein Shakes: Gym near me Clayton

• The benefit of a protein shake is that is a lot easier than cooking a full meal for a lot of people, a quick fix of protein 30 mins post a session is a real advantage.
• The downside is of course it doesn’t have the additional nutrional value of a balanced meal. This supplement really is the one we would recommend if someone feels they need that extra boost in their training.

It is important to note that if you do feel you are protein deficient then using a supplemental protein shake will be very helpful.

Verdict: Good – consume if need a quick burst of protein, however not necessary for muscle growth if already having a balanced diet + good strength training program!

Creatine: Gym near me Clayton

Creatine for a lot of people is a mystery, just the name of it sounds like some special supplement that can do all kinds of wonders. But basically creatine is a natural chemical compound that plays a role in energy production in our muscles. It’s meant to limit our muscle fatigue and help with short burst activities. You have to load your muscles with it; therefore it can from 5 to 28 days to saturate your muscles with it.

The effect is has can be a small one, which in some cases (elite athletes) can make the world of difference. For your everyday gym goer, not so much.

Verdict: If you are looking for that extra performance boost, give it a go. However for the cost & effort in the loading phase, we don’t recommend it as a staple of your workout routine.

Pre-Workout: Gym near me Clayton

The infamous pre-workout, the drink that gives you the energy for the most killer workout. The basis behind pre-workout is to give you an energy boost. These drinks are stacked with different types of ingredients (caffeine, creatine, protein, carbs). These in essence make sense, they should give us more energy, however many also say they help with “fat-burning or muscle gain”. When in fact very little scientific evidence backs these claims.

The appeal behind pre-workout makes perfect sense; it makes the hard feel a little bit easier. However we can fall into the trap of relying too much on it, leading to us feeling we can lift heavier than we are capable of or having poor technique trying to push harder than before. These are consequences we need to weigh up. Further, much like protein shakes, if we are having that well rounded diet, we don’t need this extra energy boost as our body is already full of natural energy! If you need any tips on this check out this other great blog… (https://pchealthclubs.com/foods-diet-workouts-gym-near-me-mulgrave/)

Verdict: Pass, can get these energy boosts naturally. Try having some carbs before your workout (banana, some nuts, a smoothie etc.)

Fat Burning Supplements: Gym near me Clayton

The holy grail for all pharmaceutical companies, the fat burning pill. The pill you can pop twice a day that will help shed weight without lifting a finger or changing your diet. The sad truth is that this isn’t possible in this current day and age. The premise behind these pills is to boost your metabolism and reduce your appetite. People fall into the trap of feeling these will do all the work. For the majority of us they have little effects, it’s diet + exercise that does the job. We need to be careful with these types of supplements as the benefit is often negligible. A good diet + training regime will be 100x more effective than these pills.

Verdict: Avoid, diet/exercise does the fat burning job. Most often these supplements are just a money grab.

Takeaways: Gym near me Clayton

The main takeaway with supplements is they aren’t the magic pill. Having a protein shake won’t give you muscles if you aren’t lifting weights. Pre-workout won’t give you that awesome workout if you aren’t already motivated. And fat burning pills won’t give you that … well anything. You still need to work out and put that time in to achieve your goals. Supplements are the cherry on the cake, the aspect of your training/diet that can push you over that edge. We can’t rely on them to create what you want. The buck stops with yourself; you create what you want from the hard work you put in! The only supplement at the end of the day we need is a bit of hard work!

Hopefully this weeks blog has made it clear that supplements can be beneficial depending on your situation. However they aren’t the be all and end all. So as always check our our FaceBook page to find out more about diet & exercise related information. If you have any further questions about it, ask us atPCHC!

For more information about us check out out:

Homepage

What you should be having Pre & Post workouts! WitFit Gym near me Mulgrave

Often we get asked here at WitFit Health Club Mulgrave about what should I be eating before a workout? What should I be eating post workout? Do I drink enough water? etc. This week we want to help clear up this confusion and make it easier for you! Knowing what, when and how you should be having your pre/post workout meals! Gym near me Mulgrave

What should you be having before you start your workout? Gym near me Mulgrave

Before we start a workout we want to make sure we are fuelling up our body. Our body is a machine; it needs the fuel (energy) to get through a workout. Think about it, if you were going on a road trip, you’d want to make sure your car had a full tank so it could make it through! Our body is the exact same; we need to make sure we don’t start running on empty.

Plan of attack: Gym near me Mulgrave

30 mins-3 hours before: FUEL UP Gym near me Mulgrave

Imagine this as going to that petrol station. We have to fuel our body up.

Carbohydrates: The fuel source for our body, they break down into glucose which we can then use. There are various types of carbs; however we want to be having the easily digestible types that have a longer period of energy.

• These include:
  • Whole grain cereals
  • Greek Yoghurt
  • Brown Rice
  • Beans

Now the above food groups are difficult to consume at 6 a.m in the morning, or on your way from work to the gym. Therefore ideally these are consumed throughout the day so we are fueled up and ready to go!

IF however you haven’t had these through the day, some great foods you can have an hour to 30 mins beforehand are:

• Fruits (banana or apple)
• Nuts (almonds, peanuts etc.)
• Natural Muesli bar.

These are short lasting carbs that can give you that extra pep you’re after and ensure your glucose levels are at the right levels!

HYDRATION!! Gym near me Mulgrave

We need to make sure we are hydrated, having adequate hydration before a workout is important, as we lose fluid during a workout, so ensure during the day you are keeping up your fluids! We recommend aiming for 2L of water per day. Further, during exercise our core temperature rises, to combat this, our body initiates the action of sweating, to help cool our body down. This causes a loss of water/salt; therefore we need to be replenishing this post workout. A sports drink i.e. (Gatorade) can be helpful here as it replaces of course fluid but also electrolytes, important for bodily functions. The drawback from these drinks is they are sugar filled, and excess consumption could have a negative effect on your diet.

What happens if I don’t eat? Gym near me Mulgrave

• Dizziness
• Lethargy
• Light headiness

These symptoms happen due a drop in blood sugar levels, when we exercise we exert energy. In higher intensity workouts our predominate source of fuel is carbohydrates. As you go through your exercises we go through our carbs, and eventually our blood sugar levels drop. Resulting in dizziness, lethargy & light headiness.

Importantly, if you are experiencing these symptoms ongoing, and food/water isn’t helping, we would recommend seeing your local doctor. This could be a sign of something more sinister.

Post Workout:  Gym near me Mulgrave

As much as eating before the workout is important, the post workout is just as important. This is the time to re-fuel ourselves, and depending on what type of workout that can mean different fuels.

Weights: During a weighted workout we use our muscles, they get damaged (a good thing!) and need to be repaired. The food source that helps with this is protein! Proteins main role is to repair, grow and maintain our bodies tissues, most importantly muscle.It is suggested to consume 0.8g of protein per kg of body weight per day, which is around 50g of protein per day for women and 60g for men. These are baseline figures, and if you are completing regular weight training this may have to increase.

Importantly however, it is not just about the quantity of protein consumed but also the quality! Protein can be broken up into amino acids, which are then split into essential vs. non-essential amino acids. This means that essential amino acids must be included in our diet, as our body is unable to create these amino acids itself.

These are found in foods such as;

• Eggs
• Milk/Dairy (i.e. cheese)
• Red Meat
• Tofu

So if after your workout whether in the morning or at the end of day, try including these in your next meal! Protein will help with getting those muscle gains you are after.

Cardio: In terms of food, eating forms of the aforementioned carbs are great! It is just replenishing what you used and making sure you have enough energy for the rest of the day’s activities. Again it is making sure you are having enough fluid post workout, as cardio causes a lot more fluid loss.

Hopefully this weeks blog has made it clear that nutrition before/after workouts is extremely important. That it can help us make the most out of the hard work we put out! So next time you go to workout, ensure you are fuelled up and ready to smash it. As always, check out our FaceBook page to find out more about diet and other areas of health and fitness! If you have any further questions about it, ask us at PCHC Mulgrave!  Gym near me Mulgrave

For more information about us check out our:  Gym near me Mulgrave

Homepage

 

The benefits of sleep!

There has been plenty of discussion in the health/fitness industry about the benefits of sleep. We know we need it, but not always why. Today in the PCHC gym near me Springvale blog we will discuss the importance of sleep. The benefits it has on your body and some quick tips/tricks to help you get into a healthier sleep pattern.

What is sleep? Gym near me Springvale

Sleep is a naturally recurring state for the body and mind, in which we shift into altered consciousness (dream land). We then go into a state of paralysis, have decreased sensory awareness and at points our brain is working just as much as when we are awake! For as much as we know what sleep is, we don’t exactly know why we do it. Scientists for the past few decades have tirelessly (pardon the pun) researched this topic however are yet to understand why our body goes into this state. We know we spend about a 3^rd of our life in sleep, so obviously it is important. We also know some benefits that happen during sleep and some consequences of not enough, we will now discuss these to help you achieve a deeper understanding!

How much sleep? Gym near me Springvale

5 Reasons sleep is so important! Gym near me Springvale

1. Gives our body the chance to recover from day to day life

We all know after a massive day, we are craving a good sleep, and this is a great thing! As during sleep it gives our body time to recover. Our body repairs/renews our tissues and nerves cells, while our natural chemicals in our body can restore to their normal level. In our deep sleep, we have an increased level of growth hormone which helps with repairing muscle tissue!  This is awesome for after gym sessions, as it helps us get those extra gains, and all we need to do is fall asleep!

2. Poor sleep can increase our chances of putting on weight

People who have poor sleep habits and more likely to be overweight. This has been found through the changes in hormone activity. We have 2 important hormones that affect our eating habits/weight, ghrelin & leptin. Ghrelin is a hormone that stimulates appetite, makes us hungrier. Leptin is the opposite and supresses appetite, makes us less hungry. So when we have less sleep, our body switches these around and we get more ghrelin and less leptin, leading to an increase in caloric uptake. It has been found that with only 5-6 hrs sleep a night there is a 200-300 caloric increase compared to those with 7-9hrs. Over a full year this is an additional 70000(!!) calories.

3. Sleep increases performance & decreases rate of injuries:

For athletes it has been found that a bad sleep the night before increases the chance of injury the following day. This can be due to reaction time, an athlete will react slower to a situation that puts them at injury risk. Also as we spoke about before, their body hasn’t had a chance to recover, putting them at risk of overload injuries. Sleep of around 7-9 hours a night has been found to increase sprint time in athletes. Both of these points highlight the importance of sleep.

4. Sleep affects us mentally!

So far we have talked about all the physical implications of enough or not enough sleep, however not the mental aspect. Good sleep is linked to improved cognition, reactions times and focus. During sleep we get memory consolidation, where what happened during the day (short-term memory) transfers and consolidates into long term memory. A decrease in sleep is linked with increased rates of depression, as 90% of those with depression report issues with sleep quality. It also found that our social skills are decreased in states of sleep deprivation, with a reduced ability to recognize facial expressions of anger or happiness. Sleep is important for our ability to recognize the social cues and being able to process emotional information.

5. Makes us live longer!

Having adequate sleep is linked to an increase in lifespan! This however is on both ends of the spectrum, with under sleep & over sleep. Research has found that under 6 hours of sleep a night is linked with a 12% increase in premature death. This same research also found 9 hours or more sleep a night was linked to a 30% increase in premature death. Showing we have a sweet spot of between 7-9 hours of sleep a night. If we are hitting this, we get all the positive effects we have talked about today, and avoid all the negative ones!

Quick tips on sleeping techniques: Gym near me Springvale

• Have screen free time!
  • As technology keeps on growing, the use of phones, tablets, computers etc. in bed has. We all do it, we go to bed and go on one of these devices. Then we wonder why it is hard to get to sleep. What is happening is that these devices emit blue light. Which disrupts and effects the production of melatonin, a hormone that regulates our sleep cycle. Therefore before going to bed try have a tech-free time, allowing our natural hormones to let us sleep.
• Have a good sleep environment
  • Ensure your room is dark enough; there is limited noise around you or distractions (that phone again!). Make sure that the temperature is good, too hot and your body won’t be able to cool down and recover. Find a temperature that is comfortable for you!
• Create a routine and try stick to it!
  • For your body to have good sleep it needs to build up a rhythm, this rhythm has a name, the circadian rhythm. This rhythm is the 24hr background app that is running in your brain changing periods of sleepiness and alertness. In poor sleeping habits this rhythm can be all over the place! Causing alertness when wanting to sleep and drowsiness when wanting to be alert. By setting a regular routine of i.e. sleep at 10 p.m., and awake at 6 a.m. we set a better rhythm. Therefore = easier to sleep and more alert during the day!

Have a look at this quick video on 5 tips to help you fall asleep quicker from Professor Matthew Walker, a neuroscience, psychology and sleep expert!

There is so much information on sleep and we only touched on a small portion of it today. The one takeaway we want you to get from this is that sleep makes up a massive part of health! We always talk about diet/exercise however often neglect sleep. These make up the 3 pillars of health, and if we can work to improving each of these, we are on the right track to making a healthy and powerful lifestyle change!

As always, check out our FaceBook page to find out more about sleep and other areas of health and fitness! If you have any further questions about it, ask us at PCHC gym Springvale!

For more information on the gym near me Springvale, check out our:

Homepage