Strength training has become more popular recently.
People are realizing its importance and not falling for the old tale that strength training will make them look bulky.
Although the intent is good when performing strength training, most people make a big mistake that impacts their results.
Problem: People focus on calories burned during strength training workouts or during the strength training parts of their workout.
Hear me out.
When it comes to strength training there are major factors to get the results you want.
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Increase Volume (Reps x Sets x Weight)
For each workout, you want to try increasing the volume you lift. For example, if last week you did elevated push-ups for 3 sets of 8 repetitions, your total volume would be 24. To increase the volume the following week, your goal should be to maybe do 9 repetitions for each set, which would make it a total volume of 27.
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Train at the right intensity
This one sounds scary. It doesn’t mean listening to loud music and make noises. It just means if the workout says to do 10 reps and you picked a weight, you could have done 30 repetitions, but you stopped at 10. That is not enough intensity to get the results you want.
So, what’s the problem with focusing on calories burned during strength training?
To burn the most calories, all you have to do is get your heart rate up as high as possible as long as possible.
But..
When your heart rate is high, it negatively impacts the two most significant factors: increasing volume and intensity.
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How focusing on calories impacts increasing volume.
If your heart rate is high, it impacts your strength. For example, if I told you to go on the bike for a minute as fast as possible and then perform strength training movement, it would negatively impact how many reps you can do. This is why pairing cardio and strength exercise isn’t ideal and could prevent you from getting the results you want from your strength training.
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How focusing on calories impacts intensity
Now, if you focus on calories burned, you know that the higher your heart rate the more intense, and the more calories you burn.
But the problem is strength training intensity and cardio intensity are different.
They feel different.
For example, you may have a weight in your hand and mix cardio and strength training exercises together, but when your heart rate is high, the limiting factor is your heart rate, not your muscles. Your heart rate is keeping you from lifting more, not your muscles.
So, even if you combine conditioning and strength training, you might burn a lot of calories, but you’re not doing true strength training. This can impact the results you get from doing true strength training, such as tone, muscle, fat loss, etc.
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Now I know my writing makes it seem like at BridgeFit Personal Training we only do strength training.
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But we have more of a holistic approach to health and fitness.
We look at fitness in 3 buckets: flexibility(movement), strength, and conditioning.
You need all of them to get to your goal, age well (Increase life expectancy and decrease health-related risk), and have the freedom to do the things you want and love to do.
So, each workout will include flexibility, strength, and conditioning, but how much of each will depend on you and your goals.
If you are interested in experiencing a more holistic approach and true strength training, click here for a chance to win 3 Free Weeks of Personal Training and see if BridgeFit is a Fit For You.
BridgeFit is Overland Park’s Premier Personal Training Gym for ADULTS 35+. At BridgeFit we help busy adults lose weight, gain energy, and get strong… even if they are overwhelmed by their busy schedule, or haven’t found a solution that works long term. Find out more here.
