Resources for Strength Training

So today I won't be providing any specific information but something much more valuable. I will be giving a list of sites, programs, authors, and links which are valuable resources for various aspects of physical culture. I Will also provide a small outline of what is contained in the resources.

Coaches with forums, programs, and books:

Starting Strength: Mark Rippetoe - An introduction into the 5 main lifts; Deadlift, Squat, Over Head Press, Bench Press, Power Clean.  Contains the outline for the time tested beginners strength program "starting strength". A resource for coaches on teaching the lifts but also a decent resource for beginning lifters who plan on being self taught. Here is the link to a site where you can ask the author questions as well as other individuals who are familiar with his methods as well as many others http://startingstrength.com/ . If you are going to ask this guy a question type your question in search bar first or prepare for some harsh sarcasm.

Wendlers 5/3/1: Jim Wendler- A book which lays out specific percentages of max, reps, and sets to be used during each exercise session. This book is geared toward the intermediate to advanced strength athlete emphasizing slower gains. $24.99 for 120 page book seems a little steep to me, the previous book is a better usage of money. Jim Wendler also hosts a forum http://www.elitefts.net/Default.asp

Never Let Go: Dan John- Decent book on lifting as a lifestyle and how to maintaining health throughout your years. Dan John is considered to be the coaches coach. This book has some interesting ideas regarding diet. The amount of ideas which can be  The book is less of a reference material and more a compilation of essays he had already written. I obtained my copy through Amazon.com I have never seen a forum which he runs but he does have a Q&A on.http://www.davedraper.com/fusionbb/showforum.php?fid/73/ . The book is mainly geared towards males in its writing, but the information is good for both men and women.

The Naked Warrior: Pavel Tsatsouline- A book on how a strength trainee can find themselves ready to work out with little to no equipment. Pavel Tsatsouline is often considered the kettle bell guru. He subscribes to a method known as greasing-the-groove which works exceptionally well for individuals with multiple opportunities a day to stop and exercise for a 3-5 minutes and are looking to master certain movements. http://www.dragondoor.com/b28/ is the link to his forum and book.

This list is a pretty well rounded list of books by several successful coaches with very different methods that have all produced good results for their trainees. There are many more good books that if you are interested in coaching or plan to take your training to an advanced level in a strength sport that you should read. If you would like a more expanded list of reading that is worthwhile please contact me either by phone at: 801-448-5692 or via facebook on David's Friendly Fitness.

Aerobic vs. Anaerobic for burning fat

Myth: When you do slow paced cardio you burn more fat.

Fact: When you do slow paced cardio a higher percentage of the calories you use come from fat.

It is widely accepted that burning a higher percentage of fat will burn more fat overall this is just not the case. Burning more calories regardless of where they come from will burn more fat. Your body does not care where the calories come from when you exercise. I would like to explain why slow paced aerobic cardio work is not better than fast paced anaerobic cardio exercise when it comes to burning calories  

The way the percentage of calories used is determined is by a number called the respiratory exchange ratio (RER) or also called the respiratory quotient (RQ). Theoretically when your RER is at .7 you are burning 100% fat and when it is at 1.0 you are burning 100% carbohydrates or sugars. So why does any of this matter? When your heart rate is low and you are performing well below a maximal effort your RER will be closer to .7, when you are at a maximal effort such as in interval training or sprinting this value will be much closer to 1.

Let’s compare jogging at 5mph and burning 300 calories an hour with 60% coming from fat and running at 7.5mph and burning 500 calories an hour with 40% coming from fat. At 5mph you will be burning 180 calories from fat, at 7.5 mph you will be burning 200 calories from fat.  In addition to the fact that you will burn more total calories from fat you are also burning up more glycogen (blood sugar). Your body stores all excess sugars as fat, so by using up those additional calories from carbohydrates you are preventing your body from storing back up calories in the form of fat as well. As you can see fast paced workouts will be superior to slow workouts of the same time length for fat burning. If you need exercise that fits your schedule and gives results fast paced workouts should always be your go to. If you have plenty of time to spare then low intensity steady state (LISS) cardio is quite a bit easier and can improve endurance in a superior fashion than high intensity interval training (HIIT).

This should provide a little clarification about the best ways to lose weight through exercise. With that being said; the best program worked half way will never compare to the worst program worked with 100% commitment so find what works for you and stick with it.  

For more information on designing a training program I can be contacted at 801-448-5692.

References:

Dr. Philip Maffetone - The Big Book of Endurance Training

Jack H. Wilmore, David L. Costill - Physiology of Sport and Exercise

Roger W. Earle, Thomas R. Baechle - NSCA's Essentials Of Personal Training