April 2016
IN THIS ISSUE: ________________________________________
Feature Story: Top 10 Reasons You’re Not Getting Toned
Nutrition: Rut-Busting Nutrition Tips
Health & Wellness: Spring Cleaning, For Your Body
Workout: Ditch the Treadmill!
Social Media Tip Sheet
Top 10 Reasons You’re Not Getting Toned
A quick and easy guide to help you improve your gym performance.
Prepared food that’s healthy too
We’ve all been there: You’re going to the gym, working out four, five, six times a week, but you just don’t feel
like you’re seeing the results you want. What gives? Well, you’re probably making a few simple mistakes.
Don’t worry, Gold’s Gym is here to help. Below, we offer 10 common reasons why you’re not getting toned.
NO PORTION CONTROL
A study in 2009 showed that of the 329 overweight participants the 33% of participants who didn't practice
portion control gained 5% more weight, while the 38% who did lost 5% of their body weight. Diet is one of the
most important aspects of an individual’s workout routine—some even say that it accounts for as much as
80%. But even if you focus on lean meats, eggs, milk, fresh fruit and veggies, eating too much of anything isn't
going to help you get lean. Try to be cognizant of calories and fat per serving and think about buying a kitchen
scale so you can start learning what something like a healthy serving size of chicken looks like on sight, so
you are better informed when eating out.
THE WRONG AMOUNT AND KIND OF CARDIO
When it comes to cardio, think high intensity for shorter periods of time. Studies
have found that it’s better to sprint on a treadmill for 30 seconds, recover for three
minutes, then repeat 10 times than to run at a moderate pace for half an hour. With
High Intensity Interval Training, you build muscle, increase your VO2 max and keep
burning calories for up to two hours after you finish working out.
YOU’RE IGNORING STRENGTH TRAINING
While it can be tempting to stick with cardio and classes, the real key to getting toned is to mix strength
training into your routine on a regular basis. You should hit the weights at least three times a week, focusing
on more weight and lower reps. That will help you build muscle, which increases your basal metabolic rate—
the amount of energy you expend while resting —and helps you burn fat.
YOU NEED TO INCREASE THE WEIGHT
If you are strength training—which is great—don’t forget to gradually increase the
weight you are lifting. To get toned, at the end of each set of reps you should feel like
you can’t possibly do one more rep (this is often called “training to failure”). A good
guideline: If you can do more than 12 repetitions in a set, raise the weight by 5%.
Grunting is okay, after all. Gold’s Gym offers group exercise classes including
BODYPUMP - a barbell class that strengthens your entire body in 60-minutes. The workout challenges all your
major muscle groups by using weight-room exercises like squats, presses, lifts, and curls.
TOO MUCH STRESS
Stress is as bad for the body as it is for the mind, and studies show that it contributes to an increase in
appetite, weight gain and a loss of muscle mass. Do what you can to relieve stress, whether that’s getting a
massage or using your workout as a stress reliever.
YOU DIDN’T CONSULT A TRAINER
Asking a Gold’s Gym professional for help can have two benefits. The first is
that they can analyze your current routine and probably narrow in on why
you’re not seeing results. And second, they can then create a program to help
you maximize your gym time to start seeing results. There’s a little bonus, too:
A trainer can help tweak any mistakes you’re making in your form. If you’re
doing an exercise wrong, you’re not getting 100%, and you risk injury.
Remember you can stop at your local Gold’s Gym for a free fitness consultation from one of our certified
personal trainers.
TOO LITTLE WATER
Hydration, hydration, hydration! If you stay hydrated, you’ll feel better and look better, while your muscles will
recover faster and you’ll burn fat quicker. Consider carrying a water bottle and sipping throughout the day.
NOT ENOUGH STRETCHING
If you’re hitting the gym regularly for sessions of cardio and strength training,
you’re going to be using your muscles a lot. So don’t forget to stretch,
which increases flexibility and range of motion while keeping muscles long and
lean instead of getting constricted. A comprehensive, continued stretching plan
will help you keep working out for months on end, avoiding injury and helping
with consistent form.
TOO LITTLE SLEEP
You can’t function without enough sleep, and your muscles can’t either. Without seven to nine hours of sleep a
night (and at least 24 hours between strength-training routines), you won’t get toned as quickly as you hope.
Studies have found that people who are under-rested get less than 100% of the benefit of going to the gym, as
their muscles are focused on recovering, not developing.
TOO MUCH ROUTINE
Muscles need to be worked. They also need to be surprised with new moves
and new work every six to eight weeks. Chances are, if you’re getting tired of
doing the same thing at the gym, your muscles are right there with you.
Rut-Busting Nutrition Tips
A Dozen Smart, simple ways to overhaul your diet.
A well-balanced diet is the essential foundation necessary to reach your health and fitness goals. Adam
Friedman, a Gold’s Gym Fitness Institute trainer, is quick to point out how large a role your diet plays in your
health. “Everyone’s body is different,” says Friedman, “but on average, diet accounts for somewhere between
70% to 80% of a person’s overall health and fitness.”
Luckily, with Friedman’s help, improving your diet doesn’t have to be an all-consuming undertaking. Here are
a dozen of his top tips for making smart, simple food choices throughout the day. While Friedman points out
that “there’re no set rules that apply to everyone,” these everyday tips offer healthy alternatives to common
nutritional pitfalls.
Spring Cleaning, For Your Body
You take the time to scour your house every spring, so why not do the same for your body?
A few months of winter can turn anyone’s sculpted work of
art into a paint-by-numbers portrait.
“People eat poorly when it’s cold out and come up with reasons not to go to the gym,” says Mike Ryan, a
certified personal trainer at the Gold’s Gym Fitness Institute whose clients have included Hollywood actors
and professional athletes. But all hope is not lost. “Spring is a great time to make adjustments to old habits,”
he says. The trick is to have an easy-to-follow road map to success.
Ahead, five “spring forward” strategies to give you a healthy jump start on the
rest of the year.
Rebalance with Yoga
After you’ve spent a long winter cramped inside the house, the graceful motions
of yoga can help stretch out the cold-weather tension that’s built up in your
muscles.
“Yoga promotes active flexibility,” says Corry Matthews, a certified personal trainer with the Gold’s Gym
Fitness Institute. “It’s about full joint range of motion.” This helps strengthen and elongate the muscles while
relaxing the body through pranayama, the art of controlled breathing. Yoga’s deep, focused breaths promote
the intake of oxygen and the release of the waste material carbon dioxide. Yoga has also been shown to
alleviate chronic lower back pain more effectively than standard methods, soothe inflammation and anxiety,
and boost heart health. And a good session of yoga can bring on that same euphoric sense of
accomplishment you get after a full day of cleaning house.
Detox Your Diet
No, we’re not talking about colonics and liquid lunches. “A detox can be as simple as removing processed
foods and refined carbs from your diet,” says Alyse Levine, MS, a registered dietitian in Los Angeles. These
items give you “fake energy,” which results in ups and eventual downs that Levine says hurt your workout and
workday. Eating too many of these nutritional no-nos can have adverse effects on your weight and insulin
levels and may lead to diabetes.
Start by cutting out refined sugar: soda, alcohol, anything with high-fructose corn syrup. Next, chop out the
“bad” fats, those of the trans and saturated varieties found in full-fat dairy, red meat and fried foods. Finally,
drink water only. “Eventually you’ll be able to have those bad foods here and there,” Levine says. “But it’s
about getting you used to these better foods so that you might actually prefer them over time.”
Shake Up Your Workout
Nothing will wake your body out of hibernation faster than a major workout
renovation. “This is the time to get out of the same old reps and sets,” Ryan says.
“Your body adapts quickly to exercises you give it.” Therefore, you have to trick it
into growth by constantly varying your routine.
“If you’ve been doing only 12 reps per set, now’s the time to go for 25 reps for four
sets — that’s 100 reps!” Ryan says. The following week do just six reps per set to
keep your body guessing. You can also swap out some of those tried-and-true lifts for new ones, or amp up
the speed of your reps while cutting your resting time. “By going faster and allowing less time between sets,
you’ll sweat off calories fast,” Ryan says.
A personal trainer can help you identify the weaknesses in your usual routine and then develop a new one that
will shock your muscles — and keep you from getting bored.
Make Over Your Gym Bag
Throwing out old workout clothes and starting over with a fresh pair can help overcome the mental roadblocks
that kept you out of the gym all winter.
“I’ve seen people go to the gym more just because they bought new sweatpants and sneakers,” Ryan says.
“It’s proven that we have more confidence when we look good.”
New exercise gear won’t benefit just your mind, it will also benefit your workout. After too much wear sneakers
lose tread, which can make it harder to run in workout classes or on the treadmill. Garments made from
synthetic fabrics like polyester and Lycra lose elasticity and shape with each wash, and as a result won’t
provide proper support. Also, sweat and oil accumulate in the fibers of your workout clothes over time, which
causes them (and you) to smell. And, keep in mind, odor = bacteria. Go for moisture-wicking apparel that will
breathe and last longer. It sounds almost too easy to be true, but a fresh pair of gym clothes can be all it takes
to refresh your exercise outlook.
Go Outside
You’ve been cooped up for months now; a bit of fresh air will do you some good! Last November, researchers
at the Linus Pauling Institute at Oregon State University reported that about 70% of people in the U.S. had
insufficient levels of vitamin D, an essential nutrient linked to immunity, which some call “nature’s antibiotic.”
But you don’t need to pop a pill to get a healthy dose; you need to head outdoors. The sun’s rays naturally
cause the skin to produce vitamin D. Throw on your sneakers and jog around your neighborhood. Challenge
your friends to a basketball game in the local schoolyard or get on your bike to help raise money for diabetes
research. If for nothing else, do it for the change of scenery. The point is to “spring-clean” your body, after all.
You may as well enjoy the springtime while you do.
Ditch the Treadmill!
A Gold’s Gym Fitness Institute expert helps you escape the dreaded treadmill
Cardio is an essential part of any well-rounded workout, but we all need a break from the treadmill once in a
while. We asked Gold’s Gym Fitness Institute trainer Robert Reames for three cardio-based exercises that will
get you some high-intensity, heart-pumping action.
3-Way Cross-Train HIIT
Got 25 minutes? Perfect. “This workout provides excellent lower-body and cardiovascular conditioning
throughout with variety, intensity and the ability for each individual to discover their own personal best effort,”
Reames explains. While he recommends moving from elliptical to the bike and finally the stepper, feel free to
rotate based on which machine is available.
Note: Effort levels range from Zone 1 (base level) to Zone 5 (highest effort).
BEGIN ON THE ELLIPTICAL
1. Warm up in Zone 1 for 2
minutes
2. Continue warm-up in Zone 2
for 2 minutes
3. Elevate to Zone 5 for 30
seconds
4. Recover to Zone 2 for 2
minutes
5. Elevate to Zone 5 again for 1
minute
6. Recover to Zone 3 for 1
minute
SWITCH TO THE BIKE
1. Start in Zone 2 for 2 minutes
2. Elevate to Zone 5 for 30 seconds
3. Recover to Zone 2 for 2 minutes
4. Elevate to Zone 5 for 1 minute
5. Recover to Zone 3 for 1 minute
MOVE TO THE STEPPER
1. Start in Zone 2 for 2 minutes
2. Elevate to Zone 5 for 30 seconds
3. Recover to Zone 2 for 2 minutes
4. Elevate to Zone 5 for 1 minute
5. Recover to Zone 2 for 2 minutes
6. Recover to Zone 1 for 1 minute 30 seconds
Pull-Push-Press Strength Triad
For this 22-minute circuit, you want to find a “pulling” motion like a seated or standing row machine, a lat pulldown using any grip, or a free-weight row; a “pushing” motion like a chest press machine, free weights, cable
crossover, or push-up; and a lower-body “pressing” motion like a leg-press machine or squat.
Begin with a warm-up on your cardio piece of choice for 4 minutes, followed by 25 seconds of air pushes, then
25 seconds of air pulls where you are doing the pulling and pushing motions in preparation for the circuit. End
with 40 seconds of high knee marches for further lower-body
prep.
COMPLETE 5 SETS OF THIS SEQUENCE
1. Pulling motion for 30 seconds (8 to 15 reps)10-second
transition
2. Pushing motion for 30 seconds (8 to 15 reps)10-second
transition
3. Pressing motion for 30 seconds (8 to 15 reps)10-second
transition
FINALLY, FOLLOWING A 1-MINUTE TRANSITION TO YOUR CARDIO OF CHOICE, A COOLDOWN
1. 1 minute in Zone 2
2. 1 minute in Zone 5
3. 1 minute in Zone 2
4. 2 minutes in Zone 1
HIIT Cycle Blast
This 22-minute workout is best on an upright and/or recumbent stationary bike, but it also can be done on an
elliptical, stepper, step mill or even a rower.
1. Warm up in your Zone 1 for 2 minutes
2. Continue warm-up in your Zone 2 for 2 minutes
3. Elevate to Zone 4 for 30 seconds
4. Recover in Zone 2 for 2 minutes
5. Elevate to Zone 5 for 30 seconds
6. Recover in Zone 2 for 3 minutes
7. Elevate to Zone 5 for 30 seconds
8. Recover in Zone 2 for 3 minutes
9. Elevate to Zone 5 for 1 minute
10. Recover in Zone 2 for 3 minutes
11. Elevate to Zone 5 for 30 seconds
12. Recover in Zone 3 for 2 minutes
13. Cool down in Zone 1 for 2 minutes
Social Media Tip Sheet:
Sick of the treadmill? Here are 3 heart-pumping HIIT cardio
exercises http://goo.gl/eTCNTV
Here are 3 cardio-based exercises that will get you some highintensity, heart-pumping action. http://goo.gl/eTCNTV
12 everyday tips that offer healthy alternatives to common
nutritional pitfalls. http://goo.gl/Uu7DVU
Get back on track with these 12 rut-busting nutrition tips.
http://goo.gl/Uu7DVU
Don’t think you’re getting toned? Here are 10 reasons why you may
not be getting toned! http://goo.gl/KZV3pE
Not seeing the results, you envisioned? Here are 10 reasons why
you may not be getting toned http://goo.gl/KZV3pE
Spring cleaning isn’t just for the home – Here are five “spring
forward” strategies to give you a healthy jump start on the rest of
the year http://goo.gl/1CL4ql
Get a healthy jump start on the rest of the year with 5 “spring
forward” strategies for your body http://goo.gl/1CL4ql