By Michael J. Sokol
Owner of One-on-One
Fitness Personal Training Service, Inc.
(312) 642-4235 www.chicagogetfit.com
Notes of Paramount Importance for
Success in Your
Exercise Program:
Always warm-up on the treadmill or
bike for 5 minutes
prior to lifting to get your blood
flowing and prepare the body
for your workout.
Alwaysstretch for 8 – 10
minutes prior to lifting to
prepare
your muscles, tendons and ligaments
for your workout.A good
book for learning stretches is called Stretching
by Bob Anderson.
Always perform a 4 second repetition
for every exercise. This means 2
seconds for the positive phase of the
exercise and 2 seconds for the
negative phase of the exercise.
Always perform at least 3 sets for
all exercises.
Perform 6-8 repetitions for bulking
up or 12-15 repetitions for toning.
Always try to fail at the highest
repetition goal listed; if you cannot,
lower the amount of weight and
complete the set.
Always eat protein within one hour
of lifting.
Do at least 20 minutes of
cardiovascular exercise at least three
times each week.
"Active Recovery" defined
Since spring is here and we all want
to be able to take our shirts off and
show our definition, I have developed a
great program to get more ripped and
toned. It is called the "Active
Recovery" workout because while one
muscle group is recovering from a set,
another muscle group is active
performing a set. This is immediately
followed by three minutes of intense
cardiovascular exercise. It is best to
involve opposite or unrelated muscle
groups for this routine. Generally, you
want to perform one "push"
exercise followed up with one
"pull" exercise.
Active Recovery Chest & Back
workout (approximate time—30 minutes)
I. Cycle I:
Push: Dumbbell Incline Chest Press
:
Perform 1 set of 15 repetitions to
failure, immediately followed by
Pull: Pull-ups
: Perform 1 set of
15 repetitions to failure, immediately
followed by 1 above. Repeat this cycle 3
times. Then immediately get on a
treadmill, stationary cycle, precor
transport, or stairmaster for 3 minutes
at a very high intensity.
II. Cycle II:
Push: Dumbbell Flat Chest Press
:
Perform 1 set of 15 repetitions to
failure, immediately followed by
Pull: Seated Row
: Perform 1 set
of 15 repetitions to failure,
immediately followed by 1 above. Repeat
this cycle 3 times. Then immediately get
on a treadmill, stationary cycle, precor
transport, or stairmaster for 3 minutes
at a very high intensity.
III. Cycle III: (Optional—if
you still have the energy. If not, go to
Cycle IV)
Push: Dumbbell Decline Chest Press
:
Perform 1 set of 15 repetitions to
failure, immediately followed by
Pull: Lat Pulldown
: Perform 1
set of 15 repetitions to failure,
immediately followed by 1 above. Repeat
this cycle 3 times. Then immediately get
on a treadmill, stationary cycle, precor
transport, or stairmaster for 3 minutes
at a very high intensity.
IV. Cycle IV: Abs &
Cardio
Crunches on a mat
: Perform 1 set
of 15 repetitions to failure,
immediately followed by
Sit-ups on a declined bench
:
Perform 1 set of 15 repetitions to
failure, immediately followed by 1
above. Repeat this cycle 3 times.
Cardiovascular
: Now do 20
minutes of cardiovascular exercise on a
treadmill, stationary cycle, precor
transport, or stairmaster at moderate
intensity.
