Fitness, Gym, Sports Performance, Workouts

What’s Better, High Intensity or Low Intensity Training?

What type of exercise is better for your body—high intensity or low intensity training? The answer is not that simple. It comes down to individual goals and how your body responds to exercise on a given day. Is your goal to decrease your body fat percentage, increase your VO2 max, recover faster, or have more power for anaerobic work? Different energy systems are used when performing high and low intensity workouts as well as a different ratio of carbs vs. fats burned within the body.

Low intensity exercise is aerobic work where your heart rate stays within 60-80% of your max heart rate. Working on your endurance boosts your heart’s left ventricle that pushes blood out to the rest of the body to increase in capacity. That means that more oxygen gets delivered to nourish crucial tissues and organs which support better overall health. Not only does more oxygen reach crucial parts of the body, but your circulatory system gets better at transferring it from blood to tissue. That’s because low intensity exercise increases capillary density, so more channels are on hand to deliver oxygen to the tissue’s cells. This in turn increases base oxygen intake leading to enhanced endurance.

High intensity exercise, often referred to as HIIT (high intensity interval training) or SIT (sprint interval training), burns more calories in a shorter period of time compared to the time put in for low intensity training. However, high intensity exercise escalates your resting metabolism so you burn more calories post exercise. The high intensity nature provides improved athletic capacity and condition as well as improved glucose metabolism. High intensity may not be as effective for treating hyperlipidemia and obesity, but has been shown to build more lean body mass and increase recovery time which is more applicable to sports performance athletes.

You get more bang for the buck when muscles burn fat because fat has more than twice the number of calories (nine calories vs. four calories per gram from carbs). Fat is the high-test fuel. Less oxygen reaches the muscle when you exercise hard, or fast, and get out of breath. The term “sucking wind” means that you are working hard to get more oxygen in. When less oxygen reaches the muscles, known as oxygen debt, carbohydrates become the preferred fuel because they burn completely with less oxygen.

With the information above, can we now narrow down what type of exercise is right for you? The simple answer is to combine both high and low intensity exercise into your routine. Where it gets confusing is when we ask ourselves, “what ratio of each should I do? 50/50?”. This is where it becomes individualized. The most popular ratio, and what I use for metabolic workouts, is based on Olympic programming. This breaks down low, moderate, and high intensity workouts into a ratio of 80% low, 12% moderate, and 8% high intensity throughout the week. After looking at these numbers, doesn’t the ratio of high intensity workouts seem very low?

The reason is that low intensity exercise promotes longevity and muscle recovery when done correctly. An overdose of high intensity exercise has its downsides. Although it is a great way to increase resting metabolism, crush carb stores in the body, and increase VO2 max, it is a sympathetic stressor and can lead to adrenal fatigue. In large doses, high intensity puts an incredible strain on your nervous system, joints and muscles; especially if you are overweight and unfit. It also puts you at a high risk of overtraining, which is a real danger as it can ruin your immune system, cause insomnia, affect your appetite, and release cortisol, which in turn can make you more likely to put on fat.

I would love to see more individuals build an excellent oxidative system base through low intensity exercise while slowly adding in high intensity training one day per week so their bodies can adapt appropriately. Work your way up to the 80%, 12%, and 8% and then get creative with your workouts. So long as you’re in the correct energy system, you may do CrossFit, Tabata, 5K’s, marathons, sprints, lifting—take your pick!

Gym, Sports Performance, Workouts

Decrease Injury with Deceleration Training

Sports are becoming increasingly competitive. In order to even be considered as a potential starter, athletes have to prove themselves. Coaches look for not only the most skilled athletes but also the most athletic. Parents and athletes are more aware of the importance of strength and conditioning training than ever before. As a result, most young athletes are falling into three categories:

Athletes that have not been exposed to structured strength training techniques or speed and agility protocol. This group is at risk of overuse and soft tissue injuries because their joints and ligaments are not resilient and are susceptible to strains, tears, and stress fractures.
Athletes that have been exposed to strength and conditioning along with speed and agility training, but have not been taught by a professional. Learning improper movement patterns and stressing them with high loads is a dangerous combination and will lead to injury.
Athletes that have been exposed to a progressive periodized strength program that is appropriate for their age and experience. This group will have a solid foundation of strength, coordination, speed, agility, and power. They will have the advantage of performance benefits and less injury risk.

If we break down sports or athletics into its simplest form, it is a series of complex movements through multiple planes. Some are predictable and some are unpredictable. In order to prepare for sports, athletes must be able to tolerate the forces produced in their sport. If the forces required in the sport exceed the athlete’s ability to produce or absorb that amount of force, they are at greater risk for injury. It is estimated that there are around 80,000 ACL injuries each year. Let’s look into why these injuries may be occurring.

In the sports performance industry athletes are attracted to buzz words like speed, explosiveness, power, and vertical jump. All of these terms focus on acceleration movements or concentric muscle contractions. Putting a disproportionate focus on power and explosiveness will lead to a deficit in the ability to properly control the body when decelerating. Training specifically in the acceleration phase will primarily use concentric movements. In the leg we find that the quadriceps will become over-dominant and create an excessive amount of stress on the ACL. Therefore, it is important that athletes train athletes to use the hamstrings and glutes when decelerating, should be in our top priorities.

A lot of trainers and coaches don’t teach proper deceleration or landing mechanics. They may assume athletes know how to slow down, stop, and land. Now, they may be right in that most athletes can execute that task. However, the better question is can they slow down, stop, or land “properly”? Research supports that there are IDEAL positions and angles that athletes can put themselves in that will allow them to significantly decrease risk for injury simply by being in the right position while cutting, sprinting, or landing from a jump.

In order for athletes to prepare for the demands of their sport, it is important to incorporate these three elements into training:

Emphasize the end of the drill – When performing agility or sprint drills, athletes should intently come to a complete stop abruptly when ending the drill instead of jogging or coasting. To decelerate, lower the hips and slightly over reach by contacting the ground in front of the hips. This will help enhance breaking ability over time.
Focus on force reduction deceleration technique – Start deceleration drills off with an agility ladder and only perform the drills at 70%. Really focus on digging the foot into the ground, coming to a complete stop, and maintaining low hips and proper body angle. Progress by increasing speed and more complex agility/plyometric drills.
Add tempo into strength training – Emphasize the eccentric phase or the muscle lengthening phase of the lift. For example, instead of doing regular squats, descend down into the squat slowly for 3-10 seconds to work on controlling the load. Isometrics are also a great way to improve deceleration ability. Let’s use the same squat as an example. Descend down into the bottom of the squat and pause for 2-10 seconds before exploding upwards.

Linear Deceleration Technique

Hips down – 45 degree angle
Knees bent – Avoid <20 degrees of knee bend
Lean back – Contact should be nearly 45 degrees. Opposite of power line
Heel contact – Contact should begin with heel, roll to ball of foot, and press firmly into ground
Multiple steps – Spreading the force out of multiple steps greatly reduces chance of injury

Deceleration Drills

Linear Cone Drill

Set up cones 3 yards apart, sprint to the cones, decelerate into a lunge, backpedal to cones. Continue for designated sets/reps.

Lateral Hurdle Run w/ Pause

Set up 3-5 hurdles, laterally run over the hurdles, focus on a deep pause for about 2 seconds when changing direction.

Ickey Shuffle

Set up a ladder, run diagonally across the ladder, 2 feet in, 1 foot out. Focus on proper hip/knee angles on outside of ladder.

Depth Drop

Drop from a depth of 6”-18”, land simultaneously with both feet, very little/no hip drop, hips back, knees bent. Pause for 2 seconds.

Fitness, Gym

15 Minute High Intensity Lunch Break Circuit

Do you ever feel overwhelmed with too much on your plate? Bombarded with day-to-day tasks at work and at home? We can never seem to fit in everything that needs to get done within 24 hours. For a lot of us, time is enemy number one of our fitness goals. There is a pre-conceived notion that a workout that lasts less than 60 minutes is subpar. This idea has been planted in our brains, and we don’t feel satisfied or accomplished unless we get exactly an X amount of cardio and a Y amount of strength training. Well, for those of you who don’t have the option of dedicating hours at the gym, you can breathe a sigh of relief. Studies show that a quick 10-15 minute workout will earn you great benefits rather than not exercising at all. Take a look at what a short, lunch break circuit can do for you:

According to the Center for Disease Control and Prevention, you can get the same benefits from 2-3 short workouts during the day as you can from a long trip to the gym. Shorter workouts tend to be higher in intensity. This provides greater reward than a moderate intensity, long workout. Studies have shown that HIIT (high intensity-interval training) for 20-30 minutes can produce increased fat loss and muscle development. If you’re stressed with work or your school workload has you feeling down, remember that a mini workout gets your blood flowing to the brain which brings so many benefits (including the motivation to get your work done!).

Gain energy
Improved mood and reduced stress
Headache prevention/relief
Better sleeping habits
Decrease in depressive feelings
Lowered blood pressure
So much more!

Consistent, shorter, high intensity workouts have shown to produce great improvements to your cardiovascular health. A study published in the Journal of Strength and Conditioning, states that HIIT types of workouts allow your heart to grow bigger and stronger, which increases your overall fitness capabilities. Your heart learns to perform at a higher capacity and recover quickly. Who doesn’t want a stronger heart?! We all know that it is way easier to find 15-30 minutes in our day, rather than set aside 1-2 hours. Regularly finding those short intervals during the day to complete a mini workout can do wonders for your motivation and consistency. One healthy choice leads to another, so when those healthy choices are painless to make and easy to find, we are motivated to stay on the right track.

Some of you may be wondering, “What in the world can I do on my lunch break or free time in only 15 minutes?” Working out doesn’t have to require dumbbells or machines–your bodyweight will do just fine. Check out the workout below, designed by one of our trainers, to get you started. Feel free to mix it up, which is easy to do during an HIIT exercise, and be creative! Remember this the next time you find yourself struggling or looking for motivation–something is always better than nothing.

15 Minute Lunch Break Circuit

Warm Up

Jump Rope-2 min

*Perform these 3 exercises for 30 seconds each, 2 sets

Body Weight Squats

Push Ups

Sit Ups

*Perform these 3 exercises for 30 seconds each, 2 sets

Dumbbell Alternating Lunge

Plank Ups

Russian Twist

*Perform these 3 exercises for 30 seconds each, 2 sets

Alternating Lateral Lunges

T-Spine Push Up

Penguin

Burpees (As many as you can in 1 minute)

Always remember to stretch while you cool down, keep those muscles loose and improve your flexibility!

If you enjoyed this workout and you would like to receive personalized workouts on the go right on your smart phone, message us by clicking here to start your 7 day FREE trial of our online personal training program! Risk free, easy to use, and convenient.

Fitness, Gym

Unilateral vs Bilateral Lower Body Training

Unilateral vs. Bilateral Lower Body Training

The unilateral versus bilateral training debate is just about as controversial as what comes first, the chicken or the egg? If you were to ask personal trainers, fitness coaches, or performance specialists which is better, you would get mixed responses. To make things easier for you I am going to break down the differences between unilateral and bilateral lower body training. The best one for you depends on where you are on your fitness journey or performance goals.

Unilateral Training

Unilateral training involves asymmetrical exercises that only use one side of your body at a time. A unilateral lower body movement involves the use of one leg. There are varying intensities when it comes to unilateral lower body training depending on whether the exercises are done with free weights or machines. Here are examples of unilateral lower body exercises:

Bilateral Training

Bilateral lower body training involves the use of both legs symmetrically. Bilateral lower body exercises are the staples of most strength programs. Here are examples of bilateral lower body exercises.

Squat Variations (Back Squat, Front Squat, Overhead Squat)
Deadlift
Romanian Deadlift
Trap Bar Deadlift
Clean Variations
Snatch Variations
Leg Press
Leg Extension
Glute Bridge
Hip Thrust
Stability Ball Hamstring Curl
Glute Ham Extension
Nordic Leg Curl

Benefits of Unilateral Training

Unilateral lower body training is great for improving muscle imbalance, kinesthetic awareness, and stability. The asymmetrical nature of these exercises cause your body to stabilize joints and core muscles to maintain balance while executing the movement. If you have had an injury or dysfunction in your lower extremities, unilateral training will help isolate those weak points, and the appropriate exercise can help strengthen to restore full health and function. Unilateral training puts more isolated stress on the single limb being worked. This allows people to put stress on their limbs without overloading with weight, which can increase risk for injury.

Benefits of Bilateral Training

There are many benefits of bilateral lower body training. These include greater muscle recruitment, strength gains, central nervous system (CNS) adaptation, hormone response, greater metabolic effect, and requires less coordination. When performing bilateral lower body exercises, balance and stability are less of a factor compared to unilateral training. This gives you the ability to lift more weight. If your goal is to increase strength, muscle mass, power, or speed, bilateral training will help you make the necessary gains to reach your goal.

How to Implement Unilateral and Bilateral Training into your Workouts

Both bilateral and unilateral lower body training exercises are beneficial whether you are looking to improve your fitness or performance for sports. The most important thing to consider when selecting bilateral or unilateral lower body exercises is what is your number one goal? Do you want to maximize your strength? Do you want to improve your balance, core strength, or stability? Are you recovering from an injury and looking to strengthen an isolated joint or muscle group? Answering these questions before making exercise selections will help you map a plan of action before putting together an exercise routine.

My recommendation is to combine both bilateral and unilateral training in the same training session. After completing a thorough warm up, start with a compound bilateral exercise such as a squat or deadlift. It is important to do these exercises while mentally and physically fresh because they are more taxing than unilateral exercises. After completing one to two compound bilateral exercises, add in one to two unilateral exercises. Another option to consider is switching back and forth between hip dominant exercises (deadlift, hip thrust, etc.) and knee dominant exercises (squats, step ups, etc.).

Below is an example of a combined bilateral and unilateral lower body training routine.

Example 1
Bilateral	Back Squat	3×8-12
Unilateral	Single Leg Romanian Deadlift	3×8-12
Unilateral	Dumbbell Lunge	3×8-12
Bilateral	Stability Ball Hamstring Curl	3×8-12

Example 2
Bilateral	Deadlift	4×5
Unilateral	Bulgarian Split Squat	3×6
Bilateral	Nordic Leg Curl	3×8
Unilateral	Single Leg Hip Thrust	3×8

Fitness, Gym

5 Reasons Why People Struggle to Reach Their Fitness Goals

5 Reasons Why People Struggle
to Reach Their Fitness Goals

Striving to achieve your fitness goals can be a frustrating and emotional process. We make up excuses on why we can’t get over the hurdle to achieve our fitness goals. Some of us lack motivation; others lack accountability. Maybe you can’t afford a gym membership or a personal trainer. Maybe your body has adapted, and you’re bored with the same monotonous workout routine. Or maybe you just don’t have the time to commit to workout consistently and meal prep.

Sound familiar? let us assure you, you are not alone! We believe in you and know that you have what it takes to overcome these problems, but you must be willing to take action. The first step to overcoming a barrier is to acknowledge the problem and find a solution that works for you.

Here are 5 common reasons why people struggle to reach their fitness goals and ways to improve them.

5. Monotonous Workout Routines

You have been doing the same old workout routine for months and months because you got results initially. It’s easy, it’s comfortable, and you don’t have to think about what to do next. If this is you, we commend you for being active, getting in a routine, and trying to do things the right way. However, it is important that you understand how our bodies react to exercising.

While working out, our bodies trigger an alarm signal that an external stress is being imposed on our bodies. Our sympathetic nervous system activates a fight or flight response so that we can overcome that stress for the time being. If we are consistently exposed to the same workout, our bodies will no longer trigger the alarm signal because it knows how to deal with the stressor since it has encountered it before. This is when an adaptation occurs.

If you’re doing the same workout, your progress will come to a halt and you will hit a plateau. To prevent this from occurring, switch up your workout routine regularly, every four to six weeks, to continue to get the results you are working towards.

4. Lack of Support and Motivation

You are the average of the five people you spend the most time with. If the people around you live an unhealthy lifestyle or condemn you for wanting to invest in yourself, it may be time for you to change your top five.

Having a great support system is crucial to your success. You need to surround yourself with people who are willing to grow with you on your fitness journey. That doesn’t necessarily mean that you work out together or eat the same meals. You just need people around you that will encourage and motivate you to become the best version of yourself.

There are going to be days that you are frustrated and negative thoughts of self-doubt will creep into your head saying “give up” or “what’s the point of doing all this hard work? It’s not even worth it.” It is important that your support system gives you positive reinforcement so you can have the energy and motivation to keep pushing on.

What if you don’t have family, friends, or coworkers that support your lifestyle change? We recommend meeting new friends by joining fitness communities online, group fitness classes, boot camps, working with a personal trainer, or consulting with a fitness professional.

3. Not Enough Money

There are a million other things you would rather spend your hard earned money on other than paying to be tired, hot, and sweaty right? The most effective way to get results is working with a professional who knows how to properly demonstrate and teach exercise technique as well as provide fitness and nutrition tips. The problem is that working with fitness professionals like personal trainers, performance coaches, or dietitians, can be expensive.

The good news is, today there are several training options besides costly personal training sessions that can rack up to over $100 per session. Group fitness is a cost effective option, plus the community aspect helps hold you accountable which is key for long term results. Online training as another efficient option if you have a hectic schedule or can’t commit to a gym

The best investment you can make is in yourself. The return on your investment will come from more energy to do the things you love, inspiring other people with your success, more spare time from increased productivity, and enhanced quality of life. Let’s face it, you can’t afford not to.

2. No Accountability

Working out consistently and eating healthy without getting off track can be extremely difficult. How many times have you been through the vicious cycle of losing a few pounds and gaining it right back? There are a lot of factors that could play into the roller coaster ride but typically the main problem is lack of accountability.

What if you had someone watching over you before you ate a whole roll of Oreos? Do you think you still would have done it? Most likely not. What if you had someone cheering you on after a long day at work and motivating you to hit your fitness goals? Would you still skip your workout session? Probably not. We need people to hold us accountable because we take pride in living up to the expectations of others. A big reason why working out with a friend, in a group fitness class, or personal trainer works, is because they hold you accountable. They make sure you show up, take care of business, and hold up your end of the bargain.

1. Lack of Time

There are never enough hours in a day. There is always something we need to do from driving kids to and from school, studying for an exam, meeting a project deadline at work, and the list goes on and on. By the time you actually take a moment to sit down and take a breath, it’s almost time to hit the pillow. This is a barrier that prevents many people from exercising.

The best way to find time is to make time. Working out is something that needs to be prioritized or it will never happen. This means being more efficient during day-to-day tasks, working on time-management skills, and choosing to work out instead of binge watching your favorite Netflix show. Try these tips to make time to invest in yourself:

Get organized
Schedule workouts on a calendar
Develop a routine and create good habits
Get an early start to your day
Give yourself a time limit to complete tasks throughout the day
Say no to tasks that are unimportant or delegate them to someone else

We all face barriers that prevent us from reaching our goals. We challenge you to identify your barriers, seek a solution, and take action. At N1 Motion we support you and will empower you to break through barriers to achieve your personal goals!

What’s Better, High Intensity or Low Intensity Training?

Decrease Injury with Deceleration Training

Linear Deceleration Technique

Deceleration Drills

15 Minute High Intensity Lunch Break Circuit

15 Minute Lunch Break Circuit

Unilateral vs. Bilateral Lower Body Training

Unilateral Training

Bilateral Training

Benefits of Unilateral Training

Benefits of Bilateral Training

How to Implement Unilateral and Bilateral Training into your Workouts

5 Reasons Why People Struggleto Reach Their Fitness Goals

5. Monotonous Workout Routines

4. Lack of Support and Motivation

3. Not Enough Money

2. No Accountability

1. Lack of Time

5 Reasons Why People Struggle
to Reach Their Fitness Goals