This YouTube video is not fitness related at all, just some video and still photos of the family and I on Vacation in Oceanside California :)
This Vacations was for 10 days, my Wife Nicole and two children, Jordan and Gabriel left our home in Langley BC Canada on the 11th of December and returned on the 21st. We primarily stayed in our WorldMark Timeshare located in Oceanside California but also travelled to San Diego for several days visiting The San Diego Zoo, Sea World San Diego and spending some time at the Belmont Theme Park on the Beach in San Diego. We also spent a day at Universal Studios Hollywood which was a bit of a drive but lots of fun.
The weather was a bit cold this time of year but warm enough in the sun most days to get away with shorts and a T-shirt, well at least for us Canadians :)
The extra family time and break from the regular day to day routine was a nice change but returning home was also nice!
If you're like me and train religiously day after day and week after week with only a day or two off from your regular routine every once in a while... Then the idea of taking a week off may seem like a step backwards and almost certain gains losses!
The reality is, we need to take a break from workings out, not just our bodies but also our minds need that break too. I recently went on a family vacation to Oceanside California and it had been a really long time since I took any real time off from the gym, and to be honest, mentally I was getting really fatigued not only from my busy workout schedule but also my fairly strict eating plan. So what better time to do a take a break from my workout training program.
Here are some reasons why taking a workout break is good for you:
Weight training puts your body into a state of repair, the repair process is where the muscle adapts and becomes stronger and allows for muscle growth. This repair process take some time and uses up your bodies resources. If you never give yourself that additional time off to fully repair and in a way reset, then your body is always trying to play catch-up with somewhat limited resources. Taking a break from working out and weight training is kind of like a detox if you will but not for your digestive system, but rather for your Muscles, Joints and Connective tissues.
Taking some time off from weight trainig is super benneficial in allowing any of theose small injuries or annoying pains to have that extra time they need to fully relax and heal.
The body is one area where you can benefit from a workout break., the second main area is your mind. Working out day in and day out along with adhering to a strict diet plan can be super wearing on a persons spirit and overall moral. Giving yourself that mental rest from the pressure of performing in the gym and having to only eat certain foods at certain times is a great stress reliever. After a workout break you will be raring to go again with a more positive attitude towards your workouts and a renewed commitment to the nutritional aspects that go along with supporting a healthy and fit body.
How frequently you require a workout break is going to depend on how often and how hard you regularly workout, and how your body handles the recovery from those workouts. Many people feel you should take a workout break every couple of months, I feel 2-3 times per year is good for me. You will have to figure out regularity in which your body requires a workout break but I do recommend you start implementing them in your training program.
Watch my YouTube Video where I also talk about how my latest workout break effected me mentally and physically during my break and after:
Building muscle at any age is a lot less dependent on reps and sets than most people think.
Muscle is muscle at any age and responds to stimulation pretty much the same across the board.
The most important factor is Intensity, (going to failure and beyond).
Survey performed on two groups of participants to determine how high and low Rep ranges effect muscle development: Group A did low rep ranges to failure (8-12 reps), Group B did high rep ranges to failure (25-30 reps). Both groups gained about the same amount of muscle during the testing period. Important to note that both groups performed their predetermined rep ranges to “FAILURE”
Something to consider: Group B did more work because they performed more reps so it took longer with more effort total for the same overall results!
Some factors people over 40 should consider when determining their optimal rep ranges:
Going too heavy can cause injuries much easier as you get older as our muscles, ligaments, tendons and joints are not as resilient as when we where younger. I find the elasticity is not the same which can cause injuries if I where to push that little bit too hard. When going heavy, any breakdown in technique or a small bobble in your form is compounded when using really heavy weights which again can lead to an injury.
Going high rep and high volume can cause repetition based trauma and injuries especially in already sensitive or injured areas of your body. I find my arthritic knee acts up more when I do higher reps as apposed to when I do less reps using heavier weight.
Shoot for a rep range somewhere in the middle to get results while staying away from injuries related to over-stress and over-use.
As we get older we need to listen to our bodies and take time off when necessary. Ignoring an early warming sign will most often lead to some down time and a step backwards in your training.
Some tips to help you maximize your reps and sets:
Intensity is always more important than how many reps and sets you do.
Don’t be jerky and bouncy, ease into the bottom of the rep and almost pause at the bottom, then quickly move the weight to it’s top position and then without a pause, slowly lower the weight again into the bottom of the rep, repeat.
Do not be confused with doing a lot of reps with doing a lot of work or getting a good workout. Challenge and push yourself hard and make the most out of your time in the gym! Simply moving weights up and down does very little to build muscle or gain strength other than get some blood into your muscle.
Some of my favorite reps and sets formulas when training in the gym:
Generally speaking for the four main compound movements (Squat Deadlift, Bench, Overhead Press), I like to mix it up by changing my rep ranges around from week to week. Sometimes I will even go as low as 5 reps per set, I will also do 8 reps per set, 10 reps per set and then the occasional a 15+ reps per set workout. This is because I use these movement as an overall indication of my progress and how strong I am getting so I use more of a power lifter training method when I train compound power lifting movements. I will follow up most compound exercises with accessory work for the muscle areas I trained. So for instance on Squat day I will do some leg extension, leg curls, calf raises and even sometimes throw in some dumbbell straight leg deadlifts. On Bench Press day I will follow up with flies, dips and pushups.
When it comes to accessory isolation type exercises, I train by using a varied rep range method. I’m talking about exercises like flies, curls, extensions, rows, raises… I like to start with a warm up set that is fairly light and will go as high as 20 reps. I follow this up by increasing the weight for my first working set that is usually around 12-15 reps, my last few rep should be hard but not to the point of getting close to failure. My third set will be a a little heavier and I will shoot for 10 reps or so and make sure that my last couple of reps are very difficult and on the verge of failure. My forth set and usually last set, I will again raise the weight a bit and usually try and hit somewhere between 6-8 reps and go to utter failure, most of the time my last 1-2 reps look like crap in team of from and getting full range of motion! If the machine or exercise I am using allows for drop setting, I will drop the weight another two times and again go to failure on both of them. Sometimes it takes me 5 sets to get to my ultimate heavy set depending on my weight jumps and how warmed up I am.
In Summary:
Don’t go to heavy or too light with your weights.
Low Reps and High Reps can both cause injuries so stick with rep ranges somewhere in the middle, I recommend 10-15 reps per set as a default, or use a varied reps method pyramiding up to your heavy low rep set.
It’s not how long you are in the gym it’s how hard you push yourself that matters.
This method can be used for all ages but is ideal for those over 40 since it is easier on our bodies.
First off I wanted to thank Tristar Products who reached out to me with their line of Copper Wear Products so I could collaborate with them on this video.
Essentially Copper Wear Compression Products are a line of Compression Wear with Copper Strands imbedded into the spandex fabric, Copper has shown to have some healing attributes, this combined with the benefit that Compression Wear has to aid in muscle and joint recovery in theory will give you quicker results than just Compression Wear on its own.
Copper Wear can be worn while training and/or after training, you can even wear Copper Wear while you sleep.
Some Copper Wear Specifications:
88% copper embedded nylon / 12 Spandex.
Lightweight 36-gauge fabric.
High performance compression sportswear.
Fast wicking power.
Odor Resistant.
Copper Wear versus other Brands:
Lab testing shows original Copper Wear has over 30% more copper than leading competitors' products. It is the only copper embedded nylon Compression Wear scientifically engineered with 88% copper nylon performance fabric that allows for deeper copper penetration and starts working the moment you put it on. Other "so-called" copper garments chemically treat their fabrics with small amounts of copper that wash out over time. Copper Wear's 88% copper content is embedded right into the fabric!
To sum up my experience testing out Tristar Copper Wear Compression Products, I found their products to be beneficial in my recovery time. I have knee issues mainly and when I wore Copper Wear Compression Knee Sleeves after Weight Training and Martial Arts, I was good to go by the next day! Often after harsh workouts my knees are sore for 3-4 days which makes follow up leg training difficult.
I noticed a cooling effect when I wore the Tristar Copper Wear Compression Products, perhaps from the high percentage of copper in them? Keeping inflamed areas cool combined with the pressure of compression wear will reduce swelling and speed up healing time for sure so I can see how the Tristar Copper Wear Compression Products work.
One slight drawback I found was that my Copper Wear Knee Sleeves would slip down towards my knees over time especially when I was moving around a lot. I do have very narrow knees and wider quads from weight training so the tapper effect will naturally want to migrate the Copper Wear Knee Sleeves to the narrowest area. There is not too much that can be done for this, even with the rubber band on the top of the Copper Wear Knee Sleeves it is not enough to hold them in place indefinitely.
I also tested out other products from Copper Wear: Their Elbow Sleeves, Open Finger Gloves, and Short Sleeve Shirt and was very satisfied with all of them. I did receive a pair of Copper Wear Shorts but have not yet tested them, they should be useful for any hip or glut pain I may encounter!
Tuesday, December 29, 2015 at 12:03AM ;)
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