The term “working out” conjures thoughts of a gym-like setting. This visual can include gym regulars dressed in tank tops, Yoga pants, and sporting headphones. Resistance training machines are uniformly lined up like parked planes in an aircraft bunker. The sounds of the bass from hourly aerobics classes can be heard down the hallways as the groups of class participants funnel to the rooms. Local gyms in Napa attract many participants aiming to improve their health and fitness. Such gyms are significant catalysts when initiating a path to improve one’s fitness. While gyms are effective starting points to a path of lifetime fitness, what if the busy gym setting is overwhelming for the novices?
As a lifetime gym rat and student to the game of fitness, I understand my way around the gym. However, a small percentage of the population knows what nooks and crannies of the gym are the most effective for a successful exercise session. For gym rookies, thoughts might include, “What machine properly focuses on compound lower body movements, upper body pushing, or upper body pushing movements?” “How do I use the rowing machine?” “What is that terrifying structure tucked in the corner where that gorilla has a bar on his shoulders?” And, what does, “Can I work in, bro?” mean? The gym is a great setting for success. It has helped many of our personal training clients in Napa achieve some of the biggest goals in their lives. However, there is an underlying intimidation factor that can pose as an obstacle deterring people from progressing forward in their fitness goals.
To resolve such issues, we recommend to our personal training clients in Napa to ease into regular gym attendance if they are brand new to that climate. If we are beginning to get into an exercise program, we don’t need to attend a gym local gym 3-4 times per week right off the bat. Starting out with one day per week of regular gym attendance will suffice. Going from 1 day per week of going to the gym from zero, you will have a 100% improvement rate. The other day of the week can be done utilizing bodyweight exercises in the comfort of your own home. The daunting drive to the gym, finding a parking place, and seemingly overwhelming stimuli of rush hour gym times can be bypassed by performing a home exercise routine.
A quick and effective exercise routine we prescribe to our personal training clients to do at home in conjunction with their weekly gym attendance is a High Intensity Interval Training program, commonly know as HIIT. HIIT is a mode of exercise that utilizes negative work-to-rest time ratios instead of counting repetitions. For example, performing a set of body weight squats for 20 seconds and ceasing exercise for 10 seconds would be a 2:1 work: rest ratio.
This is an easy to learn HIIT routine that we give to our personal training clients in Napa to perform at home on off days from going to the gym:
- Chair Squats (20 seconds): Find a chair to place behind you in the standing position. Push your hips down and back while ensuring your heels are on the ground until your butt touches the chair. Once your maximum range of motion is achieved, squat back up to the standing position. Ensure to contract your gluteal muscles until your hips are inline under your ribs. Repeat until 20 seconds has expired and rest for 10 seconds before starting the next exercise.
- Straight Arm Plank: Position your body belly down, posting your fully extended on arms on a countertop or the floor. The countertop will be less challenging. The floor will be more of a challenge. With your knees off the ground, weight situated on the balls of your feet, and hands just in front of your collar bones, hold this position for 20 seconds. Ensure to flex your abdominals, glutes, and pec muscles while holding the position. Limit any sort of drooping in the back and shoulder blades to avoid lower back injury throughout the movements. After 20 seconds has expired, rest for 10 seconds and cycle back up to exercise #1.
We recommend beginning exercise participants repeat this routine 5 times. However, as fitness levels improve, sets can be repeated from 6 to 10 times to impose a greater adaptation.
Committing to a membership to one of Napa’s local gyms is a fantastic method to improve one’s lifetime fitness success. However, it might be a good idea to ease into gym attendance as to not over do it. Gradually introduce yourself into regular adherence to exercise by not only going to the gym, but also performing exercise sessions at home using your own body as an exercise tool.
Sean McCawley, the founder and owner of Napa Tenacious Fitness in Napa, CA, welcomes questions and comments. Reach him at 707-287-2727, napatenacious@gmail.com or visit the website napatenaciousfitness.com.
