Build your beach body, just in time for summer.
With the change in seasons often comes a change in our fitness routines. Whether we realize it or not, it’s easy to lose track of our fitness goals and allow those few extra pounds to sneak up on us. Fall seems to set a tone of relief for our bodies as sweaters start to fill our closets and we get a bit loose on our diets, filling our fat stores with a little more insulation.
Believe it or not, when it comes to fitness, the beginning of fall marks the best time of year to begin training for the body you want next summer. While staying physically fit is certainly not all about looks, this particular blog is vanity-driven. So, before you read on, let’s agree that it’s ok to want to look your best, especially in a swim suit. And it’s okay to admit that openly. We are entering a no-judgment zone from this point forward.
Now that that’s out of the way, I feel it’s safe to continue…
Instead of just rolling with the seasons, I always like to remind my clients that the fall and winter months are the perfect time to spend more time on the fitness floor learning how to move weights. With colder weather comes a natural decrease in outdoor activity, but also offers a great opportunity to build muscle with greater success and less risk for injury, if done properly and under the right program.
When we are more restricted to the weight floor, I like to shift my clients’ focus on exercises that build lean muscle which increases metabolic rate, making it easier for our bodies to burn fat. A basic program that helps burn fat and build muscle would include series of compound (or full-body) motions that encourage all-around strength.
Exercise
A sample series like this would include two circuits of four exercises each.
The first circuit includes the following. 10 reps each set, to failure:
• Goblet squat
• Bench press
• Bent row
• Plank
The second circuit includes:
• Deadlift
• Push up
• Lat pull down
• Bicycle
12-18 minutes of conditioning: getting you breathless as many times as possible
• Sprint til breathless, recover, sprint again
• Med ball slam until breathless, recover, repeat
Nutrition
Following these general guidelines helps build a healthy and solid foundation for which to build on as the weather warms up and the sweaters go back into the closet next spring.
One thing that my clients tend to forget is that calories are energy, and we need energy to do work and push our workouts to higher intensities. Your workout intensity should build muscle, and muscle is what increases our metabolism. In the spring, the more muscle we have translates to a greater means of fat loss. Now, I’m not saying that cookies and cheesecake are going to build muscle because “calories are energy.” When it comes to calories, there is a distinct difference between “right” and “wrong.”
The muscle-building, clean energy-inducing, health lifestyle supporting calories I’m talking about are healthy fats, lean protein and the right amount (and type) of carbs.
My favorite pre-workout options from the Woodside Kitchen include: Peanut Butter Toast or Overnight Oats
If you prefer Earthbar smoothies, grab a Great Breakfast.
These meal options offer healthy fats and the right mix of complex and simple carbs to provide the slow-burning energy needed to sustain a strength training workout.
My go-to post workout meals are: The Salmon Bowl or Spiced Chicken Bowl
For smoothies, I recommend the Muscle Up (the glutamine in it encourages protein synthesis, helping with recovery)
These options provide fibrous carbs, lean protein and healthy fats to aid in recovery and continue the muscle-building, fat-burning process after your workout is done.
I know it may seem crazy to think about starting your summer routine today but consider this: with every day that goes by you are that much closer to next year’s bikini season. Each year I see a rush of people filling the fitness floors trying to “cram” in a routine ahead of pool season, a big vacation, etc. Don’t be that person. Give yourself the time and space to build the body you really want.
Go harder than you ever have this this season starting now, and you can be one of those annoying “#bestself” people come next summer.
Dylan Schoening
Woodside Training Manager
To learn more about strength training for muscle building, definition or toning, or to discuss general fitness or training questions with a professional, reach out to Dylan here. Or to view Woodside’s team of full-time, credentialed trainers, Meet the Team here.
