You asked, and we answered! That is one of the beauties of working out at Koko – you have certified FitCoaches here and ready to answers any questions you have and their answers you can trust!
We know asking questions can be intimidating, so we took it upon ourselves to remove the intimidation from the process and start providing you with weekly videos that feature tips!
You might of been the person who asked one of the below questions or maybe you have the same question! Either way here are three common questions we’ve received!
1. HOW DO I KNOW WHAT WEIGHT TO START LIFTING AT?
Let’s put it this way, if someone asks you if you had a good work out… how are you going to respond? If the thought, “it was so intense!” or, “I am going to be so sore!” comes to mind, you’re probably at too high of a weight.
It’s awesome to push yourself and feel a burn but you don’t want to burn yourself out! Remember you need build up a foundation for the muscle. Light weight and more reps. A nice way of doing that is to find a weight that comes with ease, and start there. Then, increase it by 2-5 lbs. each week.
*A couple other reasons why this is important to start slow:
– You don’t want to tear a muscle by lifting over your limit
– Your form will be ruined if you are trying to hard
Also, always stretch after a strength session. When you are building muscle it is extremely important to remember to stretch so you don’t limit your flexibility.
2. WHAT IS THE DIFFERENCE BETWEEN CARDIO ON THE TREADMILL AND CARDIO ON THE ELLIPTICAL?
These machines are both excellent for cardio workouts, but there is quiet a difference between the two.
When you are on a treadmill you have more options, from a brisk walk to an uphill sprint, they offer a wide range of options in terms of speed, incline, and multiple training programs. THat being said, Running on a treadmill can put stress on your spine, hips, knee, and ankle joints, especially if you do not warm up, or stretch.
That’s when ellipticals come into play. Ellipticals allow your body to emulate a running motion without causing the strenuous impact on your joints which may occur on a treadmill. While less impact can help prevent injury, there is a downside. Because the elliptical pedals are suspended off the ground they lack the “weight-bearing effect” that is utilized when running.
Given the above difference you can see why at Koko we include both in the cardio plan. They both are working different muscles, so don’t get your heart set on just using one or the other – they both have their benefits.
3. HOW LONG DOES IT TAKE TO SEE RESULTS?
We’ve all heard the saying, “It takes 4 weeks for YOU to see your body changing, it takes 8 weeks for your friends and family to see, and it takes 12 weeks for the rest of the world to see.” But that’s not entirely true.
The truth is, your body is making changes the minute you make the decision to start making those changes and that’s how you should look at it! Commit for the long-term and get ‘results’ out of your head. People often think results are strictly physical and just reflect from appearance but once again, that’s not true! It’s time to alter what the word “results” means to you! You’ll start to see results in your skin, in your sleeping patterns, and in your over all alertness within the first week! Fitness is more losing the weight.
Long answer short – when you commit to being consistent for a long-term, you’ll end up seeing remarkable results in the short-term!
Be sure to follow along with us every Friday from here on out and submit you questions to us! If you’d like to schedule a time one-on-one with a FitCoach, schedule a time that works best with your schedule here!