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6 Tips For Staying Motivated To Workout

man wearing shorts staying motivated to workout by standing in a lunge position on the side of a sand hill reaching up the mountain

Let’s face it: dragging yourself out of bed at 6:00 in the morning and getting to the gym isn’t always fun. Staying motivated to workout can be hard for everyone. This is particularly true as the days get colder and the holiday season gets into full swing. You’re probably busy, cold, and tired.

If you’re feeling a lack of workout motivation, that’s okay. It happens to the best of us. However, consistency is key to seeing workout results. There are many things you can do, big and small, to rekindle that fire of motivation and set you back on track to meeting your fitness goals. 

Here are our 6 favorite tips for staying motivated to workout, even when it’s the very last thing you feel like doing.

1. A strong support network (and some friendly competition)

When you work out alone, it can be hard to motivate yourself and easy to skip a day. However, if you’ve got some friends on a similar fitness journey, you can hold each other accountable. Maybe it’s people from your CrossFit box, or your basketball team, or a running buddy.

If you have friends into fitness, embrace competition to help push you to your highest potential. Studies have shown competition to be the best source of workout motivation.

You can try making a group chat to send each other motivating things, challenge each other, and make plans to work out. Having someone who expects you to show up and workout with them is a big boost of motivation. 

2. Embrace group fitness

Many people find group fitness, such as CrossFit, an effective way to stay motivated. When the movements are all planned for you, all you really need to do is show up. It requires much less planning than other types of fitness. 

Group fitness has an energy far more “electric” than the vibe of a regular gym session. The buzz of other people putting in their all is a great way to keep going in moments you’re struggling.

Plus, when you get to know the other participants and instructor, you’ll start looking forward to the class. When you form some friendships with these people, it helps with the accountability which can be super helpful for staying motivated to workout.

3. Set some goals – and reward yourself when you meet them

Write down a range of goals, big and small. Make sure these goals are concrete, realistic and achievable. A good small goal could be to work out at least 4 times a week for a month. A long term goal might be to run your first marathon by the end of the year.

When you complete your goals, make sure to reward yourself. Otherwise, you’ll stop caring about them and taking them seriously. A reward can be anything you like. For instance, you could celebrate by going to a restaurant, buying new workout gear or watching the last episode of your favorite show. 

4. Put on your workout clothes anyway

This tip is so simple, but more effective than you’d think. When you can’t be bothered, just go and put on your workout clothes. Simply being in the gear is often enough to put you in the fitness mindset and push you to actually go workout.

Plus, it would feel a bit silly to get changed back out of the workout clothes if you hadn’t even worked out in them. No harm in a quick 20 minute workout, just to make it feel worth it, right?

5. Write down how you feel after your workouts

The post-workout endorphins, sometimes called a runner’s high, is an amazing feeling. For many people, it can be addictive. Still, sometimes it can be hard to recall just how good that feels. 

Next time you’re riding that high after a workout, make a note in your phone about how you feel. Then, when you’re struggling to gather the energy to workout, read your testament for how good the workout will make you feel. Hopefully, your past self will be able to convince your present self that the workout is totally worth it.

6. Make working out a rule, not an option

Create a routine where working out fits in. Make it so that there’s nothing else on at that time that you could argue is a better use of your time. Then the hard part – stick to the schedule until it becomes a habit. 

When you started brushing your teeth as a kid, you probably didn’t always want to do it. You might not have always felt highly motivated to go do it. But you did it anyway, because it was a rule. And now it’s a habit.

This is probably the main thing you can do for staying motivated to workout. When working out becomes a habit, motivation doesn’t matter so much anymore. It’s just a part of your lifestyle.

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Six Mental Health Benefits Of Exercise

woman wearing white pants and top walking facing away along a road peaceful with mental health benefits of exercise into the trees

We all know that staying in shape is a key part of looking after our health. However, your physical fitness is just one part of having a healthy lifestyle. There are amazing mental health benefits of exercise that are sometimes overlooked.

With the current stress of the presidential election, not to mention the coronavirus pandemic, it’s important that we take action to look after our minds in these times. In this article, we have six of the key benefits of exercise on mental health, to help you make it through these tough times. 

Exercise releases endorphins

Exercise has a great effect on mental health, and the chemistry’s got the evidence to prove it. Working out releases endorphins, dopamine and serotonin, which are brain chemicals responsible for happiness and euphoria. It also helps to regulate your levels of adrenaline, which is sometimes responsible for stress. Getting a nice boost of energy and happiness from working out a few times a week is a great way to lift your overall mood.

Improves self confidence

As your body changes over time, your self confidence is likely to start elevating. Many people feel unsure that they’ll have the motivation to keep eating right and working out. But, as you see yourself transforming, meeting your goals and getting into shape, you’ll start feeling proud of what you’ve achieved. Plus, as you edge towards your goal body or weight, you’ll feel more comfortable and happy in your own skin. Your body image will likely get a big (welcome) jump!

Exercise helps you sleep

If you’re like one of the 30% of Americans who suffers from sleep disruption, this might be one of the best mental health benefits of exercise for you! Studies have shown that, even for people with insomnia, working out five or six hours before bed can have a similar effect to taking a sleeping pill. This works because it raises the body’s core temperature. As you cool down, it signals to the brain that it’s time to relax now.

Heightens brain function

Various studies on both mice and people indicate that cardio can trigger neurogenesis. This is the process of creating new brain cells. These increased cells can improve memory, learning, and speed of thought. An intense workout also boosts levels of a brain-derived protein called BDNF. This protein helps cognitive function and complex thinking, such as decision making.

Boosts creativity

One of the best impacts of our improved brain function from exercise is on creativity. Studies have shown that people who work out four times a week are able to think faster and more creatively in tests than those who don’t work out. This is because exercise is linked to convergent and divergent thinking. This means kind of thinking involves coming up with multiple solutions to a problem, rather than just one. 

Exercise provides a sense of community

This isn’t true of all workouts, but when it comes to CrossFit it’s certainly a fact. Working out in a group setting, with others on a similar fitness journey, is great for your mental health. Having a sense of belonging and community support is a great way to stay motivated, positive, and feel like part of a tribe.

There are so many excellent mental health benefits of exercise

Many people struggle to manage their stress, sleep issues, and weight. If you’re looking to boost your mental health in a natural, sustainable and healthy way, CrossFit could be the way to go. Contact Buffalo Nickel CrossFit today to have a chat about joining our amazing local CrossFit community.

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How To Make Fitness Work For You

make fitness work for you man in gym clothes standing in front of sign that reads ftc and wearing shorts and a t shirt at the gym

There are so many fitness trends out there. These greatly affect how we think we should approach fitness. From skinny detox tea to the keto diet, health and fitness trends are endless. But at the end of the day, what is fitness for? The CrossFit philosophy is that your fitness should work for you. Your fitness should help you move furniture around your house, or play with your kids in the yard. It’s about using your fitness to be functional.

Fitness isn’t about trends

When I started CrossFit, paleo was the popular diet trend. So, I jumped on that bandwagon. For those who don’t know paleo is, it’s a diet where you attempt to eat like humans did in paleolithic times. This means only foods you would come across in a hunter/gatherer society. If you are follow it, you will spend a large amount of time, money and effort to abide by it.  

I was very skinny before starting CrossFit, and when I first joined I put on a little muscle. At the same time I was eating paleo, I was also intermittent fasting. This means having a large block of the day where you don’t eat. The premise is that you keep your calories limited by only having so much time to consume food in your day.

I didn’t know this at first but the intermittent fasting and paleo were actually hurting my performance. I would fatigue quickly during my workouts. My recovery afterwards would take hours, and I was not gaining any strength. But I would weigh myself everyday and I was happy with the number on the scale.

I did about 7 months of intermittent fasting and paleo. By the end, I was burned out. I hadn’t been out to eat, I didn’t eat the same food as the rest of my family, I hadn’t had much “enjoyment” food, such as desserts, or sweets. So, the pendulum shifted. It shifted way farther than it should have.  

Feeling weak and fatigued had been terrible. The first few workouts with a significant source of carbs in my diet was amazing. I felt good, I lifted heavier, I recovered faster. Going to restaurants was fun again, and I could enjoy meals with my family. But as that pendulum kept going I started gaining weight. Some of it was good. I put on significant muscle mass, I was moving heavy weight in all of my lifts. Some of it was not so good.

The fun lasted for a bit, but then I started having trouble doing anything like pull ups, push ups, box jumps, or running because I had gained a lot of fat as well. I had a goal to see how heavy weights I could lift. So, my cardio stopped. I lost definition and the ability to do some of my gymnastics movements. 

Make fitness work for you

Around this time I switched boxes. The shape I was in disappointed my new coach. He pointed out that while lifting heavy was beneficial, I should be more focused on fitness for life. If I was unable to move quickly for a few minutes without having to stop and try to breathe, were my workouts really doing what I wanted/needed them to do?

That became my new mantra, I wanted to be able to do any physical task life called upon me to do. Whether it be a week of hiking, helping push a stalled car, laying sod, riding my bike with Zeke on my back, the list is endless.

The point is, your fitness should suit your life. You should not only enjoy what you do to get/stay in shape, but it should also work for your needs. That’s why CrossFit is so beneficial: it’s functional. 

The functional movements prepare you for the variety that is life. This way, no matter what life demands of you – a ski trip with friends, carrying your kid around a theme park, helping your brother move – you can do it. Make fitness work for you and for your benefit.

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Coming Back To Working Out After An Injury

massage therapist standing next to sitting woman touching her head and helping her start working out after an injury by giving her a massage

Participate in anything physical long enough and injuries will happen at some point. CrossFit might get a bad rap for injuring people, but the truth is that it happens just as much (if not more) in sports other than CrossFit. Plus sometimes life happens, you have some sort of procedure or surgery. The important thing is not the injury, but how you come back to working out after an injury.

You might have had doctor’s orders to take it easy and not do anything strenuous for a couple weeks or maybe even a few months. So, you served your time and now you are anxiously waiting to be able to work out again. But doing so incorrectly can set you back instead of push you forward. So how do you come back to working out after an injury?

When working out after an injury, start slow

Your body has been resting. While the mind and body might be ready and willing to get going, it is better to take it easy when you first come back. Pushing too hard can put strain on an injury that is healing. 

By starting slow you will also have the opportunity to focus on form or “easier” modifications. I say easier because if you are used to doing T2B go try some K2E. It’s the same thing with HSPU and wall walks. The “easier” one usually ends up being more difficult.   

Take note of your soreness

More than likely you will feel really great that first day back to working out after an injury. You get to see your friends and you’re back in the box actually moving and lifting again. We know it’s fun and exciting. 

But, be prepared for the soreness to hit harder than expected. I think I speak for us all when I say that coming back after that week-long vacation was much harder than expected. Who knew a week of drinking on a beach and eating all you can eat buffets for every meal would lead to this much pain?!

Rest and recovery are extra important when working out after an injury

You told yourself you would take it easy when you came back. But you didn’t know you would be coming back during a 1RM back squat day with a metcon of Fran. So you might have overdone it a little bit, but today just felt good and you PR’d both! 

As the saying goes, you can’t unring a bell, so now what? Now you need to focus on the rest and recovery. Good nutrition, sleep and water intake will be game changers here. 

Other things like starting with only a few WODs that first week or two while focusing on mobility the other days will also greatly benefit your ability to get back to normal when working out after an injury.

Enjoy the process of getting back in the gym

Is there anything better in the world than a good WOD? No of course not, but don’t sit around and mope.

While you are getting back on your feet you don’t have to do absolutely nothing. Use this free time to focus on another form of self improvement. Read a book, go for a walk with the family, learn a new skill, spend time with your pets, try a new recipe. The list is endless – so enjoy the extra time in your day but don’t waste it.

Injuries suck. Time away from the gym sucks. But, letting it get you off track is the worst thing you can do. So once you do get the green light from someone who gets paid more than me, start back. Don’t worry if it’s not where you used to be, and that might get you down. 

Remember success builds motivation. So even just getting into the box and moving should be seen as a success and help you be motivated for the next day!

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The Forgotten Link Between Sleep And Fitness

man turned away sleeping in bed for sleep and fitness with soft light on the wall and a white blanket

Many people spend tons of money on supplements, protein this, mass gainer that, energy booster, whatever. But what if I told you there was a super beneficial supplement that you probably weren’t getting enough of, and now what if I told you it was free?! No, this isn’t a bad infomercial. Seriously, there is a free supplement you are probably not getting enough of. You can probably guess what it is. That’s right, it’s sleep. Sleep and fitness are deeply linked, but it’s so easily forgotten.

Working out, and good eating habits will only do so much if you don’t get enough sleep. Without the proper amount of sleep, you will be stalled in your health and fitness journey. Why is that? I am glad you asked.

Sleep and fitness

So what exactly is the link between sleep and fitness?

Our bodies naturally produce human growth hormone, also called HGH. It does exactly what it sounds like – it helps humans grow. It is responsible for regulating body composition, muscle and bone growth, sugar and fat metabolism, and more. Basically HGH really helps us with our fitness.

Sleep is one of the key ways to boost HGH. As we sleep, the HGH works it way through our bodies, helping to repair and restore the damage we did during the day. This is key for workout recovery.

The higher quality rest we get, the more HGH we get. In turn, the more energy we have, the better we feel and perform, and the healthier we become. 

Of course, we all know we need 7-8 hours of sleep a night as adults. If you are getting that, great. If not, here are some signs you are in a sleep deficit.

Signs of sleep deficit

  • Poor digestion, or gut health/increased inflammation. 
  • Hormonal imbalances, especially the hunger hormone and increased food cravings.
  • Insulin resistance – your body will not tolerate carbs well.
  • The “caffeine cycle” – using caffeine to feel awake during the day but then unable to fall asleep at night.

How to boost our sleep and fitness

So, now we know what to look for with lack of sleep. How do we make sure we get as much quality sleep as possible to cash in on this free supplement?

  • Stay off electronics at least 1 hour before bed.
  • Don’t consume caffeine or other stimulants after 2 pm.
  • Watch alcohol intake. It might help you pass out but it doesn’t allow you to actually rest.
  • Be consistent with the times you go to bed and wake up. This consistency will help your body and mind be ready for sleep and ready to wake up.
  • Keep your room dark, quiet, and at a comfortable temperature.
  • Try to get 7-8 hours of sleep a night.

Struggling to figure out nutrition, sleep, eating habits, and more? We offer coaching in all of the above and more. Set up your free No Sweat Intro today to learn more. 

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Tips For Front Squats: Destroyer of Weakness

tips for front squats includes watch and sneakers and headphones and sports bra laid out on plain background

The front squat is one of the ultimate movements to expose an athletes weaknesses. It is also one of the best exercises to destroy those weaknesses and improve strength, balance, and mobility. You may find some tips for front squats useful as you continue to train.

If you know me, you know I am a fan of Zercher squats, which you can read about here. I also love front squats. Okay, I don’t really enjoy them that much but they are some of the best squats a person can do. Here are some reasons why, and some tips for front squats.

Why this movement is important

Weaknesses

A person’s back squat can be “cheated”. The weight being placed on the back of the shoulders helps balance a person. It also helps align the bar more directly over the mid-foot allowing the athlete to move more weight. 

There is less emphasis on core stability which means a beginner athlete should be able to load a back squat heavier. The front squat will illuminate weakness in the core, shoulders, back, and obviously the legs. It also will also paint a more detailed picture of an athlete’s mobility or lack thereof.

Safety

As the name implies, during the front squat the bar is in the front rack position and will fall to the ground. This means it will rest on the clavicle, the shoulders, and in the palms. 

If done correctly an excessive amount of forward lean and the bar will not be able to maintain its position. This acts the same way as a rev limiter on an engine. 

Someone who has incorrect front squat posture will be unable to squat heavy weight in the front squat. Therefore, the front squat is arguably safer than the back squat

Posture

While we are talking about posture, the front squat can help us desk-bound humans with our sloppy posture.

As an athlete becomes more advanced at the front squat their posture should improve more. Since the front squat requires more core strength, and a more upright torso, then these muscles are made stronger. This means your posture in daily life should improve as well.

Shoulder health

Nice smooth, supple shoulders will help you feel more confident in the front squat position. 

Mobility is a use it or lose it skill set. We are born with amazing mobility. Watch a small child move and you will see what I mean. Over our life most of us will lose mobility and range of motion. The good news is we are usually able to gain it back! 

One way to help that mobility is the front squat.  Ideally, we want the elbows to be pointed forward when we are in the front squat position, triceps should be parallel to the ground. 

If this isn’t the case for you, don’t be too down on yourself. Simply by attempting the front squat you are doing more mobility work than the large majority of people in the world. Here are some good ways to get started on mobility work, to kick you off in the right direction.

Simple tips for front squats:

  • Focus on range of motion instead of increasing weight quickly.
  • Make sure your heels stay on the ground.  The weight will try to pull you forward, by focusing on your heels you should be able to keep the chest more upright.
  • Find what width of grip feels comfortable on the bar.
  • Using pauses and tempos will help build a strong front squat without the need to increase weight.
  • If you have trouble getting the hips down and keeping the torso up, focus on ankle and hip mobility drills.
  • Balanced athletes should have a front squat that is roughly 85% of their back squat. If yours is less than that you should focus on increasing quad strength.
  • Use your elbows to lead you out of the bottom of the front squat.  Pushing your elbows up will help your torso open and your chest rise before the hips.

Want more tips for front squats? Set up your free No Sweat Intro with us today and start improving.

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Fitness is Evolving: The Future Of Fitness

the future of fitness shown by a dad wearing glasses lying on a bed holding son with curly head above his chest by a big window

Who knows how 2020 will be written in the history books? There are still a few months left and, as we have seen, a lot can happen in that time. As you know, my world revolves around fitness. Aside from all the global craziness that has happened, I see a change happening that hopefully continues into the future of fitness.

How has the future of fitness changed in 2020?

Here is an overview of what has happened this year. People have been stuck at home, with little to no workout equipment. This caused people to get creative. 

People usually spend a ton of money on vacations, summer camps, and entertainment outside of the home. This year that money went towards something different.

It went towards bikes, personal workout equipment, and home improvement materials.

No, you aren’t reading the wrong article. This isn’t an economics blog, fitness is right around the corner.

What most call fitness

To the average person, fitness is understood to be visual. A certain ratio of shoulder width to bicep circumference, a tiny waist line, or thighs that don’t touch. 

Many people imagine fitness happening in a building with air conditioning, an Olympic pool, tons of machines, in the most affluent part of town. 

Fitness “gurus” will try to sell the average person on this certain supplement (or tea…you all know who you are), or a specific training plan will give you the ‘ultimate 6 pack in 30 days’. This won’t work, and isn’t what fitness is about.

What fitness actually is

Well, what is fitness about then?

Fitness provides freedom.

This freedom is what allows you to ride your bike with family and friends and not be bringing up the rear. 

It also allows you to be able to load that sheet of plywood from the cart to your truck bed. Then you can carry that plywood from the truck bed to the garage and duck down as you walk through the door with it. 

Fitness/freedom is why you can look good in a swimsuit but still enjoy foods you like.  

And most important of all, fitness equals freedom through functionality.  

The fitness equation

The fitness equation means a person’s level of freedom is directly related to how functionally fit they are.

Of course I don’t mean constitutionally free. I am sure North Korea has plenty of fit people. 

Refer back to the example we gave earlier of people who believe fitness is a skinny girl drinking detox teas. Or those who think fitness means a bicep is supposed to be the size of a newborn child. 

Those people might look fit, but how functional are they? Can the skinny girl even load the sheet of plywood by herself? Can the guy with sleeve splitting biceps go hiking and not feel like his lungs will explode? Are they actually fit? Are they free? 

The future of fitness

My point is fitness is finally evolving. People had disposable income and they didn’t go buy a leg press machine, they bought a barbell and weight set. They didn’t put in an in-ground pool, they bought a road bike to ride with their friends and family. 

Restaurants were closed. So, they didn’t spend money on going out to eat. Instead they started cooking real, healthy food. And they couldn’t go on vacations so they decided to use their own manual labor to finish all those house projects.

These things feel good to do. These things are changing how people think of fitness, and changing the future of fitness trends.

When will the globo-gym model be extinct? Will girls with a waist the size of a pencil and zero muscle tone stop selling BS products? Will guys, who spend years getting perfectly sculpted abdominals and shoulders, tell you that they know the secret to giving you the same in 30 days? One day, will functional fitness be the ultimate king like it was when humans were still trying to learn how to survive on Earth? That’s all highly doubtful.  

But a movement changing the future of fitness has started. People are connecting fitness and functionality. My hope is that people will embrace functional fitness. I hope this trend will continue and that people will continue down the road of functionality – towards freedom.

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Can I Build Muscle With Bodyweight Exercises?

doing push ups to build muscle with bodyweight exercises

Bodyweight exercises can get a bit of a bad rap in fitness circles. However, it is most certainly possible to build muscle with bodyweight exercises. Well, up to a point anyway. But regardless of your level of fitness, these functional movements almost always make a valuable addition to your workout regimen. 

They’re a perfect warm up or cool down. They combine cardio with strength building. They’re almost endlessly customizable. Plus, you can do them anywhere you want, anytime you want. What’s not to like?

How Does The Body Build Muscle With Bodyweight Exercises?

Muscles are mostly built by microtrauma. This is the proper name for the tiny tears your muscles get when you exercise. As the muscles grow back, they come back stronger than ever before – meaning visible gains. 

Depending on your level of fitness, bodyweight exercises may be enough to cause microtrauma to your muscle fibers. If you’re a beginner, you’re unlikely to need weighted resistance to make gains. 

Even if you’re already pretty ripped, there are many challenging bodyweight exercises that will be a great addition to your workout routine. They’ll help you get toned, get your heart rate up, and build your muscular endurance.

Which Bodyweight Exercises Will Give Me The Best Gains?

You’re spoiled for choice when you’re aiming to build muscle with bodyweight exercises. You have many options, and there are lots of great resources online to point you in the right direction. Here are some classic bodyweight exercises to use as a jumping off point.

  • Pull ups. This bodyweight movement is so challenging many people can’t even do one. They’re a great way to work your upper back – particularly the lats.
  • Planks. Even though you’re simply staying still in a prone position, this is a deceptively challenging ab exercise. When performing planks, make sure to keep your body in a super straight prone position for best results.
  • Push ups. These are a classic. From your plank position, simply bend your arms to lower yourself closer to the floor. Then, straighten your arms to raise yourself up again. If you find push ups too challenging, try doing them on your knees. If you find them too easy, there are countless modifications to make them more difficult.
  • Squats. These are a great compound exercise that works a big range of muscles in your legs, glutes and core. You can make them harder by doing jump squats, or one legged squats.
  • Dips. You can do these off of the side of a bench or chair. Dips are an excellent way to target your triceps and chest.
  • Lunges. These are a great way to work your quads, hamstrings and glutes. You can do them stepping forwards, stepping backwards, or to the side. Many people also enjoy walking lunges.
  • Calf raises. Calves are a famously forgotten muscle group, so don’t neglect them! This movement is super simple – just raise up on your toes and squeeze your calf muscles at the top, before lowering your heels back to the floor.

How To Maximize The Benefits Of Bodyweight Exercises?

There are many ways to get the most out of your bodyweight exercises. You can try:

  • Increasing tempo. Playing around with tempo is a great way to increase the benefits of your workout. Speeding up will get your heart pumping and help you break a sweat. Slowing down the movement will increase the time under tension, which will boost your muscle gains.
  • Doing more reps and sets. If you’re finding a movement is becoming a bit easy, simply doing more of them is a great way to challenge yourself.
  • Decreasing rest times. This is a particularly great technique if you want to reap maximum cardio benefits from your bodyweight exercises. Decreasing rest times is a straightforward way to increase your heart rate and maximize the cardiovascular benefits.
  • Adding holds. Try adding a pause at the highest tension point of your exercise. You’ll be surprised how much putting the muscle under tension for a longer period of time intensifies the movement.
  • Switching to single-sided movements. You know what’s harder than a plank? A plank with one arm tucked behind your back. Single side exercises are a great way to make your bodyweight exercise more challenging.
  • Try a WOD or a circuit. CrossFit WODs or circuit training are great ways to get your bodyweight exercises in. These workouts are specifically designed to maximize the burn and get great results from your workout. Join a group fitness class geared toward bodyweight exercises, or simply do some quick research and find a plan yourself.

What About When I Can’t Build Muscle With Bodyweight Exercises Anymore?

Once your body can comfortably lift itself, you’ll stop being able to build muscle with bodyweight exercises. If you can do twenty or thirty push ups without breaking a sweat or feeling much strain, it’s time to switch up what you’re doing. Otherwise, you’ll see a stall in your gains.

A straightforward way to get back to building muscle is to add some weight. Use your increased upper body strength to move into bench presses. The added resistance will get you back on track.

Or, if you don’t have access to weights or you just don’t want to use them, you can also modify the exercise. In the case of push ups, there are many great modifications. You could try spiderman push-ups, scorpion push-ups or clapping push-ups, to name a few. Do some research and find new, challenging bodyweight exercises.

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Is Weightlifting At A Young Age Bad For You?

child in boxing ring weightlifting at a young age for fitness

If your child has shown an interest in tagging along to the gym sometime, you might be wondering if it’s a good idea. While weightlifting is great, it can be hard to know if weightlifting at a young age is going to be safe for your child. And doesn’t it stunt their growth? 

Luckily, so long as you don’t have the kid power cleaning 50 kilos or anything in that realm, then you’re likely to cause far more good than harm. Here’s how to help your child safely kickstart their (hopefully lifelong!) gym career.

Weightlifting? Yes! Powerlifting? Maybe Not…

To be clear, when we endorse weightlifting at a young age, we’re talking about strength training. Bodybuilding and powerlifting are a no-go for kids. Trying to build big muscles can put a lot of physical (and mental) stress on a child. Their muscles, tendons and underdeveloped growth plates are at a high risk of injury when moving large amounts of weight.

If your child is interested in weightlifting, don’t worry about how much they’re lifting. Don’t put them on any progressive weight training program until they’re well into puberty. Instead, focus on using these formative years to help them develop great technique. Compound exercises are some of the most valuable to do. If your kid learns great deadlift, bench press and squat form, it will serve them well later in life.

What Are The Risks Of Weightlifting At A Young Age?

It’s a fairly common belief that weightlifting will stunt a child’s growth. However, this is a total myth. The rumor came from a Japanese study of child laborers in the 1970s who ended up below average height. However, it is now known that they ended up short due to malnutrition – not weightlifting. No studies have actually ever shown that weightlifting stunts growth.

Instead, most of the risks associated with weightlifting at a young age are to do with the kid trying to lift weight that their body isn’t strong enough to support. Such injuries can be serious. They include herniated disks, muscle strains, fractures, growth plate injuries, and cartilage damage. 

Children’s bones and muscles don’t finish developing until the end of puberty. This makes them prone to sports-related injury. For this reason, it’s important to make sure your kid doesn’t overdo it in the gym. Stick to low weight and high rep workouts to avoid injury.

What Are The Benefits Of Weightlifting At A Young Age?

Weightlifting is a key part of a varied physical fitness program. Like many exercises, they’ll reap some great benefits from it. They’ll get stronger and gain better muscular endurance, which will help them perform in any sport they’re interested in. 

If they start out with free weights early, they’ll develop great form and technique that will stay with them later in life. Weightlifting at a young age can help your child maintain a healthy weight, and develop strong bones and muscles. 

Plus, weightlifting is really fun! For many kids, weightlifting will boost their confidence and get them interested in physical fitness, which is an awesome hobby to have!

How To Get A Kid Started With Weightlifting

When your child shows an interest, take them along to the gym with you sometime. If you’re confident in your technique, you can show them good form for activities like squats, deadlifts, bench presses or any other weightlifting exercises they want to try. If you’re less experienced with a movement, any of the gym staff will be happy to help teach your kid how to perform the lift safely and efficiently.

Most advice out there recommends avoiding any kind of strict regimen or routine. This is for a couple of reasons. Firstly, you don’t want your kid to put too much pressure on themselves and get stressed. Secondly, strict regimens get boring. People of any age find that to be true, not just kids. But, children in particular often get bored of things, so it’s best to mix things up. 

Aim to let them play around and try out lots of activities and exercises that interest them. Hopefully it will spark a lifelong interest in fitness. A passion for physical health will help them live a healthy lifestyle for decades to come.

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What’s The Best Plan To Lose Fat?

woman working out to lose fat

Okay, so you want to lose some mass and get your summer body back. Fair enough! This is a popular and totally attainable fitness goal. The best plan to lose fat involves eating a healthy diet at a deficit of your daily calories. Your diet is the most important aspect of losing fat.

It’s important to keep working out too! In the gym, you’ll be best to switch your focus to cardio fitness, toning exercises, and maintaining your muscles. When eating at a caloric deficit, too much muscle building work will just tire you out. Here are some pointers:

The Best Plan To Lose Fat: Your Diet

Step one for putting together your meal plan is to work out how many calories your body uses up in a day. Everyone’s different, so try using this calculator to find out how many calories you should be eating to lose fat.

Once you’ve got that information, it’s time to make your meal plan. When creating a meal plan for losing fat, you want to go for:

  • High protein. High protein foods keep you full longer. These include meat, fish, eggs and dairy. As you’re trying to lose fat, try to find low-fat versions of your favorite high protein foods.
  • High fiber. Fiber is so important for gut health and most people are actually low in it. Some great high fiber foods include lentils, avocados, pears, strawberries and bananas.
  • Low sugar. Or, if you can cut out sugar entirely, that’s even better. Avoid artificial sweeteners.
  • Low carb. When choosing carbs, make sure it’s a low GI option. GI is a measure of how much the carb elevates your blood sugar. The lower the better. Some great low GI carbs include sweet potatoes, brown rice and oatmeal.

Sample Daily Diet

Let’s say you want to eat 1,500 calories in a day. This might look something like:

  • Breakfast – egg and avocado toast: 2 poached eggs, 1 slice of wholegrain bread, 1/2 avocado.
  • Lunch – veggie wrap: 1 whole-grain wrap, 2 tablespoons of hummus, 1/2 avocado, 2 slices of tomato, 1 cup of lettuce, 1 ounce of cheese.
  • Snack: 1 banana, 1 yogurt.
  • Dinner:  chicken and veggies: 1 baked chicken breast, 1 cup roasted pumpkin, 1 cup of roasted broccoli.

This is only a sample of what a healthy and well-rounded fat loss diet may look like. However, there are thousands of ideas online for weight loss diet plans and healthy meal ideas. 

It’s fun to get creative in the kitchen. Plus, this often helps you stay motivated for your meal plan and diet.

The Best Plan To Lose Fat: In The Gym

If you’re looking to lose weight, you should focus on workouts that get your heart pumping. Shoot for around 3 hours per week of quality exercise. You can divide that up any way you like.

We love strength training, but the best plan to lose fat involves working on cardio and toning. There are so many CrossFit routines designed to help you reach your fat loss goals.

Sample Daily Workout

This workout is called the Filthy 50 and is just one of many great fat-burning CrossFit WODs. Complete 50 consecutive reps of each exercise before moving onto the next. Challenge yourself and see how fast you can get through all 500 reps.

  • Box jumps
  • Jumping pull-ups
  • Kettlebell swings
  • Walking lunge steps
  • Knees-to-elbows
  • Push presses
  • Back extensions
  • Wall ball shots
  • Burpees
  • Double-unders

If you find that a little too difficult, you can check out some modifications here to see how to make this workout more manageable. 

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