One Major Misconception That Could Be Keeping The Ladies From Achieving Their Fitness Goals

The man in the image above is probably in peak physical condition and there are few men and women alike who would deny that he doesn't have an incredibly impressive body. But what most, if not all, women would agree upon is that the physique of this weight lifter is not exactly what they’re aiming to achieve when they head off to the gym after work! Just because you wouldn't mind being with him, doesn't mean you want to be him.

“I’m afraid that weight training will make me look like the hulk.”

This is, unfortunately, a pervasive misconception amongst women in Los Angeles, who actually end up avoiding one of the most effective forms of weight loss and fitness training because they are afraid it is going to turn them into an Arnold Schwarzenegger lookalike. Here’s what Raphael Verela, an experienced SantaMonica gym instructor and owner of Circuit Works LA fitness studio, has to say about the misconception concerning weight training:

 “Ladies, you do not need to worry about bulking up and looking more masculine by training with weights. It’s an issue of biology: your body simply doesn’t contain the testosterone necessary to build muscle mass the same way men do.”

The Virtues of Circuit Training: Combining Cardio and Weights

In the meantime, however, many women don’t challenge themselves with weights and prefer to keep their workouts to running on the treadmill or cycling in an effort to stay trim and fit. But, according to Raphael, this could be keeping them from the body they are working out so hard to achieve.

“Circuit training integrates both cardiovascular and weight-based exercises and the combination of the two will rip through any physical plateau you may have been struggling to surpass,” says the Santa Monica gym instructor. “What many women need to realize is that weight lifting is not about building huge muscle mass, it’s about whole body toning and fat burning. Weight training kicks your metabolism into overdrive and torches calories far faster and more efficiently than running on the treadmill for hours at a time. Combining the two kinds of exercise can challenge your body in a totally new way and expand those fitness horizons. You’ll find yourself achieving far more in far shorter a time.”

It’s for this reason that circuit training is considered one of the most effective forms of exercise for Los Angeles ladies looking to get into peak physical condition… without looking like they’re being throttled by their own neck muscles!

Contact Circuit Works

If you have any questions or would like to arrange to meet with us, please give us a call at 310.664.1017. To find out more about what Circuit Works is and what we do, Click Here.

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Gym Instructors Discuss the Three Reasons Santa Monica Residents Could Be Failing Their Fitness Goals and How to Overcome Them, PART 3

Welcome to the final installment of this three-part article series on the common mistakes Santa Monica residents make when trying to achieve those fitness and weight loss goals. In Part 1 and 2, some top Fitness Center Santa Monica explained the first two mistakes and these were that people simply don’t train correctly or they use injury as an excuse not to do any exercise at all. While there are some injuries that deserve some rest, most can be successfully rehabilitated with the right exercise regime, which is why it’s always recommended that you get the advice of your doctor and then get back into it!

Let’s take a look at the final error that could be keeping you from your goals!

Mistake # 3: You’ve Lost Your Workout Mojo

Anyone who has ever exercised regularly at a gym in Santa Monica will know that the biggest hurdle – bigger even than fatigue – is a lack of motivation. You aren’t to blame really; doing the same routine day in and day out can be exceptionally boring and sometimes you just don’t have the discipline for it. The thing is, there are ways to prevent gym boredom, so take a look at the following recommendations and see how you can get the joie de vivre back into your workouts!

• Change your gym routine: Are you doing the same exercises you’ve done for years? Time to try a new machine or switch out one gym equipment for another. Maybe try swimming instead of running on the treadmill. Better yet, take up a circuit training class instead of doing your usual routine.

• Switch it up: Pushing and challenging your body can often have really inspiring results; enough to overcome any boredom and encourage you to come back for more. You can see your body adapting to newer, tougher exercises and you’ll find muscles popping up where you didn’t even know you had muscle before! So, instead of trying to run for longer or do more reps, simply increase your intensity, your speed or your weights and make sure to rest in between! Interval training yields better results, faster, advise Santa Monica fitness instructors.

• Change your exercise routine: Didn’t we just cover this? Not quite: by changing your exercise routine, we suggest that you try a circuit training class run by a group trainer, rather than plodding your usual 30 minutes on the treadmill. These thrilling one-hour classes are intense and involve the fast-paced switching between multiple machines and pieces of gym equipment. It’s virtually impossible to get bored during circuit training and you can get a whole body workout in just one hour!

• Listen to music: Music has an incredible hold on the body. Listening to your favorite tunes can distract your mind from what you’re doing and make the time fly by faster. Listening to the latest club anthems can send adrenalin surging through your body and give your limbs the energy to take on new challenges! 

• Watch a movie or your favorite series: Most cardio equipment nowadays comes with screens and USB ports, so you can plug in your hard drive and a set of earphones and keep yourself entertained while working out. Don’t forget to switch up the intensity on your settings though. It can be easy to forget that you’re trying to get fit when you’re riveted by the latest episode of True Blood.

• Keep a gym diary: Keep a record of your time, calories burned, exercises covered and how you felt before and after gym. It can be extremely encouraging to see how you’ve progressed by looking back at your earlier entries.

Through one or more of the above-mentioned methods, you can keep yourself engaged and excited by working out at any Gym inSanta Monica, thereby beating gym boredom and the mental shackles that hold you back from achieving your weight loss and fitness goals!

 

Fitness Center Instructors in Santa Monica Explain the 15 Health Benefits of Regular Exercise, PART 2

Welcome to the second installment of this four-part article series on the incredibly varied benefits of regular circuit training at your local Fitness Center Santa Monica. In our previous article post, Part 1, our panel of experienced fitness experts explained the following four benefits, all of which are proven and supported by medical literature. Let’s take a look at what was covered before moving on.

Regular circuit training or interval training exercise:

1. Is Good For Heart Health
2. Can Help You Lose Weight and Look Great
3. Can Prevent Creaky, Brittle Bones
4. Can Lower Your Blood Pressure

5. Circuit Training is Great for Busting Stress

If you live in Los Angeles, chances are you’ve become acquainted with stress. If you’re human, then you have most definitely become acquainted with stress and one of the best ways to give stress the boot is NOT to eat chocolate and drink red wine: effective maybe, but not as healthy and effective as a good workout at your local fitness center in Santa Monica. 

“People rarely dwell on the things that cause them frustration, stress and anxiety while working out and if they do, that negative emotion gets channeled directly into the exercise and then released,” say circuit training instructors. “Exercise also releases cerebral chemicals such as endorphins, which, similar to eating chocolate and certain bedtime activities, make you feel happy. Exercise also reduces the physical symptoms of stress, such as muscle tension, stiffness and pain.”

1. Circuit Training Can Actually Help Prevent Colds and Flu

We’ve all heard the warnings: never exercise when you have a cold. But did you know that exercise could actually leave your body more immune to the common viruses that leave you sneezing and in bed with a fever? According to research done at the University of Carolina, 23% of the test subjects they studied were less likely to contract the flu because they exercised more frequently. They were also less likely to suffer from severe or extended bouts of flu than those who didn’t exercise regularly.

 

“The biggest concern when it comes to circuit training while ill with a cold or the flu is the strain exercise puts on your heart. While it’s best to talk to your doctor, the general rule of thumb is that if the symptoms are restricted to your nose, throat and sinuses and you basically feel okay, it is all right to engage in light exercise until you have healed. But if the symptoms affect your lungs – such as bronchitis – or you feel sick, weak and have a fever, you absolutely need to rest up and get better before you hit your local fitness center in Santa Monica. This is not only for your own good, but you don’t want to give everyone else the flu as well!”

1. Regular Exercise Can Reduce Complications Associated with Diabetes

Diabetes is commonly a lifestyle disease and is the result of chronic unhealthy eating, smoking, drinking and not enough exercise. By improving the way you live and by visiting your local fitness center in Santa Monica three or more times per week, you can reduce your body’s insulin needs, lower your blood pressure, lose unhealthy weight, improve your blood circulation and bring down your cholesterol. Through all of this, you not only reduce your risk of stroke and cardiovascular disease, you also eliminate many of the complications associated with diabetes.

Stay Tuned for Part 3

To read more about the incredible health benefits of regular exercise, whether it’s going for a run around the neighborhood or Interval Training at your local fitness center in Santa Monica; stay tuned for the third installment of this four-part article series.