As we pass the mid-January mark, many people who started training with GSP Rushfit are hitting the two-week mark of the training calendars.
The first two weeks of any new program are the most difficult and the point where most people either commit to training or quit.
DON’T QUIT!
Here are some basic tips to help you overcome the resistance and maintain your goals while following the program to cut weight, build muscle, and get in shape with a newer, stronger you.
NUTRITION TIPS:
Your appetite should be increasing now as your body adjusts to the increased workload and demand for nutrients to repair muscle tissues and replenish energy stores.
If you find you’re burning out early in workouts, consult the Rushfit Nutrition Guide to increase your pre-workout meal with more carbohydrates. If you’re feeling sluggish and slow, look for a smaller pre-workout meal. For a better understanding of how to fuel and recover with nutrition for optimal performance, check out our post here.
Breakfast is important. Yes it is. That’s not just a popular saying, it’s one of the most curcial keys to kickstarting your metabolism each day and awakening the calorie burning. Don’t believe us? Skipping breakfasts will affect your mood, physical performance, mental performance, mood, risk of heart attack and risk of obesity.
Other people may find they need to shift the timing or size of their meals. To help you strike the right balance for your busy lifestyle and maximize the benefits HIIT can offer, we have tips for smart snacking, late night power snacking, and the benefit of eating smaller meals more frequently than the traditional 3 large meals a day. Give them a look and find the best approach for your needs.
TRAINING TIPS
Surely you’re beginning to find the new exercises more familiar now and easier to perform. Make sure your form is correct, as it’s your muscles that should be sore, not your joints. You should be seeing minor gains in strength and stamina now, and by that we mean more reps per set before failure along with an increase in tempo. How do you know you’re moving at the optimal tempo? When you can match Georges on-screen. Keep in mind not everyone will be able to do this at the beginning, but that is the target rate. As always, proper form is paramount.
If you find you’re running out of gas in the middle of sets or just can’t make it through without at least one break, take an extra minute between rounds, then hit them with a vengeance. Don’t give up, your stamina will increase, we promise.
You’re probably still battling a lot of DOMS (delayed onset muscle soreness) the day after workouts, and for that you should read this primer on relieving soreness. It covers everything from stretching, foam rollers and massage to the power of ice and hot water. We cannot emphasize enough the importance of stretching to increase your range of motion, decrease your risk of injury, and releasing tension. Flexibility is your friend, and a big key to increasing performance.
You’ll notice the cardio sessions in your calendar on off workout days, use them to kickstart your recovery by loosening stiff muscles and circulating more oxygen-rich blood to your muscles. The cardio is meant to serve as active recovery, meaning you should aim for medium tempo just enough to break a sweat, but not to tire you out. Start by power walking or light bike riding for 30-45 minutes and work your way up to a 75% effort. Then stretch out and relax.
We leave the cardio activities up to you, if you need suggestions go to our training blog here, and search “cardio” in the top right-hand corner. There are many suggestions for people of all abilities and ages.
BODY COMPOSITION
The biggest question people have after two weeks is “How come I can’t see results in the mirror or on the scale yet?”
To that we say; there are too many changes happening this early in the program. As you’re burning fat, you’re also putting on muscle. It’s not a precise 1:1 ratio, but your body composition is changing slowly in both directions. So you’re weight may be close to where you began, but you’re losing a bit of fat and building muscle already.
You can’t see major bulging muscles and definition because, well, there is a reason this is an 8 Week program, and real lasting results take more than two weeks. Realistically, you should be feeling some of the changes (tighter muscles, more strength, better stamina), and should start noticing them in the mirror and on the scale around Week 4. The first half of the program adjusts your body composition to endure the training calendar and exercises, the second half is when the training results become more visible by the week as your lean muscle loses the fat layer keeping it hidden. For more information on body composition and how it changes as you train, check our post here.
Congratulations on conquering the two toughest weeks of GSP Rushfit. Stay tuned for more tips and follow the program – Your higher performing leaner body is already starting to take shape!
-Team RUSHFIT
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