#FBKLetsGrow: Training Tips For Success

#FBKLetsGrow: Training Tips For Success
Growth can mean an increase in size, but we also want you to think about growth beyond just a physical change. This is your time to grow mentally and physically, and conquer what you feel you've been stagnant in. Take a look at your relationships, quality of life and your potential both in your workouts and beyond. This is your time to be active, within your body as well as actively learning and growing in every facet of your life.
 
It’s time to ditch the idea that being, “fit,” is limited to the size of our bodies. Over the next 8 weeks, we’ll be pursuing growth in our relationships, our mental well-being, our health and our resiliency to overcome our day-to-day obstacles. We’ll shift our mindset from dreading a workout to being thankful for what our bodies can do for us, and it all starts with the #FBKLetsGrow community. 

TRAINING STYLE

If you read our blog on Hypertrophy training, you’ll know this Spring, we’re focusing on maximum growth and increased caloric expenditure. To do so, we’ve chosen a Hypertrophy training style.
 
Hypertrophy based training consists of moderate repetitions (6-12). Similar to strength training, you want to lift as heavy as possible without sacrificing your form. For example, if you’re completing 3 sets of 12, you want to work with a weight heavy enough that you cannot exceed 12 reps, but not so heavy that you cannot complete 12 reps.
 
Hypertrophy training will promote overall growth in lean muscle mass by creating stress and tension on your muscles. You might experience more soreness than usual because hypertrophy training is the act of creating microtears in your muscles to increase the size of the individual muscle fibers. This style of training can not only help you build bigger muscles, but it might help you lose weight due to the increased number of calories you’ll be burning.

TIPS FOR SUCCESS

Head into the next 8 weeks with these helpful tips from our coaches:

WATER
Drink more water, girl! No, seriously. We strongly encourage you to get a minimum of 20oz of water before, during, and after your training. Not only will this help you train better, but you will have 60oz of water down on your 1 gallon water goal!

PERI-WORKOUT NUTRITION
Your peri-workout nutrition is just another fancy way of saying your pre-workout meal. You might see some of the FBK coaches use this terminology in your check-ins if you’re doing the coached challenge. Here are some helpful tips for nailing that pre-workout meal.
 
If you train early in the morning: 
  • You can eat a larger carb meal for your dinner the night before (at least 2 hours before bed so it has time to digest and not disrupt your sleep)! Use that as your "pre-workout" meal for the morning.
  • You can grab a small snack before heading to the gym if you feel like your energy and performance is lacking when you train fasted. Get some quick carbs in like orange juice, rice cakes, or fruit. Pro-tip- your liver loves fruit in the morning!
  • Try an intra-workout supplement if you feel as though your energy and performance is dwindling. An intra-workout supplement is similar to a pre or post workout drink but is consumed during a workout to keep your body fueled with nutrients. Not sure that’s the right supplement for you? A normal gatorade will also work!
  • You can 100% train fasted if you prefer, but we do suggest making sure you get in a great post workout meal!
If you train fed:
  • We recommend your pre-workout meal be 1-3 hours before you train. 
  • We recommend eating your post workout meal within 2 hours after your training. Wait for your heart rate to come down to around (or within) 10 beats of your resting heart rate to properly digest your food.
REST
Your rest in between sets is very important in order to get a true hypertrophy response. Try slowing down your movements by counting to 3 each time you are, "lowering a weight," and really focus on your mind to muscle contraction. Rest for 60-90 seconds before starting the next set to give your body time to recover from the last set and prepare for the next.

LET'S GROW

Don’t forget the spring challenge kicks off on April 12th but you can check-in early starting on April 10th at 11AM (EST). Keep these helpful tips in mind as you head into the challenge and refer to the official Spring Challenge handbook for additional resources.