Dr. Jason Karp Talks Health (Do This NOT That)

When I was in high school, my electronics teacher had a silly, fortune cookie-type saying to remind students of how to handle electrical wires: "One hand in pockey, no get shockey."  Like touching wires with both hands, there’s an old way of doing most anything.  For example, listening to cassette tapes on a Walkman, connecting to the Internet with a modem, and wearing leg warmers on the treadmill could all be considered by most as "old ways" of doing things.

As a personal trainer and coach, I see the "old ways" much too often.  Although working out the old way does not have as severe a consequence as electrocuting oneself, it may prevent you from seeing desirable results.  In honor of my electronics teacher, here are some "new ways" to spice up your workout for better, faster results.

Old Way: 30 minutes of easy cardio.

New Way: To meet your fat-burning need, do interval training at a fast speed.

While exercising at a low intensity uses more calories from fat, it does not burn a lot of total calories, which is the secret to weight loss.  Interval workouts, which alternate high-intensity work periods with low-intensity recovery intervals, burn more calories during the workout and elevate your metabolic rate afterward, thus burning more total calories.  For a great aerobic workout, start with a 15-minute warm-up, then run or bike for 3: 4: 5: 4: 3 minute ratios at 95-100 percent the maximum heart rate (should feel like 9-9.5 on a scale of 1-10).  Take three minutes of active recovery and repeat three to four times.  Finish with a 10-minute cool-down.  For a muscle-sculpting sprint workout, run or bike for 30 seconds as fast as you can.  Take two minutes active recovery and repeat four to eight times.

Old Way: Lunges across the gym floor.

New Way: To make the most of a workout, do plyometrics for strength and power.  

Plyometrics are fast, powerful jumping and bounding exercises.  While many athletes use plyometrics to improve their muscles’ ability to produce force quickly, they can also help sculpt muscles faster as powerful muscles look better.  When actively stretching a muscle (like how quads are stretched when bending down before jumping up), energy is stored in the muscles and tendons.  It is used to more powerfully contract the same muscle in the opposite direction, but that energy is lost if the movement is not done immediately after the stretch.  So spend as little time on the ground as possible between hops, bounds, and jumps (see Sample Plyometric Exercises).  Do the exercises on a soft surface, like grass or a mat.  Begin with two sessions per week: two sets of 10 reps with full recovery between sets. 

Old Way: Going to the gym to work out.

New Way: To find the person within, go to the gym to work in.

In our fast-paced society, we rarely take time for ourselves.  Going to the gym to work out is just one more thing on the daily schedule.  But the best way to never miss a workout is to make exercise an important part of who you are rather than something you do.  So, instead of seeing workouts only for their physical benefits, see them for their emotional and psychological benefits as well; use exercise to work through professional and personal issues, develop ideas, explore feelings or to become a better person.  In essence, work in rather than working out.     

Old Way: Lifting dumbbells and barbells.

New Way: For a better functional state, use body weight.

While you can certainly do many different exercises with free weights, there’s nothing magical about them.  You don’t have to lift weights off the ground to increase your muscular strength and endurance or to shape your body.  Don’t worry about using dumbbells until you can master the weight of your own body, which not only makes you look great but is also empowering.  Some great body weight exercises are chin-ups, push-ups, dips, and plyometrics.

To get the most from workouts, just make a few changes.  By replacing old ways with new ways, you will be rewarded with better results, and the peace of mind that never again will leg warmers be the choice workout wear!

Dr. Jason Karp is a nationally-recognized speaker, writer, exercise physiologist, and owner of RunCoachJason.com, a state-of-the-science running coaching and personal training company.  He holds a Ph.D. in exercise physiology and is founder and coach of REVO₂LT Running TeamÔ and Dr. Karp’s Run-Fit Boot Camp in San Diego.  He writes for international running, coaching, and fitness magazines, is the author of How to Survive Your PhD, 101 Developmental Concepts & Workouts for Cross Country Runners, and the forthcoming Women’s Running Bible, and is a frequent presenter at national fitness and coaching conferences.  For more information, go to runcoachjason.com.