If you are like most of our clients when we first meet them, your summer fitness program is getting stale by this time of the year. In Southern California, where there are still months of hot weather ahead, the key to building on early summer fitness is periodic variation in your workouts. We know from our work with elite athletes that the body requires that exercise programs change every eight weeks to continue to make gains in fitness and meet the desired goals of the workouts. This basic law of exercise science is ignored in gyms and workouts all across the world and it's is the number one reason the general public gets bored, burned out and give up on their workouts when results stall.

This principle of exercise science is called Periodization and it is how all elite and professional athletes train. It is built on the fact that the body will characteristically adapt to any stress placed on it in about eight weeks, and then it's time to change the stress if further gains are to be made. If the kind of stress placed on your body doesn't change after the eight week adaptation period then the body gets stale and fitness gains evaporate as the body enters the over trained state, even if you don't think you are training hard enough to get over trained.  

Likewise, those personal trainers who think doing something different every workout is aligned with the principles of Periodization are missing the point. The body will adapt to that type of schizophrenic training too, and then what's left to switch to and create new stress. To create a new stress and force your body to respond you have do something different than you have been doing the last few months. If you have been doing longer, low heart rate workouts then it is time to do high intensity training in the form of intervals. Alternatively, if you are like most and think only hard exercise produces results, then it time to begin longer duration, low intensity ( low heart rate ) workouts. This week's lecture at Cynergy Cycles will address the benefits of science based variation in exercise.

Everyday we see research that shows exercise is the best medicine to prevent and treat many of the lifestyle diseases that plague our population. However, many people are not sure what to do in the gym and they are rightfully concerned about getting injured. Exercise is powerful medicine but proper dosage and use is critical to avoid problems and assure success. 

At Phase IV we evaluate every exercise in a risk-benefit analysis. If the potential of injury is greater than the benefit, or if the same result can be attained with a safer move, the exercise is not prescribed. In this new weekly column we will address one dangerous exercise each week.    

Phase IV Helps MMA Trainers and Fighters

Phase IV scientific training methods with experts like Aishea Maas, Phase IV Dir. of Science and Robert Forster, P.T., CEO and founder, are helping more and more MMA fighters as they challenge the human body to push further.  Currently Phase IV is working with Joe Warren to prepare for his upcoming fight on Saturday, Sept. 7th - Read more about Joe's upcoming fight.   

Meet Marc Montoya - Trainer to some of the best MMA fighters in the world including Scott Jorgensen and  

Joe Warren!  

Here is one of Marc's Tweets: We have improved our entire training regimen Thx to the science of @PhaseIV & @ForsterPT. Incredible gains! @Scottjorgensen @JoeWarrenMMA 

Follow Marc on Twitter - Click Here

Follow Scott Jorgensen - Click Here  

Follow Joe Warren - Click Here 

Find us and join some of our social networks for scientific health & training tips and advice as well as chances to win Phase IV services and products:

Forster Physical Therapy

Office: 310-656-8600  www.forsterpt.com

Phase IV Scientific Health and Performance Center

Office: 310-582-8212  www.phase-iv.net

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