Turbo Charge Your Health and Fitness Results

  • August 18, 2009

Today I want to share with you two key secrets to losing weight and changing your body shape.

The one key area we can improve to put weight loss and body shape change is increasing exercise intensity. We follow a simple scale called the Rate of Perceived Exertion or Borgs Intensity scale.

The key importance of this is to make sure we apply this scale when doing both cardiovascular training and strength training.

I am going to give you a classic scenario. Most of my fitness clients achieve all the correct success indicators of attending the gym enough times per week and for the correct duration and are achieving great results. However, if you want to put your results on turbo charge you can apply the Rate of Perceived Exertion for your action packed gym session and watch your results accelerate.

Let’s apply it to your work out:
If you are on a cardio machine and working for certain duration i.e. 10 minutes, 3km rower etc. We apply the intensity scale based on feeling and we want you to pace yourself for the duration ranking about 7 or 8 on the scale.

Cardio:
The Intensity Scale is based on a 1-10
5 – Is what you would call your warm up. You are moving but just really ticking the legs over.
6 – Is exercising but you could hold a conversation
7 – Is intensity has increased to a level where you could not hold a conversation. However, could still sparing talk
8 – Intensity is at a level where you could not hold a conversation. Maybe answer with Yes or No
9 – As hard as you can maintain. No Conversation at all.
10 – Hitting your lactic acid threshold there. (Not recommended)

Strength:
If you are doing a strength exercise. Whether it is 10 reps, or 20 reps, the principle you should apply is that you are doing a weight that you had challenged for the last few reps.

For example, if you have 20 reps, by rep 17 the last 3 are a bit of a challenge. If you are doing 10 reps, you want at least 8-10 a bit of a challenge.

Applying the Intensity Scale
5 – Weights barely feeling anything
6 – You do you set but at the end you could probably have continued for 5+ extra reps
7 – You do the set and you would be able to achieve up to 5 extra reps
8 – You complete the set and could do 1 or 2 extra reps
9 – You just make the set
10 – You cannot achieve the set.

Therefore, if you want to put your results on turbo charge focus on intensity and use this practical scale to help you increase your intensity.

Best wishes

Craig

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