Different ways to workout : Pack of cards

Do you ever get tired of doing the same kind of workout over and over again? Like, you change some things because you don't want to reach a plateau but this just bore you again? Let me give you a new workout idea: The pack of cards. Yes, you read well. I mean, I'm not asking you to do weightlifting with it, but to do something more creative and something that you do the way you want it.

This is really simple : In a pack of cards, there are 4 suits. Each suit represents one type of exercise. And then it's simple, you pick a card upside down from the deck and it tells you what to do and how many times. Example : You pick a heart card, which could mean like, eagle abs, and it's an 8 so you do 8 eagle abs. And you go on for all the pack of cards. It's really fun to do because you can never guess which card is the next so it makes the workout different each time.

If you need ideas of exercises for the 4 suits, I'll give you some :
- Push-ups                                                         - Roll over
- Plank ( in seconds )                                        - Grasshopper
- Sit-ups                                                            - Heel kicks
- Bridges, single-leg bridge ( switching sides )  - Half cobra push-ups

If you feel like a beast on that day, here are some cardio ideas :
- Burpees ( You could even do it with 4 different kind of burpees )
- Mountain Climbers                                            - Butt kicks
- Squat jumps                                                     - Lunge kicks
- High plank jacks                                               - Star jumps

So that's it! I really hope you give it a try! When I do it with standard exercises, I do them with 2 packs of cards, it makes it even funnier because you can have the same card twice! Have fun and tell me if you liked it :) 

xx

Chryseis

Bulky muscles V.S. Faculty to adapt to physical activity

Hi everyone! Hope you're all doing well in your fitness journey. Today's post is all about the muscle's adaptation to your physical activities. Let's get started!

So first, there are aerobics/endurance exercises like running on long distances, walking at fast pace, swimming or cycling. They all cause several modifications to skeletal muscles. Did you know that there can be a 10% increase of the amount of capillaries around muscle fibers? That the amount and size of mitochondria ( which produces energy ) increases in them too, and that those fibers synthesize up to 80% more myoglobin ( which transports oxygen in blood ). Wow, that's a lot of good stuff. These transformations allow us to have a better muscular metabolism, an increased endurance, better strength and a better resistance to fatigue.

Aerobics exercises who require moderate muscular effort for a long time DON'T cause muscle hypertrophy ( AKA bulky muscles ) even if the exercises lasts for hours. Bulky muscles are the consequence of intensive against-resistance exercises ( mostly done in anaerobic conditions ) like weight lifting. Because in this kind of activity, you only need strength, not endurance. A few minutes of against-resistance exercises every other day are enough to increase your bulkiness. They can even allow a skinny man to gain 50% of muscle mass in a year.

The increase of muscular volume is mostly about muscle fibers expansion and NOT a multiplication of them. This volume growth is caused by little tears in muscle fibers that heal after your workout. The amount of connective tissue between the cells increases too, which helps with getting bigger muscles. Nevertheless, if you completely stop your exercise program, the fibers that just transformed take back their initial properties.

Doesn't matter of the physical activity you choose to do, you will see results only if you follow the Overload Principle and the Progressive Principle. In other words, when you force a muscle to work hard, its strength and endurance increase. When they get used to give their maximum, you NEED to get overload  so they can work harder. Then, you won't hit a plateau.

Finally, if you start too quickly in an exercise program or that you don't listen to your body when it tells you it hurts, you might inflict yourself some serious overuse injuries. You could have to stop exercise for a while or you could have to stop permanently. Get into your exercise program gradually. And remember, to get the best shape and body you want, you should always combine strength and endurance training.

Hope this helps answering to your questions. If you still have any, feel free to comment below!

xx

Chryseis