8 Reasons Why You're Not Losing Weight

Sometimes, people can diet and work out and track their calories and do everything right—but still not lose weight. I can't begin to tell you how often members, friends and even acquaintances ask me why they're not losing weight despite doing X, Y or Z. It's one of the most common questions I get as a trainer. Sometimes, the answer isn't that easy to come by.

But usually, when someone seems to be doing the right things but not making progress, a list of possible problems runs through my head. These are the most common scenarios I tend to see that stop people from getting results—and they could be the culprits for your weight woes, too.

So here are a few cold, hard truths about why you're not losing weight.

You're eating back all the calories you burn.
When you work out, you're burning extra calories. That's why exercise is so important in the weight-loss equation. But a lot of people overestimate how much they burn—and even use the "I exercised today" excuse to later overeat, overdrink (think alcohol) or overindulge. How many times have you faced a food temptation and thought, "Well, I worked out today, so it's OK this time." Or even, "I'll have this now, but work out extra hard tomorrow to burn it off." If that sounds all-too-familiar, this is one major reason why you're not losing weight. For the exercise to help you lose, you can't re-eat all those extra calories you burned. And in most cases, we overestimate how many calories we actually burned and underestimate how many calories we're actually eating, which means using that 3-mile walk (240 calories burned walking) to justify that restaurant meal (1,000+ calories, anyone?) leaves you in a worse position than if you may realize: at a calorie surplus. If this sounds like you, you may be interested in our guides on what to eat before you workout and what to eat after you workout.
 

The Takeaway: Exercise can help you lose when you're really using it to burn extra calories, not as a reason to eat more.

You're relying on exercise alone to do the trick.
Yes, exercising can help you lose weight (and it has so many other health benefits) because it helps you create that calorie deficit needs to drop body fat. But here's the truth: Exercise alone will not help you lose weight. For emphasis, I'll say it again. If you are relying on exercise alone to lose weight, you are fighting an uphill battle. Here's why.

Exercise burns calories, but not as much as people think. When you consider how many calories you burn in a day, exercise burns very little. And it takes a lot of time and effort to burn even a few calories. A full hour of intense exercise may only burn 400-500 calories for a lot of people. On the flipside, it's easy to eat hundreds or thousands of calories in even a few minutes. But it would take hours of exercise to offset those calories. If you are not changing your diet and reducing your calorie intake, exercise alone probably won't help you much. As they say, "you can't out-train a bad diet." No amount of exercise can make up for a poor or high-calorie diet. You've got to have both (calorie reduction through diet and exercise) for optimal weight-loss results.

The Takeaway: The best way to lose weight is to cut back on what you eat and increase your burn through exercise—not one or the other.

You're not eating as healthfully as you think.
We know that Americans and others who eat a Western-style diet have a lot of health problems—and weight problems. The vast majority of people are overweight these days. Yet research shows that the vast majority of people also think they eat healthfully and consider eating healthy a priority. Are you as confused about that as I am? Clearly, we are not eating that well if we continue to see steady increases in heart disease, type 2 diabetes, overweight and obesity.

Here's the thing: We all think we eat pretty well. Even people who eat a pretty bad diet don't think it's that bad. No one really wants to admit that their diet might be pretty unhealthy. We all think we're probably doing better than others. This is especially true if you compare your diet to what you see your friends, family or co-workers eat and consider your choices to be "better." Whether that's actually true or not, the truth is that the vast majority of people could (and probably should) improve their diets immensely.
 

The Takeaway: If you're not meeting basic guidelines for a healthy diet (which involves way more than just counting calories alone) and/or you don't actually track your food/nutrition to see how it all adds up in black and white, don't make assumptions about how "good" you really do eat. Research confirms that people underestimate the quantity of food they eat, so read labels and measure.

You're doing the wrong kinds of exercise.
If you are exercising regularly, you're already doing a very important thing to improve your health. But when it comes to exercising for weight loss, there's a lot of confusion out there. One day you hear that strength training is the best way to lose weight. The next day you're told to focus on cardio—but not just any cardio, intervals. Then you hear it has to be high intensity intervals or Tabata training. What gives?

The truth is that all types of exercise will burn calories, which can help with weight loss. But when it comes to losing weight, it's all about burning calories. And in most cases, cardio is the calorie-burning king. Strength training is important, too (for many reasons), such as reducing the amount of muscle loss that occurs during weight loss, but it's typically not a major calorie burner. So if you are relying almost exclusively on strength training as your weight-loss strategy, it could backfire.
 

The Takeaway:  The best exercise plan emphasizes cardio for calorie burning, but still includes strength training to preserve lean muscle. Both are important; neither option can do everything.

You're not being consistent enough.
When you're struggling to lose those final 5-10 pounds or to overcome a plateau, consistency in your efforts is even more important.  A lot of people stick to strict diet and fitness programs for days or weeks at a time, but their habits simply aren't consistent for long enough. Ever eat "perfectly" and exercise "religiously" for a whole week, only to step on the scale that weekend to see that you haven't lost an ounce? "What's the point!" you may think as you go on an all-out eating fest and skip the gym for a couple days. Maybe you don't even make it a few days "on track," but rather you eat right for one day, then fall of the wagon the next.

Or perhaps you do feel pretty consistent in your habits, but the occasional slice of birthday cake or drinks with friends happens more often than just occasionally. Eating that restaurant dessert that's 4-5 times a standard serving size (and packed more sugar and fat than seems physically possible) doesn't really count as moderation, even if it's the only sweet treat you've had all week. Moderation needs to apply not just to the frequency of treats or rest days, but the amount, too. Practice portion control—so that you don't go overboard and set yourself back.
 

The Takeaway: Eat right and exercise as consistently as possible and apply both moderation and portion control when it comes to indulging.

You're not measuring the right things.
A lot of people complain that they're not seeing the scale move, even though they are losing inches and clothing sizes. Despite these obvious signs that they're getting leaner, they still want to see the scale change.
If you are noticing other improvements in your body shape or size, you are losing fat. The scale might not always reflect that you've lose weight—but ultimately it is the shape of your body and the amount of lean muscle vs. body fat you have that shows you're making progress.
 

The Takeaway: Don't just rely on the scale to measure your weight loss. That number won't really tell you everything you need to know.

You don't need to lose weight.
If you are at a healthy BMI or a body fat percentage in the healthy range, you probably don't need to lose weight for any health or medical reasons. Still, you may want to lose some pounds for vanity's sake, or even to improve your athletic performance. There's nothing inherently wrong with wanting to lose weight when you're already at an acceptable weight. But, when you only have only a little body fat to lose, it can be extremely challenging for some people.

Your body is usually content to be right where it is, weight-wise.  For many, their body has sort of settled in to what it feels like is a good, natural weight—which may not be your ideal weight in your head. It's certainly possible to drop your body fat percentage and get leaner, but it will often take even more dedication—and time—than it will for someone who has a lot of weight to lose. For some, it may involve dieting or exercising to extremes rather than a moderate amount. But with diligence and some experimentation, you can get there—especially if you follow the other tips outlined here (consistency being #1).
 

The Takeaway: When you have less fat to lose, the road may be harder and longer; consistency is key!

You have an underlying issue.
When all else fails and you've truly adhered to your program—and all the advice here—and you're still not losing weight, you may secretly wish you had some kind of underlying medical problem that would explain it—a slow thyroid, some kind of hormonal disorder, or something that popping a pill could fix and then magically help melt away the pounds. While it is true that people with certain medical issues or on certain medications can have trouble losing weight, most people struggle with losing it because they struggle with consistently burning more calories than they eat. The only way to do it is to track, measure and weigh your food honestly and accurately, and burn excess calories through increased physical activity.

The Takeaway: If you've truly tried everything discussed here and more—and simply aren't making progress—it would not hurt to check in with your medical provider to see if any underlying issues are at play.

Here are a few other common reasons you may not be losing weight despite doing everything right:

• You're skimping on sleep.
• You don't fit the standard formulas for calorie estimation.
• Your "cheat days" are cheating you.
• You're battling chronic stress.
• You're eating too many or too little carbs, protein or fat.

Weight loss seems simple, but it doesn't happen easily. But many, many people just like you have fought the battle and won—and you can, too. Just be consistent. Track, track, track. Ask for help and support. And slowly but surely, you will get there.

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6 Good Reasons to Try Pilates

I never thought Pilates was for me. I saw the Pilates videos, infomercials and classes at the gym, often full of older women in leotards, lying on their backs, moving their legs around in the air. It sure didn't look hard. Where was the challenge, resistance, or weights? And it didn't look very fun either, just lying on the floor for so long. I decided that it wasn't for me and that was that…or so I thought.

After I had been teaching fitness classes for a few years, I started to get bored with my usual strength and cardio classes. I needed something new to keep my interest and enthusiasm. What started as a weekend Pilates workshop for inexpensive continuing education credits (necessary for every certified trainer or instructor) turned into a new passion for me. While I took the training course just for credits, I found out that I really liked this Pilates business, and the more I trained, the more benefits I experienced.

I believe that every person can benefit from Pilates—men, women, athletes, couch potatoes. People of all body shapes and weights. People of all levels of fitness and coordination. It truly does offer something for everyone.

In a new dailySpark series, I'll give you plenty of good reasons to try a variety of fitness endeavors that you may have never considered before. First up: 6 good reasons to try mat Pilates.

Look 10 Pounds Thinner: Pilates helps you improve your posture, and the simple act of standing with good posture can make people appear 5-10 pounds thinner (and more confident, too). One of my mentors always says, "Pilates is a lifestyle." By that he means that you don't leave the class behind when you walk out the door. You try to incorporate all of the elements into your daily life—engaging your abs, standing tall, relaxing your shoulders, moving with grace. Pilates exercises help you do all those things, and standing taller and more confidently is a bonus, too.

Have a Ball…and a Roll, a Ring and a Band: Many mat Pilates classes incorporate fun props into their classes, including the mini ball, foam roller, magic circle (ring) and resistance bands. If you've ever wondered how to exercise with these small pieces of equipment, you'll learn in Pilates. Plus, these tiny props offer a BIG challenge for your muscles—and make the classes even more fun! They're inexpensive and versatile and you can use them at home, too.

Stretch and Strengthen Simultaneously: Most of us skimp on the stretching, even though we know it's very beneficial to our muscles, joints and mobility. Pilates stretches are dynamic, not static, which means you move as you stretch; stretches are sprinkled throughout the class (not just at the end, which makes them easy to skip). As another benefit, many of these stretches also strengthen your muscles at the same time. For example, single straight leg stretch is a great abdominal-strengthening exercise that also stretches the hamstrings at the same time—talk about multitasking!

Develop and Define Your Core: More than anything else, Pilates is known for strengthening the core, and boy, does it live up to its reputation! During every single exercise, you focus on keeping your core engaged, even while working your back, arms, legs and thighs. When done properly, you exercise from the center (your core) outward. Practicing 2-3 times a week, I've seen significant improvements in my core strength and endurance, as well as my abdominal definition. Because Pilates teaches you to engage and use your transverse abdominals (this is the horizontal muscle under the vertical "6-pack" muscle), it helps you to pull in and flatten your belly over time.

Alleviate Lower Back Pain: Research shows that Pilates does help reduce and alleviate lower back pain, and this is true in my experience, too. I used to have lower back pain on a regular basis, and I'd occasionally throw out my back to the point where I couldn't even walk or stand up for a few days. Most days, my back hurt most of the time, even if it wasn't completely debilitating. After incorporating Pilates into my fitness routine, I haven't had a single back incident in several years, which I attribute to my greater core strength and spinal mobility—both known products of a Pilates program. Many of my students were referred to Pilates by their doctors, chiropractors and physical therapists to help decrease pain and improve strength after injuries and surgeries to various parts of the body—not just the back.

Focus in the Moment and Forget about Your Day: Perhaps the best benefit of Pilates, for me, is that it requires my focus and attention. You have to concentrate on the idiosyncrasies of each movement—because there is more to it than meets the eye. The position of your feet, legs, neck, arms, shoulders. Consciously engaging your abdominals and holding that contraction. How your breathe and how your breath lines up with your movement. All these things matter if you're going to do it correctly and achieve the most benefits. When I focus in the moment during a class, my to-do list melts away from my mind and for at least 45 minutes, I am in that room, both physically and mentally. When the workout is over, I'm refreshed, relaxed, and reinvigorated and most of all—de-stressed.

If I haven't convinced you to try a class yet, read A Skeptic's Guide to Pilates or watch my Intro to Pilates video to learn more about the benefits and techniques. If you're ready for a taste, try my Pilates Abs Workout, Crunchless Core Workout or Pilates Hips & Thighs Workout videos in the privacy of your own home! It takes more than one try to truly understand the exercises and how to do them, so I always recommend trying something at least 3-5 times before you give up on it.

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Burn More Calories in Less Time with HIIT

What if there was a way to burn more calories, lose more fat and improve your cardiovascular fitness level while spending less time doing cardio? If you think this sounds too good to be true, think again. If you want to take your fitness and fat loss to the next level—without spending more time in the gym—it's time to take a look at high-intensity interval training, also known as HIIT.

Notice that I didn’t say HIIT would be easier, just that it would take less of your time. In fact, the HIIT approach to cardio exercise is very physically demanding, and isn’t for everyone. If you have any cardiovascular problems or other health concerns that limit your ability to exercise at very intense levels, or if you're relatively new to aerobic exercise or not already in good shape, you should probably hold off on HIIT—at least for now. If you're not sure whether it's safe for you, check with your medical professional.

What Is High-Intensity Interval Training?

HIIT is a specialized form of training that involves short intervals of maximum intensity exercise separated by longer intervals of low to moderate intensity exercise. To reap the benefits, you need to push yourself past the upper end of your aerobic zone and allow your body to replenish your anaerobic energy system during the recovery intervals. HIIT offers several advantages that traditional steady-state exercise can’t provide:

• HIIT trains and conditions both your anaerobic and aerobic energy systems. You train your anaerobic system with brief, all-out efforts, like when you have to push to make it up a hill or sprint the last few hundred yards of a distance race.
• HIIT increases the amount of calories you burn during (and after) your exercise session, because it increases the length of time it takes your body to recover.
• This type of training causes metabolic adaptations that enable you to use more fat as fuel under a variety of conditions. This will improve your athletic endurance as well as your fat-burning potential.
• HIIT appears to limit the muscle loss that can occur with weight loss, in comparison to traditional steady-state cardio exercise of longer duration.

The key element that makes HIIT different than other forms of interval training is that the high-intensity intervals involve maximum effort, not simply a higher heart rate. There are many different approaches to HIIT, each involving different numbers of high- and low-intensity intervals, different levels of intensity, different lengths of time for each interval and different numbers of training sessions per week. If you want to use HIIT to improve performance for a particular sport or activity, you can tailor your program to those specific needs and demands.

General HIIT Guidelines

• HIIT is designed for people whose primary concerns are boosting overall cardiovascular fitness, endurance and fat loss, without losing the muscle mass they already have.
• Before starting any HIIT program, you should be able to exercise for at least 20 to 30 minutes at 70 to 85 percent of your estimated maximum heart rate, without exhausting yourself or experiencing problems.
• Familiarize yourself with understanding exercise intensity if you are unable to wear a heart-rate monitor.
• Because HIIT is physically demanding, it’s important to gradually build up your training program so that you don’t overdo it. The sample training schedule below will safely introduce you to HIIT over a period of eight weeks.
• Always warm up and cool down for at least five minutes before and after each HIIT session.
• Work as hard as you can during the high-intensity intervals, until a burning sensation in your muscles indicates that you have entered your anaerobic zone. Elite athletes can usually sustain maximum intensity exercise for three to five minutes before they have to slow down and recover, so don’t expect to work longer than that.
• Full recovery takes about four minutes for everyone, but you can shorten the recovery times if your high-intensity intervals are also shorter and don’t completely exhaust your anaerobic energy system.
• If you experience any chest pain or breathing difficulties during your HIIT workout, cool down immediately. (Don't just stop, as this can cause lightheadedness or faintness.)
• If your heart rate does not drop back down to about 70 percent of your max during recovery intervals, you may need to shorten your work intervals and/or lengthen the recovery spans.
• HIIT (including the sample program below) is not for beginner exercisers or people with cardiovascular problems or risk factors. If you are in these groups, do NOT attempt HIIT unless your doctor has specifically cleared you for this kind of exercise.

A Sample Progressive HIIT Program

Please adhere to the general HIIT guidelines above for this program. To maximize fat loss, maintain an intensity level of 60 to 70 percent of your maximum heart rate (RPE of five to six on the 10-point scale) during warm up, cool down and recovery intervals.

Week	Warm  up	Work Interval (Max Intensity)	Recovery  Interval (60-70% MHR)	Repeat	Cool  down	Total  Workout  Time
1	5 min.	1 min.	4 min.	2 times	5 min.	20 min.
2	5 min.	1 min.	4 min.	3 times	5 min.	25 min.
3	5 min.	1 min.	4 min.	4 times	5 min.	30 min.
4	5 min.	1.5 min.	4 min.	2 times	5 min.	21 min.
5	5 min.	1.5 min.	4 min.	3 times	5 min.	26.5 min.
6	5 min.	1.5 min.	4 min.	4 times	5 min.	32 min.
7	5 min.	2 min.	5 min.	3 times	5 min.	31 min.
8	5 min.	2 min.	5 min.	4 times	5 min.	38 min.

After completing this eight-week program, you can continue increasing the number of work intervals per session, the duration of work intervals or both.

If you find that this schedule is too difficult or too easy, make adjustments to the duration and/or number of high-intensity intervals as necessary. For example, if you want to train for very short, frequent bursts of maximum intensity activity, your program could involve sprinting for 20 seconds and jogging or walking for 60 seconds, and repeating that 15 to 20 times per session.

You don’t need to swap all of your aerobic exercise for HIIT to gain the benefits. A good balance might be two sessions of HIIT per week, along with one to two sessions of steady-state aerobic exercise. As usual, moderation is the key to long-term success, so challenge yourself, but don’t drive yourself into the ground. Get ready to see major changes in your body and your fitness level.

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10-minute home cardio workout

Burn calories, lose weight and feel great with this 10-minute home cardio workout routine for aerobic fitness.
If you have a skipping rope, you can swap one of the exercises listed below with a 60-second burst of skipping.
This 10-minute cardio workout counts towards your recommended 150 minutes of aerobic activity every week.
Before you begin, warm up with a 6-minute warm-up routine. After your workout, cool down with a 5-minute stretch.

Rocket jumps – 2 sets of 15 to 24 repetitions (reps)

For rocket jumps, stand with your feet hip-width apart, legs bent and hands on your thighs. Jump up, driving your hands straight above your head and extending your entire body. Land softly, reposition your feet and repeat. For more of a challenge, start in a lower squat position and hold a weight or a bottle of water in both hands at the centre of your chest.

• Recovery: walk or jog on the spot for 15 to 45 seconds.

Star jumps or squats – 2 sets of 15 to 24 reps

To do a star jump, stand tall with your arms by your side and knees slightly bent. Jump up, extending your arms and legs out into a star shape in the air. Land softly, with your knees together and hands by your side. Keep your abs tight and back straight during the exercise.

Squats

As a less energetic alternative, do some squats. Stand with your feet shoulder-width apart and your hands down by your sides or stretched out in front for extra balance. Lower yourself by bending your knees until they are nearly at a right angle, with your thighs parallel to the floor. Keep your back straight and don’t let your knees extend over your toes.

• Recovery: walk or jog on the spot for 15 to 45 seconds.

Tap backs – 2 sets of 15 to 24 reps

To start tap backs, step your right leg back and swing both arms forward and repeat with the opposite leg in a continuous rhythmic movement. Look forwards and keep your hips and shoulders facing forwards. Don’t let your front knee extend over your toes as you step back. For more of a challenge, switch legs by jumping (also known as spotty dog) remembering to keep the knees soft as you land. Your back heel needs to be off the floor at all times.

• Recovery: walk or jog on the spot for 15 to 45 seconds.

Burpees – 2 sets of 15 to 24 reps

To do a burpee from a standing position (1), drop into a squat with your hands on the ground (2). Kick your feet back into a push-up position (3). Jump your feet back into a squat (4) and jump up with your arms extending overhead (5). For an easier burpee, don’t kick out into the push-up position and stand up instead of jumping.

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10 methods for more muscle mass and strength

If you've hit a lifting plateau, you know how difficult it can be getting over the top and continuing the climb for more muscle gains. That's why Men's Fitness asked me to open the vault and pull out my heaviest hitters: 10 training techniques designed to ensure you won't fail again in the pursuit for more muscle.

What to do

Incorporate any of the following techniques into your workout regimen with virtually any exercise you perform—but only for four weeks at a time. Since each is so effective, you'll be tempted to stick with the first one you try. Don't. Instead, trade one method for another every four weeks. This will help prevent plateaus and take your size and strength levels to an all-time high. The added bonus: You'll never get bored. Whether you're stuck in a longtime lifting rut or you simply want to add another weapon to your workout arsenal, these methods will help you make the fastest gains ever, in the quickest time possible.

1. The 5% method

How to do it:
Choose the heaviest weight you can lift eight times (your eight-rep max) and do four sets of seven repetitions, resting three minutes between each set. Do the same for your next two workouts (do one workout every five days), but increase the weight by 5% each session and decrease the reps by one. In your fourth workout, do seven-rep sets again, but use the weight you used in your second workout. You'll be 5% stronger than when you started.
Here's an example:
> Workout 1: Do four sets of 7 reps with 100lbs.
> Workout 2: Do four sets of 6 reps with 105lbs.
> Workout 3: Do four sets of 5 reps with 110lbs.
> Workout 4: Do four sets of 7 reps with 105lbs.
Why it works
By always increasing your weights or the reps, you'll improve a little each workout for a dramatic cumulative effect.

2. Diminished-rest interval training

How to do it:
Time the rest you take between sets in your current workout. In each subsequent session, try to perform the same total number of sets and reps, but reduce your rest periods by five to 10 seconds each time.
Why it works:
This forces your muscles to recover faster between sets, which stimulates growth.
 

3. The patient-lifter's method

How to do it:
Find your two-rep max and do six sets of two repetitions, resting two minutes between each set. In your next workout, try to perform six sets of four. You may be able to get only three sets of three, or three sets of two, but keep repeating this workout until you can perform four repetitions for all six sets. When you do, your two-repetition maximum will now be your four-repetition maximum, so you'll be able to lift more at any repetition range.
Why it works:
Most guys hit a plateau because they train with the same weights and reps for too long. This method shocks the body to trigger fast results.

4. Back-off sets

How to do it:
After performing 2-4 sets with your six-rep max, perform a higher-repetition set with lighter weights, known as a back-off set. Drop the weight by 40% and do as many reps as possible, performing them as quickly as you can. For example, say your first and second sets were six reps with 100lbs. Do set No.3 with 60lbs for as many reps as possible. (You'll be able to complete more repetitions than you'd usually get with 60lbs.)
Why it works:
The nerves that stimulate your muscles are already "excited" from your heavy sets, so they're psyched up to do more work than usual. Doing the back-off set forces your muscles to work harder than normal, sparking muscle growth.

 

5. Partials

How to do it:
Choose a weight that's about 10-20% greater than your six-rep max. But instead of doing a full repetition, lower the weight about one-fourth of the way down before lifting it back to the starting position. Do 3-4 sets of 4-6 repetitions, resting three minutes between each set. (Use a spotter.) Follow that up with 1-2 regular sets of 4-6 repetitions using a weight that's a little heavier than the amount you could normally lift for 4-6 reps.
Why it works:
It preps your body for heavier weight because it allows you to overload the part of the lift where you're strongest, without being limited by the portion of the movement where you're weakest.

6. Waveloading

How to do it:
Find your five-rep max and follow these guidelines:
> Do four repetitions.
> Rest for three minutes.
> Increase the weight by 5% and do three reps.
> Rest for three minutes.
> Increase the weight by 5% and do two reps.
> Rest for three minutes.
> Repeat the process, but start with a weight that's about 5% heavier than the one used in your first set.
Why it works:
In the second set, your muscles' nerves are highly activated from the heavy load of the first set. This allows them to recruit more muscle fibers than usual, allowing you to lift even heavier weights.

 

7. Cluster repetitions

How to do it:
Choose a weight you can lift at most 2-3 times (about 80% of your one-rep max). Then perform 10 sets of one repetition, resting 30 seconds between each set.
Why it works:
It allows you to perform 10 repetitions with a weight you can usually lift only two times. So it works more total muscle fibers than is typically possible. Combine this with Diminished-rest Interval Training for maximum muscle-building effect.

8. 6-1 principle

How to do it:
Take your seven-rep max, and do six repetitions. Then rest for 3-5 minutes. Then increase the weight until it's about 90% of your one-rep max. Do one repetition, and rest 3-5 minutes. Repeat the procedure, but this time do six reps with a weight that's about 2-3% heavier than your six-rep max. For your one-rep set, choose a weight that's about 2-3% heavier than your max. (Congratulations, you set a new personal record.)
Why it works:
In the one-repetition set, your muscles are expecting to do six repetitions, so it doesn't seem as hard. In the six-repetition set, your muscles are expecting a heavier load, which makes the weight seem lighter. The end result is a plateau-busting effort.
 

9. Inverted sets and reps

How to do it:
Use this scheme if you've been doing three sets of 10 reps or a similar workout. Take your current set and rep scheme and flip it, so the number of sets you're doing becomes the number of repetitions, and vice versa. Instead of doing three sets of 10 reps, you'll do 10 sets of three reps. Since you're stopping at three reps instead of 10, you need to rest only about 20-30 seconds between sets.
Why it works:
Inverting your workout allows you to do the same number of total repetitions, but increases the average amount of force your muscles apply to the weight.

10. Half-volume

How to do it:
Cut in half the number of sets you normally do.
Why it works:
If none of the other muscle tricks work for you, your muscles are probably overtrained. By reducing the demand on them, you'll allow them to recover. Another option: Take a week off.

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Body Composition and Flexibility

These 2 areas help remind us that children are different from adults and each other. It may seem ridiculous to speak about body composition and flexibility in kids because we all know they are mostly made of Play-Doh. However, it is important to discuss the general changes in body tissues that occur during growth and the various effects these changes have on exercise and sports participation.

Girls and boys can play together until about the third grade. After this point, it is a good idea to start the transition of separating boys and girls in contact-type sports. This gives plenty of time for puberty to start and not have a 4'2", 70-pound boy playing against a 5'9", 130-pound girl. Remember, the average ages that puberty begins is much different for girls and boys. Even from early childhood, girls in general have more body fat than boys. That is just the way the cards are dealt. Differences in body fat stay throughout childhood and then increase in girls once they hit puberty. Boys have a more dramatic change in body composition because new levels of testosterone from puberty start to add muscle mass. Kids who are already overweight tend to remain overweight into adolescence and adulthood.

The changes in body composition are important because they may have an effect on sports participation and performance, especially in sports in which center of gravity and weight are important like gymnastics, diving, figure skating, and wrestling. Puberty is a time of multiple adjustments that can have an effect on your child’s participation in sports. Understanding the reality of the physical and chemical changes of puberty can enable you to support your active child during and through that period of development.

Children are also more flexible than adults. Who do you think was the model for Gumby? It had to be a child. But as usual, many good things must come to an end or just slow down. During the rapid growth of puberty, kids often become temporarily less flexible than they were prior to puberty. Let me paint a visual for you here.

Some children have a slow growth spurt, while others grow so fast they need a speeding ticket. Essentially, their bones are growing more quickly than their muscles and tendons can stretch to keep up. Most boys get more muscles and lose some body fat, but often lose flexibility.

Girls can also become tighter during the rapid growth of puberty if they cannot stretch to keep up with their growth. However, the increase in estrogen usually allows girls to maintain or improve their flexibility once they slow down their speed of growth. Having good flexibility may help some athletes self-select into certain sports such as swimming, diving, gymnastics, tennis, figure skating, wrestling, or martial arts. Understanding these changes in body composition and flexibility can prepare you for their potential effect as you watch your child exercise, train, or compete while going through puberty.

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How Physical Fitness May Promote School Success

Children who are physically fit absorb and retain new information more effectively than children who are out of shape, a new study finds, raising timely questions about the wisdom of slashing physical education programs at schools.

Parents and exercise scientists (who, not infrequently, are the same people) have known for a long time that physical activity helps young people to settle and pay attention in school or at home, with salutary effects on academic performance. A representative study, presented in May at the American College of Sports Medicine, found that fourth- and fifth-grade students who ran around and otherwise exercised vigorously for at least 10 minutes before a math test scored higher than children who had sat quietly before the exam.

More generally, in a large-scale study of almost 12,000 Nebraska schoolchildren published in August in The Journal of Pediatrics, researchers compiled each child’s physical fitness, as measured by a timed run, body mass index and academic achievement in English and math, based on the state’s standardized test scores. Better fitness proved to be linked to significantly higher achievement scores, while, interestingly, body size had almost no role. Students who were overweight but relatively fit had higher test scores than lighter, less-fit children. 

To date, however, no study specifically had examined whether and in what ways physical fitness might affect how children learn. So researchers at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign recently stepped into that breach, recruiting a group of local 9- and 10-year-old boys and girls, testing their aerobic fitness on a treadmill, and then asking 24 of the most fit and 24 of the least fit to come into the exercise physiology lab and work on some difficult memorization tasks. 

Learning is, of course, a complex process, involving not only the taking in and storing of new information in the form of memories, a process known as encoding, but also recalling that information later. Information that cannot be recalled has not really been learned. 

Earlier studies of children’s learning styles have shown that most learn more readily if they are tested on material while they are in the process of learning it. In effect, if they are quizzed while memorizing, they remember more easily. Straight memorization, without intermittent reinforcement during the process, is tougher, although it is also how most children study.

In this case, the researchers opted to use both approaches to learning, by providing their young volunteers with iPads onto which several maps of imaginary lands had been loaded. The maps were demarcated into regions, each with a four-letter name. During one learning session, the children were shown these names in place for six seconds. The names then appeared on the map in their correct position six additional times while children stared at and tried to memorize them. 

In a separate learning session, region names appeared on a different map in their proper location, then moved to the margins of the map. The children were asked to tap on a name and match it with the correct region, providing in-session testing as they memorized.

A day later, all of the children returned to the lab and were asked to correctly label the various maps’ regions. 

The results, published last week in PLoS One, show that, over all, the children performed similarly when they were asked to recall names for the map when their memorization was reinforced by testing. 

But when the recall involved the more difficult type of learning — memorizing without intermittent testing — the children who were in better aerobic condition significantly outperformed the less-fit group, remembering about 40 percent of the regions’ names accurately, compared with barely 25 percent accuracy for the out-of-shape kids. 

This finding suggests that “higher levels of fitness have their greatest impact in the most challenging situations” that children face intellectually, the study’s authors write. The more difficult something is to learn, the more physical fitness may aid children in learning it. 

Of course, this study did not focus specifically on the kind of active exercise typical of recess, but on longer-term, overall physical fitness in young children. But in doing so, it subtly reinforces the importance of recess and similar physical activity programs in schools, its authors believe.

If children are to develop and maintain the kind of aerobic fitness that amplifies their ability to learn, said co-author Charles Hillman, a professor of kinesiology at the University of Illinois and a fellow at the university’s Beckman Institute for Advanced Science and Technology, they should engage in “at least an hour a day” of vigorous physical activity. Schools, where children spend so many of their waking hours, provide the most logical and logistically plausible place for them to get such exercise, he said.

Or as he and his co-authors dryly note in the study: “Reducing or eliminating physical education in schools, as is often done in tight financial times, may not be the best way to ensure educational success among our young people.”

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