By Kanalu Avery

I’ve written down much of the information I’ve learned over the years so you can easily access it—feel free to copy, share, and send it to others. Keep in mind this information is only the surface of proper training and therefore does not include scientific reference to support these claims of proper training. After properly absorbing this page and deciding what your personal goals are I highly suggest checking out the Advanced Information page.

On a different note, others trainers commonly ask me why I make this information so accessible even though it will surely lead to less clients. The answer is simple. I believe everyone deserves to have access to accurate, helpful knowledge, and I refuse to contribute to the common issue of gatekeeping in the fitness industry. Feel free to copy, share, and send all of this information to others, and while credit would be appreciated, it is absolutely not necessary. Without further ado, let us began.

Directory

Sustainability Is Key
Listen To Your Body
Complete-Vocabulary
Understanding Training Styles
Strength Training
Hypertrophy Training
Cardiovascular Training
1. Cardio Zones
2. How To Calculate Max Heart Rate (Max HR)
3. High Intensity Interval Training (HIIT)
Delayed Onset Muscle Soreness-(DOMS)
Overtraining
Recovery: The Most Important Piece of The Puzzle
Effective Stretching Techniques
Putting It All Together

Sustainability Is Key

One of the most important principles in fitness is sustainability. Whatever approach you take to training, nutrition, and recovery, it needs to be something you can maintain long-term. Here are a few key points to consider:

1. Find Enjoyable Activities: If you hate running, don’t force yourself to run. Explore alternatives like swimming, cycling, hiking, or group fitness classes. Enjoyable activities increase adherence and make workouts feel less like a chore.
2. Avoid Overtraining: Pushing too hard can lead to physical and mental burnout, increased injury risk, and decreased motivation. Plan your training schedule with rest days and lighter sessions to allow recovery.
3. Flexible Nutrition: Instead of restrictive dieting, aim for a balanced approach that includes all macronutrients (protein, carbs, and fats). Practice portion control and use the 80/20 rule: 80% nutrient-dense foods, 20% treats or indulgences. Truth be told
4. Set Realistic Goals: For example, instead of aiming to lose 20 pounds in a month, set a goal of 1-2 pounds per week. Celebrate small wins like lifting heavier weights or running longer distances, which will keep you motivated.

Listen To Your Body

Above all else, listening to your body is crucial. While consistency is important, your ability to recognize when your body needs rest or adjustments will determine your long-term success and health.

• Recognize Fatigue: If you’re feeling unusually tired or your performance is declining, it may be time to rest or reduce training intensity.
• Injury Signals: Sharp or persistent pain is a red flag. Stop training the affected area and consult a professional if necessary.
• Understand Normal vs. Excessive Soreness: Muscle soreness (DOMS) is normal after trying new exercises or increasing intensity. However, if soreness is extreme, lasts longer than usual, or interferes with daily activities, it may indicate overtraining or improper recovery.

Complete Vocabulary

Foundational Concepts

1. Repetition (Rep): A single complete movement of an exercise, such as one squat or one push-up.
2. Set: A group of consecutive repetitions performed without rest. For example, “3 sets of 10 reps” means 10 repetitions performed 3 times with rest in between.
3. Progression: A planned increase in workout intensity, volume, or complexity over time to continue challenging the body and promoting growth or improvement.
4. Progressive Overload: The gradual increase of stress placed on the body during training to stimulate adaptation and growth. Examples include adding weight, increasing reps, or reducing rest time.
5. Hypertrophy: The process of increasing muscle size through strength training. Typically achieved with moderate to heavy weights, higher reps, and controlled rest periods.
6. Time Under Tension (TUT): The amount of time a muscle is under strain during a set. Increasing TUT can enhance hypertrophy and muscle endurance.
7. Muscle Failure: The point during an exercise when the muscle can no longer complete a repetition with proper form. Used as a tool for building strength and hypertrophy.

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Exercise Types

8. Compound Exercises: Movements that engage multiple muscle groups and joints simultaneously. Examples include squats, deadlifts, bench presses, and pull-ups. These are highly efficient for building strength and functional fitness.
9. Isolation Exercises: Movements that target a single muscle group or joint. Examples include bicep curls, tricep extensions, and leg curls. These are great for addressing weak points or enhancing specific muscles.
10. Superset: A workout technique where two exercises are performed back-to-back without rest. Often used to increase intensity or save time.
11. Tempo Training: Controlling the speed of each phase of a movement (eccentric, concentric, and isometric) to enhance muscle engagement and growth.
12. Plyometrics: Explosive movements designed to increase power and speed, such as box jumps, clapping push-ups, or burpees.
13. Circuit Training: A workout method where a series of exercises are performed in sequence with little to no rest, often targeting different muscle groups.

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Muscle Actions

14. Eccentric Contraction: The lengthening phase of a muscle during movement, as it resists force. Example: Lowering a dumbbell during a bicep curl.
15. Concentric Contraction: The shortening phase of a muscle as it produces force to overcome resistance. Example: Lifting a dumbbell during a bicep curl.
16. Isometric Contraction: A static muscle contraction where the muscle generates force without changing length. Example: Holding a plank or pausing midway during a squat.

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Recovery and Adaptation

17. Delayed Onset Muscle Soreness (DOMS): Muscle discomfort felt 24-48 hours after intense exercise. It’s a sign of micro-tears in muscle fibers, which repair and grow stronger over time.
18. Overtraining Syndrome (OTS): A condition caused by excessive exercise without adequate rest, resulting in decreased performance, fatigue, and potential injury.
19. Active Rest: Low-intensity activity performed on rest days to promote recovery without complete inactivity, such as yoga, walking, or light cycling.
20. Passive Rest: Complete inactivity or total rest taken to allow the body to recover fully from physical activity. This is essential for repairing muscles, replenishing energy stores, and preventing overtraining.

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Cardio and Energy Systems

21. Aerobic Exercise: Lower-intensity, steady-state activities that use oxygen as the primary energy source (e.g., jogging, swimming, cycling). These improve cardiovascular endurance and overall fitness.
22. Anaerobic Exercise: High-intensity activities that rely on energy sources stored in the muscles (e.g., sprinting, heavy lifting). These exercises typically last 30 seconds to 2 minutes and improve strength, power, and speed.
23. Heart Rate Zones: The intensity levels during cardiovascular exercise based on your heart rate as a percentage of your maximum. Used to optimize training for specific goals.
24. VO2 Max: The maximum amount of oxygen your body can utilize during exercise, an indicator of aerobic fitness.

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Specialized Concepts

25. Mind-Muscle Connection: The practice of focusing intently on the muscle group you’re working to improve engagement and performance.
26. Mobility: The ability to move a joint through its full range of motion with control, often enhanced through dynamic stretching and functional movements.
27. Stabilizer Muscles: Smaller muscles that support and stabilize joints during movement. For example, the rotator cuff stabilizes the shoulder during pressing movements.
28. Dynamic Stretching: Active, movement-based stretches performed as part of a warm-up to prepare the body for exercise. Examples include high knees or arm circles.
29. Static Stretching: Holding a stretch in a fixed position for an extended time, often performed during cool-downs to improve flexibility.

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Training Methods and Styles

30. Powerlifting: A strength sport focusing on three main lifts: squat, bench press, and deadlift. The goal is to lift the maximum weight possible for one repetition.
31. Bodyweight Training: Exercises that use your body weight as resistance, such as push-ups, pull-ups, and planks. These are versatile and accessible for all fitness levels.
32. Metabolic Conditioning (MetCon): High-intensity workouts designed to improve the body’s energy systems, often combining strength and cardio elements.

Understanding Training Styles

Training styles are the foundation of any effective fitness journey, each tailored to achieve specific goals like building muscle, increasing strength, improving endurance, or enhancing overall mobility. By understanding the unique characteristics of these methods, you can select the approach that aligns with your objectives and lifestyle. The right training style not only maximizes results but also keeps your workouts engaging, sustainable, and rewarding. Whether you aim to grow stronger, leaner, larger, or more agile, learning about these approaches empowers you to train smarter and with greater purpose.

Strength Training

• Goal: Increase maximum force production and develop overall power through neural adaptations.
• Reps and Sets: 3-6 reps, 4-5 sets per exercise.
• Rest Periods: 3-5 minutes between sets to allow full recovery for heavy lifts. (IMPORTANT)
• Load: Use heavy weights (80-90% of your one-rep max) to challenge your muscles effectively, stay a rep or two away from failure unless the goal is to test your 1 Rep Max.
• Programming Tips: Focus on compound lifts like squats, deadlifts, and overhead presses. Incorporate accessory exercises (e.g., pull-ups, lunges) to target supporting muscle groups.
• Benefits: Builds functional strength for daily activities, enhances athletic performance, improves posture, and increases bone density.

Hypertrophy Training

• Goal: Increase muscle size and improve aesthetics through physical adaptations and mechanical tension.
• Reps and Sets: 8-12 reps, 3-4 sets per exercise.
• Rest Periods: 60-120 seconds between sets to maintain muscle engagement and lets our ATP-PC energy system fully recharge.
• Load: Use moderate to heavy weights (65-75% of your one-rep max) to induce muscle fatigue. Majority of sets should be taken to failure. It is important to find how many sets of failure per muscle group per week causes the most growth for you.
• Programming Tips: Incorporate a variety of exercises targeting different angles of each muscle group. Use techniques like exercising in stretched positions, drop sets, and supersets to maximize mechanical tension, failure, and optimization of time respectively.
• Benefits: Enhances muscle definition, boosts metabolism, improves overall strength, and helps maintain lean mass during weight loss.

Cardio Zones

Understanding your heart rate zones can help you tailor cardiovascular training to your goals:

1. Zone 1 (50-60% of max HR): Light activity, great for warm-ups, blood circulation, and active recovery.
2. Zone 2 (60-70% of max HR): Moderate intensity, ideal for building aerobic endurance and burning fat.
3. Zone 3 (70-80% of max HR): High-intensity aerobic work, improving cardiovascular capacity.
4. Zone 4 (80-90% of max HR): Anaerobic threshold, increasing speed and performance.
5. Zone 5 (90-100% of max HR): Maximum effort, used for short bursts of intense activity (e.g., sprints).

How To Calculate Max Heart Rate (Max HR)

Your Max Heart Rate (Max HR) is the highest heart rate you can safely achieve during intense physical activity. Knowing your Max HR is crucial for designing effective workouts, especially when aiming to optimize fat burning, cardiovascular endurance, or overall fitness. Here’s how to calculate it:

1. Basic Formula

The most commonly used formula to estimate Max HR is: Max HR=220−Your Age. For example, if you’re 30 years old: 220−30=190 beats per minute (bpm). This formula provides a rough estimate of your Max HR. It works well for most people, but it may not be accurate for individuals at risk, on specific medications, or advanced athletes.

2. Other Formulas

Some formulas account for gender, fitness level, and other factors to provide a more personalized estimate. Here are a couple of alternatives:

• Tanaka Formula (More accurate for older individuals):Max HR=208−(0.7×Age)
• Gulati Formula (Gender-specific, for biological women):Max HR=206−(0.88×Age)

High-Intensity Interval Training (HIIT)

HIIT leverages higher heart rate zones to maximize calorie burn and performance:

• Structure: Alternate between 20-60 seconds of maximum effort (Zones 4-5) and 1-2 minutes of active recovery (Zone 2).
• Benefits:
  • Efficient calorie burn and fat loss in a much shorter time.
  • Improves both anaerobic and aerobic capacity.
  • Boosts metabolic rate for several hours after the workout.

Delayed Onset Muscle Soreness (DOMS)

DOMS occurs 24-48 hours after exercise, especially when trying new movements or increasing intensity. Here’s how to manage it:

• Consistency is Key: The soreness from new exercises will lessen as your body adapts through progressive overload with consistency.
• Active Recovery: Light activities like walking or yoga increase blood flow and reduce stiffness.
• Hydration and Nutrition: Drinking plenty of water and consuming protein and anti-inflammatory foods can support muscle repair.
• Stretching and Foam Rolling: Helps alleviate tightness and improve recovery.

Overtraining

Overtraining occurs when training intensity and volume exceed the body’s ability to recover. Signs include chronic fatigue, poor performance, irritability, and prolonged muscle soreness.

How to Prevent Overtraining

1. Follow a Periodized Plan: Alternate between high and low-intensity training phases to give your body time to recover.
2. Incorporate Rest Days: At least 1-2 days of complete rest per week is essential.
3. Monitor Your Progress: Plateaus or declines in performance may indicate overtraining.
4. Prioritize Sleep: 7-9 hours of quality sleep nightly is critical for muscle repair and hormone regulation.

Recovery: The Most Important Piece of The Puzzle

Recovery is just as important as the workout itself. Proper recovery ensures your body can repair and adapt to the demands of training. Key recovery strategies include:

• Sleep: This is when most muscle repair and growth occurs. Create a consistent sleep schedule and a calming bedtime routine.
• Active Recovery Days: Engage in light activities like walking, stretching, or swimming to promote blood flow.
• Nutrition: Post-workout meals with protein and carbohydrates replenish glycogen stores and repair muscles.
• Hydration: Dehydration can impair recovery and performance. Drink water consistently throughout the day.
• Massage and Mobility Work: Foam rolling, massages, or yoga can help release muscle tension and improve flexibility.
• Cold Therapy and Heat Therapy: Ice baths or heating pads can reduce inflammation and soothe muscles.

Effective Stretching Techniques

Stretching improves flexibility, reduces injury risk, and aids recovery. Here are the most effective methods:

Dynamic Stretching

• What It Is: Active movements that take joints through their full range of motion.
• When to Use: Pre-workout to increase blood flow, warm up muscles, and prepare your body for activity.
• Examples: Leg swings, arm circles, walking lunges, high knees, and torso twists.
• Benefits: Improves mobility and reduces stiffness, lowering the risk of injury during exercise.

Static Stretching

• What It Is: Holding a stretch in a fixed position for 25-35 seconds without bouncing.
• When to Use: Post-workout or during cool-downs to relax muscles and improve flexibility.
• Examples: Hamstring stretch, seated forward fold, butterfly stretch, and standing quad stretch.
• Benefits: Eases muscle tension, promotes relaxation, and supports recovery by reducing post-workout soreness.

Proprioceptive Neuromuscular Facilitation (PNF) Stretching

• What It Is: Combines passive stretching with isometric muscle contractions to improve range of motion.
• When to Use: Post-workout or on rest days to target flexibility for specific muscles.
• Example: Partner-assisted hamstring stretch: Contract the hamstring against resistance for 5-10 seconds, then relax and stretch further.
• Benefits: Rapidly improves flexibility and mobility, making it ideal for athletes or individuals with limited range of motion.

Putting It All Together

Fitness is a multifaceted journey requiring a balance of effective training, proper recovery, and sustainable habits. Whether your goal is building strength, gaining size, improving endurance, or enhancing overall health, consistency and listening to your body are key. Approach your fitness routine with patience, set realistic goals, and never underestimate the importance of rest and recovery. Over time, these practices will not only help you reach your goals but ensure you maintain them for a lifetime.