Take a minute to reflect and congratulate yourself on the progress you have made…

Time to get back to work! Remember, your body has adapted to your last program so its time to change it up! Take your time to learn all the new exercises. The program now involves some “free weight” movements. So if you have not yet explored the rest of the gym, we will now try to get you over that hurdle. The strength training program still involves “pushes” and “pulls” but there are several new exercises that will take more concentration and focus to perform them correctly. The recommended amount of reps remains 10-12. As always, continue to do what you feel is comfortable, but keep in mind adding reps will help make you stronger and increase muscular endurance. If you feel you are ready, try to extend your aerobic activity beyond 30 minutes OR increase your speed, elevation, or try “interval training” (using short durations of fast-paced activity like running followed by slow walking and repeat for multiple sets).

Recall that your exercise prescription can be filled through any combination of group exercise classes and exercising on your own.

General Exercise Guidelines

The program is progressive and involves both aerobic and resistance training exercises. This information will remain on our site for you to refer back to as often as you would like. You may print the information, take notes, or simply bring your smartphone with you to the Refinery, using the videos as your guide. The videos will be accessible 24/7 on the frontpage (log-in unnecessary). It is our hope that you use this as your digital exercise manual.

Resistance Training. We recommend doing 10 to 12 repetitions (“reps”) of each resistance exercise and you should repeat this 3 times (i.e., perform 3 sets of 10-12 reps). This means the total number of times you perform each exercise will range from 20 (10 x 2) to 36 (12 x 3). There’s no such thing as a “one-size-fits-all” approach to exercise. We anticipate that some of you may feel 20 reps relatively challenging whereas others may desire a greater challenge. Find a formula you are comfortable with and please do not overexert yourself. You should not need more than 30-60 seconds of rest between sets. Then again, if your goal is to improve your aerobic conditioning, you may want to give yourself less rest. Be sure to complete the resistance training module (units 1 & 2) for additional recommendations.

You may notice that we will sometimes refer to the “tempo” of an exercise. Tempo = speed of the movement. For example, you may lift a dumbbell upwards in 1 second. Then, you may allow it to drop downward in 1 second. We encourage you to follow a 2–0–2 tempo. The first 2 refers to the beginning phase of movements (e.g., move up in 2 secs), whereas the 0 refers to “no pause”, and the last 2 seconds refers to the end phase (e.g., move back in 2 secs).

Aerobic Training. We recommend that you try to do at least 40-45 minutes of aerobic walking, most days per week. If you find that this is too challenging, do as much as you can. Try other types of aerobic training for longer periods of time if you feel you are up to it. It is unnecessary to do > 5 days of aerobic activity per week. Your body requires rest! Be sure to complete the aerobic training module (units 1 & 2) for additional recommendations.

Continue reading for details about your resistance training circuit

You’re doing great! Keep it up!

After doing the same activities, again and again, we may begin to lose our enthusiasm. If you feel things are “stale” then it is probably time to adjust your program. Don’t let a few lapses in your routine cause you to skip weeks. It doesn’t take long before weeks turn into months, and then you will ultimately lose all the progress you have made.

Everyone needs a change a pace. Try a new class or take a week off to re-charge your batteries. Once you rekindle your passion for living a healthy lifestyle, come back and challenge yourself to push your fitness levels to new heights.

Remember: ACSM recommends that adults exercise “most days of the week.” If you aren’t already meeting this goal, do your best to try to achieve this goal.

If you are thirsty for a new program and want to get started now, we have provided a new 6-week program. As always, we include the general guidelines in the section that follows. This has not changed. If you are ready, skip this and go straight to it!

General Exercise Guidelines

The program is progressive and involves both aerobic and resistance training exercises. This information will remain on our site for you to refer back to as often as you would like. You may print the information, take notes, or simply bring your smartphone with you to the Refinery, using the videos as your guide. The videos will be accessible 24/7 on the frontpage (log-in unnecessary). It is our hope that you use this as your digital exercise manual.

Resistance Training. We recommend doing 10 to 12 repetitions (“reps”) of each resistance exercise and you should repeat this 3 times (i.e., perform 3 sets of 10-12 reps). This means the total number of times you perform each exercise will range from 20 (10 x 2) to 36 (12 x 3). There’s no such thing as a “one-size-fits-all” approach to exercise. We anticipate that some of you may feel 20 reps relatively challenging whereas others may desire a greater challenge. Find a formula you are comfortable with and please do not overexert yourself. You should not need more than 30-60 seconds of rest between sets. Then again, if your goal is to improve your aerobic conditioning, you may want to give yourself less rest. Be sure to complete the resistance training module (units 1 & 2) for additional recommendations.

You may notice that we will sometimes refer to the “tempo” of an exercise. Tempo = speed of the movement. For example, you may lift a dumbbell upwards in 1 second. Then, you may allow it to drop downward in 1 second. We encourage you to follow a 2–0–2 tempo. The first 2 refers to the beginning phase of movements (e.g., move up in 2 secs), whereas the 0 refers to “no pause”, and the last 2 seconds refers to the end phase (e.g., move back in 2 secs).

Aerobic Training. We recommend that you try to do at least 50 minutes of aerobic walking, at least 5 times per week. If you find that this is too challenging, do as much as you can. Try other types of aerobic training for longer periods of time if you feel you are up to it. It is unnecessary to do > 6 days of aerobic activity per week. Your body requires rest! Be sure to complete the aerobic training module (units 1 & 2) for additional recommendations.

Continue reading for details about your resistance training circuit

Time to kick it up a notch!

It is time for some new exercises. We want you to learn new movements, build new muscles, and keep your workout from becoming stale. Take your time to learn how to perform each exercise correctly and be sure to add each change to your weekly routine. The program we have written is based on a common approach to strength training, i.e., grouping “push” movements with “pull” movements within the same workout. Essentially, a push is a movement away from your body. For example, the leg press is a push because you are moving the load away from you. In comparison, a pull would be an exercise like the lat pulldown (pulling towards your body). Try following the order of exercises exactly how we have them listed and challenge yourself by increasing weight incrementally.

This program includes the following changes:

• 3 new resistance training exercises
• adjusted repetitions & sets

This program includes the following new machines: Leg Extension (quadriceps), Rotary Torso (abs & obliques), and Seated Row (rhomboids & latissimus dorsi). Also, if you’re following the prescribed order, our recommended # of reps has changed from 8-10 to 10-12. If you don’t feel as though you are ready to increase your reps, continue to do what you feel is comfortable, but keep in mind adding reps will help make you stronger and increase muscular endurance. Lastly, when performing aerobic activity, try to extend the amount of time you spend doing cardio. Increasing the time you spend performing cardio will help build your aerobic capacity and assist in burning extra calories.

The program and each exercise is described in the pages that follow (below). The program is progressive and involves both aerobic and resistance training exercises. This information will remain on our site for you to refer back to as often as you would like. You may print the information, take notes, or simply bring your smartphone with you to the Refinery, using the videos as your guide. The videos will be accessible 24/7 on the frontpage (log-in unnecessary). It is our hope that you use this as your digital exercise manual.

General Exercise Guidelines

Resistance Training. We recommend doing 10 to 12 repetitions (“reps”) of each resistance exercise and you should repeat this 3 times (i.e., perform 3 sets of 10-12 reps). This means the total number of times you perform each exercise will range from 20 (10 x 2) to 36 (12 x 3). There’s no such thing as a “one-size-fits-all” approach to exercise. We anticipate that some of you may feel 20 reps relatively challenging whereas others may desire a greater challenge. Find a formula you are comfortable with and please do not overexert yourself. You should not need more than 30-60 seconds of rest between sets. Then again, if your goal is to improve your aerobic conditioning, you may want to give yourself less rest.

You may notice that we will sometimes refer to the “tempo” of an exercise. Tempo = speed of the movement. For example, you may lift a dumbbell upwards in 1 second. Then, you may allow it to drop downward in 1 second. We encourage you to follow a 2–0–2 tempo. The first 2 refers to the beginning phase of movements (e.g., move up in 2 secs), whereas the 0 refers to “no pause”, and the last 2 seconds refers to the end phase (e.g., move back in 2 secs).

Aerobic Training. We recommend that you try to do at least 30 minutes of aerobic walking, most days per week. If you find that this is too challenging, do as much as you can. Try other types of aerobic training for longer periods of time if you feel you are up to it. It is unnecessary to do > 5 days of aerobic activity per week. Your body requires rest! Be sure to complete the aerobic training module (units 1 & 2) for additional recommendations.

Continue reading for details about your resistance training circuit

We hope you are all enjoying the exercise program!

We have designed 4, six-week exercise programs specifically for you. The programs may be repeated and modified at your preference. The program and each exercise is described in the pages that follow. The program is progressive and involves both aerobic and resistance training exercises. This information will remain on our site for you to refer back to as often as you would like. You may print the information, take notes, or simply bring your smartphone with you to the Refinery, using the videos as your guide. The videos will be accessible 24/7 on the frontpage (log-in unnecessary). It is our hope that you use this as your digital exercise manual.

General Exercise Guidelines

We recommend doing 8 to 10 repetitions (“reps”) of each resistance exercise and you should repeat this 2 or 3 times (i.e., perform 2-3 sets of 8-10 reps). This means the total number of times you perform each exercise will range from 16 (8 x 2) to 30 (10 x 3). There’s no such thing as a “one-size-fits-all” approach to exercise. We anticipate that some of you may feel 16 reps relatively challenging whereas others may desire a greater challenge. Find a formula you are comfortable with and please do not overexert yourself. You should not need more than 30-60 seconds of rest between sets. Then again, if your goal is to improve your aerobic conditioning, you may want to give yourself less rest.

You may notice that we will sometimes refer to the “tempo” of an exercise. Tempo = speed of the movement. For example, you may lift a dumbbell upwards in 1 second. Then, you may allow it to drop downward in 1 second. We encourage you to follow a 2–0–2 tempo. The first 2 refers to the beginning phase of movements (e.g., move up in 2 secs), whereas the 0 refers to “no pause”, and the last 2 seconds refers to the end phase (e.g., move back in 2 secs).

We recommend that you try to do > 20 minutes of aerobic walking, 2-3 times per week for the first month. If you find that this is too challenging, do as much as you can. Walk for longer (30+ minutes), 3-4 days per week if you feel you are up to it. It is unnecessary to do > 5 days of aerobic activity per week. Your body requires rest! Stay tuned for more aerobic training instructions and recommendations.

Continue reading for details about your resistance training circuit…