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10 Tips to Create Your Best Fitness Routine

Are you tired of always trying to stick to a new fitness routine only to later stop altogether? Perhaps this is because you feel other things get in the way, such as work, family obligations, or maybe you feel you always end up sabotaging yourself and you’re powerless to stop. Below, you’ll find 10 ways to finally stick to a fitness regime that will eventually make a huge difference in your life.

1. Make it Manageable to Start With

Make sure you make your fitness regime easy to begin with. The thing you should be focusing on to start with is not hour long workouts, but just building the habit by working out most days of the week. You can go to the gym, do it outside, or even in your living room – it doesn’t matter. If you just do 5 minutes, do 5 minutes. Do it and stop before it becomes a chore. It doesn’t matter how long it is or what you’re doing really, as long as you’re doing it every day to build that habit.

Building habits is something emphasized in the book ‘Automic Habits’ by James Clear. When you make it easy for yourself, without thinking ‘what’s the point?’, you’ll get used to going and be able to build up from there.

2. Make Sure You Enjoy What You’re Doing

Don’t do something just because you think you should be doing it – do it because you actually enjoy it. It doesn’t matter if it’s Zumba, strength training, or something different. Whatever you do, make sure you like it so much that you want to keep going. Your enjoyment is paramount and one of the only things that will ensure your adherence. If you’re the kind of person who says ‘I don’t like working out at all, no matter the kind of exercise’ then you probably haven’t tried enough. Try different classes and styles of workout to see what you like best.

3. Track Your Progress

Tracking your progress, with the Jefit app, is a really motivating way to see how far you’ve come. This doesn’t mean just looking at aesthetics to track progress. Looking good is just one benefit of a well-designed fitness routine and working out more. You have likely gotten stronger, faster, and healthier too. How can you measure this? Take pictures and measurements then download them into your profile on Jefit. Other motivating ways to keep you on track, test your 1-RM (one repetition maximum), see how fast you can run a mile, test how fast you can row 500 meters, see how heavy you can go on a squat. Pay attention to how you feel day by day. It certainly isn’t all about the way you look!

4. Don’t Aim For Perfection

Aiming for perfection is futile. Perfection does not exist, and nobody can be expected to be perfect. You’re only human, so you will likely have a day off. You’ll likely eat a piece of cake. That’s fine, and even necessary. Balance is key when building a new regime. Being too strict is not healthy, and it’s the reason many people don’t stick to a routine in the long run.

5. Be Realistic About What You Can Do

Don’t tell yourself you must get six workouts in a week if you have kids and a full-time job. That probably won’t happen, at least initially. Some weeks you may be able to do it, and others you may only fit in three workouts. Being flexible and refusing to beat yourself up is key.

6. Set Effective Goals

You won’t meet your goals if they aren’t set properly. For example, a goal to ‘lose 10 pounds’ is not exactly something you can control. You can’t control how fast your body loses weight. Plus, weight is not always an accurate measurement of health. Two people of the same weight may look entirely different. Somebody else may workout for a year and completely recomposition their body, looking a totally different shape, but staying the same weight. Focusing on weight isn’t a great idea. Similarly, a goal to ‘get fitter’ is vague and you can’t really measure it. Better goals in a fitness routine could be:

Consistently workout 3 times a week or more
Do 8 pull ups
Deadlift your own bodyweight

The above goals and similar goals are better because you can control and measure them. You can easily say whether you have completed them or not, and you have far more control over whether you achieve them.

7. Don’t Deprive Yourself

If you want some cake, eat some cake. If your friends are going out for lunch and you really want to go, then go. As this article has mentioned numerous times, it’s all about balance. When you feel deprived, you’re going to crave the thing you’re depriving yourself of even more. This can easily create eating disorders, but at the very least it’ll create a yo-yo dieter who never quite gets to where they want to be.

8. Make Sure You Take Breaks

You can’t workout intensely every single day. It’s not good for your body. The body needs a break, and stress and sleep are two crucial factors in your journey. Make sure you take at least one full day off a week. On days you feel too tired, try a less intense workout, work on your mobility or go for a walk. Listening to your body is so important. Getting 8 hours a night consistently and minimizing stress factors will also help maximize your fitness routine.

9. Act and Think Like the Person You Want to Be

Acting and thinking like the person you want to be can help you to make changes more effortlessly. Visualize the best version of you. How do they walk and talk? Where do they hang out and who with? How do they think? Start mimicking this as often as you can.

10. Find the Right Balance For You

Get rid of that all or nothing mindset – this is about finding a balance that’s right for you. If you eat a burger, you haven’t failed. Not going to the gym because you ate a burger, or eating a multi pack of chocolate bars because you had a few squares just doesn’t make sense. There’s no need to sabotage yourself just because you’re not a robot.

Use the Jefit App to Track Exercise in Your Fitness Routine

Try Jefit app, named best app for 2020 and 2021 by PC Magazine, Men’s Health, The Manual and the Greatist. The app comes equipped with a customizable workout planner and training log. In addition, the app has ability to track data, offer audio cues, and has a feature to share workouts with friends. Take advantage of Jefit’s exercise database for your strength workouts. Visit our members-only Facebook group. Connect with like-minded people, share tips, and advice to help get closer to reaching your fitness goals. Try one of the new interval-based workouts and add it to your weekly training schedule. Stay strong with Jefit as you live your fitness lifestyle.

Want to Build Muscle? Then Try This Popular 3/7 Method

Many gym goers don’t mind working hard if they can ultimately add muscle via the routine they’re on. The popular, and fairly new, 3/7 strength training method does just that! Many of the training programs, however, circulating around gyms don’t always end up building muscle for different reasons. Gym goers, for the most part, understand the need for high intensity and volume (sets x reps. x load). Especially when a building phase is called for in a training plan.

The majority of individuals who workout like to use a traditional sets and repetitions based training program. Meaning, performing a Barbell Squat, is typically done, using 4×6, or four sets of six repetitions, with a few minutes recovery between sets. The 3/7 Method allows you to stay on one piece of equipment, performing more overall sets back-to-back, but in less time.

The Jefit team recently created two new strength programs (free wight and machine) using this type of training protocol. Click the title of each program below to be taken to the specific program.

3/7 Strength Protocol (Advanced, 3-days/week).
Strength Machine 3/7 Method (Intermediate, 3-days/week).

3/7 Method Research Review

Personally, if you really want to know the efficacy of a strength training program, explore the research. If there are research papers published on a topic, like the 3/7 Method, that’s usually a step in the right direction.

In a 2019 study published in the European Journal of Physiology, the 3/7 Method compared well to a more traditional 8×6 program. Stragier and colleagues tested elbow flexor strength using 70 percent of 1-RM. The goal was to test the efficacy of a new strength training method on strength gain, hypertrophy, and neuromuscular fatigability.

The new training protocol (3/7 method) consisted of five sets of an increasing number of repetitions (3 to 7) during successive sets and brief inter-set intervals (15-seconds). This format was repeated two additional times after 150-seconds of recovery compared to a method consisting of eight sets of six repetitions with an inter-set interval of 150-seconds (8 × 6 method). Subjects trained two times per week for a period of 12-weeks.

In a second study (2016), Laurent and colleagues looked at untrained subjects performing Smith Machine Bench Press, twice a week for 8-weeks. Subjects were assigned to one of three groups:

1.) A group that trained the exercise with the 3/7 method.

2.) A group that trained the exercise with 4 sets of 6 repetitions (with 2.5 minutes of rest between sets).

3.) A group that trained the exercise with 8 sets of 6 repetitions (also with 2.5 minutes of rest between sets).

Training Results

In the first study mentioned, the 3/7 and 8 × 6 methods significantly increased both 1-RM load (22.2 ± 7.4 and 12.1 ± 6.6%, respectively) and MVC force. The 3/7 method provided a better training stimulus for strength gain and muscle hypertrophy than the 8 × 6 method.

In the second study, each of the three groups used 70 percent of their 1-RM for bench press. Following the study, the researchers found the 3/7 method increased bench press strength to a greater extent than training with 4 sets of 6 repetitions. Compared to a moderate volume classical method (4 sets of 6 repetitions), the 3/7 method was superior. But, compared to a higher volume classical method (8 sets of 6 repetitions), the 3/7 method wasn’t as effective. However, the 3/7 Method was performed in about a third less time compared to the other groups due to the short (15-seconds) bouts of recovery between sets.

Hopefully these great results that we came across for the 3/7 Method, opens up some eyes and you hopefully give one of the programs above a try. Stay Strong with Jefit!

Use Jefit to Record & Track Your Progress

Try Jefit app, named best app for 2020 and 2021 by PC Magazine, Men’s Health, The Manual and the Greatist. The app comes equipped with a customizable workout planner and training log. The app has ability to track data, offer audio cues, and features to share workouts with friends. Take advantage of Jefit’s exercise database for your strength workouts. Visit our members-only Facebook group. Connect with like-minded people, share tips, and advice to help get closer to reaching your fitness goals. Try one of the new interval-based workouts and add it to your weekly training schedule. Stay strong with Jefit as you live your sustainable fitness lifestyle.

3/7 Method barbell squat bench press build muscle muscle Smith Machine strength program Workout

This is What Happens When You Binge on Added Sugar

We know how much our senses love something sweet but at the same time we’re aware it’s not the best food choice. It’s Summer, though, so it’s ok to eat a little added sugar, right? Like Mom says, “everything in moderation”. Not everyone has the will power or self-control to eat just one though. One statistic that I’ve read shows 74 percent of packaged foods contain added sugar. Even though we have seen a 15 percent decrease in added sugar consumption since 1999, according to government data, the typical person still eats about 94 grams (or 375 calories) on a daily basis (U.S. Department of Agriculture).

If you know you’re the type of person, who has control issues, then it’s probably easier, and healthier, to avoid certain snacks and desserts altogether. After a few weeks you won’t even crave it.

Have you ever wondered what actually happens inside your body when you do go overboard and eat one too many chocolate chips cookies? Feel free to substitute cookies for ice cream, pizza, fast food etc. Whatever your “fix” is. They all have added sugar and maybe knowing more of what happens to your body, will make you pause and think twice about eating it. Let’s note that we’re not talking about one item or a typical portion size. That’s ok. It’s only when you go overboard, on a regular basis, that you should be concerned. This is where diet can begin to affect overall health. If your physician has mentioned that your A1C level is getting high, then you have been warned. Get your house in order or you may end up becoming a diabetic or worse.

How Added Sugar Affects Your Body

We consume food that is high in added sugar on a daily basis.
Carbohydrates are what cause blood sugar to rise. It’s is important to eat protein and fiber with carbohydrates.
The body breaks down carbohydrates into simple sugars and away they go into the bloodstream.
As a result, the body releases insulin, which is a hormone produced by your pancreas.
Insulin’s role is to absorb excess glucose in the blood and stabilize sugar levels.
Insulin helps blood sugar enter the body’s cells so it can be used for energy.
The amount of insulin released usually matches of glucose in the blood stream.
Once insulin does its job, your blood sugar drops again (the result though is you feel “drained” following the sugar rush).
Repeated blood sugar spikes, many times a day, over time leads to an increase in stored body fat (typically around the abs in men & hips in women).
Over time, cells stop responding to all that insulin – because they’ve become insulin resistant.
Finally, your body can’t lower blood sugar effectively leading to type 2 diabetes.

A Few Interesting Facts About Added Sugar

Eating too much sugar initially causes a spike in insulin while elevated, long-term levels can lead to kidney damage.
Added sugar causes a surge in feel-good brain chemicals dopamine and serotonin. So does using certain drugs, like cocaine. When you consume too much added sugar over time, you end up wanting more of it (just like certain drugs). Your body gets addicted to it.
One study of more than 3,500 people found that those who drank 34 ounces (about 1 liter) of water a day were 21 percent less likely to have issues with high blood sugar than those who drank 16 ounces (473 ml) or less a day.
A second study showed subjects who got 17-21 percent of their calories from added sugar had a 38 percent risk of dying from cardiovascular disease compared to those who consumed 8 percent of their calories from added sugar. The risk was more than double for those who consumed 21 percent or more of their calories from added sugar.
Men who consumed 67 grams or more of sugar per day were 23 percent more likely to be diagnosed with depression in a five-year period than men who ate 40 grams or less.
One study from UC San Francisco found that drinking sugary drinks, like soda, ages our body on a cellular level as quickly as cigarettes can.
According to the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA), the average American consumes 156 pounds of added sugar per year.

How Much Added Sugar Should We Eat?

Added sugars can come in more than 60 different forms and it’s hidden in just about everything you eat. Added sugar is found in a wide range of foods, from ketchup to fruit-based yogurt to (sadly) sports drinks like Gatorade. In terms of how much we should eat, the American Heart Association suggests that men consume no more than 150 calories (about 9 teaspoons or 38 grams) of added sugar per day. That is close to the amount in a 12-ounce can of soda. Women should try to eat less than 100 calories (or 25 grams) of added sugar per day. It may seem easy to do but keep in mind a bar of chocolate and a can of soda will already put you at 75 grams.

Keep in mind added sugar is much different than natural sugar found in fruit. It’s fructose, yes, but it also has fiber. This in turn helps release sugar slowly into the blood stream compared to the spike you get after eating half a dozen chocolate chip cookies.

Your Brain on Too Much Sugar

Eating too much added sugar affects just about every cell and organ in the body and the brain is no exception. Previous research indicates that a diet high in added sugar reduces the production of a brain chemical known as brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF). Without BDNF, our brains can’t form new memories and we can’t learn (or remember) much of anything. There is also additional research, published in the journal, Peptides, showing chronic consumption of added sugar dulls the brain’s mechanism for telling you to stop eating.

Hopefully this article sheds more light on the pitfalls of eating too much added sugar. You can pick your poison, it leads to weight loss, brain fog, low energy, oral health issues, you name it. Eating added sugar in moderation is fine. Too much of it though will lead to a multitude of health issues including insulin resistance and type 2 diabetes.

Physical activity and regular strength training makes you more sensitive to insulin, one reason why it’s a cornerstone of diabetes management. Focus on maintaining a healthy bodyweight and body fat level. Basically, living a healthy, sustainable lifestyle will do the trick. It’s the best way to keep blood sugar levels where they need to be.

Use Jefit

Try doing what millions of others have already done, use Jefit as their workout log app. This in turn, will help you meet your fitness goals. By providing an extensive exercise library, you can pick and choose your workouts according to your goals. You can also join our members-only Facebook group where you can connect and interact with your fellow Jefit members. Share your successes, stories, advice, and tips so you learn and grow together. Stay Strong!

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Want Ripped Abs? Decrease Your Added Sugar

There is nothing more upsetting than not getting results after dedicating hours to workout sin the gym and dieting over the course of many months! You pushed the weights regularly, did cardio and improved your diet, but in the end, there was still that unwanted layer of body fat covering your abdominals. It may have been because you did monitor one very important item…added sugar.

Are Doing Sit-ups Enough?

You may wonder why your abs are not showing as much as you would like, especially since you’ve been hitting the gym every other day for months now. A research study at the University of Massachusetts, in 1984, looked at various fitness outcomes of subjects who performed 5,000 sit-ups over the course of a month. Performing hundreds of sit-ups on a daily basis wasn’t enough to lose abdominal fat. The subjects, a group of college students, had body measurements taken as well as a painful muscle biopsy procedure. The subjects body fat didn’t change and not even an inch was lost around the abdominal area by the end of the study. In the end, they had much stronger abs but their body fat and girth remained unchanged.

Many factors can influence the way you look and feel on a daily basis as well as over the course of your lifetime. A healthy, sustainable lifestyle also plays a huge part in how lean you ultimately get. You have probably heard that genetics are also important. True. Don’t forget about physical activity (in and out of the gym), this plays a significant role too. The missing “ingredient” in most exercise plans though is cutting back and monitoring added sugar.

What is Your DASI? Daily Added Sugar Intake

The term, DASI, is an acronym that I coined and stands for daily added sugar intake. It’s an important component of any nutrition program and it’s a game changer for those looking to get ripped abs. For the majority of people, getting a lean, ripped mid-section will be a lifelong challenge. Some never seem to realize that how they fuel their body in turn effects their midsection and abdominal area. This goes well beyond doing a daily plank challenge. Learn from the story of the UMass college students.

Follow These 2-Steps to Get Strong, Ripped Abs

Beware of added sugar in all foods and drinks. How? Start reading food labels and keep track of your daily added sugar. Put yourself on a sugar budget. Eat no more than 150 calories of added sugar a day for men. That’s about 38 grams a day for men and 100 calories or 25 grams a day for women. Carbohydrates (sugar) contain 4 calories per gram. There are two types of sugars, natural sugar and added sugar. Added sugar is hidden in just about everything we eat and drink. Examples of natural sugar are milk and fruit, and unlike added sugar, they contain more fiber, vitamins and minerals. Added sugar has minimal nutrients, basically no fiber, and can quickly raise blood sugar levels like all types of fast food or junk food.

Add a weekly HIIT session on the cardio side, in addition to your weekly strength training sessions. Begin adding intervals into a cardio session or two with bouts of hard work followed by brief periods of recovery and repeat several times. A whole cardio session could be an interval-based workout for 15-20 minutes or you can periodically add it to the cardio work you’re doing now. Any type of cardio will do the trick from jogging, biking, to rowing.

Final Thoughts

Remain focused with your weekly core routine and incorporate the two steps above into your training plan. This will definitely move you in the right direction in terms of getting those long wanted ripped abs. Shaking things up periodically, from the way you have been doing things, is a great way to stimulate not only your body but also your mind. Use the Jefit app to help track your progress and keep you moving toward your goals. Remember, you don’t own it until you right down or record it, so use the app. Good luck Stay Strong!

Use the Jefit App to Record Your Workouts

Try Jefit app, named best app for 2020 and 2021 by PC Magazine, Men’s Health, The Manual and the Greatist. The app comes equipped with a customizable workout planner and training log. The app has ability to track data, offer audio cues, and features to share workouts with friends. Take advantage of Jefit’s exercise database for your strength workouts. Visit our members-only Facebook group. Connect with like-minded people, share tips, and advice to help get closer to reaching your fitness goals. Try one of the new interval-based workouts and add it to your weekly training schedule. Stay strong with Jefit as you live your sustainable fitness lifestyle.

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Allow Your Body to Recover Like a Professional Athlete

Look no further than NBA or WNBA games and you’ll see athletes using various tools on the sidelines trying to help their bodies recover. Following NFL games, football players are known for taking ice baths, getting massages, hitting the pool and rolling out to aid recovery. Of course, all the critical recovery work begins in the locker room following a game.

Professional teams invest a ton of money on strength & conditioning coaches, nutritionist, massage therapist, yoga gurus, you name it. I have known more than one person who works with professional athletes doing massage. All to help improve performance, yes, but also to help athletes recover from the cumulative stress of practices and games.

Allow your body to recover like a professional athlete. You may not be able to have a cryotherapy chamber in your home like Lebron James does. But you can use the following recovery products regularly, just like he and other athletes do.

Rolling Tools: Foam Roller, Tennis/Lacrosse Balls, T-Pin Vector

There is a great deal of research showing positive outcomes when someone uses a foam roller as a recovery tool. These types of products work on releasing tight, restrictive fascia and muscle. Fascia, along with tendons and ligaments, are what make up the bodies connective tissue. Muscles that are tight are not only an accident waiting to happen, they also impede performance. A tight athlete does not see the field as much as the bench, because they’re usually dealing with injuries.

All of these recovery “tools” mentioned are not very expensive and do a great job helping the body recover. In the long run, you end up getting a lot of bang for your buck with each of these products.

Foam Roller

Foam rollers have been gaining popularity since hitting the mainstream years back thanks to physical therapists. Make a habit of committing time rolling out all your major muscle groups every time you workout. Start by rolling your calf muscles before moving up to the hamstrings, glutes and back. Then flip over and roll the lower leg, quadriceps and chest. Spend about 2-3 minutes rolling out each of these muscle groups at a rate one inch per second. When you come across a tight area, stop rolling and just stay on it, allowing the pressure from your bodyweight and foam roller to knead into the fascia.

Use Tennis, Lacrosse, Golf Balls to Recover

You probably already have a few of these items lying around the house. Grab one of these balls and just sit on it. Try rolling out your tight glutes, eventually transitioning to your side targeting your glute medius. Magic! Right? Next, place two tennis balls in a sock and make sure both balls are tight together. This becomes an instant deep tissue massage product. It works great when you lie on the balls – known as a “peanut” – and rollout your cervical, thoracic and lumbar areas. Let the balls push into or knead your paraspinal muscles (also known as your erector spinae). Rollout about an inch/second, traveling from your cervical down to your lumbar spine area. As you hit a tight area (“trigger point”), stop, breath and relax into it, and hang out there for a few minutes before proceeding. You may need to commit more time initially using these tools in order to bring back your body to its original “healthy” state.

T-Pin Vector

This is a favorite product for a lot of people. The T-Pin Vector might not be very big (pictured above on the right) but it is ideal for getting into small, tight areas on your body. This product also works amazingly well when targeting the neck and feet, say bye-bye to plantar fasciitis.

Recovery Tools: Massage Guns, Heating Pads, Compression Sleeves

Massage Guns

Massage guns are one of the hottest recovery tools on the market today. I have personally tried a few, like Theragun and Hyperice (pictured above left). To get the most benefit, use them as part of your dynamic warm-up prior to a workout as well as post workout to help promote recover. Hyperice also has a great app associated with their products that include informational tutorials from industry experts like Kelly Starret, DPT.

Heating Pads & Wraps

Heating pads can used to promote blood flow to help release tight, stiff areas of the body. Some companies like, Hyperice, have even combined heat with vibration technology found in their line of Venom products (above right photo).

Compression Sleeves

You have seen runners, basketball players and others wear compression sleeves on either their arm and/or leg. A leg compression sleeve basically uses graduated pressure to aid in easing discomfort and pain. They are an effective treatment for restless leg syndrome, shin splints, leg cramps, plantar fasciitis, among other conditions.

Many different companies have now gotten into the game following the same premise but offering more high tech. Some products like Hyperice Normatec (pictured above middle) is bluetooth connected, offers seven different intensity levels, and you can customize the areas of the body part regarding time and pressure.

We have introduced just a few products that can help your body recover that are popular in the fitness industry today. There are many other traditional and high tech products that are also available depending on your budget. For those looking to keep it simple, though, you can stick to cryotherapy (ice bucket, ice packs or ice baths post workout). In addition, use a foam roller often as a preventative measure and don’t forget about a really beneficial, old school treatment. It is typically for your feet but also great for the entire body, an Epsom salt soak mixed in warm water. This product is inexpensive, works wonders after a long run, after a tough workout or when you’re on your feet all day.

Try the Award-Winning Jefit App

Try Jefit app, named best app for 2020 and 2021 by PC Magazine, Men’s Health, The Manual and the Greatist. The app comes equipped with a customizable workout planner and training log. The app has ability to track data, offer audio cues, and features to share workouts with friends. Take advantage of Jefit’s exercise database for your strength workouts. Visit our members-only Facebook group. Connect with like-minded people, share tips, and advice to help get closer to reaching your fitness goals. Try one of the new interval-based workouts and add it to your weekly training schedule. Stay strong with Jefit as you live your sustainable fitness lifestyle.

connective tissue foam roller Hyperice product massage guns plantar fasciitis recover recovery recovery products t-pin vector Theragun

Muscle Growth Requires: Intake, Timing and Distribution of Protein

Many Jefit app users spend a lot of time working hard in the gym, lifting the appropriate amount of weight to progressively overload their muscles. Additional focus is also placed on optimal sleep and nutrition. With all that, they may still have trouble building lean muscle mass, commonly known as a “hard gainer.”

Key to Muscle Growth? Protein Intake, Timing and Distribution

Preventing sarcopenia can be a serious challenge for the majority of people over the age of 35. Performing 2-3 weekly strength training sessions can help your cause. Also, eating a balanced diet with adequate protein are essential components. Finally, eating an additional 500 calories a day will keep your body in an anabolic state. Still having trouble adding muscle? Monitor the amount of daily protein as well as how it’s distributed throughout your day.

Protein Research

Building muscle requires adequate daily protein intake. Research has demonstrated eating protein every three hours, on your strength training days, is needed to build muscle. A 2013 study by Areta and colleagues, published in the Journal of Physiology, showed this to be true. Consuming 20 grams of whey protein every 3-hours, over 12-hours, following strength training, showed superior results for stimulating muscle protein synthesis. The key differences in the study were the timing and distribution pattern of the whey protein. The findings of this novel study were:

“the results from the study provide new information demonstrating the timing and distribution of protein ingestion is a key factor in stimulating rates muscle protein synthesis.”
“this study emphasizes that the timing of protein intake is a separate variable and a crucial factor in the development of optimal nutritional strategies to maintain and/or enhance peak muscle mass in humans.”
Journal of Physiology

A study published in the Journal Nutrients in 2020 by Hudson and colleagues looked at additional protein requirements. The results supported eating at least one meal containing a sufficient quantity of protein. This applies to all adults already consuming 0.8 – 1.3 grams of protein a day. This in turn, helps stimulate muscle protein synthesis, independent of daily distribution, and is helpful in promoting skeletal muscle health. The study went on to mention that the researchers believe there has been a shift in thinking about dietary protein requirements. Their belief is it has gone from a daily requirement to an individual meal requirement. As an example, eating 30 grams of protein per meal, plus one protein shake, would equate to 120 grams a day.

References

Areta JL, Burke LM, Ross ML et al. (2013). Timing and distribution of protein ingestion during prolonged recovery from resistance exercise alters myofibrillar protein synthesis. Journal of Physiology 591(9): 2319–2331

Hudson, JL et al., (2020). Protein Distribution and Muscle-Related Outcomes: Does the Evidence Support the Concept? Nutrients 12(5): 1441. doi: 10.3390/nu12051441

Try Jefit App

Try Jefit app, named best app for 2020 and 2021 by PC Magazine, Men’s Health, The Manual and the Greatist. The app comes equipped with a customizable workout planner and training log. The app has ability to track data, offer audio cues, and features to share workouts with friends. Take advantage of Jefit’s exercise database for your strength workouts. Visit our members-only Facebook group. Connect with like-minded people, share tips, and advice to help get closer to reaching your fitness goals. Try one of the new interval-based workouts and add it to your weekly training schedule. Stay strong with Jefit as you live your sustainable fitness lifestyle.

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6 Most Popular Jefit Strength Machine Exercises

According to Jefit, an award-winning strength planner & tracker app, the most popular strength training machines based on member usage are as follows. These six exercises have all been added to workouts on the app between 1.3 and 1.6 million times. The six exercise, starting with Wide Grip Lat Pulldown, can all be found below. Adding these six exercises to the mix with a few other of your favorite exercises would make a great full body strength program.

Id	Name	Bodypart	Equipment	Popularity
86	Wide Grip Lat Pulldown	Back	Machine – Strength	1,663,167
24	Dip	Triceps	Machine – Strength	1,553,837
160	Prone Leg Curl	Upper Legs	Machine – Strength	1,479,854
78	Decline Crunch	Abs	Machine – Strength	1,351,466
159	Cable Rope Triceps Pushdown	Triceps	Machine – Strength	1,324,182
45	Machine Fly	Chest	Machine – Strength	1,305,333

Most Popular Strength Machine Exercises on the Jefit App

1. Wide Grip Lat Pulldown

The wide-grip lat pulldown is one of the classic bodybuilding exercises used to help build a stronger back. It is a staple exercise in many Jefit strength programs not only because of its versatility, but the fact that it’s also a great compound movement that targets the back.

2. Dip

A good test of upper body strength? The ability to push out a few sets of dips. Try performing 6-8 slow, controlled repetitions using bodyweight with good form. Once you have mastered this, progress to weighted dips, a challenging exercise that can build strength and muscle mass in your chest, triceps, shoulders, and back.

3. Prone Leg Curl

Machine-based leg curls are a great exercise when looking to isolate just the hamstring muscles. With that said they are not the most functional exercise. For more total leg compound movements, but where the hamstrings still come into play, try Squats, Deadlifts and RDL exercises, especially a SLRDL.

4. Decline Crunch

The decline crunch is the fourth most popular exercise where a machine or piece of exercise equipment is used. The decline crunch exercise allows you to keep your legs steady and isolate your core muscles.

5. Cable Rope Triceps Pushdown

The cable rope triceps pushdown exercise uses a rope to help target the triceps muscle for better definition and bigger arms.

6. Machine Fly

The machine fly or butterfly machine exercise is an easy, effective way to target your chest and inner chest muscles.

When the time comes that you need to update or create a new Jefit strength program, consider these six popular exercises. More than a million gym goers have already done so!

Use Jefit to Track Your Progress

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New JeFit App Feature: Group Exercise Contest

JeFit is offering a Group Exercise Contest using their award-winning strength training & planning app. The format is basically the same as any previous individual contest. The group contest, though, can have 2-5 people in a group to compete against other groups. The contest will focus on using Jefit app iron points system.

Jefit Group Contest Requirements

First, make sure you have the latest version of the Jefit app before joining the contest (iOS version 11.1 or newer and Android version 10.89 or newer). Also, you can manually force an update to version 11.1 from the app store if it’s not available yet.

The purpose of the group exercise contest is to help users form a good workout habit, connect with friends and family while working out, or help their family and friends resume workouts as many gyms re-open.
The group contest begins July 15, 2021.
The contest will run for 3 months
Results, including team score and ranking, will be updated on a daily basis.
Only admin user (the creator of the group) can join the contest.
If admin leaves the contest, the second user will become the admin.
Jefit will still have the individual contest, but each user only can join one of the contests.
The same rules apply using the iron points system.

Group Contest Features

The theme is basically the same as the current individual contest using iron points system.
All JeFit users can join either the group or individual contest.
Use total iron points earned during the contest to rank groups.
Contest group: Limit to only 5 members in each group, and will need at least 2 members to start the contest.
All members can send join group invites, and one user can receive multiple invites.
All users can switch between individual and group contests with iron points that they earned during the contest, but can only join one at the time.
Regular group: Users can join unlimited regular groups, and no member limit in each group.

Contest Rewards

Group Exercise Contest Rewards: (for all members in the group)
Top 1-3: Will receive a 1-year of Jefit Elite
Top 4-10: Will receive 6 months of Elite

Award-Winning Jefit App

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Take Advantage of Jefit’s 11-Year Anniversary Sale

The award-winning Jefit app is offering a 50 percent discount on the Elite version of their app to celebrate their 11-year anniversary. A full list of Elite features can be found below and here. You can take advantage of this fantastic offer which runs for 24-hours, beginning midnight on Wednesday (PST). When you upgrade from the free version to Elite you can expect the following added features:

Ads-Free
Pro Exercise Tips
Elite Badge
Exclusive Programs
Quick Swap Exercise Feature
Store Unlimited Workouts
Advanced Training Analytics
Tools for Improvement
Customized Training & Progress Reports
Printer Friendly Format for Routines & Workout Summaries
Access to Priority Support
Workout Summaries

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Back to the Gym: Two New Jefit Strength Programs

It has been over a year in the making, and all of a sudden there are many more happy people around. The reason is because gyms are open again! Now gym goers can get back to what they love doing, sweating in the gym. Jefit, an award winning strength training planning & tracking app, is trying to do their part. They have developed two new strength training programs to help everyone ease back into the swing of it at the gym, health club or home.

The two new programs the Jefit team recently created are the 3-Day Split Program and Dumbbell Full Body Workout. The first program is an off-shoot from a workout published by Jefit a few years back with a similar name. That particular program is the most viewed and downloaded strength training program in Jefit’s 11-year history.

Take a look at both of these free training programs and download one now. Give it a try to help get back in shape for your mid Summer push. Let us also know what you think of each program. For best results, stick to each strength program for 4-6 week following the prescribed number of training days.

Two of the Many New Jefit Strength Programs

3-Day Split Program

This is a 3-day split routine. It is considered an intermediate level strength programs.

This program builds off the original 3-day Split Routine published by Jefit a few years ago. That routine, by the way, is the most viewed and downloaded program in Jefit’s 11-year history.

In this new, updated, 3-Day Split Program, you’ll work each major muscle group at least once throughout the week. The idea is to make sure your training volume is high to ensure you sufficiently overload each muscle group.

There is also an optional 4th workout session, in this program, that targets two body parts twice. Keep in mind it’s optional.

The routine is split by specific muscle groups on various days:

Chest & Triceps: Day 1

Back & Biceps: Day 2

Legs & Core: Day 3

Optional Workout: Day 4 (Repeat one from above each week)

You have the option of repeating one workout (listed above) twice during each week that you’re on the program. Jefit recommend following the strength programs for 4-6 weeks.

For example, in the first week, you can repeat chest and triceps again on day 4, in order to target these areas twice. The following week, add in back and biceps a second time. Finally in week 3: work legs and core twice.

Each week, you’ll complete a 10-minute bout of cardio post workout on day 3 (legs and core).

DB Full Body Workout

This 3-day dumbbell strength plan is for a beginner or intermediate level gym-goer. Each of the three weekly sessions include nine exercises. The average workout time is about 50-minutes. Each day also includes multiple supersets to help you get through each workout session a bit faster.

Use Jefit to Plan & Track All Your Workouts

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3 Reasons Exercise Form is a Priority Over Lifting Heavy

We see it at least once every time we’re working out at the gym. Someone is lifting heavy weights, which is a good thing, but exercise form and technique is lacking. Is good form more important than lifting heavy? Both are needed of course, and with the right mindset, both can be an integral part of a workout. Here are three reasons why it’s so important to use good form and technique each time you workout.

You’re Only a Rep Away from Getting Injured

Executing proper form during each repetition with every set of each exercise, is important mainly because of one word…injury. Mastering technique for each lift you perform, in the gym or at home, will help keep injuries at bay. If for no other reason, this one is a big one. The last thing you want is to pull a back muscle during a deadlift or strain a shoulder pushing weight overhead. Rounding your back while executing a deadlift or squat will do exactly that! Good form, proper body mechanics, and core stabilization during any lift, will improve the efficiency of the movement and help to prevent an injury.

Improper Form Recruits Other Muscle Groups into Play

An exercise like a barbell biceps curl is not meant to be a total body lift. When someone uses momentum, swinging the upper body, in order to “assist” in curling the weight, it takes away from working the biceps fully (100%). Another exercise that is often performed using improper form is the bench press. You can feel that low back arching off the bench as you read this. Any time someone uses improper form during a lift, especially during an isolation movement, that area will not get worked efficiently as it would with perfect form.

Good Exercise Form Helps You Reach Goals Faster

It takes someone typically much longer to reach their fitness goals when improper form is continually used. Not to mention, that person usually has to deal with a higher rate of injury. Using proper form places your muscle in perfect alignment, and from this vantage point, the muscle is able to generate the highest amount of force. This in turn, can potentially increase strength at a faster rate while reaching your fitness goals quicker, like hitting a new 1-RM.

It is your call but using good form when lifting heavy continues to beneficial in regard goals faster and avoiding injuries.

Use Jefit to Record and Track Your Strength Training Workouts

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3 Reasons Better Sleep Can Improve Your Fitness

Working to achieve peak fitness is an effort that never ends. As soon as you reach your goals, there is always going to be the question of either maintaining them, or setting new ones to hit. In among all of that, there are the marginal improvements you can make when it comes to getting the most out of your potential. For example: while we all know about the importance of diet and exercise when it comes to reaching your peak, how much attention do you pay to the – arguably equally important – issue of sleep?

Sleep isn’t just a way to recuperate energy at the end of a long day; the quality and the quantity of rest you get at this crucial time has major implications for your health, both physically and mentally. Also, when it comes to your improvements in the gym, you’d be surprised just how influential a decent night’s sleep can be in the mix.

If You’re Not Sleeping, You’re Not Gaining Muscle

The physical process of building muscle is, in its simplest form, actually kind of brutal. To achieve this goal, you are literally breaking down the muscle (micro tears), then letting it heal, forming stronger fibrous bonds. This healing does not happen immediately, but actually takes place overnight, particularly while you are sleeping. In other words, if you’re not sleeping, you won’t get the most of your muscle building workout. You’ll also find that the next time you hit the gym, you won’t be able to do quite as much as before.

Sleep and exercise exist in a tandem, in which each benefits the other and gives the best results for both. Not only that, when you get a good night’s sleep, your body will produce the optimum amount of growth hormone, which is essential in delivering the benefits you want.

Quality of Sleep Matters as Much as Quantity

You’ll surely know how it feels to wake up in the morning, having bedded down at a perfectly reasonable hour but then been assaulted by insomnia, snatching an hour of sleep here and a few minutes there in between tossing and turning and occasionally looking helplessly at the ceiling. Nothing feels quite right in the light of day after a night like that – you’ll be grouchy, your energy won’t be there, and even a gym session will not shake that weird feeling.

There are no sure-fire cures for insomnia, but there are a few things you can do to make it less likely. Leave your phone alone for at least an hour before bed; for that matter eliminate all TV and other screen time. In addition, meditation, has been shown to have a positive affect on insomnia. There are other things that you can do as well, but those are a few highly beneficial ones.

Exercise Can Help You Sleep: So That’s Good

While a good night’s sleep is beneficial for getting the most from your workout, there is a bit of good news to be had here. The reverse is also true – if you have a regular exercise routine, it should benefit the quality and quantity of sleep you are getting. As long as your diet regime is well-judged (so lots of clean proteins and as little caffeine as possible), your workout should burn plenty of excess energy, leaving you feeling pleasantly spent at the end of a day and ready for a night of uninterrupted sleep.

It’s great if your workout makes you feel pumped and full of fire, but that hyped-up feeling should be left in the gym. If you’re still experiencing the side effects of adrenaline while you’re getting ready to hit the hay, then there is a problem. A regime of light stretches at the end of every routine should allow you to get some equilibrium before you get in the shower.

Sleep is of vital importance to any fitness regime, and to all aspects of your physical and mental health. If you find that you are struggling for that essential restful sleep when you go to bed at night, then take every effort to find a way of improving things; including speaking to a doctor if it becomes chronic. Sleeping well is a foundational building block to everything else in life, and is the most important thing in any wellness routine. By following the above advice and working as hard as you can to establish that routine, you’ll see the best results both in the gym and beyond.

Use the Jefit App to Track Your Workouts

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