- Sierra Rathbun
Embrace Fitness as a Lifestyle: Edition 5
Welcome to the fifth edition of the Embrace Fitness as a Lifestyle Blog! In this edition we will be covering:
Tempo Training
LMZ Fitness' Story
Sierra Whiskey Fitness News
Tempo Training Approach
What is Tempo Training?
Tempo training is one of my favorite methods to help break lifting plateaus and promote hypertrophy. Simply put, tempo training is focused on controlling rep speed using a phased approach. There are 4 phases that include eccentric (lowering the weight), a pause at the bottom, concentric (moving the weight upward), and then another pause at the top. This modality of training allows for the athlete to control the speed of the movement pattern. An emphasis is put on technique by slowing down the movement. I recommend using a low rep and low weight scheme when using tempo training. Trust me, the low weight may seem easy but it is really humbling!
How do I read tempo in a fitness program?
You will see a series of 4 numbers for tempo. Let's break it down!
Example:
An athlete's program calls for a back squat tempo of 4/0/1/0
1st # - eccentric tempo: 4 seconds to reach bottom of squat
2nd # - pause at bottom of the lift: no pause at bottom of squat
3rd # - concentric tempo: 1 second to upward movement to reach top of squat
4th # - pause at the top of a lift – no pause at the top of squat
LMZ Fitness Story
One of my favorite home gym accounts is LMZ Fitness. I recently connected with LMZ to find out how Luke, Madison, and Zoe embrace fitness as a lifestyle. Check out the interview below!
About you:
What is your name and what do you do for a career?
My name is Luke, along with Madison and Zoe (our 34 lbs pup). We are called LMZ Fitness Garage Gym on YouTube and Instagram. I (Luke) am a 6th grade English teacher, and Madison teaches 4th grade! I have been teaching for 8 years, and Madison has been teaching for 6 years now.
What are your hobbies?
I would say my hobby is creating content out of my garage gym for YouTube and Instagram along with traveling. Madison’s favorite hobbies are crafting, traveling, and reading.
What is your favorite food?
My favorite food would be pizza. Madison’s favorite food is pasta. Zoe favorite is a pup cup from Starbucks and peppers!
What is your favorite life quote?
My favorite quote will always be (very cheesy): “you only live once.” We always said this as kids, but it’s the truth. You have to live life to the fullest! Madison’s favorite life quote is: “In a world through which I travel, I am endlessly creating myself.”
Embracing Fitness as a Lifestyle:
What is your program or training style of choice that keeps you active?
Madison and I think that strength training is our favorite way to stay healthy and active Pull, Pull, Leg, and Full body is how I like to train for my 4 days a week. Currently, Madison is doing an upper/lower split 4 times a week. Zoe enjoys long walks around the neighborhood and lots of toy time in the house!
What is your strategy to incorporate balanced nutrition into your day to day life?
Both me and Madison are all about getting in our daily fruits, veggies, carbs, and protein daily. We do not track our foods, but we try to be conscious about what we eat. On the weekends, we are not as strict and let loose! We both agree it’s all about balance in life!
How do you stay motivated to continuously embrace fitness as a lifestyle?
I would say the main thing is finding a program that works best for your fitness goals first. After that, you set aside the certain days of the week you want to train, from there, it’s all about being disciplined and consistent. I’ve worked out for 15 years, and Madison has for almost 5 years now, so we really made it a consistent habit that we truly embrace as a huge importance for our mental and physical health.
Do you have any tips for busy professionals struggling?
As someone who runs a YouTube channel and an Instagram page along with being a teacher, I understand the struggles of being busy. My advice is: set a schedule for what needs to be done and stick to it. I have set days for when I post, and I have set days when we film, and we stick to it to make sure we are accomplishing everything. Do not give up on something you’re passionate about; burn out is a real thing, so I truly do think writing things down and scheduling your tasks on specific days will be a huge game changer. I know it had for me and Madison! You got this!
Is there anything else you would like to share?
So, if you’re reading this, subscribe to my YouTube channel: LMZ Fitness Garage Gym. We are trust to reach my monetization goals by December, so every person who subscribes and watches my content helps me reach my goal!
Sierra Whiskey Fitness News
Functional Fitness Course:
I have been working diligently on putting together my first course the last couple of months! It is finally coming to an end and is ready to be launched shortly. I was able to nail down a platform I like called Train Heroic. It is super user friendly and has an app to view workouts on the go! The functional fitness subscription will be an ongoing program. I will update the plan each month with new workouts. The monthly subscription price will be $27 and will include 3 workouts per week.
Now what's next after this? While working on this project, I found that many programs don't take into consideration the impacts of hormonal changes for female athletes during each meso cycle of a training plan. After I gather my research, I will be putting together a training plan that addresses hormonal changes and energy levels in each micro cycle for female athletes. I will cover more details in the next blog.
Macro Cycle = yearly training plan
Meso Cycle = monthly
Micro Cycle = weekly
Home Gym Design:
Home Gym Design services are now live on the website! If you need help building out your fitness space, please visit the link below or DM me with any questions you may have!