Conquer Fitness Beginner Course
Conquer Fitness Beginner Course
Conquer Fitness Beginner Course
There are about 600 muscles in the human body with various functions. We are
going to look at the major group of skeletal muscles as they are the ones to
allow movement of the human and the human body.
As this course is for beginners you don’t need to know all the functions of every
muscle. We are going to give you short and precise information just to know
the basic functions of the muscles.
1. The biceps is a muscle on the front part of the upper arm. The biceps include
a “short” and “long” head. The main function of the biceps is the flexion and
supination (outward rotation) of the forearm.
2.The triceps primary function is extending the forearm at the elbow joint,
which opposes the action of the flexors. The triceps’ has long, medial and
lateral heads.
3. The main function of this chest muscle as a whole is the adduction and
internal rotation of the arm on the shoulder joint.
4. The shoulder muscles are responsible for maintaining the widest range of
motion of any joint in your body.
Holding the bones of your shoulder joint in place.
Moving your arms up, down, forward and backward.
Protecting your shoulder joint.
Rotating your shoulder joint.
5. The forearm muscles work together to move the elbow, forearm, wrist, and
digits of the hand.
6. Your back muscles are the main structural support for your trunk (torso).
These muscles help you move your body, including your head, neck, shoulders,
arms and legs. Your back muscles work together to allow you to bend over,
twist, turn your head and extend your back.
7. The abdominal muscles (abs) support the trunk, allow movement and hold
organs in place by regulating internal abdominal pressure.
8. The thigh muscles allow the lower body to bend, flex and rotate. They also
bear most of the body’s weight and keep the hips and legs aligned, in addition
to providing and assisting with balance.
9. Your calf muscle supports you when you are in a standing position and
enables you to move your foot and your lower leg. It propels (pushes) you
forward when you walk or run. It also allows you to jump, rotate your ankle,
flex your foot and “lock” your knee.
10. The gluteal muscles are important for a variety of activities including
walking, standing on one leg, and walking up the stairs.
Why is it important to warm up the muscles ?
The warmup should be specified for the muscle group (or groups) that you are
going to be exercising. You should focus on it but always do a full-body warm-
up before every workout or physical activity. For example, if you train legs you
should do a full-body warm-up with a focus on the legs.
The warm-up should start with gentle exercise as it continues to more dynamic
ones. As you do this you prepare the body for the stress that it is going to get
when you start your workout. Focus on dynamic stretching as it allows you to
do full motion range on the exercises through your workout. That will lead to
better results and most importantly prevent injuries.
You can do static stretches at the end of your workout which is good for
cooling down the muscles from the exercises.
Example of a warmup.
Start with walking and then proceed to jog as that will increase heart rate and
production of energy. After that start with stretching - leg and arm swings,
shoulder circles (introductory exercises) and then proceed to more intense
ones like burpees jacks, squats, lunges, etc.
Training volume - volume, muscle overload and muscle overtraining
What is the training volume and what volume should beginners use?
Muscle overload is putting muscles under greater stress than they’re used to.
There are different ways to increase muscle overload:
Increase exercises
Increase the weight amount
Increase the sets amount
Increase the rep's amount
Increase the training of muscle group (ex: from 2 to 3 times a week)
Reduce rest time between sets
Pump the muscle until full exhauster
Training volume - volume, muscle overload and muscle overtraining
What is overtraining?
It is a wonderful day outside and you have decided to go to the gym and
workout. You enter and there are so many machines, stands, and fitness
equipment that you don’t know which one is right for you to use and why it is
right for you. We are here to help you make the right decisions for your journey
to becoming a better version of yourself.
For a beginner, it's really hard to know how to start working out and get the
wanted results. That’s why we provide you with the most concise, accurate and
understandable information in order to achieve your goals with no problem.
Remember don’t take third-person workout plans, because everybody has
different needs. Now let's explain the basics.
Breathing
Technique
Load ( how much kg are we lifting)
Rest
Tempo.
Firstly, without breathing properly we limit the oxygen that our body needs
to exist. Many of our clients, in the beginning, suffer from a shortage of
breath and agility. However, through our 7 years of experience, we
understood that one way to tackle this problem is to focus on the breathing
of our clients.
Remember at the starting point of the movement you need to breathe in
and at the last point of the movement, you need to breathe out.
Our advice would be to keep a journal for reps/kgs and techniques to keep
improving your skills.
Thirdly, DO NOT EGO LIFT. Every decision that you make needs to be based
on data. By not tracking your progression and directly jumping into huge
loads you risk your life.
Giving your muscle some time to recover from the stress that just attracted
your nervous system is important!
Once again if you don’t give yourself a break you might injure yourself.
Rest can be seen also as a time that you can use to stay hydrated because
that’s how your performance will remain in shape.
If you lift heavy and you manage to do only 1 to 3 reps, you have to rest
from 1:30 seconds up to 3 minutes
Important advice here would be to stick to low rep sets if you lift heavy
during your compound lifts.
Lastly, we are going to speak about tempo. By slowing down the tempo,
combining it with proper breathing technique and squeezing the muscles
you can achieve better results than lifting a heavy load faster.
It is scientifically proven that the slower tempo makes bigger damage to the
muscle which results in a bigger chance of gaining lean muscle mass.
If you are a beginner and you don’t have much knowledge we would advise
you to focus on body weight exercises that will trigger multiple muscle
groups.
Example exercises :
Burpee
Push-ups
Pull-ups
Squats
Dips
Hip thrust
If you feel like you need more help with making your personalised workout
plan sign up for a call with us and let’s conquer your dreams.
Chapter Summary
Our body is a complex machine with more than 600 muscles. Every muscle
has a unique function in our body. It’s highly important to perform dynamic
stretching before every workout of yours.
Adding more weight and more exercises don’t guarantee gains. You have to
consider multiple factors. Focus on compound lifting if you want better
results and a well-balanced physique. Focus on tempo, rest, hydration and
breathing to conquer your dreams!
2.
Nutrition
"Exercise is king, nutrition is Queen, put them together, and
you've got a kingdom." - Anonymous
Our body is like a machine. From time to time we need to put some fuel inside
the machine in order to operate more smoothly. Indeed, that is the case with
our food. The food that is being consumed on a daily basis contains energy or
so-called “calories”.
Finally, our liver drains the leftovers from the macro and nutrients and spreads
them among the different cells in our body. The rest of the consumed food is
being thrown away from our bodies.
After understanding how digestion and energy absorption work, let's take a
look at the consequences of malnutrition (1)
Weight loss
Loss of fat and muscle mass
Hollow cheeks and sunken eyes
A swollen stomach
Dry hair and skin
Delayed wound healing
Difficulty concentrating
Fatigue
Irritability
Depression and anxiety
Consequences of Overnutrition
According to Streit (2018), obesity and overweight are the most common signs
of overnutrition.
However, it can also result in nutrient deficiencies. People who are overweight
or obese are more likely than those who are of normal weight to have
insufficient intake and low blood levels of certain vitamins and minerals,
according to the research. Obese people's blood levels of vitamins A and E were
2–10 % lower than normal-weight participants, found in a study involving 285
adolescents.
This is likely since fast and processed foods, which are high in calories and fat
but low in other nutrients, can contribute to obesity and overweight.
Additionally, a study with over 17,000 adults and children discovered that
those who ate fast food had significantly lower intakes of vitamins A and C, as
well as higher calorie, fat, and sodium consumption, than those who did not
eat this type of food.
Are there any healthy foods? What is the best diet? Which meals should I
avoid?
Example:
Coach Georgi focuses mostly on macronutrient protein in order to fill
satisfaction and reduce food cravings. Moreover, his focus is pointed at this
specific macronutrient, because of his desire to build strength and muscle
mass.
However, that doesn't mean that he is not eating carbs and healthy fats.
The correlation between working out and eating
Now let’s take one athlete for the sake of the example.
The athlete needs to focus on the macronutrient carbs because he needs the
energy out of it. All the athletes and other extremely physically active people
focus on the macronutrient carbohydrate in order to boost performance and
build stamina.
For athletes, it is very important to not eat heavy meals like coach Georgi to
perform better at their practices or competitions.
It might help you to understand your focus by writing down your goal
regarding any physical activity.
If you struggle with that make sure to contact us via Instagram or email. Let’s
conquer your dreams, together!
A nutritional plan is being created with a specific mission ( reduce fat, build
muscle, improve heart functionality, reduce blood pressure, etc.)
Our bodies and goals are different!
Team Conquer suggests finding what works for you! Don’t try a third-person
program unless it is suitable for you.
The role of the macronutrients and the micronutrients in our body
Protein is our building muscle mass macronutrient. They help us build our
muscles, organs and bones. They are essential for our recovery either in the
gym or outside of it. Furthermore, they are crucial for the creation and
maintenance of hormones.
After every heavy workout, we do have the so-called anabolic window which
helps us to build muscle. However, if we don’t consume protein after the
workout a process called protein dissolving would arise which will make us lose
muscle.
Meat
Beans
Legumes
Tofu
Tempeh
Protein shakes
Cottage cheese
Milk
Eggs
Fats are the 2nd energy source in our body. The fats help for the signals that
are being sent constantly between our cells.
As a result of that consuming healthy fats is key to managing most of the
complex processes in our body. A common mistake is being made when we
want to lose weight by limiting our fat intake drastically.
Humus
Dark chocolate - above 75 %
Avocado
Olive oil
Peanut butter
Chia seeds
The role of the macronutrients and the micronutrients in our body
Carbohydrate is the 1st energy source in our body. Thanks to the carbs, we
form glucose which helps us look bigger, feel stronger and perform better.
Examples of food rich in carbohydrates :
Wholegrain pasta
Wholegrain bread
Sweet potatoes
Potatoes
Fruits
Veggies
Oats
Tracking will enable you to be both more precise and critical with your energy
intake.
Besides the common-sense benefits such as knowing how many calories you need
to bulk/cut or maintain, this process can also teach you to prioritize, explore food
and create greater diversity of meals.
Furthermore, consistency, as well as time management, are being developed as
well. Additionally, measuring your intake can build help you build your system in
the kitchen and in your life.
Lastly, tracking your calories could bring to the table some financial knowledge
due to budget limitations from time to time.
The role of the macronutrients and the micronutrients in our body
Examples :
Calculations :
176 *14 = 2,464 kcal minimum for maintaining these 80 kg.
176* 16 = 2 816 kcal maximum for maintaining these 80 kg.
The role of the macronutrients and the micronutrients in our body
Simple right?
Now let’s take a female which is 60kg who is very lightly active and wants to
lose weight.
Once again 60kg * 2.2 = 132 lb. Afterwards, we multiply 132 by 10 and 12 to
understand the minimum and maximum calories that she should eat to lose
weight
In our opinion, there isn’t any need for any strict restrictions or measures to
achieve your dreams. Finding balance is the key to nutrition.
By making tasty, nutritious and mindful choices we set up the first part of our
staircase. It is important to be able to enjoy the food that you are consuming to
stick easier to your diet.
Take popcorn, for example, one cup-handed palm equals 120 kcals.
Every time you make a conscious decision the chance of succeeding is rising.
However, that does not mean that you can’t have cheat meals once a week.
Something incredibly important not only for your nutritional journey but for
life, in general, is habit formation and consistency. We would like to share
some habits that can make you conquer your dreams, TODAY!
The role of the macronutrients and the micronutrients in our body
Start with writing down what you want/need to eat at a certain time.
Step 3 will be to cook your meal - it can be smoked, grilled, made on a pan,
boiled or prepared in the oven.
Make sure to use a lot of cooking methods and seasoning to fully enjoy your
meal and take the maximum of it.
Our body needs to keep up with the food that we are consuming. The body
(hormones ) needs to keep up with our tempo of eating because then we can
feel way more satisfied from the amount of food that we ate. Therefore, you
won’t surpass your daily calories. Lastly, the nutrients are being absorbed from
the body easier if we chew more and let the strew fully wet the food.
The role of the macronutrients and the micronutrients in our body
Talking from experience we can’t track our food during our entire life. We track
our food to understand what benefits it contains, how we can implement
certain meal in our diet and when to consume it. After building the habit of
doing mindful decisions it will be way easier for you to stick to your plan( bulk,
cut or maintain).
Chapter Summary
in this chapter, we learned the importance of having a clear goal.
You managed to understand the importance of proper nutrition by preventing
over and undernutrition.
We are sure now that from the previous 2 chapters you get to know your body
and the food that you are eating even better. However, now we will show you
the additional factors that are constantly playing a role in your development
and well-being.
Sleep is one of the most essential and natural processes in our body. Without
it, we can’t exist for a very long time. The shortage of sleep can bring a lot of
chronicle and mental illnesses. Additionally, hallucinations can arrive as well.
This unique process helps us maintain our normal hormonal levels, and brain
activity and it helps us lose some weight. Furthermore, it plays a crucial role in
our recovery and muscle-building processes as well. Sleep also reduces stress
and maintains our championship mentality.
Now you may ask yourself, what makes our sleep optimal and how much it
should be?
Well, the answer is simple.
Make sure to have deep sleep between 7 to 8 hours per night. Try to reduce the
lights in your room and make sure to have some fresh air before going to sleep.
If you want to learn more about sleep you can always contact one of our
coaches at Conquer Fitness in order to improve your sleep, body or maybe even
your mentality.
Other factors that have an impact on our performance and general living
This inhibited process saved our ancestors from great dangers. Furthermore,
stress made some of the greatest historical events reality. As a result of that,
we want you to embrace the stress. Something good to remember of course is
the different types of stress.
The other type of stress can reflect on things such as emotional pain, and
arguing with friends/lovers/family. Stress derived from work might also have
some negative effects on our sleep, day-to-day activities, mood, performance
and motivation.
Stress on the other side can lead to a lot of mental health issues as well as high
blood pressure and fastening heartbeats.
Remember balance is the key to success! If you want to know more about
how to have a great balance in your day-to-day activities contact one of our
coaches, today!
References :
Abdominal muscles - Better Health Channel. (n.d.). Better Health Channel.
https://www.betterhealth.vic.gov.au/health/conditionsandtreatments/abdominal-muscles
Cleveland Clinic. (n.d.). Back Muscles: Anatomy and Function of Upper, Middle & Lower Back.
Retrieved July 23, 2021, from https://my.clevelandclinic.org/health/body/21632-back-muscles
Cleveland Clinic. (n.d.-b). Calf Muscle: Anatomy, Function and Common Conditions. Retrieved
May 8, 2021, from https://my.clevelandclinic.org/health/body/21662-calf-muscle
Cleveland Clinic. (n.d.-b). Thigh Muscles: Anatomy, Function & Common Conditions. Retrieved
October 13, 2021, from https://my.clevelandclinic.org/health/body/21936-thigh-muscles
Hecht, M. (2020, April 17). Anatomy of the Shoulder Muscles Explained. Healthline.
https://www.healthline.com/health/shoulder-muscles
Janssen I, Heymsfield SB, Wang Z, Ross R. Skeletal muscle mass and distribution in 468 men
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References :
Mitchell, B., & Whited., L. (n.d.). NCBI - WWW Error Blocked Diagnostic. National Library of
Medicine. Retrieved July 26, 2021, from https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/books/NBK536975/
Skeletal Muscle: What Is It, Function, Location & Anatomy. (n.d.). Cleveland Clinic.
https://my.clevelandclinic.org/health/body/21787-skeletal-muscle
Tiwana, M. S., Sinkler, M. A., & Bordoni, B. B. (2021.–08-06). NCBI - WWW Error Blocked
Diagnostic. National Library of Medicine. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/books/NBK536996/
U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, The National Institute for Occupational Safety
and Health. Rhabdomyolysis.
(https://www.cdc.gov/niosh/topics/rhabdo/default.html) Accessed 9/28/2021.
U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. What is Muscular Dystrophy?
(https://www.cdc.gov/ncbddd/musculardystrophy/facts.html) Accessed 9/28/2021
Thank you for choosing us once again!