The question of how heavy weights should be, and how many reps should be performed is a common one. The answer depends on what your goals are for your workout.

Should I Use Heavy Or Light Weights?


If your fitness goal is to build muscle mass, then you should opt for heavier weights. Not only that, but you should periodically increase weight to keep your muscles challenged.

If your goal is to increase healthy muscle tone, but not see any drastic increase in mass, then keep with lighter weights.

How Many Reps Should I Do?

Again, this depends on your goals. For those who are striving to increase muscle mass and bulk, fewer reps is ideal. If you simply want to maintain healthy tone, more reps is better.

So remember, heavier weights with fewer reps is what will build and increase muscle mass. You want to move slowly, as well. An ideal number of reps for increasing muscle gains is 4 to 6.

If your goal is to simply have healthy, lean and toned arms then keep weights light and do lots of reps. A good amount is 14 - 16 reps.

It is also important to increase weight if you are trying to increase results. Too many people get frustrated when they aren't seeing results, and it's because they aren't challenging themselves.

In order to see increased gains in muscle, strength and endurance, you must increase your efforts. If you are doing the same routine, with the same weights and the same reps, day after day you will only maintain your current level. If you want more, you have to do more.

Increase your weights. If you aren't struggling a little with your last two reps, you aren't challenging yourself.

If you are feeling like you have hit a fitness plateau and aren't making progress, consider consulting a personal trainer. He or she may suggest you increase your weight, slow down or do fewer reps. Sometimes, the answer is to change up your routine and do some completely different moves.

Overall fitness means challenging yourself, trying new things and proper nutrition. The Downtown Athletic Club in Amarillo is a full-service gym with weight training, a variety of classes and equipment and personal trainers who can help take you to the next level in fitness by providing you with a custom workout to get you results faster.

Nutritionists debate the effectiveness of counting calories to lose weight or get healthy – some encourage it, while others discourage it. While some health experts claim that counting calories is the best and simplest way to ensure you don’t overeat, other professionals say it’s better to focus on the types of foods you eat, rather than counting every calorie that enters your mouth.

So, what is the best way to lose weight and live a healthy lifestyle? Should you count calories, or simply choose to avoid certain foods? Even though experts differ on the benefits of counting calories, they all agree that eating a balanced diet filled with a variety of nutrients is crucial to your overall health.

View #1: Counting Calories Provides Structure

Some health experts feel counting calories gives people structure they wouldn’t otherwise have, and allows them to stick to their goals. Additionally, counting calories can be an efficient way to recognize when you’re eating for reasons other than hunger, such as sadness or boredom. Experts who support tracking calories recommend following the tips:

• Be realistic when setting your goals.
  
  
• Choose a tracking method that is easy for you to follow in your daily life.
  
  
• Don’t overdo it.
  
  
• Stick with healthy foods.
  
  

View #2: Counting Calories Is Inefficient

Other experts believe counting calories to be inefficient as most food labels aren’t able to provide 100-percent accurate information. Additionally, they propose calorie counting can actually disrupt your body’s ability to decipher hunger and fullness cues. You may stop trusting your body’s signals, which may lead you to underestimate the amount of food you actually need. Or, you may get discouraged and give up, not meeting your goals at all.   

Instead of strictly tracking calories, experts against calorie counting recommend doing the following:

• Make sure you’re getting food from each food group every day;
  
  
• Eat four or five times a day;
  
  
• Listen to your body’s signals;
  
  
• Understand portion size.
  
  

Whether or not you choose to count calories, it’s important to remember that what you put into your body matters. Avoiding empty calories is the best way to maintain a healthy weight. Additionally, if you want to actively improve your overall health, choose your foods wisely. Be sure to get plenty of fruits and vegetables, as well as proper amounts of foods from each of the remaining food groups. 

To learn more about getting and staying healthy, check out Downtown Athletic Club in Amarillo today, where our personal trainers can guide you in exercise and dietary routines.

Races are a fun way to get in shape and stay active. Whether you run, walk, jog or hop, participating in races benefits your health and happiness. As if that isn’t enough, when you pay to join a race, you help support charity organizations that give back to those in need. It’s a win-win for everyone involved. Interested, but don’t know where to start? Here are four can’t-miss races in Amarillo this summer.  

Insane Inflatable 5k

Just like it sounds, this race features an obstacle course made up of huge inflatables. The organization boasts the largest and most extreme inflatable obstacles in the world. Insane Inflatable 5k gives you the chance to be a kid at heart while challenging your physical ability. Additionally, they’ve partnered with the Children’s Miracle Network Amarillo and will be donating funds gathered through runner donations, a charity wave, and an online fundraising tool. Join the race on May 23.

Blacklight Run

If night races are your thing, then Blacklight Run on June 6 is the event for you. Great for kids and adults of all ages, this 5k run/walk offers fun for the whole family. Participants get covered in UV Neon Glow Powder that gives them a brilliant glow in the Blacklight Zones at the after party. Benefiting Children’s Hospital, this event will certainly be a night to remember.

The Color Run

Commonly known as “The Happiest 5k on the Planet,” The Color Run is an un-timed 5-kilometer race during which colors are thrown on participants at each kilometer. The Color Run is focused on fun and has only two rules: to wear white and to end the race plastered in color.

The Shine Tour – the next generation of The Color Run – is coming to Amarillo June 27 and will benefit the Laura W. Bush Institute for Women’s Health.

Color Vibe

Similar to The Color Run, Color Vibe is a 5k run/walk that douses participants with color throughout the race. It, too, is un-timed, so there’s no pressure to finish fast – just have fun with it! As a family-friendly event, kids are invited to participate, and anyone 12 or younger is free. Another fact you may be interested to know is that Color Vibe partners with charities in each of the cities it comes to, meaning that when you register, you support your very own community. The race date has not yet been scheduled.

Check out any – or all – of these races and make the most of your summer. You don’t have to be an avid runner to participate. Just get out, get active, and have fun! To learn about more ways you can get in shape for summer, check out Downtown Athletic Club today. Our personal trainers can get you ready for any race you have your eye on.

Tabata training, a type of HIIT, is becoming more popular among exercise enthusiasts because it provides real results with short, intense workout intervals.

What Is Tabata?

Japanese scientist Izumi Tabata conducted a study of two groups of athletes where one group trained on ergonomic cycles five days a week at moderate levels of intensity for one hour. The second group trained at high intensity levels for four days a week for only four minutes at a time. These four-minute intervals consisted of 20 seconds of intense training and then resting for 10 seconds. This cycle was repeated eight times for each movement.

Those in the first group did not improve their anaerobic performance, but the second group improved aerobic and anaerobic performance in much less time.

How To Do Tabata

Creating a Tabata routine can be fairly simple. You chose one exercise to perform for each four-minute cycle. For example, you could choose to perform pushups for your cycle. You would then perform as many pushups as you could for 20 straight seconds. Then, you would rest for 10 seconds, repeating this for a total of eight cycles. After the eight cycles, rest for one minute and move on to a new exercise – say, pull ups.

Add weights to intensify and diversify your workout. The only limitations are your (or your trainer’s) imagination.

Is Tabata For Me?

As with any new exercise routine, you should consult a professional before you start to make sure your body can handle the exertion. Tabata is an extremely intense workout and will place your body under high levels of stress. Most personal trainers will tell you, if you are not absolutely wiped out after a Tabata session, you are probably doing it wrong.

This type of workout is perfect for those who have a limited amount of time to exercise. Being able to get in and out of the gym quickly is a must for them. This is also good for those who’ve hit a plateau in their workouts. By mixing in a few Tabata routines once or twice a week, it provides some much-needed variety.

If you’re looking for some advice or instruction in physical training, contact Downtown Athletic Club and speak to one of our certified personal trainers. The advice of a professional can be invaluable when starting a new exercise routine.

Yoga is the perfect workout for getting toned, improving your flexibility, and learning relaxation techniques. But, for beginners, going to a yoga class can be an intimidating endeavor. So, we’ve come up with a list of five tips to help make your first yoga class a breeze.

Tip #1: Make A Friend

You walk into the studio for your first-ever yoga class, and stop short. There’s no sign of where you should set up camp. Have no fear; the solution is much more simple than you may think.

The general yoga class etiquette rule when it comes to mat placement is to simply line yours up next to some else’s, leaving enough space to move, but not so much that there’s no room for more people to line up next to you. Otherwise, the entire studio is free game when it comes to where you stand.

Tip #2: Skip the Scent

No matter how amazing you think your favorite perfume smells, remember that even the slightest scent can quickly become overwhelming in a crowded room. This is especially true during a yoga class, since part of the process includes inhaling and exhaling for relaxation. It’s important to be considerate of other people’s sensitivities and wait until after class to spritz your scent.

Tip #3: Clean Your Mat

True, devoted yogis purchase their own mats to take with them to each class, but it’s perfectly acceptable to borrow a mat from the studio. If you are borrowing a mat, make sure to clean it after using it to prevent the spread of sweaty germs.

Tip #4: Know Your Body

It’s tempting to push yourself beyond your abilities when you’re in a room full of people, but for your own safety, it’s important to resist that temptation. While trying new poses is certainly beneficial – and always encouraged – no one will think any less of you for taking it easy when things get too difficult.

Tip #5: Ask For Help

This is a big one. You’ll never improve if you don’t ask for assistance when you need it. Yoga isn’t as “easy” as some people assume, and instructors prefer you ask questions, rather than fall over and hurt yourself.         

With these tips, you’ll quickly go from yoga novice to experienced yogi. Are you ready to give yoga a try? If so, check out Flow Yoga at Downtown Athletic Club.

Yoga isn’t just for the spiritual person. In fact, it’s a strong, effective – and difficult – workout. Researchers agree there are several real, tangible health benefits of yoga. Check out these ten health benefits of yoga.

1. Improves flexibility - Tight joints lead to improper alignment of your spine, which results in pain. Additionally, poor flexibility in the muscles and tissues leads to bad posture, which also causes pain and discomfort.

2. Increases muscle strength - Having strong muscles protects you from conditions like back pain and arthritis, while also helping to prevent falls in the elderly. Yoga strengthens your muscles without the stress of weight lifting.

3. Helps protect your spine - Your spinal discs receive nutrients through movement. Yoga provides this needed movement, thus protecting your spine by keeping your spinal discs healthy.

4. Improves bone health - It’s common knowledge that weight-bearing exercises strengthen bones and prevent osteoporosis. Yoga does this by requiring you to lift your own body weight.

5. Boosts immunity - Contracting and stretching muscles, as done in yoga, increases drainage of lymph, which helps your lymphatic system fight infection and rid toxic waste.

6. Lowers blood pressure - It may surprise you, but a study published in a British medical journal showed that certain yoga poses actually lowered blood pressure levels in participants.

7. Decreases blood sugar - Through weight loss and lower cortisol and adrenal levels, yoga lowers blood sugar in people with diabetes.

8. Improves balance - Poor posture and balance can lead to back pain, hip trouble, and falls. Regularly practicing yoga increases proprioception, which is the ability of your body to feel what it’s doing.

9. Aids deep sleep - Studies have shown that regular yoga improves participants’ sleep, which leads to fewer accidents and a more relaxed and happy disposition.

10. Prevents digestive problems - Yoga eases constipation, thus helping lower your risk of colon cancer. It also helps ease irritable bowel syndrome and ulcers through stress management.


These are just a few of the many health benefits of the practice of yoga. To see for yourself how yoga can benefit your body, try Flow Yoga at Downtown Athletic Club in Amarillo.

Going out to dinner – a fun, relaxing way to have a nice evening with family and friends. But visiting a restaurant often has its complications for those of us trying to lose weight or maintain a healthy lifestyle.

If you fall into that category, maybe you choose a salad during your dinner out. You know that adding a lot of extras will drastically increase the calories, so you opt for a basic, very low-calorie, very bland salad. What was meant to be an enjoyable night out turns into a stressful game of “test my willpower.” What’s a person to do? First, take a deep breath. Then, check out these healthy restaurant salad alternatives.

Soft Corn Tacos At Chipotle

When you order a salad from Chipotle, you’re tempted to add all the delicious Mexican grill-esque extras, like cheese and black beans, to name a few. But if you’re not careful, that diet-conscious dinner choice can turn into a calorie fest.

As an alternative, try soft corn tacos made with tofu sofritas, fajita veggies, and salsa. That gives you about 400 calories, lots of fiber and protein, and much more satisfaction than a salad.

Chicken Pita Sandwich At Palio’s Pizza Cafe

It’s Friday night and your friends want to go out for pizza to celebrate the weekend. You walk into Palio’s Pizza Cafe and the aroma of freshly made pizza engulfs your senses. How will you ever keep up your healthy eating here?

One great option for a filling, healthy meal that won’t leave you starving for pizza is their Chicken Pita Sandwich. Made with lettuce, tomato, and Italian dressing, the Chicken Pita is a delicious, low-calorie alternative to a boring salad. You’ll get plenty of protein, very little fat, and a little more than 350 calories.

Greek Chicken Sandwich At Blue Sky

There’s nothing like sitting down at a good burger place. Blue Sky’s laid-back atmosphere helps you forget the stress of your day. But that stress can quickly reappear when you think of the calories in a typical burger.

Instead of a burger, try the Greek Chicken Sandwich. As long as you aren’t avoiding bread altogether, the wheat bun it’s served on is a healthy alternative to other burger buns. It also comes with good-for-you veggies like black olives, tomato, lettuce, and onion. Low-calorie, high in protein, and yummy, this sandwich is a great choice for those burger dates.

These are just a few examples of the ways you can enjoy a restaurant meal without blowing your diet. If you’re ready to start living a healthier lifestyle, check out Downtown Athletic Club in Amarillo. We can point you in the right direction. Contact us today.

All workout apparel is not created equal. While some products have the same general attributes and longevity regardless of cost, there are others in which high cost suggests high quality. It’s beneficial to your comfort, performance, and health to spend more money on certain active wear items in order to ensure the best quality possible. Check out this list of four active wear items that call for a little splurging.

Shoes

Whether you run, walk, or cycle, the shoes you wear are crucial to your health. There’s a specific shoe type designed for almost any workout you can imagine, and for good reason. The wrong shoes can cause pain and injuries to your neck, back, and legs. Additionally, when you match your athletic shoes to your specific gait and foot shape, you keep yourself feeling great during workouts.

Sports Bras

If you’re a female, then you know the problems that come with inadequate upper body support. Cheap, poorly made sports bras lose their shape quickly, meaning they become less supportive with every wash and wear. Having proper support is crucial not only to your comfort during exercise, but also to preventing breast tissue damage. Because of the importance of sports bras to your level of support, this is definitely an item on which to splurge.

Sunglasses

This one may surprise you, but if you do a lot of outdoor sports activities, you’ll need effective sunglasses to protect your eyes from UV damage, even during the winter. Inexpensive sunglasses often stretch out after many uses, meaning they won’t stay in place for long periods of time – especially if you’re sweating. What’s more, you need to find the perfect fit and UV protection level to get the most comfort out of your shades as possible. Feel free to splurge on the perfect pair.

Leggings

Leggings may seem mostly decorative, but don’t give into the design fad without making sure you get a strong, quality pair. Nice leggings will retain their elasticity longer, meaning they keep their fit during your workouts. Additionally, the right leggings will keep moisture away and help prevent chaffing. Professionals suggest spending more money on the items that are closest to your body, so leggings fall into the “splurge” category.

We hope this list helps you complete your exercise wardrobe with all the right apparel. Sometimes it’s necessary to splurge on high-cost products that will last a long time, fit comfortably, and help prevent injury. For quality active wear you can count on, take a look at the products Downtown Athletic Club has to offer through our Pro Shop. Now through Mother’s Day, if you spend a $100 or more on a gift card, get 25% off items in the Pro Shop.