How We Would Implement More Cardio Into MAPS Aesthetic

Summary

In this fitness consultation, Zoe from DC seeks advice on incorporating cardio into her MAPS Aesthetic program. The trainer emphasizes the importance of tracking daily steps and suggests increasing them gradually to boost overall movement. They discuss Zoe's background in gymnastics and the potential for under-eating, which could counteract the benefits of added cardio. The trainer recommends focusing on walking and mobility work before introducing more intense cardio, ensuring that calorie intake aligns with increased activity levels. The conversation highlights the challenge of readjusting training intensity for former athletes and the importance of not overexerting oneself post-workout.

Takeaways

• 🏋️‍♀️ Zoe is on phase two of MAPS Aesthetic and questions whether to add cardio.
• 🤸‍♀️ She has a background in gymnastics and heavy lifting, including powerlifting.
• 💪 Her lifts have improved significantly, recovering from a severe accident involving her pelvis and back.
• 📏 Zoe doesn't weigh herself but feels stronger and tighter without significant visible changes.
• 🚶‍♀️ Her job is sedentary, limiting her daily steps; she walks her dogs but doesn't reach 10,000 steps.
• 📝 The suggestion is to first increase her daily steps gradually before adding any cardio.
• 🍽 Zoe eats intuitively and sometimes under-eats, which can hinder progress, especially if adding cardio.
• 🤕 Mobility issues are more pronounced in her upper body due to the accident.
• 🏃‍♂️ Adding steps and focusing on mobility work post-workout is recommended over immediate cardio.
• 📈 Future program suggestion is MAPS Performance for combined aesthetic and performance benefits.

Q & A

What is the main concern Zoe has about her current MAPS Aesthetic program?

Zoe is concerned that she might not be doing enough cardio in her Phase Two of the MAPS Aesthetic program.

What was Zoe's fitness history prior to starting the MAPS Aesthetic program?

Zoe has a background in gymnastics, powerlifting, and bodybuilding workouts. This is her first MAPS program.

How has Zoe's performance improved since starting the MAPS Aesthetic program?

Zoe has seen significant strength gains, such as being able to deadlift 225 pounds and squat nearly 200 pounds, which she hasn't done in years.

What physical limitations did Zoe experience due to a past accident?

Zoe had a severe accident that resulted in a broken pelvis and back, which required her to start her fitness journey over from scratch.

How does Zoe's current job affect her daily physical activity?

Zoe's job is sedentary, involving work with computers, and she doesn't take many steps daily, aside from walking with her dogs.

What advice was given to Zoe regarding increasing her daily steps?

The trainer suggested Zoe start tracking her steps and gradually increase them, aiming for about 10,000 steps a day.

Why is it important for Zoe to consider her calorie intake before adding more cardio?

Adding cardio while under-consuming calories can lead to muscle loss and hinder progress, so it's important to ensure adequate calorie intake first.

What is the trainer's suggestion for incorporating additional movement into Zoe's routine?

The trainer recommends building steps into Zoe's workouts, such as walking for 30 minutes post-workout, to increase daily movement.

What is the potential next program recommended for Zoe after MAPS Aesthetic?

The trainer suggests MAPS Performance as the next program for Zoe, which combines aesthetic benefits with performance and mobility.

What common issue do gymnasts face that was mentioned in the script?

Gymnasts often train through pain and have a high tolerance for intensity, which can make it challenging to appropriately train them, especially after a period of inactivity or injury.

What is the trainer's view on how gymnasts approach their workouts?

The trainer believes gymnasts are the 'kings and queens' of working through pain and often have chronic injuries they continue to train through.

How should Zoe feel after her workouts according to the trainer?

Zoe should feel like she has more in the tank after her workouts, indicating that she is not overexerting herself and is ready for more activity.

Outlines

00:00

🏋️‍♀️ Zoe's MAP's Aesthetic Progress and Cardio Considerations

Zoe, from DC, is on phase two of the MAP's aesthetic program and is seeking advice on incorporating cardio due to feeling like she's not doing enough. She has a background in gymnastics and has recently recovered from a serious accident that affected her pelvis and back, causing her to start her fitness journey anew. Despite her sedentary job, she has seen improvements in her strength, such as lifting heavier in deadlifts and squats. However, she's unsure about her body weight changes and daily steps. The trainer suggests starting by tracking her daily steps and gradually increasing them, considering her background in gymnastics which might have skewed her perception of adequate training. The trainer also emphasizes the importance of not underestimating the intensity of workouts and the potential risks of adding cardio without proper nutrition.

05:01

🍎 Addressing Nutrition and Mobility for Optimal Progress

In the second paragraph, the discussion continues with Zoe's concerns about her nutrition and mobility. She hasn't been tracking her calories and sometimes struggles with eating enough, which can lead to weight gain. The trainer points out the importance of adequate calorie intake before adding cardio to avoid energy conservation and muscle loss. Zoe's recovery from her accident has left her with more mobility issues in her upper body than her lower body. The trainer recommends focusing on improving mobility through activities like walking, which can also help burn calories. The suggestion is made to transition from MAP's Aesthetic to MAP's Performance, which will address both aesthetic and performance goals, including improved mobility. The trainer also highlights the challenges of training ex-athletes who may have a skewed perception of workout intensity due to their competitive background.

10:04

🚶‍♀️ Enhancing Daily Movement and Post-Workout Cardio

The final paragraph focuses on the importance of feeling energized rather than exhausted post-workout and the common desire among MAP's aesthetic participants to do more after focus sessions. The trainer advises incorporating walking, especially for those with sedentary jobs, to increase daily activity. They propose a strategy of increasing calorie intake slightly while also aiming for a higher step count to stimulate metabolism. The trainer emphasizes the need for trainers to ask questions to understand the client's situation better, especially considering the history of athletes and gymnasts who may push through pain. The goal is to find a balance where additional movement, like walking after workouts, complements the client's routine without overexertion.

Keywords

💡Phase Two of MAP's Aesthetic

This term refers to the second stage of a fitness program known as MAP's Aesthetic, which is designed to improve physical appearance through targeted workouts. In the script, the user is inquiring about integrating cardio exercises into this phase, indicating that the program is structured with specific phases for progressive improvement.

💡Cardio

Cardio, short for cardiovascular exercise, is any form of exercise that raises your heart rate and improves circulation. In the context of the video, the user is questioning whether to include cardio exercises in their current workout regimen to complement the strength training they are already doing.

💡MAP's Program

MAP's Program likely refers to a specific fitness regimen or system that the user is following. It is mentioned as the user's first experience with this particular program, indicating that it has a structured approach to fitness that may include phases or levels.

💡Gymnastics

Gymnastics is a sport that involves physical exercises requiring balance, strength, flexibility, agility, coordination, and endurance. In the script, the user mentions a background in gymnastics, which implies a foundation in fitness and a high level of physical training.

💡Powerlifting

Powerlifting is a strength sport that consists of three lifts: squat, bench press, and deadlift. The user's mention of having done 'powerlifting-ish' workouts indicates they have experience with intense strength training exercises.

💡Bodybuilding

Bodybuilding is the sport of developing one's musculature to improve the appearance of the physique through weight training and dieting. The user's reference to 'bodybuildingish type workouts' suggests they have engaged in exercises aimed at muscle hypertrophy.

💡Mobility

Mobility refers to the ability to move freely and easily, which is crucial for athletic performance and injury prevention. The user discusses issues with mobility, particularly in the upper body, which is a significant aspect of their recovery and current fitness routine.

💡Caloric Intake

Caloric intake is the number of calories a person consumes through food and beverages. The script discusses the importance of adequate caloric intake, especially when considering adding cardio to a workout regimen to ensure the body has enough energy and nutrients to support both training and recovery.

💡Steps

In the context of fitness and health, 'steps' refer to the number of steps a person takes in a day, often tracked as an indicator of daily physical activity. The script suggests increasing step count as a way to add more movement to one's day without the intensity of traditional cardio exercises.

💡Aesthetic Benefits

Aesthetic benefits refer to the changes in physical appearance, such as increased muscle tone or a leaner physique, that are often sought after in fitness programs. The user is looking for these benefits while following the MAP's Aesthetic program.

💡Performance

In the context of fitness, performance refers to how well an individual executes exercises and their overall physical capability. The script suggests that the user has seen improvements in performance, such as being able to lift heavier weights, since starting the MAP's Aesthetic program.

💡Under Eating

Under eating means consuming fewer calories than the body needs, which can lead to a range of health issues, including poor performance in workouts. The script mentions the user's concern about possibly not eating enough, which is a consideration when adjusting their fitness routine.

💡MAP's Performance

This term likely refers to another program within the MAP's fitness system that focuses on enhancing physical performance alongside aesthetic benefits. It is suggested as a potential next step for the user after completing MAP's Aesthetic.

Highlights

Zoe from DC asks about incorporating cardio into Phase Two of MAP's Aesthetic program.

Zoe's background includes gymnastics and powerlifting, with a recent return to heavy lifting after an accident.

Zoe has seen strength improvements, such as deadlifting 225 lbs, after starting MAP's Aesthetic.

Zoe does not track her body weight but feels tighter, suggesting potential fat loss while gaining strength.

Zoe's daily step count is low due to a sedentary job, suggesting a need to increase daily movement.

The trainer emphasizes the importance of tracking steps and gradually increasing daily movement before adding cardio.

Zoe's perception of training intensity might be skewed due to her gymnastics background and high pain tolerance.

The trainer suggests incorporating walking post-workout to increase steps and boost recovery.

Zoe has not been tracking her calorie intake, which is crucial for understanding her body's needs and progress.

Undereating can lead to muscle loss if combined with intense cardio, highlighting the importance of adequate nutrition.

The trainer recommends focusing on walking and daily movement rather than adding traditional cardio at this stage.

Zoe's mobility, especially in the upper body, is a concern due to past injuries.

The trainer advises against adding cardio until Zoe's calorie intake is reassessed to prevent muscle loss.

The discussion highlights the challenges of training ex-athletes due to their high expectations and pain tolerance.

The trainer suggests that feeling like there's more in the tank after a workout is a positive sign.

The trainer recommends MAP's Performance program as a next step after MAP's Aesthetic for a comprehensive routine.

The importance of re-patterning movements for athletes to ensure safe and effective training is discussed.

The trainer emphasizes the need for trainers to ask questions to understand clients' backgrounds and needs.

Transcripts

all right our first question is from zoe

from

dc hey zoe how can we help you

hey guys um so my question is i'm on

phase two of um map's aesthetic

um i just started it and um would you

implement any cardio into it

because um i feel like i'm not doing

enough sometimes

so that was my question that's a really

really good question but i need to ask

you a few more things before

yeah what were you doing before yeah so

first question i'm gonna ask you is is

this your first

maps program or did you start with maps

anabolic like

what's your fitness history before this

is my first okay and this is my first

match code

now were you working out a lot before

maps aesthetic

yeah i've worked out um for a while now

i

grew up with gymnastics and then i got

into lifting heavy

um did kind of powerlifting-ish and then

just

bodybuildingish type workouts cool now

what

what have you seen so far performance

and i guess uh just

visual changes since you've started maps

aesthetic

um so actually my lips have gotten

um have went up a lot so a few years ago

i was in a really bad accident

and um i broke my pelvis and uh

i basically broke my back also um so i

had to start all over again

so i haven't lifted this heavy in a

while and um

last week i got up to 225 on deadlift

um yeah it's almost 200 on squats so and

i haven't done those numbers in

years so it's done great for me that's

excellent okay so

you're stronger has your body weight

changed at all

um i'm not sure i don't really weigh

myself i don't even have a scale

actually but

um i feel like i'm getting tighter yeah

okay do you feel like you're getting

bigger or do you think you're staying

the same or getting smaller the reason

why i'm asking i'm trying to see if

you're

if you're uh burning any body fat while

getting stronger um

i i don't know if i'm just feeling

tighter because i'm lifting heavier or

you know kind of staying the same i

don't see anything drastic

right now okay and then do you know how

many steps you're taking a day do you

have any any idea of tracking well

that's the thing my job i'm kind of

sedentary depending on the day um

so i work you know with computers um so

that's the one thing like

the time i do go outside is with my dogs

but you know that's not

gonna add up to like 10 000 steps okay

yeah so i would start with that i would

start with trying to get your steps

um to increase at first track them see

where you're at

and then bump them by 25 to maybe 50

depending on how low they are so if your

steps are like 6 000

that's okay it's okay to bump them up to

about 10 000

steps a day now the second part i want

to address is how you said that you

feel like you can do more if you're

getting stronger if your performance is

improving

that's the metric you need to measure

now considering your background in

gymnastics from my experience i've

trained

uh gymnasts in the past and uh it's one

of those sports where they

train you train a lot um and you really

you really push your body's uh recovery

ability you push your capability

and so that might have skewed your

your perception of what is enough

training does that

does that resonate with you yeah

i always feel like you know especially

on

the focus days like i'm just like oh

that's it like you know

i feel like there's more in the tank i

need to like push myself

i know that's not always good you know

in the past that's

hindered my progress if i you know go

too far

um but it's just that feeling that i

have

so that that's also a great place where

to start to build the steps in right

because the focus sessions are

a lot shorter than your foundational

days right so

one of the things that i like to do with

clients that are following map's

aesthetic

is to build like a walk into that

workout so

you go do your focus session for 20 to

30 minutes and then you walk

post workout for 30 minutes to boost

your steps

my goal is always with my clients to

increase steps

over time whether it be walking the dog

or you know 10 minutes after your meal

or 15 to 20 minutes post workout and

keep trying to increase just your your

daily movement through steps

before we start to push on a piece of

cardio equipment and then once we move

into

a place where you look at me as a client

you go okay adam i'm

i'm walking the dog in the morning i'm

walking after my meals i'm doing on

focus days

you know i'm doing 15 20 minutes of car

or walking

after after i work out and i'm kind of

peeking out at you know 10 or 12 000

steps a day

now maybe what we'll do is post workout

on either foundational days or focus

days we might do like a

15 to 20 minute like hit session of

cardio post workout

but i would i would progress you that

way week over week for the next four to

six weeks before we even consider

starting to really have you been

tracking your calories zoe

um i haven't i eat pretty

intuitively i mean i eat pretty healthy

um

i feel like sometimes i don't eat enough

it's not like i

i'm not eating anything too bad but um i

know i

have trouble eating enough sometimes

which for me

it um messes up you know like i'll

actually gain weight if i don't eat

enough food

you know here's another question you

mentioned you had an accident you

recovered from that

do you have do you have any issues with

mobility rotation um any

any issues with mobility in the hips i

know you said your pelvis and your back

were affected that was probably my first

big feat um trying to get back to that

especially

um it was almost like when adam he's

talking about his achilles for a while

i couldn't walk for three months so um

it was just so hard going from being

able to do so much to

nothing so i started from you know

scratch basically i started like i was

five years old again

um so mobility it's actually um

bad for me in my upper body than my

lower body now

um i get really stiff my upper back my

shoulders

can um stiff up really easily you said

something else that i think that uh

we have to be careful of which is really

common with clients you address that you

might be

under eating sometimes and that's where

we can get in a lot of trouble if we

start adding

cardio into your routine it was a great

question by justin asked kind of where

your nutrition was because

the last thing we want to do is to be

under consuming on nutrition and then

also pushing and doing cardio because

all that's going to do is

tell your body to conserve energy and

you're going to end up

going the opposite direction you really

want to go so much better off

trying to add steps in walking and get

to a place where

you feel good as far as what your

calorie intake is last thing you want to

do is have low calories and then also

push the body over cardiovascularly

yeah definitely i have one quick

question

okay um what do you guys suggest after

um

aesthetic okay so so that's actually

great because i was going to comment and

say that

um you know mobility work uh burns

calories like walking

and you can kind of you can you you in

my opinion based off of what you've said

if you're with your history it might be

more beneficial to add mobility instead

of adding steps

um because now you're improving mobility

plus you're moving

so you're burning those extra calories

and then the next program i would

recommend

is uh maps performance hands down which

does both you're going to get those

aesthetic benefits that it sounds like

you're looking for

but you get that added benefit of

performance

and mobility um into your routine so i

would say that

maps performance would be a wonderful

transition for maps aesthetic for you

yeah okay that sounds great awesome

thank you zoey thank you so much

yeah you know it's um uh one of i i

remember

this as a trainer and it was all it was

when it first happened to me it was so

strange

because i thought that ex-athletes would

be the easiest clients

to train oh no it's the opposite they're

the hardest because

they have this perception of intensity

and how they should

feel during a workout that was that

comes from their

years of competition and it's so hard to

train them appropriately

especially when they're you know

beginner intermediate or just not as

conditioned as they were back when they

oh yeah and they can work through the

pain and so

a lot of times uh you know you have to

really spend some time

re-patterning a lot of these movements

and things to make them beneficial again

so that way you're still progressing

forward i'm so glad justin asked the

calorie question too because that

changes

the the response to this question also

because if you got somebody you know so

the listeners understand

if you've got somebody who's say eating

1300 to 1500 calories and they're all

they're doing is weight training they

don't move very much

and they're building strength things are

going good and then they want to add

cardio like this and then all sudden she

starts doing

30 minutes to an hour of you know

semi-intense or intense cardio every

other day or every day

what ends up happening that person who's

only eating 13 to 1500 calories their

body

you start losing muscle yeah exactly and

so um

great question by justin because i

definitely wouldn't want her doing

cardio yet not until we get her calorie

intake up into

a place where i feel good about her

starting to push her body intensely like

that

the best way to go right now is purely

just walking and it's this is why it's

so important if there's any trainers

listening to keep asking questions

because from what i've experienced with

athletes and especially gymnasts

gymnasts uh you know justin commented

that athletes work through pain

gymnasts are the kings and queens of

that i mean this is

you will hardly find a competitive

gymnast that doesn't have some kind of

chronic

injury that they continue to train

through you know it brings back memories

of the

1996 olympics with what's her you know i

think was struggle with her last name

when she did that

and she just landed with a busted ankle

oh man to win

they train uh this way so and then

here's the other part

you should feel like you have more in

the tank like when you're done with your

workout you should feel like

you can do more you should charge you up

yeah you should not feel like you're

done

you can't do a single thing extra that's

not the point well i do think it's

really common with our maps aesthetic

because those focus sessions are a

little short right and so

you kind of either one you end up

wanting to lift more which i know a lot

of people do that and they don't follow

protocol

but in a perfect world that's what i

would just have somebody just go get on

the treadmill walk for the rest of the

30 40 minutes just get some especially

if

you know like she said i have a very

sedentary job if you've got a very

sedentary job and you're not getting a

lot of movement then

you hit those three days a week when

you're hitting focus sessions for 25

minutes then you spend the other time

walking on the treadmill you got to

figure out how you're going to add in

more activity throughout your day yeah

but how about those straight gains huh

it's uh i love hearing that it's so

common especially after phase one of

map's aesthetic well that's another

great point too is like man

if i have a client who's telling me that

we're probably not making much

adjustments no

you know if anything it's trying to

increase calories and so what i would

love to do or have someone like her do

is like okay let me figure let's just

say

because she didn't know her exact steps

but let's pretend she's

stepping 6 000 steps a day and she's

asking this question

my goal would be okay let's increase

your calories by about 250 a day

and now i want you to get to you know

nine to ten thousand steps every single

day hoping that that extra movement kind

of cancels out those extra calories

we build our metabolism up that's where

i'd ideally be with someone like that