Whether you're after strength, size or love-handle-free leanness, here's how to get ahead of the rest

WHAT'S THE OPTIMAL WARM-UP?

Your goal here is to increase blood flow to all major muscle groups by 400 per cent. "This adds elasticity to muscles and tendons and preps muscles for efficient uptake of oxygen," says Robin Gargrave, executive director of UK-based YMCAfit. The best way to achieve this is to work for eight minutes at 55-65 per cent of your maximum heart rate (MHR), according to Free University of Brussels sports scientists. The perfect warm-up machine is the Nordic skier, which works more muscle groups than any other. "You should work out at an intensity that still enables you to hold a full conversation throughout your warm-up," says Gargrave.

WHAT'S THE PERFECT REST BETWEEN SETS?

This all depends on your goal . . .

For strength or power: according to research in the Journal of Strength and Conditioning, absolute recovery can only be achieved after three minutes' rest. "You need this time to allow glycogen and oxygen levels in your muscles to fully replenish," says Scott Tudge, head trainer with UK-based Equilibrium Health and Fitness Solutions. Don't get too cosy on that Swiss ball, though; the perfect use of those three minutes is doubling up with supersets. "Supersets give the opposing muscle group a complete break," says Tudge. He recommends the following:

• Bicep curls and triceps kickbacks
  Bench press and barbell row
  Chin-ups and dumbbell presses
  Leg extensions and leg curls
  Dorsal raises and ab crunches
  Lat pull-downs and cable flys
  Shoulder raises and rear-deltoid flys

For muscle growth: you need to strike a balance between completing your next set and maintaining a slight oxygen deficit in your muscles. "You need enough oxygen to finish your reps, but the deficit recruits more of your muscle fibres when you come to do your next set," says Tudge. The perfect break? Exactly 60 seconds, according to the Journal of Strength and Conditioning.

For endurance: a half-spin of the second hand for endurance seekers. "Any longer than 30 seconds and too much oxygen will flood back in, so your muscles won't be working anaerobically," says Tudge.

WHAT'S THE BEST MACHINE FOR A CARDIO WORKOUT?

For maximum kilojoule burn, hog the treadmill. Dublin City University researchers found it took men an average of 14 minutes to burn 840 kilojoules on the treadmill, 16 minutes on the Nordic skier, 21 on the rowing machine, 27 on the exercise bike and 29 on the Healthrider (a cross between an exercise bike and a seesaw). "By supporting your whole bodyweight and working your major muscle groups you expend the most energy," says Gargrave.


WHAT'S THE WINNING NUMBER OF REPETITIONS?

Again, that all depends on whether your idea of bodily perfection is Brad or Arnie . . .

For strength: the good news, according to worldwide authority on strength and conditioning, the US National Strength and Conditioning Association (NSCA), is that it's three sets of just three reps. The bad news is you should be shifting 90 per cent of your one-rep max (1RM). That's the weight you can only shift once. With grunting. "This is perfect for encouraging adaptation of your neuromuscular system rather than bulking," says strength and conditioning specialist Nick Grantham. "I use these sets with gymnasts who need power without putting on weight."

For maximum muscle growth: three sets of 12 reps, using 80 per cent of your 1RM, according to the NSCA's research. "This brings muscular adaptations, literally ripping the fibres so they repair and rebuild bigger," says Grantham. "Rest for 48 hours between sets to give the fibres time to heal."

For lean endurance: three sets of 15 reps lifting 60 per cent of your 1RM, the NSCA reports. "This targets both fast- and slow-twitch muscle fibres for longer," explains Grantham. "It's the perfect way to work your muscles anaerobically for endurance and strip fat to emphasise definition."

IS IT BEST TO DO WEIGHTS FIRST OR CARDIO?

"If you're going for endurance, do your aerobic exercise first. If you're after strength, start with weights," says Gargrave. "You'll always have more energy at the start of a session." If you want both, kick-off with cardio: research by Rutgers University in the US found fatigue from running hits lifting performances by only one per cent, while pushing weights first hinders your aerobic workout by eight per cent.

WHAT'S THE IDEAL GYM DRINK?

To keep intensity high, go isotonic. "This means the same concentration of salts and minerals as your blood for ultra-quick rehydration," says Dr Steve Ingham, physiologist at the UK's Olympic Medical Institute.

"The perfect isotonic drink mirrors the composition of human sweat to speed absorption of fluid into your blood," says Dr Ron Maughan, chair of sports nutrition at Loughborough University in the UK. To make your own, mix:
• 750ml water
• 250ml orange juice
• 2 tsp sugar
• 1 large pinch of salt



WHAT'S THE OPTIMUM HEART RATE FOR FAT BURNING?

"Previous thinking was that working at 65-70 per cent of your MHR, or 'slow and steady', was the best way to burn fat," says Grantham. "But new US research from Cornell University shows high-intensity intervals are the perfect lard-busters, burning 30 per cent more kilojoules." A 2007 American Journal of Clinical Nutrition study backs this, finding men who completed 20 weeks of interval training lost nine times more fat than endurance trainers.

Time to get your skates on: first, work out your MHR by using this equation: 207 - (your age × 0.7). Best to do this before you get on the treadmill. Then you can hit the perfect fat-burning interval session. "Start with 45 seconds on any cardio machine at 65 per cent of your MHR - where you can talk without losing breath. Then 45 seconds at 85 per cent - where you can just about get single words out," says Grantham. Like "Help", "Me" and "God". "Do four sets of eight reps, resting for one minute between sets."

WHAT'S THE BEST WAY TO WARM DOWN?

A combination of dynamic and static stretches, but performed at the right time. University of California researchers who studied more than 4000 athletes found static stretches before exercise actually cause more injuries, so always stretch when muscles are warm and pliable, helping to lengthen them and reduce soreness. Perfect moves are walking side and front lunges, shoulder rotations and side bends. And perfect timing is eight minutes, tapering off towards the end, according to the study.

. . . AND THE PERFECT POST-WORKOUT TIPPLE?

For muscle and fat shifting, order a pint. Of skim milk. Comparing milk, a fat-free soy drink and a carb-based recovery drink similar to sports drinks, scientists at the University of Ontario in Canada found weightlifters added up to 10 per cent more muscle and lost up to 20 per cent more fat by making a date with their dairy. "It contains the optimum 3-4 per cent protein to rebuild your fibres, while the calcium, phosphorous and carbs make it bio-available, so it goes where it's needed most," says Maughan.