|
Exercise Questions and Answers Q. From Jhony: whatis the best way to lose weight? A. By eating less calories and increasing your calorie expenditure through exercise, mainly HIIT and strength training. Q. From ??: what about anabolics A. What about them? Do you want to use them? Do you want to know my stance on them? What kind of question is this? Q From Jennifer: I would like to lose the lower part of my legs, how do i do that? A. You need to lose more weight overall. Q. From TW: I have a new 12 year old client. I know to not have him do any maximal lifts and to do between 10 and 12 RM. He plays football and soccer. what kind of program design do you recommend for a sport specific program? A. Hello TW, you can have them perform maximal lifts after they get the coordination down. You can max out, but only once they get the proper form down. You want to make sure they max out very rarely. I would recommend a program with reps between 5 and 8, with a special emphasis on training explosively. Football and soccer are far more risky and injurious than strength training with weights. Q. From Kelly: Hello Bob! I'm wondering what is the best way to lose the fat on your inner thighs. That seems to be the hardest, and last spot to lose. Any tips? Thanks! A. You can't spot reduce fat, but what you can do is lose more fat overall or perform some leg exercises which will build a little muscle in the area and have a tightening effect or both. Q. From Katie: I eat about 1300-1500 calories per day. I am also still wondering what an appropriate number of carbohydrates (in grams) per day is if you are trying to lose weight. (message was edited) A. You should get about 600 calories from protein, 450 grams From Carbohydrates and 450 grams from fats. Eat complex carbohydrates and non hydrogenated fats and oils. If you need more info, please don't hesitate to post another question. Q. From Kim: Yes hello Bob. I have a quick basic question. I have worked out the past 1 1/2 yrs,I have lost 32 lbs. I am 5'5 and 138 lb.Had 3 children (10,8,5)I just want to get rid of the access fat around my thighs and waist area and stomach. I do aerobics, toning, pump classes with barbells, and do lots of cardio,the last 6 weeks i have worked out 4 to 5 times a week. i have lost only 1 to 2 lbs. I understand this could be muscle as to why i am not losing more weight but is there something better I could be doing or doing more of to lose the access body fat. The body fat is my main goal. Still haven't leaned out too much, much better than before but thought you might have some advice for me as to what more i should be focusing on, Is the Cardio my main focus? I have achieved already more than i thought i ever could and i feel great but i am at a platuea now and want to focus on my biggest concern and that is body fat loss. Thanks alot and I appreciate you are there to answer questions. Kim A. Do you perform any real strength training with weights? Not pump classes with barbells, but real weight training? I would suggest you perform weight training 4 times a week, HIIT training 2 - 3 times a week and cardio for 2 times a week for 30 minutes a session. If I had more information I would be able give you more specific advice. Let me know how it goes and the results. Q. From
Jackie: what is HIIT TRAINING? WHRE CAN I OBTAIN INFORMATON ON HIIT
TRAINING? THANKS FOR ANSWERING MY QUESTION!!! A. I wrote an article titled "HIIT and other interval training methods". at www.youronlinefitness.com under current articles. Q. From Nana: hi ..after exerciseing for 2 years step ,kickboxing fitball,body condition.i had knee swelling and phisition said its from stress and ther is some weekness what exersise should i avoid in future i exercise just one,tow hours aday.. thank you A. It sounds like a repetitive overuse injury. I would suggest cutting back on your training, two hours a day is a little extreme. Only avoid the exercises that cause pain. Let the injury heal and you will be able to again perform many of the exercises that hurt you now. Q. From Hayley: Bob, Hi! I am 5'6" and weigh about 124, I want to lose about 10-15 more pounds but I also want to get the 'athletic' muscley look. I do about 40 minutes of cardio 6 days a week and I also do strenth training for my legs and arms, will I still see results in muscle mass if I'm doing so much cardio? thank you A. Yes you will see some results in keeping your muscle mass, but I doubt you will gain any. I would cut your cardio back to 3 times a week at 30 minutes a session. The best method for your goals would be HIIT training. Q. From Kay: I am a 26 year old woman about 20 pounds over weight. I have just started going back to the gym about two weeks ago. I mainly do the treadmill and bikes. However, they are the most boring exercises to do. All the time i'm on the treadmill i'm looking at the clock hoping my session will soon be over. One day I went to the weight room and can't get enough of it. I love lifting weights. Can i actually loose weight and fat by just lifting weights? Please help~! A. Get off the treadmill and bike!! The good news is yes you can and will burn calories by lifting weights. You will actually burn more calories overall by lifting weights. I also answered your questions under the powerlifting section. Q. From Nicole: Bob, how long does it take to see results from weight lifting? I have been working my arms and legs everyday for 2 wks, I do about 4-5 sets of 15 reps, and I do about 40 min. of cardio, all of this 6 days a week. I know you really shouldn't work the same muscles everyday, but I feel like, If I'm feeling up to it 24 hrs later, I might as well do it while I can. I am 5'6" and I weigh 120, I really just want to lose the extra weight in my thighs, I know you can't spot reduce fat, but I want to lose about 10-12 more pds to see if it's the last to go. I'm about 18.5% body fat. thanks a lot A. Everyone is different, but you should start seeing results within a few months. In addition, it depend on what type of results you are looking for. You are over training without a doubt, adaptation to exercise occurs during the rest periods. You should take at least 48 between training the same body part. You will never see any results when you are in a state of over training. What will happen is that you will be more susceptible to infection and burn out. As for cardio, I think you know my stance on that subject. Q. From Kate: what is a muscle imbalance?????????? and how may one occur?????????? A. Here is what Dr. Siff had to say on the topic of muscle imbalance: "The concept of "imbalance" may be similarly
defined. You can have either structural or functional imbalances in muscles or
both structural and Q. From John Doe: my physician told me that i am suffering from chondromalacia pateller and i must reduse the amount of exercise ,iam taking gloucosamine for six monthes i was doing kick boxing once aweek step twice aweek interval training twise aweek it incude staying on squat position 32 pulses then we stand and stresh doing 2 sets some time it include joging skiping high kiks on step repetitive moves fore one minuite was that right?now i reduce workouts three times aweek and waking one hour three times aweek 30 second fast walking and 30 normal walking .what is the exercises i must aviod and is walking good for me? and cant i run any more? thank you A. I would suggest that you do everything you can that doesn't cause too much pain. Try to wrap your knee below the meniscus. This may help reduce the pain. Q. From Nada: hi i need your help by answering my question ,thank you A. ?? Q. From Jessica: I have been a little over weight for as long as I can remember. My problem area's are my stomache, my hips and my inner thighs and a little on my arms. I try to do sit ups and leg exercises and eat right and even tried diet pills. I am 5'4 and wiegh 160. I want to lose at least 35 pounds. what is the best way to do this? What kinds of exercise do I need to do and how often? What kinds of food do I need to eat and how much? Please e-mail right away. I have gotten so depressed and disgusted with myself because of my weight. If you can help in anyway... please let me know. A. First, you need to step back and take a look at your life. Don't place such a burden on yourself by trying to conform to societies mythical vision of a women who is 6 feet tall and weighs only 90 lbs. OK, Enough of my rant, lets get to the question. First of all, try to cut out most simple carbohydrates such as table sugar, white rice, white bread, soda, French Fries, etc. Also cut back on the hydrogenated fats and oils. In addition, try to eat five or six small meals a day instead of 3 big ones. Add some HIIT training 2 - 3 times a week. Also start a strength training program. Do you live in the Bay Area? Q. From Charles: What weighs the most muscle or fat? A. Well, one pound of fat and one pound of muscle weighs the same, but muscle is denser than fat and therefore takes up less room. Q. From Luisa: I've been working out 4-5 times a week for about 8 months and in the last eight months I have seen a difference in my body. Now that I have been working out for this long I don't feel that my body is changing. I workout with free weights but I'm not sure what I need to do different so that my body looks more tone that it does right now. I'm 5'3" and I weight about 120 pounds which is OK but I really want to look a little more tone. What do I need to do different? I feel that I need different exercise to do that my body is not use to doing. A. I would need to know what your training routine looks like to give you a good answer. Are you changing your routine enough? Are you using periodization? Q. From Duane: I saw your posting on the web as a fitness expert and have a question. A friend and I would like to start a home exersize program. Part of this program would include some type of aerobic equipment in the home and an existing bench with dumbells/weights. I have looked at several home machines and I am clobbered by the barrage of choices. I have seen the Nordic track ski machine, the Tony Little Gazelle, Various treadmills, Air bikes that work arms and legs, Elliptical trainers, Recumbent bikes, etc, etc. What type of machine, in your opinion, would be the best aerobic trainer to have ? Of course the idea is to achive the best results using a single machine. A. I would suggest that you spend your money on better equipment and purchase a squat cage. Use your local track for you aerobic training if you feel you need to perform aerobic training. Q. From Renee: Bob, I have been on the weight watchers program and have lost 65 pounds. I am 5'8" and weigh 143lbs. My goal is 135. I started circuit training about 6 wks ago and am using the machines as well as free weights now. when I go to the gym (at least 4 times per wk) I do 35 min on the eliptical machine and do my weight lifting routine. My problem is that i have gained 3 lbs since i started. I stay on the weight watcher program and I love the weight lifting. My question is will I see some sort of gain and then start to loose the weight? I am measuring myself as well and I have not seen any loss in inches yet.I also wondered how much protein I should be getting a day to feed theese new found muscles. A. Six weeks is hardly enough time to see results, but I would cut out the circuit training if your goal is to lose weight. Spend more time training with weights and some HIIT training. The only way you could have gained weight is if you increased your intake of calories, since it would be impossible to increase weight if you expended more calories than you were eating. I would look at your diet for the gain in weight. As for protein, please check the article archives for my article on how much protein you need. Q. From Sarah: Bob, I just wrote you but I have another question. 5 days of the week I am going to college and walking all over campus and I have to drive an hour both ways, when I get home I basically do homework or watch tv 5 days of the week. I work out 6 days of the week doing the 45 min cardio and weight lifting and I burn as many calories as I eat in my new diet. I guess my question is, does coming home and basically being lazy for a few hours before I go to bed change anything? I know it sounds silly but it just feels like it's counteracting my excersize, but as long as I burn all those calories, it's not like any fat can be building up, right? thanks again! A. Believe it or not, it is good for you to go home and be lazy. Your body adapts to your training during the recovery phase. Rest is just as important as the stimulus. Your body begins adaptive reconstruction after you leave the gym. If you do not allow enough time for recovery, you will not allow your body to adapt to the training stimulus. I would be more concerned with over-training if you are training 6 days a week. Q. From Mona: what can u do when your muscles becomes sore after u exercise. do it mean u over did it or that the exercises are working properly. Is it anyway to avoid your muscles from becoming sore. What is good exercise if u don't want to lose weight but just tone up? I'm looking for bigger thighs and firm buttocks without losing what i already have?I wear a size ten and i want to stay that size? When u exercise and lift weights is it true that u will lose weight first or can u tone up without losing weight? A. You are talking about DOMS or Delayed Onset Muscle Soreness. The best way to avoid DOMS is to avoid eccentric muscle action during the early stages of training. As you progress you will rarely suffer from DOMS. It is a sign that you may have done too much too soon, or have just started training and your body is unaccustomed to the training stimulus. Studies have shown that DOMS is usually associated with eccentric muscle action. If you don't want to lose weight but tone up, than strength training or even powerlifting would be a good choice. You mainly have to watch what you and make sure you increase your calories as you increase your training. It is NOT true that you will lose weight first, but you may lose FAT faster than you gain muscle. Q. From Rose: There is much controversy over muscle weighing more then fat. I have always heard that muscle does weigh more then fat is it true. A. I never knew there was a controversy over this issue. It is not that muscle weighs more than fat, since one pound of muscle and one pound of fat are the same weight, but that muscle is denser than fat. If you were to put one pound of fat next to one pound of muscle, you would see that there is a much larger portion of fat. Fat takes up a lot more room than muscle. For a visual, think of one pound of cotton next to one pound of lead. This is a well established fact. Q. From Neil: I have a son who is thirteen that I just started taking to the gym. He is slightly overweight but very involved in sports. What should I let him do at the gym and what should I forbid him from doing. If I am going to let him lift some weights what should my guidelines be. A. I would avoid performing any max lifts. He is old enough to be able to perform all the exercises he likes. I would have him perform free weights with reps ranging from about 15 to 8. Q. From Jackie: thank you replying to my question! how do you reduce your fat? and what chest exercise should i do? A. It is my pleasure to be of assistance. You reduce body fat by increasing energy expenditure through exercise and decreasing calorie intake. It is really that simple. There are tons of exercises for the chest, check out the fitness information and click on anatomy chart and exercise diagrams for more information on exercises you can perform. Q. From Jazzy: Dear Bob, i am not very tall, only about 1.66m and my weight is 78kg. I used to weigh 92kgs. But somehow...i don't see much improvements on my waistline. I go to the gym almost everyday with 1 or 2 rest days within a week. My goal is to lose weight and tone up...would doing lighter weights and higher reps help ?...after that i would do normally 40 mins of cardio maintaing 70-80% of my heart rate. At the end of my workout, i have a protein shake for muscle recovery and to build muscle block...I need to know if there is anything i should improve or if i am wrong in my workout...pls advise me. Now i am 78kg, my goal is to hit to abt 65kg - 70kg. and having a waistline abt 31 instead of 39 at current. A. For your first question, it depends on your program. With so little information on your strength training program, I cannot give you an educated answer to why you are not seeing any results. I would suggest interval training instead of any cardio training. Q. From Viktor: I am a 27 year old male 5'7 who weighs about 242,before i married i weighed approximatley 170. Do you think weight training 4 days a week and cardio 3 days a week is enough to get back, what else should I do?? I have cut down on my eating, cut soda pop completely, drink only water.I hate running but I love weight training, is running a neccesity??I just cant stand to be on the treadmill for more than 20 minutes.Thanx in advance A. Viktor, I have some good news for you, why not drop the cardio all together and instead perform 5 - 10 minutes of HIIT training 2 - 3 times a week? You'll get better fat loss results, and you will enjoy it. If you don't like running, perform the HIIT training on a mountain or stationary bike. I think you are well on your way to surpassing even your younger years. The great thing about weight lifting is that you can improve well into your 50s and 60s, just look at the older powerlifters. But you are still in your prime, so you should see excellent results. 4 Days of training a week should be plenty. Sounds like your diet is headed in the right direction as well. Keep me up to date on your progress, you can e-mail at bob@Youronlinefitness.com. If you can, send me an e-mail every month and let me know how it is going. Q. From Ana: Hi Bob. I started to work out for a week now, and I try to lose 12-14 pounds. My question is what tipe of exercise i suppose to do, to make my legs to be thiner. I'm walking on fat burn program for 20 min, then I do hills on bike, and sometimes I work on the steper. Pleale tell me what I have to do? Thank you A. Hello Ana, you need to add some strength training into your program. You are placing too much emphasis on the cario and not enough on strength training. Combine some HIIT training and strength training and you will reach your goals. Q. Giselle: I Was just Wandering What a Good Bun Exercise would be to do at home with out weights. A. You can do some body weight squats, straight leg dead-lifts, etc. Q. From Patricia: I am 29, 5'10 and weight 167 lbs,(38D-34-42) just lost 9 pounds. I've been a Mambo dancer/Instructor for 10 years. I was out of work for about a year and gained about 20 pounds. I recently started again about a month ago and started eating "healthy" about 3 months ago, watching my fat and Cabs intake, eating mostly fruits, vegetables and up to a gallon and half of a water a day. Mambo, Salsa and Merengue dancing are very strenous workouts. As I've been dancing dayly for a month now, I find it easier to dance for a longer period of time.. I have been using the HIIT technic while I dance by changing the music from Salsa to Merengue and I think it's working wonders!! But my question (finally) he,he, is how can incorporate some weight training, because in my home gym all I have is treadmill and a bike. Are there any types of exercises you would recommend that would make up for weights. Thanks for your time. A. Hello Patricia, I would classify salsa, mambo, and merangu an aerobic activity, not really a HIIT routing. I know you didn't ask that, but I had to give my opinion. If you want some real high intensity HIIT try sprinting up a hill, than walk for about 30 seconds and repeat. On the other hand, if you enjoy the dancing, than by all means, stick with that instead. As for weight training, there really isn't a way to make up for the weights. You should think about joining a gym or getting some cheap dumbbells. Q. From Marjorie: Hello Bob, I am a 23 yr old female, 140lbs, 5'6". I have been excercising for the last 5 months (strength training for the last 3 months) This is pretty much my routine Run 5 times a week for 30-40 minutes, I usually average 3.5 to 4 miles for that period of time. day 1 -back and abs, day 2- biceps and triceps, day 3-legs, buttocks, thighs. day 4- shoulders and abs. day 5- chest. Now, my problem is that I have seen VERY slow results. I eat healthy and drink mostly water, and try to stay away from junk. Is it just me, or do other people have this problem? At times I feel like quitting, but I'm very determined and don't want to lose the last 5 months and start all over like I know I will. What can I be missing? Should I shake up my excercise routine? A. I can see why you are not seeing very good results. Your training routine only targets every muscle group once a week. You should be hitting every muscle group twice a week. Try this split: Monday: Chest, Biceps, Triceps, Shoulders Let me know how it goes. P.S. For legs I would suggest squats and deadlifts. I am almost finished with an article on HIIT training, so look for it to be added very soon. Q. From Karla: I am 35, mother of 4 in 5 years. Unfortunately, I gained 100 lbs. I am desperate to loss the weight. I have tried Adkins, low-fat, starving, nothing seems to work. The only exercise I do is chasing the children. Please help. I need a exercise program that will really help me burn the fat. Should I consider weight lifting also in addition to exercise. A. HI Karla, this is the exact reason why I do not suggest any fad diet. I am sure you lost a few pounds when you were on the diets, but as soon as you went off the diet you gained it all back. First of all, if you eat out, stop. Next, try to cut back on your simple carbohydrates and hydrogenated fats. This alone will help you lose weight and is something you can do for the rest of your life. Pick one day out ever week where you can indulge your cravings. If you have a craving, have a little of what you are craving. Next, only put small portions on your plate and make sure that you take at least 20 minutes to finish it. Drink plenty of water during your meal. As for your exercise, start some strength training and HIIT. I will be adding an article about HIIT very soon, I have written it for you and the others who are looking to lose the fat. Q. From Josie: bob, is it bad that I only consume about 900/1000 calories a day, and I burn that many a day with cardio, in my diet? also, what are your tips for not binging! I'm very bad w/that. thank you! A. No it is not bad, if you are looking to lose weight, you want to burn more calories than you take in. The way to prevent binging is to eat 5 small meals a day, drink plenty of water, and eat slowly. Q. From Maria: I am a
former D1 tennis player, and I'm trying to get into better shape. A. First of all, I would cut back on the cardio and incorporate some HIIT training into your training. How many days do you have between workouts? I would add the back workout to leg day, and biceps to the chest day, and workout on a 4 day a week split. If you don't have the time, you current strength routine looks ok. Q. From Jackie: i have a big bust,is there any kind of exercise i can do to reduce the size of my bust (breast) A. By losing over all body fat, you should be able to reduce the size of your breasts. In addition, you can do some chest work to build the muscle under the fat which will have a tightening effect. Q. From Lakisha: If you eat one meal a day and work out two times a day aren't you still going to loose weight because #1 you are slowing down your metabolism by eating that one meal a day but you are also speeding it up by working out twice a day. Am i right. A. You would think this would be the case, but your body is smarter than you think. If you only ate once a day, you body would be hungry and would go into starvation mode and begin to conserve energy and store more fat. In addition, your body would begin to catabolize your muscle tissue in order to use it for energy and to conserve your fat stores. You may lose weight due to lack of calories, but you will also lose a lot of muscle, gain some fat, and slow your metabolism in the process. Q. From Anne: Hi Bob- I was watching CROSSFIRE the other night and they had a short interview with Denise austin and another fellow from the New York area. The guy from New York wrote a book about how to do only 10 (or 20) minutes of weights a week to get in shape. I was unable to catch his name or the title of his book! Would you have an idea of who this guy is and the title of his book. He recently released it. Thank you so much.......Anne A. You are talking about Adam Zickerman and his book "Power of 10". It is another fad workout scheme which I would not recommend. Q. From Craig: IS there any other web sites that give diagrams like that of the on on your onlineFitness.com? What other kind of calf exercises could you do besides the one showen on Youronlinefitness.com? A. Hello Craig I don't know of any other websites with exercise diagrams. I am in the process of adding a lot more, and they will all have animations of the exercise like the example of the box squat. There are tons of exercises for the calf muscles. Try standing or seated raises, or any variation of the movement. Q. Name??: WHAT KIND OF EXERCISE DO I DO IF I WANT TO GET A LITTLE WAIST? A. Please read through past questions and answers, this question has been answered many times. Q. From Trevon: hello,B. I would like to know why have I been reading more and more that people trying to improve there strength and muscle mass should only do cardio two to thee times a week? Thanks for your time....... A. Trevon, when is the last time you have seen a bodybuilder, powerlifter, or Olympic Weightlifter compete in a long distance marathon? How about an endurance athlete compete in a powerlifting meet? I know this isn't a good enough answer, but I had to throw it out there. Aerobics have a catabolic affect on muscles. Protein is sometimes used to fuel aerobic activity (siff), which is not good for muscle mass. In addition, it is harder for the body to carry around 100 pounds of muscle mass and perform aerobics. Since the body is a highly complex organism, it will attempt to drop the extra muscle in order to lighten the load. A study (Hikida et al, 1983) found that muscle necrosis was detected up to 7 days after prolonged distance training. As for strength, cardio training can cause your fast twitch fibers to act more like slow twitch muscle fibers (Timson et al, 1985, Baldwin et al, 1992, Nobel & ettigrew 1989). To quote Dr. Zatsiorsky regarding endurance training and strength "The muscles are not able to optimally adapt to both types of exercise at the same time. Combining strength and endurance exercises interferes with the ability to gain strength". We cannot ignore specificity when discussing this topic. The body will adapt to the specific type of stress placed upon it. If you are trying to improve strength and muscle mass, I would recommend no cardio, not 3 times a week of 30 minutes. The only time I recommend cardio is if someone is looking to lose overall body weight, in which I suggest minimal cardio and more HIIT training and weight training. Q. From ??: What is the best way to lose weight? A. Eat less calories and expend more through exercises. The best exercise is interval training and HIIT training plus strength training. Q. From Kelly: Bob, I am 5'7", I weigh 130, small frame, female. I want to weigh about 110, I don't have any problem w/exercising, I do about 5/6 days a week w/cardio and a little weight training. I do tend to overeat, I want to reach my goal within 4 months, and I want to gain a lot of muscle and be very toned! is it possible?? does it matter what time of the day you work out? I usually do around 5:00. Thanks a lot! Kelly A. Kelly, it is very possible, but it is very difficult to put on a lot of muscle and to lose a lot of weight at the same time. Lets concentrate on losing body fat and gaining muscle instead. You need to stop overeating, do less cardio, more weight training, and a lot of HIIT training. You will probably lose some overall weight, but you will lose a lot of fat and gain muscle. There are some hormonal changes that occur throughout the day, but you should work out when it is most convenient for you. Q. From Mariam: Is it bad to do 200 crunches a day, and if so why?? A. No, it is not bad to do 200 crunches a day, but don't expect to lose your belly because of it. It is better than doing nothing! Q. From Imani: I don't need to lose weight, but in a specific area I need to tone or something. Around the mid-section period. Thank for any suggestions. A. Hello Imani, I have been on vacation so I haven't been able to update for a few days. You may not need to lose weight, but if you have a layer of fat then you need to lose the layer of fat to see your abs. Exercise and try to eat healthy and you will accomplish your goal. Q. From Hayley: Hi bob, me again. Will using the stairmaster 6 days a week(45-60 min)HITT training, and doing 3 sets of 15 reps on the leg extension and curl machines(I think those are the appropriate names)help me to lose weight in the hips, butt, and thighs?? thanks! A. Hayley, if you are able to perform HIIT training for longer than 20 minutes than you are not performing it correctly. A beginner can usually only perform 5 minutes tops. Elite athlete can probably perform it for 30 minutes, but it is a very high intensity workout. It has to be high intensity or it will NOT work. You should warm up for about 2 to 5 minutes and then 30 seconds all out and 30 second slow and 30 seconds all out, etc. When you perform the all out effort you need to make sure you are going full bore. Change the resistance to make it harder during the all out effort. You seem to think you can spot reduce fat, but it is impossible. You should be doing a full body workout, not only leg extensions and curls. Leg extensions are hard on the knees, do leg presses or squats instead. Q. From Jon: I have 4 visible ab muscles I can flex on on side and 3 on the other. A 7 pack if you will. They aren't super ripped abs but I want to fix that, what can I do? A. Hello Jon, the best way to make your abs ripped is through a good diet and exercise. You must diet down to make your abs more ripped, but don't expect to gain any muscle mass during your dieting down period. Instead try adding some HIIT training. HIIT training will probably be enough to lose that last bit of fat. Q. From Rachel: I have
gained 30 lbs in the past three years. Although I am not heavy I hate how my
body looks. I have gained it in my things, my butt, and my stomach. I want to
get on a good roputine with eating and exercising. I love the treadmuill and
the trainer at my gyum gave me a good program to follow. It's 1 min normal one
minute incline. 1 minute normal 2 min inlcine, etc. It goes all the way to 5
minutes on an incline and then goes down sequentially. Will this help me lose
weight??? A. This is a decent program, but where is the weight lifting? Are your walking or running? If you are just walking then I would say that this program is better than doing nothing, but not even close to a good fat loss routine. Since you love the treadmill, the trainer tried to give you an exercise you like with a little intensity. You need to incorporate some weight training into your routine, and if your trainer did not suggest that you participate in weight training then you should find a new trainer. Since I don't know how old your are, how long you have been training, or your current physical condition I cannot give you a specific answer. Q. From Jan: "The best way to induce muscle hypertrophy is to work with rep ranges ranging from 15 to 1. How you set this up is up to you, but I would recommend 2 to 4 weeks at every rep range."This is from one of your responses. I understand that 15 reps is 15 motions per exercise so I'm assuming you mean to do 15 reps for 2 to 4 weeks, then 14 reps for 2 to 4 weeks, and so on? Thanks for verifying! A. Jan, a rep is defined by Dr. Zatsiorky as "the number of times a movement is repeated within a single exercise set". For example, it you sit in a chair and stand back up again quickly you have performed 1 rep, and if you do it another 5 times without resting in between you have performed 6 reps. If you now stop and take a break, you have performed 1 set of 6 reps. Since everyone is different, some will see better results at the higher rep ranges and some will see better results at the lower rep ranges. What I meant when I said "How you set it up is up to you", is that you can do 2 weeks at 15 reps then drop to 12, or 3 weeks at 15 reps and drop to 10, or any other way you want to do it. There are many combinations, but if you are just starting I would recommend 4 weeks at every rep range, but if you are more advanced, 2 - 3 weeks at every rep range. Q. From Kristel: What is the best way to get rid of fat in the thighs/hips, and butt? This is really my only problem area and I was wondering if running on a treadmill will help tone this area. Please help!!! A. Hi Kristel, walking on the treadmill is not the best way to tone this area? To lose fat you can read through the fat loss Q and A and see what I recommend for fat loss. But with the hips, but, and thighs, you can add muscle to the area which can tighten up the area. You will not be spot reducing fat, but you will be spot tightening an area. The exercises to target this area would be squats and deadlifts. These two exercises will burn tons of calories and work all the areas you want. This will build up the muscle under the fat and can have a tightening effect on these areas. The same goes for the abdominal muscles, you can build muscle under the fat and tighten up the area, but you will not see a six pack until your lose the layer of fat over the muscle. By tone you mean you would like to see muscle definition in the area, but definition is achieved by your diet and exercise since you have to lose fat to see your muscle tone. But if you don't have much muscle than you won't have much muscle tone when you lose the fat. There is a way to lose fat and gain muscle at the same time, but I will be telling you how to do that in an upcoming article. Q. From Jimmy: I want to request a big big favor, I really want a guidelines or even a program. I have a friend which have a gym facilities but dont have any program what exercise should i do to build my muscles and firm my body. my weight as of now is 185 pounds. hope you may help me A. Do read my article in the archives titled the beginners guide to building a workout. Q. From Brilla: I'm 17 and I'm am trying to lose weight I am 5'4 approximatley 155 1bs. I tend to gain weight in the buttox, love handles, and stomach area. I think that I could afford to lose 30lbs or more I intend on getting into athletics(specifically track 2 months long) How do I go about doing this. exercise ideas, nutrition? Thanks Sir. A. Hi Brilla, What type of track do you plan on performing, long distance, short sprints, etc? As for exercise ideas, use your sport as your major source of exercise. You should start practicing now! So if you are planning on sprinting, you should start sprinting now and that can be a major part of your exercise. In addition add some strength training and you will be on your way. As for nutrition, again, cut out the simple carbohydrates and hydrogenated fats and see where you are in about 2 months. If you are performing long distance track than you will need to make sure you are getting enough carbohydrates. Start now so that you can experiment and see what works. Q. From Takisha: Hi, it's me again. I want to bulk up to do competitions with my husband and I'm very tall and thin (5'7" 117lbs)with flab on my belly from having a baby 8 months ago. Should I skip the walking on the treadmill (I walk at an incline) so I can gain weight and muscle easier? I really want to lose the flab on my belly so I can wear something other than a t-shirt to the gym, that's why I walk, along with trying to tone my legs and butt. Why can my husband pinch fat on his belly but it's firm and mine is flabby? It sounds so funny, but... how can I get firm fat:-)) Seriously... is it possible? I don't want to lose weight, only the flab, and I want to get lots and lots of muscle!! A. Hello again Takisha, I apologize for the mistake, but I now understand what you are after. You are stuck with a dilemma since you both want to add tons of muscle and lose fat at the same time. Bodybuilders face this dilemma all the time, but they deal with it in their own creative way. Since your husband is a bodybuilder you probably know that bodybuilders go through a "bulking up phase" and a "Cutting phase. In between contests they will bulk up in order to gain maximum muscle weight and then cut down the fat they gained during the bulk up session before the competition. If you want to gain maximal muscle mass, you will also need to bulk up, and you will most likely put on some fat in the process. Creatine is a good supplement for putting on fat free muscle mass. Protein is always good, and forget about the weight gainer, it is a waste of money. The only thing I can recommend is some HIIT training in order to keep this fat gain to a minimal. As for your questions you can still do the treadmill, but you should perform HIIT training rather than cardio training. Excess cardio will lead to muscle catabolism which is the opposite of what you are after. HIIT training does not cause this problem and will burn tons of calories. As for your husbands belly, is his belly firm because he has a low body fat percentage and there is not much fat between his muscle and outer skin? Also, is your skin a little flabby still from having the baby? Fat composition is determined by genetics, that is why some people have cellulite while others don't, and it may be a product of genetics. Q. Hey can you tell me how to gain weight. I have been working out now for about 3 months but the results aren't that good. Also do you know any good excerises to gain muscles. Thanks. A. I can sense your frustration, but you did not really give me enough information. What is your current level of training, what does your current routine look like, and how many days a week do you train? Without this critical information I have no way of knowing why your progress has been slow. It is not only the exercises but the reps that need to be taken into consideration when trying to build muscle. I would suggest compound movements like squats and deadlifts with reps between 1 and 15. Try to experiment and see what reps work best for you. Some will find that they gain more mass with the higher rep ranges and others will find they gain more muscle mass with the lower rep ranges. After you find the rep ranges that work for you, try to use that rep range about 80% of the time. Q. My question is that how do I work out what amount of weight I should be using during my exercises. My eventual goal is to a lose a last amount of fat having already lost 28 pounds but to also build up some muscle across my upper body. I already do dynamic yoga several times a week, this how I lost the weight and is nicely strengthening my legs but my chest, arms and abs need working on. Thanks A. For your abs, chest, and arms I would suggest some resistance training and that should do the trick. Q. Hi. I weigh 226 pounds and I am 5'7". I am 14 years old and I have a knee problem. Whenever I run my tendons start to swell. I have been going to the gym 4-5 times a week and going on the stationary bike for 20 minutes each time. My diet has been getting very boring and I need a way to keep losing weight without eating my whole kitchen. I have lost about 10 pounds now and please HELP ME. Please give me some tips to vary my diet and excercize so I don't give up. A. It sounds to me like you may have tendonitis, but you really need to go to a doctor to find out for sure. How does your knee feel when you exercise it? When you perform squats? Avoid running or anything that aggravates the injury and try to perform exercises that don't hurt, and of course seek out a good sports doctor. As for training the WestCoast training routine is a fun and ever changing exercise routine. Check out past articles if you want to learn how to lift WestCoast style. As for your diet, you should eat in moderation, and try to avoid hydrogenated fats and simple carbohydrates. Q. i been losing a lot of weight and how can i get my stomach tight i have tryed almost everything? A. Is your stomach fat or is it extra skin that is the problem? Also, what is your current level of exercise and eating habits. It is very hard to give you an educated answer with so little information. But like usual, ill give it a shot. First, if it is a layer of fat you want to lose, then you need to start exercising and watching what you eat. If on the other hand it is extra skin that is the problem, you may be able to tighten the area up by exercising the area. This may help if it is just a little extra skin but you may require surgery if there is a lot of excess skin. Sorry, but with so little information, I can't really give you a good answer. Q. Hi, it's me again. What exactly constitutes of resistance training? mainly weights? what are some good examples? Thanks again Bob! A. Hi Sarah, Resistance training is any training against resistance, the most common being weight lifting with free weights or machines, although I favor free weights. Q. What is the physiology of the term "second wind"? Just what is meant by that term? A. The term second wind is a second burst of energy you feel when exercising. For example, when you are jogging and feel a second burst of energy, we say you have had a second wind. This seems to happen a lot in sports. A second wind may be caused by a rush of adrenaline, or other factors. Q. Can you explain reps to me? I'm new to the entire weight lifting thing, what exactly is that all about? Thanks!! A. Reps are how many times consecutively you perform a single exercise movement. For example, if you pick up a weight and perform bicep curls 10 times consecutively and then put the weight down, you have performed 10 reps. We would then say you performed 1 set of 10 reps. Q. Bob, I want a well-muscled
body like Britney Spears, that may sound silly, but that is my goal.I have a
pretty good body type and am in generally good shape, I just don't have much
muscle defenition. I'm 5'5", 124 pds, how long do you think it would take
to get that body? she probably works out everyday all day. A. Hello Sarah, so you wanna have a muscled body like Britney spears. Definition is usually gained through diet. Before body builders compete, they will diet down to get rid of the fat and to show their muscle definition. Of course you have to have enough muscle first. Lets also not forget that Britney may have also had cosmetic work done. In addition, I bet she also has a personal chef. Does this mean that it is not possible? No, but you have to pay attention to what you eat and exercise. We also have to remember that everyone is different. A combination of resistance training and aerobic training is what you need, with more emphasis on the resistance training. Q. Where do I start about losing weight by exercising..... I also just had a baby and want to lose the baby fat.......... I want to loss weight by my 18 birthday...... And that is in 3 mo....Is there any way for me to do that.........I would really appreciate if you contact me as soon as possible. A. I hope you are breast feeding, not only is it good for the baby, but it also takes a lot of calories to feed your baby. The place to start would be to go to your local health club and sign up. Then you can start a resistance exercise routine. Start slow and build up. Next, you need to pay attention to what you are eating. You want a well rounded diet, not only is that good for you, but also for your baby who should be breast feeding. Since I don't know how much weight you are looking to lose, I cannot tell you if you will be able to lose it in 3 months. Q. Bob, I work out about 5 times a week, doing weights and cardio and have lost about 12 pounds, and gone down about 2 sizes, I'm 5'6",female, and weigh 120 now. I try to watch what I eat,I do pretty well throughout the week, I've been using those slim fast bars, but then on the weekends I usually end up binging on everything. I still don't have the body I'd like to have, I'm still seeing too much fat, I know that it's not really how much you weigh, it's more about your body fat percentage, what would you say is the best way to getting that percentage down? I'm 20 yrs old, what would the best percentage be for someone w/my description? I would like to be in the best shape possible by June(I have a reunion coming up :)), I have about 6 months, what would you say is the best work out plan to get me looking my best? that's my problem, I don't really know a good solid plan to stick to, I keep trying to change it every week instead of sticking to it! Thanks A lot!! A. You state that you use slim fast bars, but do you use them as supplements are as a meal in itself? Those supplement bars should only be used as a supplement to your diet. For example, if you don't have time to sit down and eat a real meal you might want to eat a bar. A slim fast bar should be used only in such situations. Try to eat meals at home that you prepare yourself, and make sure you eat fats and carbs in moderation. If you only want to lose the weight for the reunion, then a quick diet will suffice, but if you are looking for long term results, use the methods I describe above. As for body fat percentage, I believe the ideal body fat percentage is the one you are happy with. But if you want a number, according to the National Health Club Association, an ideal body fat percentage for women is from 16% to 25%. I would suggest using a mirror or pictures to gauge your success instead of body fat percentage. As for a workout program, I would suggest that you read my article Beginners Guide to Building a Workout. Remember to start slow and build up over time. You have plenty of time to reach your goal. Good luck and let me know how it goes. Q. I have been running at least 2-3 miles 3 times a week and do 15 minutes of weights. These weights are free weights for my arms. I also do about 100 sit ups a week. I am 39 years old. I have been doing this for a year. Prior to that I did not exercise regularly if at all. I am not overweight. However over a year ago I quit smoking and decided I did not want to gain too much weight. I am about fifteen pounds more than I want to be. In the last year with the added exercise, I have not lost any weight. I still where the same clothes but seem to weight more. I feel more fit, but my scale does not show that I am working out. How mich more does musce=le weight than fat? A. I have never understood why anyone would want to use a weight scale to measure progress. Weight scales tell us very little about our body composition. In other words, it tells us very little about how much fat or muscle we have. I always tell clients to throw the scale out, and if you really want to monitor your progress, find someone who uses hydrostatic body fat testing. Better yet, find a mirror. As you already know, muscle is denser than fat, and if you lose ten pounds of fat and gain ten pound of muscle, you will see an extreme difference in how your body looks. Off the top of my head I cannot tell you the differences in fat and muscle density. I believe that muscle is about 3 times more dense then fat. Q. I don't have access to a bench. So I was wondering if there was another exercise that I could do to improve my "Serratus Anterior". I do, however have access to a barbell, and 140 lbs of weight. I have just been working the typical "abs, chest, thighs, and bi's". Also, I was wondering if you knew anything about "static training", keeping a mximum load at optimum height. How effective is this? Which exercises like that are best? Thank you, if you reply.. :-) A. Is there any reason in particular you are targeting the Serratus Anterior? Although you cannot isolate any muscle, exercises such as incline dumbbell presses, dumbbell pullovers, and barbell pullovers will work the Serratus Anterior. As for static muscle action, also called isometrics, isometrics are good for strengthening a muscle at a specific joint angle. On the down side, they raise the blood pressure (which can be harmful to individuals with high blood pressure), they only increase strength close to a specific joint angle, and they disturb coordination. Isometrics are good when used in conjunction with a dynamic training routine. I would recommend Dr. Siffs' Supertraining book if you want to learn the ins and outs of static training. By the way, why wouldn't I answer your question? Please e-mail me and let me know. (two weeks later) I guess you don't have a reason for the question since you never did e-mail me back. Q. I have recently decided to lose weight and start exercising more after I gained about 15 pounds in the last year and half. My problem is that I am 5'7 and although I have long legs they were kinda skinny until the recent weight gain. Although I gained weight I have been getting compliments on my new more shapely legs. How do I lose weight from the waist up without losing the weight from the lower half of my leg? But at the same time lose some of the weight from my thigh area? A. It is impossible to spot reduce fat, at least according to the research. Everyone stores fat in certain areas, usually women in the upper thighs, and men in the bellies. If you have excess fat in the upper thighs it will come off as you lose fat overall. You will not lose the shapeliness from you legs by exercising them. If you are lifting weights you will add muscle and they will become more shapely. If you are not already lifting weights, I would suggest you get started with some weigh training and work out your entire body. Q. While lifting weights I tend to get a lightheaded/somewhat nauseas feeling, especially with certain excercises where I lift the weight over my head (such as the shoulder press). Why does this happen and is there anything I can do to prevent it? A. This is usually caused by a rise in blood pressure. It happens more when you hold your breath while performing an exercise. Breath holding is not a bad thing, but if you are doing many reps you need to breath between each rep. Q. How would you build up your calfs and ankle? A. For the calf muscles and ankle, I would suggest any type of calf raises and toe raises. Q. Hello, I am a 21 year old male, 6'3", I
weigh about 210 pounds. A. I would not rely on the heart rate monitors that are built into the machine. Why not just take your own heart rate? Since the bike monitors are so unreliable, wouldn't base your heart rate on them. Q. I have a strange body in that I am very
skinny yet I have a potbelly developing. I'm 20 yrs old and don't drink.When I
wear a T-shirt I look weird in that my arms and shoulders are skinny yet my
stomach sticks out. Q1 Could this be because of my background (I am from east
Africa where we are all skinny!!!) A. A1. This has nothing to do with your background, you have a belly from eating to much junk and not exercising! A2. Sit-ups will NOT get rid of your belly. Sit-ups WILL build up the muscle under the fat, but you will still have layer of fat over your muscles. If you want to get rid of your belly, start watching what you eat, get your ass in the gym and start lifting weights. After that, get on a bike and perform some HIIT training and then you can squeeze into your tight t-shirt or for heavens sakes your singlet, I hope you are a wrestler or powerlifter!!! It is very hard to both bulk up and lose a belly at the same time, so figure out which is more important and go with it. Good luck in your mission. |