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General Fitness Questions and Answers
Updated on Thursday 09/18/2003
Q. From David sent on 9/14/2003: I'm really out of shape. 5o years old, 6', 185, What I would like to do is really "tone" up. Especially in the chest,tricept, and bicep area. Also need to add some endurance. I smoke and drink, but do eat healthy if that helps. Where to begain?
Start be reading the article archives and my article beginners guide......
Q. From June sent on 8/28/2003: What qualifications should I be looking for when hiring my own personal trainer
What you want to look for is education. There are a more bad trainers out there than good. It is hard to find a good trainer these days. Good certifications are ISSA, NASM, ACSM. Good Luck.
Q. From Jill sent on 8/05/2003:
hi i'm 16 and i don't like my breast size. their too big for me. is there any
kind of excercise that will help me reduce my size. i'm a 36D. i do excercise
everyday. i do mostly pilates. tell me aything that will help me lose my breast
size. i'd like to get down to a 34C.
thanks!
A. Since breasts are made up of mostly fat, losing more fat overall will decrease their size.
Q. From Melissa sent on 8/01/2003:
Bob- What kind of exercises can i do to have lean, toned arms. Mine
are sort of big but i don't want them to get even bigger by lifting weights. I
want them to get leaner and more toned. Do you have any lifting or
exercising solutions for me?!?!
Thanks!
A. Having lean toned arms will require you to lose the fat on the arms and increase the muscle mass in the arms. The toned look comes from lifting weight and losing the fat covering the muscle.
Q. From Tracey sent on 8/01/2003:
My question is multifacited.I am 5'5", female,35 and I weigh 230 pounds. My
goal is to get fit and cut. I suffer from chronic depression and anxiety and
take many
medications.I know it is lower weight more reps for toning and getting that cut
look. I'm sure many people have given you the example of wanting to have a build
like Demi Moore in J.I. Jane. I realize at 230 that is a lot to hope
for, but it has become my goal. I can't afford to join a gym but I do have a
treadmill, an optical stepper and a weight machine.I am an 'apple' shaped person
and a lot of my weight is in my abdomin.Could you give me any advise. Looks
are so much a part of todays society, I have actually considered suicide rather
than to live this way anymore. Thank you for taking the time to read.
A. It is not "lower weights and more reps for toning and getting that cut look", it is a combination of good eating habits and strength training. You have a goal so that is a good thing! Suicide....are you serious? You should seek a medical professional for some psychological help. Did you know study after study shows that men are more attracted to thicker (not fat) women. If you want to lose that fat than I have the answer for you. My book should be out later this month which addresses this issue in detail.
Q. From Amy sent on 7/22/2003:
Hello Robert I am a 26/F I was intrested in weight traing to lose weight and
tone my overall body (knowing you can not pin point one area) What would be a
beginner program for an all over workout. ( excercise, time, count,etc)
Thank you for your time and help. Have a Great Day!
A. I would recommend you check into the article archives for my article on a beginners guide to building a workout.
Q. From Lauren sent on 7/17/2003:
HI. I was wondering what I should do about this:
I am a 17 year old female with a (nearly) 27 inch waist and 30 inch hips. I
calculated online that my waist-hip ratio is 0.9 and is unhealthy.
I know that having such a high WHR is not attractive either and probably makes
me look fat (?).
I am already underweight so What can I do to improve this? My stats
are:
Height: 66.5"
Weight: 111.5 lbs
A. Let me get this right, you have a 27 inch waist and 30 inch hips and you look fat? This sounds like the hour glass figure most people strive for. Those stupid online calculators are silly, I would love to see the research behind these calculators. I have looked, but haven't yet found any supporting evidence for these calculators. If you think you look fat, than lose more fat overall and be happy with your shape!
Q. From Nicola sent on 7/16/2003: hi i have a three year old son who was ten pounds which is very big i weighed fifteen stone after giving birth i exercise three times a week doing aerobics and do hundreds of sit ups. after a year and half i was down to ten stone. i know he was a big baby and i was overweight but i still have a bit of doughy skin at the bottom of my stomach which i cannot seem to get rid of. I also suffer with a bad back from time to time as my son is heavy and i slipped a disc in my back a year ago could this cause loss of stomach tightness. i eat only a low fat healthy diet and exercise so i need some advice. i also lost a lot of weight from my breasts from a 38d to a 36b which has caused a bit of loose skin to crumple when i wear my bra. please can you help because i am looking to getting pregnant next year and wish to do everything i can to regain my shape. my health visitor said it can take up to four years is this true
A. The best thing you can do for your next pregnancy is to make sure you exercise throughout it. For you other question, try to build the muscle in the ab area to see if that will tighten the area up. Instead of performing hundreds of crunches, perform some lower rep ab exercises with weights.
Q. From Cheryl sent on 7/11/2003:
I'm a 24-year-old female 5'5" and I currently weigh 208lbs. I have
struggled with my weight my entire life and have tried every diet available.
This past May I started making some basic changes in my diet, not cutting out
any foods in particular but being careful to always balance my meals and
avoiding overeating. I have lost 21 pounds and a total of 19" of my body.
I am happy with the results I've seen thus far but would like to add a strong
fitness routine to my daily efforts. I've been doing is 200 sit-ups
approximately 4 times a week but other then that I don't really know where to
begin. I live in a rural community so I do not have access to a gym. I own an
elliptical trainer and 3 pound weights.
Could you help me with some exercises that I could start with? My goal is simply
to be healthy. I have no set weight loss goals but I would like to eventually
have a leaner toned look.
Thanks for your help!
A. I have a book that is coming out very soon that will give you a progressive routine that you could use with your elliptical trainer. Check out the article archives and read my article on building a routine.
Q. From Brenda sent on 6/26/2003: Hi Bob. Great Site. I'm a 30 yr old vegetarian. For excercise I run 3 miles 2-3 times per week & ride my bike 10 miles per day round trip to & from work. I'd like to increase muscle tone. Is there anything I can add to my diet, or is it strictly weight-bearing excercise that'll do it? Thanks!
A. I would suggest you first start with resistance training. Resistance training will give your body that toned look. If you find you want to increase the size of your muscles than increase your calorie intake with the resistance training. On the other hand, if you have adequate muscle mass and want to increase your definition, than you must lose the fat that is covering your muscles. Good luck and keep me up to date with your progress. I don't know how often I say that, but I have yet had one person e-mail me with their progress.
Q. From Nosha: Hi Bob,
My name is Nosha and I am a former athlete who was very addicted to lifting
weights. I have now finished my carrer and was wondering how to stay fit but
loose some muscle. IS it less weight mor reps? What? Also even though I work out
and lift five days a week I can never seem to gain muscle in my legs. PLease
help
A. I am not quite sure what you are after, you say you want to lose some muscle, but then say you want to gain muscle in your legs. If you want to lose muscle, you will need to perform a lot of endurance type of activities while eating less calories than you need to maintain. To gain muscle mass, you must eat more calories than you need and lift weights.
Q. From Greg:
Bob
hello
I was surfing and came upon your site,I have a few questions.Maybe you can help
me if you have the time.
I am 28 years old 188 pds,not in shape,slim figure at 6 ft
I want to be able to have a lean muscle look.
I recently quit smoking and I dont ever want to go back to that,I am eating alot
because of this,in one moth I gained 10 pds full of nothng good.
I also work for the Government and have to flu alot out of the country,and am
usally staying in other countries where I dont know what to eat or where to work
out at,most of these countries are third world.
Is there any thing I can do,pushups,situps,more water,protein,carb....I need a
plan,I have very little muscle deffinition and want to look better.
Is there anything you can suggest.
thanks
A. I apologize for the late responses. Congratulations on quitting smoking. Greg, you can purchase some strength bands from your local fitness store. They are easy to carry and can be used anywhere's. Drink plenty of water and eat at least 1 gram of protein per pound of bodyweight. Create a routine based on the bands and try to workout a couple of times a week. This should get you started.
Q. From Jackie: hi bob its me jackie again! hope your alright-anyway i have stuck to a diet i eat about 900 calories a day and i cycle for 50 minutes than later the day i walk for 30 minutes! my goal is to be a 32C, well i was a 34D and now i'm a 32D which is good! but the bad news is that the process seems to have slowed down BIG TIME!! and i don't know why! i have not change my diet or exerice! COULD YOU PLEASE TELL ME WHAT I'M DOING WRONG
A. Jackie, welcome to the world of adaptation. You body has adapted to your current training routine. Also, 900 calories is very low, I would suggest you eat at least 1500 - 2000 calories a day. If you cut back to far on your calories your body will actually start to store more fat. Why don't you e-mail me your current workout routine and weekly workouts and I will see where you are going wrong.
Q. From Marvin: I am 67 year old male in good shape but want to get into a exercise and fitness program of weight lifting and what ever else would be nesseccary. Also what about creatine for some one my age? I weigh 180 lbs 5'9". Had body fat checked at a health clinic last fall, checked out 16.9%. Thanks for any info you can give me.
A. Check out my article on building an exercise routine in the article archive section. In the supplements/creatine section you will find at the top of the page a good review article on creatine.
Q. From Matt: Bob, I have read many of the questions that have been asked of you and many times you reply with, "do more HIIT lifting." This may be a dumb question, but what exactly is HIIT lifting? Thanks.
A. Hello Matt, HIIT training is High Intensity Interval Training. You can learn more about it in an article I wrote titled "HIIT and Other Interval Training Methods".
Q. From Mason: I am 14 years old. I am lifting 4-5 days a week. How much should I be running?
A. This depends on your goals. If you want to build muscle you do not need to run at all, but of you plan on running a marathon, than you better run a lot.
Q. From JP: hi i am 13 and i race go karts. there is no power steering in the karts so upper body body strength is important.also i need to lose weight. i have a 22' stability ball and 2 10 lb dumbells and i dont know how to use them. some simple exercises would be great. thanks
A. Here is how you use the stability ball, Throw it out the window and see how high it will bounce. After that, toss it in the garbage. Now, for the real weights, you can perform some dumbbell curls, side raises, shoulder presses, etc. Look under the exercise diagrams to see more. You can find them under the fitness info button. You will most likely need a larger variety of dumbbells. Perform some push ups and situps. Go to your local track, or ride your bike and perform some interval training. You should find someone to teach you how to perform your exercises correctly, and do not max out. Supervision is required for your lifters.
Q. From Eugenia: I have osteoarthritis. I am 47 and I am starting to develop "chicken wings". I have bought a 5#weight dumbbell. What do I do to build up the triceps muscle (underarm). Thanks cause I don't want to be flabby. My overweight hubby noticed this arm flaw. Thanks for your answer. Eugenia
A. Where do you have osteoarthritis? In what joints? Since I don't know where your arthritis is occurring, I cannot give you an educated answer. For the arthritis, you can perform some water exercises in a swimming pool. In addition, light weight training through the full range of motion is also good.
Q. New??: I am 31 year old new mother. I am nursing my child. I wieght 124, hieght 5' 6" My question is ...What should my protien intake be daily...how many grams? I am also going to begin lifting again next week, what should my protein intake be when I begin lifting?
A. Since you are breastfeeding your child, you will be using about 500 or more calories a day. You should have at least 1 gram of protein per pound of body weight. This should be plenty when exercising as well.
Q. From Jon:
I am a 17 year old male, and am in search of obtaining a higher level of
physical fitness, as well as toning muslces, and building strength.
I am a weak person, and I have a small layer of fat on me. Just
enough so that you can't see my muscles. I am not over weight, but, I
am not "ripped" or "toned" either. My arms aren't defined,
nor are my abs.
I have tried going to the gym in the past. I went every second day
for 6 months, and I worked hard. But, i don't any more due to lack of
finances.
I am presently running as often as possible, I can run 5 or 6 miles.
I also eat healthy. Lots of fruit, no junk, and lots of protien.
I deparately need some advice on what i should do, and eat in order to get a
more toned, and stronger body.
A. You will need to incorporate some strength training with weights to increase your muscle mass.
Q. From gökçe: is it possible to build muscle without burning fat? thanks
A. Every time you exercise you will burn calories which will increase fat loss. So no, you cannot build muscle without burning fat because you must exercise in order to build muscle. But you can increase your calorie consumption when you exercise.
Q. Hector: Do a chin-up.What muscles are involved as 1) prime movers, 2) stabilizers, and 3) helping synergists? What exercise describes “functional reversibility” in relationship to the chin-up?
A. Is this a test question or something? This depends on the variation of chin-up used. The exercise that describes functional reversibility in regards to the chin-up is the bicep curl. As for prime movers, there is no such thing as purely prime movers, stabilizers, or helping synergists in any exercise since each may play a different role throughout a motor pattern. Would you care to be more specific so that I can better answer your question?
Q. From ????: dear bob do the power bars and shakes really give you power because i want to try them but before i do i wanted to see if the really give you power. do the power bars or shakes work or not????
A. Save your money.
Q. How can i find out my body fat percentage?
A. You can use fat calipers which are fairly accurate or you can try to find a place that does hydrostatic body fat testing. Some community colleges have a hydrostatic body fat tester, so start there.
Q. From Tia: how can you increase your butt size without increasing anything else?
A. It would be impossible since you cannot isolate a single muscle.
Q. From Adel: i'm 14 years old and would like to know if lifting weights stunts growth
A. No, strength training does not stunt your growth. Studies using force plates have shown that you put more stress on your body from running than you could ever with lifting weights. Studies have shown that strength training increases the density of the bones and helps protect children against injuries to the growth plates. The only thing I would not recommend for children is lifting maximal weights too often.
Q. From Lida: Thank you for providing this web site for all of us. Is it okay to do cardio, such as swimming, in the morning and do weight lifting at night? Or do I have to do cardio right after my weight lifting? Thank you very much.
A. Hi Lida, thanks for your kind words. If you insist on doing cardio, than I think it is best to do it when you can enjoy it the most. Of course I would suggest you drop the cardio and instead perform some HIIT training.
Q. From Amanda: I have just decided to make a change in my overall health and fitness. I want to lose weight and tone my body. I am 25yrs. old 5'4" and 145lbs. I have been through two pregnancies and now I want to look like I'm 25 again. I am not sure where to begin though. I don't know what kind of excercise program is best. I want to lose overall weight and work on some post-pregnancy problem areas such as my flabby stomach and the large fat pockets above my buttocks. What do you think is best?
A. Hi Amanda, the best approach is a good strength training program and good eating habits. For strength training, take a look through the past articles for some good examples of routines. As for diet, try to cut out simple carbohydrates and hydrogenated fats and oils.
Q. I attend a health club. Both during the winter and summer time, it seems to be cold at all times. I am cold natured anyhow, but the temperature is kept right around 55-60 degrees. Even when the temperatures are 40 degrees or below they keep the door open. What should the temperature control be set at on a continous basis? I want to enjoy my work out but I concentrate more how on cold I am, and I wear sweatsuits.. Thanks for the info...
A. If you are not enjoying your workout, you than need to
approach the owner and suggest that he turn up the heat. The following study
"Muscle performance and electromyogram activity of the lower leg muscles
with different levels of cold exposure." by: Oksa J, Rintamaki H, Rissanen
S. found that as temperature decreased, so did performance. Performance
decreased dramatically from 27 degrees Celsius (80 degrees Fahrenheit) to 20
degrees Celsius (68 degrees Fahrenheit). If you have to train in the cold, make
sure that you warm up and stay warm.
Q. From Milan: I have been
going 6 times per week to the gym for the last 6 months, have 50 minutes cardio
and every second day additionally 45 minutes of upper body weight exercise. I am
32 years old, am 6'2 tall (188 cm) and weigh around 95kg. Now friends have told
me that they notice a change in my appearance, however I feel that I am still
pretty far away to have a visible six pack. One trainer at the gym thinks that I
am probably doing too much cardio, and that I should limit my cardio workouts to
specific days and my strength / muscle training to others.
When I do muscle training I usually do heavy weights of 12 rep, sets of 3 or 4.
Now I have noticed that guys in the gym who are visibly much more muscular then
I am, are using the same reps and sets but with sometimes 30 - 50% less weight,
which intrigues me.
Now my questions are:
1. do you think I am doing too much cardio?
2. Why is it that I have more strength than those buffy guys but not nearly as
much muscle.
A. To answer your first question, yes, you are doing to much cardio if you are looking to put on muscle mass. As for your second question, strength and muscle mass is not directly related. Powerlifters are far stronger than extremely larger bodybuilders. In addition, it is not possible to really lift heavy with 12 reps. 12 reps is not a very intense rep range. In addition, reps are only one variable in your training. There are many other variables in your training that I need to know in order to really know why you are lacking progress. For example, I need to know what days you work each muscle, how much time there is between working the same muscles, how long you training at each rep range, what exercises you do for each muscle group, etc.
The reasons for the differences between you and the other guys at the gym is that everyone is different. In addition, your overall training programs and diets may be different.
Q. From Heejin: How do I
look into hiring a credible and trustworthy personal trainer? My
first attempt was the internet. I live in the bay area (south bay) if
that helps.
A. Hello Heejin, it is very hard to find a good personal trainer.
I will say that most trainers should not be training. Most lack the analytical
skills to question the latest fads and most end up pushing the latest fads on
their clients as if it were handed to them from god.
Stay away from trainers who want to put you an a wobble board or swiss ball to increase your stability. Stay away from the body sculptors, super slow types, the one set til failure types, and those who try to push supplements on you. Stay away from the ones who will tell you they can make you look like Arnold Swarzenegger. And definitely the ones who say you should not squat, deadlift, or run because it is bad for the knees, back, etc. Ok, enough ranting, here is what to look for in a personal trainer:
A national certification, ISSA, NSCA, ACSM ( A must)
A trainer that is insured. ( A must )
One who performs an assessment and goal interview ( A must)
One who keeps meticulous workout records and checks your progress regularly. ( A must )
One who stays up to date with the latest research and does extra studying in his spare time. ( A must )
One who had read SUPERTRAINING by Dr. Siff, and Science and Practice of Strength Training by Zatsiorsky (not really a requirement, but an excellent addition) since those who have read these will show advanced knowledge in the field.
Try to seek out a trainer who meets a lot of these requirements if not all. Do not dismiss a new trainer just because he is new, he may also have all lf these requirements. It will be hard to find one with these requirements, but if you are paying $40 + an hour, you should get your moneys worth.
Q. From Kevina: Hi Bob I am 5 ft 7 and I weigh 55 kgs -am I fat
A. Kevina, from the information you gave me, it doesn't sound like you are fat. Although I can take an educated guess by using your height and weight to tell if you are fat or not, it is not a reliable way to measure your body fat. You could weigh 80 kgs and be 5 ft 5 and not fat if you are a body builder with a very low body fat percentage. What is your body fat percentage? Do you think you are fat?
Q. In the past 5 months I've started exercising everyday and have changed my diet dramatically. I had a nice figure to begin with, but I wanted to get healthier overall. I do strength training 3 times a week, and cardio 6 days a week for 30 min. The results have been great so far. I've slimmed down all over which is great, EXCEPT, I've lost my butt. I had a nice round butt before, and now it looks flat. It's solid, but I really want my bubbly butt back and muscle just doesn't bubble the same. I love the exercising, but do I really have to sacrifice my best feature? Is there anything I can do to get it back?
A. Congratulations on your results. If you want to add fat to your butt, you may have to eat excess calories, but there is no guarantee where the fat will go, since that is genetically determined. You can always increase the muscle mass in that area to increase its size, and that way you will have a solid big butt rather than a fatty big butt.
To stimulate hypertrophy in this area, I would suggest doing leg curls, squats, straight leg deadlifts, good mornings, etc. In addition to the correct exercises, it is important to work in the correct rep ranges to stimulate hypertrophy (muscle growth). 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.
The next thing that is needed to induce muscle hypertrophy is excess calories, and enough protein. It will be a fine line in having enough calories and not too many. You will need to watch your figure carefully and make sure you are not getting fat, but that you are increasing muscle mass. Do NOT use a weight scale to measure your success. As for cardio, I would cut back to 3 times a week of 30 minute sessions and concentrate more on the weight lifting. Good luck, and report back to me if you have the time.
Q. Age 79.Fitness center three days a week..tread mill 1/2 hour speed 3 mls level 1.5 no problem doing followed by various arm and leg weight machines, again no problem doing..the problem is nest day...fatique sets in..don't have energy would like to have...I believe my diet is under control..any suggestions??? thanks...
A. This question depends on how long you have been training. If you mean fatigue as in muscle soreness, this is normal for beginners, and it should go away within a few weeks of training. If you have been training for a while, I would need much more information to give a reasonable answer. Either way you are doing yourself a great service by resistance training.
Q. I am so confused about what to eat and what not to eat. Some say to lose weight you should cut very low on carbs under 20 eat more protein and fat. Others say eat fruits and vegetables, stay away from pastas and starches and no sugar or refined flours. I get up each morning and get on my stationary bike for 35-45 minutes. Desparately seeking to lose the weight. I'v lost about 20lbs but the mid section hasn't left me at all. Don't know what to do please help.!!!
A. I can see your frustration with all the diet misinformation out there. First of all lets clear the air, Carbohydrates do not make you fat. I have included some references at the end of this answer to back up that claim. One of reasons the high fat, high protein diets work in the short term is due to the high fat content of the diet. Since fat takes a while to digest, you will feel full for a long time. In turn, you will eat less and lose fat in the short term. In addition, you have to really pay attention to what you eat when you are on these fad diets so you are also more aware of what you are eating. The initial weight loss on the high protein low carb diet is due to water loss. Instead of trying to only eat this or that, simply consume fat and carbohydrates in moderation. As for exercise, I think you need to add some resistance training to your routine. I will even go as far as to say that resistance training is more beneficial than cardio for fat loss. Add some HIIT training and I think you will be well on your way to reaching your goals.
References:
Q. What are the effects of having too much fat compared to your muscle?
A. Not quite sure what you are asking. The effects of having too much fat compared to your muscle will be a flabby body. Are you asking about health concerns? Please ask again with more details and I will be able to give you a better answer.