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ASK THE TRAINER
Email us your questions! We look forward to hearing from you! What about the new book The Cardio-Free Diet? Is there any truth to it? For those of you that are hearing about the new book The Cardio- Free Diet, don't get sucked in! Here's the short answer. Weight training DOES build muscle. More muscle burns more calories. Burning calories burns fat. These are the facts: For every kilogram (2.2) pounds you gain /lose you will burn 40 more/less calories at rest. The reality to this is that it is actually not so easy to gain muscle at a rapid rate. I have been training clients, including myself, for over 20 years, and in my experience, muscle will usually get harder because mitochondria in the muscle increases. The muscle first gets denser, but doesn't necessarily get "bigger" or weigh more. Like I said, I've been training a long time and I weigh less than 120lbs. It's true that my body composition is much more muscle than fat, and I do, in fact, burn calories at a higher rate because of it, but it doesn't mean I can forego the cardiovascular aspect of my training. It's really only physiologically possible to lose 1½ - 3 lbs of fat a week at a healthy rate. If you lose more weight than that, it usually water weight which slows down after a while. This is because most individuals maintain quite a bit of water as the norm. Weight gain doesn't happen any more quickly, and it's actually even harder to gain actual muscle weight! Let's go back to the proven, standard 5 components of fitness: 1) muscular strength, 2) muscular endurance, 3) CARDIOVASCULAR CONDITIONING/STRENGTH, 4) body composition, and finally 5) flexibility. In order for a fitness program to be complete it must include all of these elements. These are the proven physiological facts. They have never been disproved! You STILL have to train your cardiovascular system for your CARDIOVASCULAR HEALTH! It has been proven over and over again that cardiovascular exercise prevents or reverses various health risks such as heat disease and cardiovascular disease. The physiological facts won't change! As a matter of fact the Surgeon General came out years ago to say that INACTIVITY actually increases the risk of heat disease and those related disorders! This is also a fact. To neglect this part of a balanced workout program is in a word STUPID! Looking good and being healthy are often two different things. There are plenty of skinny people who are not at all healthy. They just have different metabolisms that may allow them to eat fast food every day and not gain weight. That doesn't mean their arteries or heart and lungs are in great shape. The theory behind the book in a nutshell is that if you don't do cardio you don't get as hungry, so you don't eat as much. As a matter of fact the author suggests that you limit your caloric intake to around 1200 calories per day or less. Controlling your weight and body fat will always come down to the numbers, meaning you must control calories in/calories out. He does state this fact in the book. Healthy calorie intake, however, depends on an individual's weight and level of activity along with genetic predisposition. The easy way to calculate how many calories you should be eating a day is to figure out what your Basal Metabolic rate is (BMR). This is different than Body Mass Index (BMI) Basal Metabolic rate refers to how many calories per day your body will burn simply for bodily function, i.e. heart, liver, kidney, etc.. The way to figure this number out is to add a zero(0) to your weight. For instance if you weigh 150 lbs, your BMR is around 1500 calories per day. This means if you eat 1500 calories a day and don't do any exercise you should maintain your weight. This is not an exact calculation, but it will give you an idea of what your BMR is. The general rule of weight loss is to burn more and eat less. For those of you who know me, you also know if I thought there was a way to get out of doing my cardio, I'd be the first one in line. Unfortunately for me and the rest of you, we must make the treadmill, EFX, spinning bike or whatever your cardio poison/pleasure our friend. The answer won't change. Get used to it. You don't have to like it but you have to do it! First- you should exercise when you have time! Second- if you're trying to lose weight you should exercise first thing in the morning and last thing at night AND in the middle of the day if you can! The goal is just to burn 3500 calories to lose 1 pound of fat however and whenever you can. There are studies out there that show that different times of the day make a difference but the degree of difference is relative. The key is just to be consistent. As far as when to eat: you should be eating small low glycemic index meals every 2-3 hours throughout the day. Some people feel sick if they eat before a workout and some need the energy. There is a half hour window after a workout when eating replenishes glycogen stores in the muscle. This is a good time to eat, but it has to be within that half hour. Personally, I sometimes get hungry in the middle of my hour of cardio and I drink a protein shake WHILE I'm working out. What I'm saying is that people get too hung up on all the semantics and make things more complicated than they need to be. Consistency is the key. There are 3 parts of the equation. 1. Eat "clean" 2. Do regular cardiovascular exercise in your Target heart zone 3. Train with weights/resistance at least twice a week to build denser muscle, which will help drive your metabolism. Which diet is the best Low Carb diet? Adkins or South Beach? With the new “carb craze” going currently I thought I’d give a shot at straightening out the confusion. Although I’ve attempted to answer this question in a prior “Ask the Trainer” What is the truth about carbohydrates? Should I eat them or not?, the more and more information has been released on the subject the more questions I get. This is because we’ve been conditioned to believe that fat makes us fat. This is actually not true. Don’t misunderstand my meaning. Too much of any kind of food will make you put on extra pounds, no mater what it is. As a general rule, saturated fat WILL clog your arteries but it won’t make you gain weight in the sense that you think. The wrong kind of carbohydrate will in fact, make you pack on the extra pounds. The key is in the type of carbohydrate. The difference in types has to do with how your body responds to its intake biologically. This is affected by many different factors including the fiber content, acidity and viscosity of each, to name a few. It is actually not complicated at all once you grasp the basics, but the entire concept is a little too detailed to go into in depth here. Instead I’ve ended this “Ask the Trainer” with suggested reading that will help clear up the confusion and simplify things for you. The simple truth is, DIET’S DON’T WORK! Based on results, 95% of diets fail! This is because you cannot realistically live your entire life “on a diet” or eating from a list. Occasions will come up where there is no way to eat what is on your current diet list and then what do you do? Go off your diet! Then you feel like you blew it so you eat more and feel worse ect. Ect. Ect. And it goes on from there. The trick is to learn what to eat based on how each food affects your metabolism, in turn impacting the way you look. The key to this is the Glycemic Index or the “sugar content” of the food. Foods that are higher in sugar cause your pancreas to produce a hormone called insulin, which stops the fat burning process completely, and switches to fat storing in abundance! What you should also learn are characteristics of foods that slow down the release of insulin, ultimately affecting how your body burns and stores fat. There are many books and sources of information out there right now to tell you which foods contain more sugar and what foods contain less sugar. The following books will tell you what you need to know about how to eat to burn fat as energy and what foods to pick no matter where you are to look the way you want to look.
Is it really important to drink water? Why? Of all the nutrients that we need to live, water is the most essential. When you don't consume enough water virtually every function that your body performs is compromised. This includes the important functions of digestion and fat metabolism. Between 60 and 70% of your body weight is water. You lose a lot of it each day through normal bodily processes. This lost water needs to be replaced if you're going to function at your best. When you're fully hydrated your metabolism functions better, your digestion is improved, the water helps curb your appetite and your exercise is far more effective. Another benefit is that you are able to become more active. The more active you are the fitter you become and the more water you'll need. One reason is that your muscles soak up a lot more water. The more fully hydrated muscles you have in your body, the more potential fat burners you'll have working for you. The entire process of becoming leaner is not only a process of losing body fat and gaining active muscle but also a process of gaining water. Here are the facts:
Are you drinking the amount of water you should every day? What is the truth about carbohydrates? Should I eat them or not? It is important to understand that carbohydrates are not evil or bad. They are a necessary part of a balanced diet. It is important to understand their function in terms of weight loss if that is, in fact, what you are trying to achieve. Depending on your fitness goals, food can be used differently in your body. Athletes, such as distance runners, need more carbohydrates for energy and performance. Most distance runners have a very low percentage of body fat, so their body needs extra carbohydrates to prevent them from using muscle tissue for energy. It is important to separate the average person who wants to reduce body fat as part of their fitness program from the athlete needing performance. The goals of these individuals are different. If you are like most people I see on a daily basis, your goal is most likely to reduce body fat, lose weight and look more defined or "toned". This is a way to say that you want more muscle tissue and less fat. In this case, you need to treat food differently than if you were an athlete. The theory behind restricting carbohydrates is that by limiting your carbohydrate intake, your blood glucose levels will be kept low and, in turn, control the amount of insulin in your body (the hormone that regulates sugar metabolism). All this is done with the notion that you will force your body to burn fat (preferably excess body fat) instead of carbohydrates for fuel and you will lose weight. There are different types of carbohydrates: simple carbohydrates (from sugar) and complex carbohydrates (fruits, grains, vegetables). The difference between the two is how fast the sugar from the carbohydrate enters the blood stream. The faster the release, the more fat you will store and the more weight you'll gain. All foods have a number assigned to them that is called the glycemic index. It is a measurement of how much sugar is in that particular food and how fast the sugar enters the bloodstream. All carbohydrates are not the same. Some carbohydrates are better than others because they "break down" more slowly in the digestive tract causing less of a surge of blood sugar. The speed at which carbohydrates enter the blood stream is extremely important because that determines the amount of insulin, the fat storing hormone is produced by your pancreas. Insulin's job is storage, and it brings nutrients into cells. The most important concept in all dieting is that the balance between the hormones glycogen and insulin is the determining factor in whether the food you just ate will be used as building blocks and fuel or stored as fat. The glycemic index (GI) is how fast various starchy foods affect our blood sugar levels, which, in turn affects our energy, our weight gain and health in general. The higher the GI, the faster the rate of increase of glucose in the blood, the greater the insulin response, and the greater the potential to expose the body both to the toxic effects of high blood sugar and the harmful effects of insulin. When your blood sugar levels get too low, cravings begin. When it is too high, you store more fat. Glycogen is released by eating protein foods. Insulin is released by eating carbohydrates and too many calories at once. Another important factor in controlling the rate by which a carbohydrate breaks down and enters the blood stream is its fiber content. Eating an orange is better than drinking its juice because the fiber in the orange slows the uptake of the sugar. Even tough fiber is not digested; it plays an important role in weight loss because it's the "slow down" sign in the road for the absorption of carbohydrates. The higher the fiber content of the carbohydrate, the slower the rate of entry of the sugars derived from the carbohydrate into the blood stream. Remember, there's more fiber in less processed foods. The key to weight loss is to combine lean protein, good fat, and low glycemic high fiber carbohydrates in any meal so you get a balanced insulin-to-glycogen ratio. Do fat burners and fat blockers really work? In general, the fitness field is saturated with quick fixes and gimmicks. Fat burners are just one of many, and most of them do not live up to the claims they make. The Manufacturers know people would like a "quick fix" to substitute for the hard work it takes to stay in shape and look great. Lets face it, who wouldn't want to look great without the discipline and hard work? If it were that easy, everyone would look great! There really is no substitute for exercise and lifestyle change. There are many so-called "fat burners" or metabolism enhancers on the market today. Some claim to be "all natural", some have ephedrine and some replace ephedrine with something else like MaHuang extract, which is essentially the same thing in a "natural form". Ephedrine is typically used for asthma patients and is a stimulant. Whatever it may be labeled, they all has the same effect and will increase your heart rate in the same way. The truth is, fat burners themselves do not actually burn fat. What they do is start a chain reaction that can result in burning fat but not in the way you might think. Think of it like this... Taking a fat burner gives you extra energy or actually makes you feel hyper. This makes you want to be active. If you already work out, it will make you want to work out harder. If you don't, you may start working out because you have extra energy and you'll have a difficult time lying on the couch. The end result is that you become more active. The result is similar to drinking 3 or 4 cups of coffee very quickly. That is really all they do! The drawback to using fat burners is that, for some people, it can be dangerous to their health. You can increase your heart rate with exercise, which is the right way to get your body to burn excess body fat. Exercise is the true natural way to burn fat. If you increase your heart rate with a pill, you have no control over what happens to your body once you ingest it. There have been quite a few cases of individuals actually dying from taking these metabolism enhancers. There are many reasons this can happen. One of the reasons is the "more is better" mentality. Too much of something is usually not a good thing for any one. Fat burners also repress your appetite. If at the end of the day you've eaten less and been more active, you will lose weight. One problem is that you can become dependant on fat burners, and eventually, you will have to take more and more to get the same effects. There is a plethora of metabolic enhancers on the market today. Included in these are Ripped Fuel, Diet Fuel, Thermo force, Thermogen, and Hydroxycut. They all claim to burn fat just by taking them, and they are all similar with a few variations. Some have ephedrine and some have MaHuang. They are both stimulants, however, ephedrine has been found to be dangerous in some cases and can affect heart rate and cause heart palpitations, and in extreme cases may cause heart attacks. MaHuang Extract is basically a natural form of ephedrine. They are all similar to drinking 3-4 cups of coffee. They all increase your energy level and will also suppress your appetite initially. Eventually, the effects will be minimized as you build up immunity, and over time, you'll have to increase dosage to obtain the same effects. After your body becomes used to having it in your system, your appetite will no longer be suppressed. Fat blockers are a different story. Fat blockers, such as Chitosan, only absorbs 4 times their weight in fat. If you ate Ben and Jerry's ice cream, for instance, you would have to eat about 50 fat blockers in order to absorb all of the fat grams. Obviously, this is unlikely, not to mention ridiculous. In summary, don't believe everything you read in fitness magazines or on labels. The FDA does not regulate these types of items. They can claim almost anything and get away with it. If just a tiny portion is true, they will put it on a label or in an ad. The bottom line is that there will never be a substitute for good old sweat equity when it comes to looking and feeling great. Good luck with your fitness goals and have a healthy day! Question: How can exercise help depression and improve my attitude? Answer: Just taking a brisk walk three times a week may help you recover faster from depression, reduce its severity and even ward off the blues in the first place. Many studies have found that exercise can significantly relieve physical and emotional symptoms in clinically depressed people. People who work out regularly tend to have a higher self-esteem and fewer physical and mental health problems. Often body image is related to overall self-esteem. If you don't feel good about the way you look it's hard to feel good about other things in your life. It's like a nagging voice in the back of your mind that is always with you. It affects many things you do, even if you don't realize it. Think about it. Every day you're faced with the image of yourself in the mirror. If you don't like what you see, every day starts with a negative. You may find yourself limited to wearing and buying clothes that hide what you don't want others to see instead of choosing clothes that make you feel proud and good about yourself. From there it just gets worse. Since you start out feeling bad why not go ahead and eat whatever you want? Then you feel guilty for eating too much or the wrong foods so you beat yourself up over that. By the end of the day you feel worse than when the day started. The cycle seems to be never ending. The good news is that there is a simple way to stop the cycle. The decision to change your habits and your life takes seconds to make. It's all the time you take building up to making it, that takes so long. The first step is to truly be sick and tired of living every day feeling badly about yourself. It truly has to do with your attitude and perspective. You alone have the power to completely change the way you feel about yourself every single day! It is truly easier than you think. You have to decide that the pain of feeling the way you do each and every day is worse than the pain of getting off your butt and exercising to change it. You alone are in control of how you feel. You alone can change it in an instant. Think about it, the tradeoff is simple. Would you rather be uncomfortable 24 hours a day and know it will never change or would you rather be uncomfortable 1 hour a day and know that every day you are closer to a stronger physically and mentally healthier you? How great would it feel to go to your next high school reunion without feeling like you have to crash diet? How great would it feel like you could put on a bathing suit and go on vacation at any time of the year without giving it a second thought? Every day you spend the time and energy to do something positive to change, you will feel better the second you have finished your workout. I guarantee it! You must understand that doing nothing is a decision. Action creates momentum. Instead of letting yourself make excuses for being overweight and out of shape, why not turn that energy around and focus on the fact that every step you take while exercising takes you closer to a more confident you? Every day of exercise gets you closer to wearing the clothes that you want to wear instead of the ones you have to wear? Don't do it for an upcoming special event. Do it to feel more confident every single day of your life! The change in your attitude will happen even before you see the changes in your physical appearance. Once you start, be consistent. Don't just focus on how much weight you want to lose but on how much better you will feel when you've reached your goal and you never have to lose the weight again. Make exercise a part of your life so you can start every day feeling good about yourself. You'll be surprised at the difference it makes! Good luck! Question: How do I keep my new years resolution to lose weight? Answer: Make sure you're losing for the right reasons. There are many reasons to make a decision to lose weight and get in shape. Unfortunately, the percentage of people who fail is higher than those that succeed. The most common reason for this is that the goal is set with short-term results in mind. The decision to lose weight isn't a hard one. The decision to change your entire lifestyle and exercise on a regular basis is much more difficult because it requires a daily commitment not just a The problem most often with short-term goals such as resolutions is that the focus ends up being the quick result and once that goal is attained, old habits find their way back in. If you are a person that has had a long-term weight problem, you have to understand that the solution is also long term. Most of us want to see instant results. There are ways to expedite the beginning stages of weight loss but in the long run you have to have a long term, consistent commitment to exercise FOREVER to stay in shape! The truth is; when you stop working out, you are "out of shape"! There are the few exceptions of the population that can basically eat anything they want, never workout and always look great (at least in clothes). That doesn't necessarily mean that person is healthy or "in shape". Many of those people will never exercise and they will also never truly be healthy. Just because they look good in clothes doesn't mean they won't suffer from a heart condition. Your reasons for starting an exercise program need to be bigger than just how you look or your motivation won't last past the point of actually losing the weight if you do, in fact, succeed. That is why so many people yo-yo diet and lose and gain over and over again. If once you get to your goal and you fall back into your old habits, you will just gain it back. It just doesn't work unless you consistently exercise and eat within reasonable limits. The fact is that it is not easy to live a healthy lifestyle and to look and feel good about yourself! It takes dedication and the willingness to make sacrifices. It's not always comfortable but it pays off in ways that can and will change your life. You need to look at the whole picture differently. Put things in perspective. I have asked many of my clients this question; how long have you wanted to lose weight and get in shape? If the answer were more than a year and you haven't felt good about yourself in all of that time, how much better would you feel about yourself if you lost 25lbs or more? What would you be willing to do to actually see how that feels? Would you be willing to take an hour out of your day 3-5 days a week to exercise and feel like a whole new person? Think about it, if you go through each and every day thinking about how bad you feel because you're carrying extra weight around, wearing the clothes that hide what you don't want people to see, instead of clothes that make you feel good about yourself, feeling uncomfortable in shorts or a bathing suits, being embarrassed at class reunions and family functions. Wouldn't it feel great to feel proud for just for one or two of those occasions but every day you wake up? It is possible and it isn't that hard. It just takes a little discipline for an hour a day. We all can have that discipline; we just have to have a big enough reason why! I've heard it said that maturity is not doing what we want to do, but what we have to do whether we like it or not. Being in shape is no different. I can make this guarantee; every day you workout and eat right you will feel better about yourself and you will have more energy and confidence! Don't make your goal just to lose weight, make it to be healthy and to live every day with better self-esteem! A consistent workout program will carry over into parts of your life you haven't even thought of. You'll look better, feel better and be the envy of those whom only wish they could have the discipline to do what you're doing. It will feel so great to look at things from the other side! Let nothing get in your way! Every day you feel that you don't want to exercise ask yourself which hurts more; giving up an hour of your day and feeling good after your done, or blowing it off and feeling the way you've felt about for the last year(s)? The decision is yours to make each and every day! Make this New Year's resolution last a lifetime! Instead of making a New Year's resolution, make it a lifetime resolution and you will surely succeed! Question: How do I keep stay on my exercise program during the holidays? Answer: Don't have unattainable or unreasonable expectations. Many of my clients have asked me this question at this time of the year. Much of the advice you will see in print or on Television has to do with restricting yourself and your calorie intake. That's great advice in theory, but I haven't known it to be very successful in practice. Let's face it; the holidays are centered on food and drink. I can't think of one holiday activity that isn't. How realistic is it to expect yourself to resist the great smell of holiday food when everyone else is eating and talking about how great it is? I personally find it impossible! The point of living a healthy lifestyle is living within reasonable limits and staying healthy while you do it. The key to this is simply moderation and balance. For each person, this balance may be different. One of the great things about being on a regular exercise program is that you can afford to indulge a little once in a while without it showing up on your person in the way of extra weight. Exercise should be done consistently but it doesn't have to be done every day. It's absolutely okay to just take a day off to enjoy the fact that through cardiovascular exercise your metabolism is faster and is able to burn up and use any extra holiday calories you may ingest. That's part of the reason to workout! Instead of worrying about limiting yourself and beating yourself up over the fact that you've failed, which is very likely, enjoy the holidays and your loved ones and don't waste time feeling guilty. Instead, keep up with your workout before and after, especially your cardio; maybe do an extra half hour on the treadmill or bike, and if it makes you feel better, get in a half hour or so the morning of the days you know you're going to indulge. It's all part of overall balance. There is nothing to feel guilty about. You pay the price every day you get to the gym when others make excuses. You deserve the reward of not having to worry about a few extra calories! Have fun, be healthy, and have a great holiday! Question: How can a resistance program help your bone structure and why is this important? Question: Which is better- free weights or machines? Answer: Both have advantages and disadvantages. In terms of accomplishing your strength and fitness goals they can both accomplish the same end result. When teaching a novice exerciser who is not familiar with resistance training I use more machines for the simplicity of explanation and execution. It is much easier for a beginner to remember how to use a machine and execute proper form because they are essentially locked into a position and the machine is specific to use of one major muscle at a time. The individual does not have to remember to balance the weight or keep their body in a certain position other than sitting in the machine properly since the machine basically dictates this for them. Weight machines can be designed for specific types of resistance. Isotonic or dynamic variable resistance machines give constant resistance though the range of motion. This type of machine is the most common and similar to using free weights in terms of the resistance they provide. Balanced variable resistance machines are designed around the principle that the muscle does not produce constant contraction. It varies the force during contraction so that there is a greater force in the middle of the contraction and the least amount at the beginning or end of the contraction. This equipment uses a "cam" to alter the resistance during the range of motion of the contraction. Most research indicates that is no more or less effective than conventional methods and may not even be as effective. Free weights are relatively easy to use and less expensive than machines. There are also a variety of different exercises that can be performed as opposed to using a specific machine for each major muscle group. If your goal is to set up a home gym, free weights are a much better choice as long as you know how to use them. I usually recommend dumbbells ranging from 5 pounds on up, along with an adjustable bench for individuals that would like to workout at home. In addition to this, you should add a piece of cardiovascular equipment such as a bike, treadmill, elliptical machine or Stairmaster depending on your budget, preference, and available space. All of this would equal the cost of a couple pieces of selector zed equipment. With these few items and a trainer to set up a balanced program that includes proper instruction on how to perform exercises you have everything you need to stay in shape. The major drawback of free weights is safety and for the beginning exerciser proper instruction is critical. It is much more difficult for a novice exerciser to remember such things as body position, alignment, and proper range of motion. There are many ways to make mistakes and higher risk of injury without the use of proper form and execution of the exercise. As you can see, both free weights and machines do the same basic job. It is really a matter of personal preference and accessibility on which you choose. Don't be fooled by infomercials selling "miracle" machines. All of these machines are variations of one another. They all work essentially the same way. If you choose to purchase one for your personal use at home, the same principles apply as they would to machines in the gym or free weights. Don't expect miracles. Consistently exercise with resistance training of some form at least twice a week and do cardiovascular exercise 3-5 times a week in your target heart zone and you have a great fitness program. Question: What is your body type? Answer: There are 3 basic body types:
Genetics determine which body type you have. You cannot change this but it is possible to improve on what nature has given you.
Question: What are the benefits of lifting weights as part of a fitness program? Answer: Lifting weights helps to increase lean muscle mass. Increased muscle speeds up your metabolism. Muscle doesn't necessarily mean bulk. Lean muscle has shape and body fat does not. After the age of 25 the average person, male or female, will lose ½ pound of muscle per year. For every kilogram (2.2 lbs) of muscle lost, you will burn 40 less calories per day. This is the biggest reason that we tend to gain weight as we age. The metabolism slows down and we tend to become less active. We can no longer get away with eating the same things we ate when we were younger without paying a price for it. Weight training can stop the loss of muscle that drives your metabolism. This will prevent the gain of unwanted pounds. Weight training will also allow you to continue to do the things you want to do as you age with the same ease as when you were younger. Have you noticed that today's 60 year olds are much more active than many of their predecessors? Having a complete fitness program that includes weight training is a large part of the reason. If you are interested in starting fitness program it is a good idea to hire a qualified trainer to design balanced weight training workout to fit your individual needs. I often see TV shows or magazines showing random exercises for the stomach or triceps. ect. The exercises may in fact work the intended area of the body, but these exercises are usually shown randomly without keeping in mind basic safety and program design principles. What you need to know is how to train with weights in a balanced way with proper execution of the exercises. Often this is not made clear. There are many things to consider when designing a weight-training program such as: age, orthopedic concerns, past experience in the gym, and current or prior injuries. You must keep in mind that the person you may be getting your information from may not be starting at the same place as you. These days almost everyone has an opinion about weight training or fitness in general. You'd be surprised how many people give me fitness advice that are simply weekend athletes. They deliver this information as if it is gospel without having any true source except "my friend who runs every day". They completely discredit what I have learned in the last 20 years as a fitness professional. This is always interesting to me. That "runner" may be a full time accountant but suddenly they are the so-called fitness expert. Be careful with the information you receive. What works for one person does not necessarily mean it will work for you. Furthermore, unless you know your source to be a qualified, certified fitness professional don't believe everything you hear. Being educated about one subject doesn't mean you're educated in all subjects. Stay healthy and keep working out. Question: What is your TARGET HEART ZONE (THZ) and why is it important? Answer: Your TARGET HEART ZONE is the number of times per minute your heart should beat during exercise. This is important for 2 reasons. First, it is how you can force your body to burn fat for energy. Second, it is where you will receive the maximum benefit for your cardiovascular system. Although most people work out to look better, you should also want to be healthier. By keeping your heart rate in this zone during exercise, you can accomplish both. If you stay within this zone for a minimum of 20-30 minutes 3 to 5 times a week you will receive the maximal benefit for your heart and lungs. If you want to lose body fat you should increase the amount of time and days per week. Use the following formulas to find your THZ or Training Heart Rate Range (THRR) The simplest way is the age predicted formula. Begin by subtracting your age from 220 to get your Maximal Heart Rate (MHR). This is the theoretical maximum number of times your heart could beat per minute at your age. You should not exercise at this level because it is very stressful and fatiguing to the body. Multiply your MHR number by 55% and 85% to find your target heart zone. This is the formula you will see on posters on the walls of aerobic rooms. I don't usually use this because it doesn't take into account the individual level of fitness for each person. For example, a 60 year old who is sedentary would not want to work out at the same level as a 60 year old that works out regularly. To factor in this difference I prefer to use the Karvonen Formula that is more specific to the individual's level of fitness. Start by determining your Resting Heart Rate (RHR)-this is how many times your heart beats each minute. To be accurate, you should do this first thing in the morning upon waking. Find your pulse at your radial artery on the on your wrist and count how many times your heart beats in 60 seconds. Then use this step-by-step method of finding your THZ by using the Karvonen Formula.
The resulting range is your THZ or THRR. The lower number represents the range that is generally recommended for beginners, heavy smokers, or those recovering from illness. The upper number would be used for highly trained competitive athletes or those who are at a high level of fitness. It could be very dangerous for untrained people to work at the higher end of their THZ. In last month’s "ask the trainer" I talked about the ab belts that have been sold via infomercials to the uneducated consumer that would like to believe there is a quick and easy way to look great with no effort. Two weeks later, the FTC (Federal Trade Commission) was investigating the companies selling these belts for false advertising. They are claiming that the belts change the appearance of the waistline when in fact they simply contract muscle, which can only build muscular strength or endurance. At this point, over $100.000.000.000 has been spent on these devices. After reading the questions I have received in the past month, they all seem to be coming back to some version of the same thing. Although my goal was to get across the understanding that there is no such thing as "spot reducing" I am still asked how to get rid of fat in certain areas that seem to be trouble spots. This month I will be more specific. Question: How do I get rid of fat in my problem areas? These areas include: thighs, inner thighs, saddlebags, double chins, spare time, ect. Put another way... how do I "spot reduce?" Answer: You get rid of it all in the exact same way. You must burn it off by doing some form of cardiovascular activity at least 3-5 days a week, PERIOD! Where you hold body fat, which is all these areas, is due to your genetics. Your genetics are something you cannot change. You can only work around it. "Saddlebags" are simply excess body fat. Cellulite is not different than body fat. It’s just a lot of body fat in one area. Although there are those darn infomercials and magazine ads claiming to get rid of "cellulite" with some magic cream or new machine, it is all simply a waste of money. So how do you get rid of cellulite? The same way you get rid of any other excess body fat! Cardio, cardio, cardio!!! Am I repeating myself? That is because no matter how much you would like to hear a different answer, there is no different answer! You can’t take a pill or use a particular machine that will get rid of fat! You just can’t! No matter how many ways you ask the question, the answer will be the same. Some of you may not like hearing this. Many would like to believe there is an easy way to look great all the time with no discipline and no effort. To be quite honest, so would I. Truthfully, the whole point of working out is not just to look good. It should be to improve your level of health and fitness. The surgeon general has found it a health risk to be inactive and sedentary. Studies have proven this fact. If you can change your focus from the way you look and go to the gym for your health, you’ll look AND feel better because you’re exercising! The fitness industry is unfortunately inundated with more fiction than fact. This is why so many people have trouble reaching their fitness goals. Most of what you see in magazines or on TV is meant to sell the latest product being pedaled. This will be the first of a monthly newsletter that will allow you to ask a Deb any fitness questions you may have. My job as a trainer is to help filter through the information that you read or hear and help to develop a fitness program that is right for you based on your individual goals. This is your opportunity to get to the truth about fitness. I'll start with a question I've been asked many times... Do those electronic ab belts such as the "Abdominizer" really work? The answer is that they do in fact, contract the abdominal muscles without any effort on the part of the wearer. That much is true. The belt performs the same function as doing abdominal crunches. It simply stimulates muscular contraction. The belt is simply a derivative on an electro stem machine used in physical therapy. The problem is that it WILL NOT change the appearance of your waistline, which is the reason 99% of people purchase them. Anytime you contract muscle there are one of 2 end results. Either you will increase muscular endurance or muscular strength. You can't turn fat into muscle, nor can muscle turn to fat. They are completely different things. In other words, you can't change fat to muscle which is what the fitness industry wants you to believe. What you can do is increase muscle and decrease body fat. This can be done at the same time. You can increase muscle by doing a resistance training program at least 2 times weekly and you can decrease body fat by eating right and doing cardiovascular exercise 3-5 times weekly. What you have to remember is that even if your abs are strong and have great endurance, if you have excess body fat covering your mid-section you'll never be able to see a "6 pack" or even flatten your stomach no matter how many crunches you can do. That brings up one last point about training your abs. I see so many people in the gym spending much of their time doing some sort of crunches, leg lifts, and various other ab exercises with the same misconception that the more stomach exercises they do the better their waist line will look. WRONG! This is a case where more is not always better! First of all, your stomach muscles are no different than your bicep muscles. They need a 48-72 hour rest between training sessions to recover and rebuild. Secondly, unless your goal is to be able to brag to your friends about how many crunches or leg lifts you can do at one time, you are spending your time on the wrong thing. If your goal is to trim your waist line or get rid of the flab on your thighs, your time would be much better spent on the treadmill or Stairmaster burning the body fat covering your mid section or thighs or wherever you happen to have excess body fat. I hope this helps you get a jump-start for bathing suit weather! Good luck! |
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Endomorph
- a non-athletic build with high body fat percentage, slow metabolism,
large bone size, and small muscle mass/size. This person will usually look
"softer". It's harder for them to lean out through exercise and
diet. They are generally predisposed to higher body fat % accumulation.
This person can benefit the most from circuit training with lighter
weights with little rest between sets. This person should do
cardiovascular exercise 5x per week or more in their *target heart
zone" if they are trying to lose body fat. This will help speed up
the metabolism.
Mesomorph
- a strength athlete with low to medium body fat percentage, medium to
high metabolism, medium to large bone size, and large muscle mass/size.
These people are usually more and genetically gifted and predisposed to
great musculature gains. They build muscle mass faster than most people
can. They can lose fat rapidly if they put in the cardio time along with
proper nutrition. These people can generally get away with more than
anyone in terms of diet and exercise before it shows up on their physique.
In other words they can work out less and eat more and still look great.
This person should only do cardiovascular activity 3 x a week for 20-30
minutes per session for health benefits. There is no reason to do more
because their metabolism is already high. Too much cardiovascular exercise
for this person will result in burning of muscle tissue instead of fat.
Ectomorph
- an endurance athlete with low body fat percentage, high metabolism, very
small bone size, and small muscle mass/size. These are usually the people
that want to gain weight or muscle. If male, they are called hard gainers.
They have long limbs so it takes longer to develop muscular size. They
also have small muscles and low body fat %. In women this is not a problem
at all but in men tend to feel "too skinny". They usually have a
faster metabolism and burn their calories rapidly.
