Your Top Fitness Questions Answered

Your Top Fitness Questions Answered

As a certified personal trainer part of my commitment to clients is consulting with them.

This includes answering their many fitness and diet questions. Needless to say, I get asked a lot of questions. And, there are several questions that seem to be on almost everyone’s minds.

The answers to these top 8 inquiries can help most anyone get a jump start on reaching their weight loss and fitness goals.

So, here are some of the top fitness questions and their answers.

1. I want to tone and tighten my legs (or stomach, or arms, etc). What exercises can I do to lose fat there and get them toned?

Answer: You can’t spot reduce. It is necessary for you to reduce the fat in your trouble area before you will see big results from your strength training exercises.

You must burn calories and fat through cardiovascular activities. This includes such things as walking, jogging, step aerobics, jumping rope, swimming etc.

But, while cardio is critical you should also include strength training exercises to help build muscles and tone your trouble area simultaneously.

2. I really want to workout and get in-shape, but I just don’t have the time. What should I do? Answer: You are not alone. One of the top reasons people give for not working out is lack of time.

The first step is to realize that it’s not that you don’t have the time, but that you are not making it a priority in your schedule. What people don’t realize is that it doesn’t take a huge time commitment to reap the many rewards of regular exercise.

Many people think that if they can’t workout several hours a week, then they might as well not workout at all. But, exercising even just a couple of days a week is far better than not exercising at all. The key is finding a truly effective and efficient workout plan.

3. What is the best fitness program for losing weight? Answer: The key to a successful program is that it is comprehensive and includes the necessary pieces.

There are three major components of a good weight loss program: cardio, strength training and stretching. It’s equally important to include all three components.

For example, you could do cardio 3 times per week, strength training twice per week and stretch before and after every workout.

4. I have hit a plateau and can’t seem to get the scale to budge (or can’t get any stronger). Can you help me? Answer: The key to breaking through a plateau is change. One of the best techniques for overcoming a plateau is Interval training.

This is a type of training that includes bursts of high intensity periods followed by lower intensity recovery times. You’ll also want to change your workout routine at least every 4-6 weeks.

5. What size weights should I train with and how many reps should I complete? Answer: There’s no one size fits all weight size that is best.

The size of weight you use depends on your goals, skills, past fitness experience, etc. A good rule of thumb is to start with about 70%

maximum resistance with 8-12 reps and 1-3 sets. To determine your specific 70% maximum size, you must first determine the maximum amount of weight you can lift.

However, it’s typically not recommended that beginners attempt to lift their maximum amount of weight, for safety reasons. So, another simpler option is to choose a weight size that provides fatigue after the 8th – 12th rep is completed.

6. Is it bad for your body to workout some of the same muscle groups daily? Answer: Typically you should allow your muscle to rest about 48 hours before working it again.

This is the safest approach and also the most efficient approach for improving strength. It will help you increase hypertrophy more effectively.

7. How often should I stretch and should I stretch before or after working out? Answer: Actually, it’s best to stretch both times.

If you have the time, your body will really benefit from stretching both before you start exercising and again after your workout.

At the very least, be sure to stretch after you have completed your workout. As far as frequency, even if you don’t workout every day it is very beneficial to include a stretching routine daily.

8. How can I workout at home because I don’t belong to a gym? Answer: There are many, many options for strength training and cardio workouts that don’t require a trip to the gym.

If you have dumbbells, a resistance band, or an exercise stability ball, there are literally hundreds of exercises that you can do at home.

With these exercises you can increase your muscular strength, muscular endurance plus of course get a more defined look in your physical appearance.

For cardio workouts you can simply walk outside or at an indoor location, stair climb, jumping jacks, etc.

How To Overcome Workout Plateaus

Humans are habitual. They strive on routine and rituals. While it’s true that routine can provide a sense of ease and security,

I think we’d all agree that the same old, same old can also turn to boredom. And when it comes to working out, routine can be downright toxic.

New exercisers often see quick fitness results such as weight loss and increased muscle strength while engaging in the same workout day after day.

However, after several weeks following their fitness routines and they often become frustrated as the gains begin to dwindle. Eventually dieters scales become frozen on the same number or weight lifters are stuck at the same weight size. They hit a plateau.

A plateau typically is the direct consequence of a fitness rut – when an exerciser performs the same workout over and over.

The human body is very efficient and quickly adapts to work. Once the body practices the same activity repeatedly, it grows more proficient at performing those moves. So that means it requires less energy and therefore also burns less calories.

Instead of celebrating their body’s improved fitness capabilities, exercisers often abandon their workouts. And who can blame them? After all, they no longer are seeing the results they desire and become increasingly bored with their workouts.

Plus, hitting a plateau not only can halt fitness gains, but it can even reverse previous successes. But, with just a few simple steps exercisers can easily break-through that brick wall and continue to reap all the rewards of regular physical activity.

Dodging the dreaded plateau is actually very easy. Variety is the key ingredient to continual fitness success. To avoid hitting a workout plateau, follow these recommendations.

To begin with, every workout routine should be changed about every 4-6 weeks. The modification doesn’t have to be dramatic. A totally new exercise is a possible option, but alteration of a current exercise can be just as effective.

A simple way to determine how to transform your current workout is using the F.I.T.T principle. F.I.T.T. stands for frequency, intensity, time and type. This strategy can be adopted for both cardio and resistance training.

Frequency – increase or decrease how often you workout
Intensity – increase or decrease the difficulty or level at which you workout.
Time – increase or decrease how long your workout sessions last.

Type – change the type of exercises you perform.
Frequency and Time are limited by an individual’s schedule as well as appropriate rest time to ensure maximum efficiency and safety. But Intensity and Type are really only limited by creativity and planning.

Cardio exercise intensity can easily be varied through speed, incline, distance, height, etc. And of course the types of exercises are practically endless, so exercisers should never have the excuse that they’ve exhausted their exercise options.

Good cardio examples include: walking, jogging, swimming, biking, hiking, and more. In addition, combining several of these exercises into one workout session can be very effective. Try 10 minutes each of 3-4 unique exercises.

Strength training intensity can also easily be altered with changes in resistance size, number of reps, rest time, number of sets and more. Even simply switching the sequence of the exercises can prove effective.

There are also numerous strength training exercise options. Unfortunately, most exercisers are unaware of the plethora of training techniques and equipment options.

They often get stuck performing the same 10 exercises over and over. Yet, there are hundreds of unique options. Simply utilizing new types of training equipment every 4-6 weeks can result in big improvements because each type of equipment will work the muscle groups in a slightly different manner.

Gear options include: free weights, body bars, selectorized machines, resistance bands, and fitness balls – just to name a few.

So, to reduce your chances of hitting a plateau remember the F.I.T.T. principle. And approximately every 4-6 weeks choose one element of the principle to change (or even all four components).

Incorporating this strategy will enable you to progress further and attain even higher fitness levels. It’s just that easy!

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