1. When is the best time to work out?
There is no best time to work out. However if your goal is to reduce your body fat, then training first thing in the morning will get your metabolism moving allowing you to increase
the number of calorie burning hours. This is primarily due to the fact that most people do not really start burning calories until 10 or 11 am. If your goal is to build muscle, then late morning workouts followed by a short nap, or evening workouts followed by a good nights rest will give your body the down time it needs it repair and build new muscle.
2. Can I turn my fat into muscle?
Fat can no easier turn to muscle than lead can turn to gold. Muscle and fat are two entirely different types of tissue. The removal of fat and building of muscle require different types of workouts give or take a small amount of overlap. Meaning, you obviously burn some fat while building muscle and you will more than likely build a little muscle during your efforts to remove body fat.
3. I hardly eat anything, how come I can’t lose weight?
If you want to lose body fat, you will need to eat at least 6 small meals a day encompassing all relevant food groups. Including but not limited to CARBOHYDRATES. That’s right, I capitalized Carbohydrates because everyone today seems to be afraid of them. Whole grain complex carbohydrates CANNOT make you fat if the rest of your life is in order. Meaning, if you are eating 6 or 7 small well balanced meals per day, chewing your food properly, training and getting enough rest, the body fat will come off. Patience is more of a problem than carbohydrate, or the lack thereof. Consult a Dietitian or qualified trainer to establish calorie and nutrient requirements for the person you are trying to become and then live the life of that person.
4. What should I eat before I work out?
There really isn’t a golden or magical pre workout meal. For some people it is simply one serving of simple whole grain carbohydrates, for some people it is a small well balanced meal including easily digested protein (such as egg whites) and for some people it is nothing. The only thing I would recommend against is a large serving of protein or fat laden meal such as meat or dairy, as these types of foods take a long time to digest.
5. What can I do to reduce the fat on the back of my arms?
Nobody ever likes the answer to this question because you can’t spot reduce anything. You can spot build and spot tone. But the only thing that will reduce fat in any area of the body is extensive cardiorespiratory training, proper eating behavior and a well oriented weight training regimen.
6. How fast will I see results?
Everyone is different. Your metabolism will determine when you start to see the change, however the average person will start feeling better within a couple of weeks and physical changes within a month, some sooner some later. One thing I can guarantee is that the harder and more consistent your workouts are, the faster you will see results.
7. Should I wait to lose weight before I start a weight training program?
Absolutely not. If you lose weight before you start a training program, more than likely you will end up with a bunch of lose skin and you will be unhappy with your results. You need to train so you can tone muscle, strengthen ligaments, tendons and bones and give your skin time to adjust to the fat loss. Building muscle through your workouts will not only fill out the skin, but also burn extra calories as muscle is living tissue, it requires calories to live. So every ounce of muscle you build increases the amount of calories you burn everyday.
8. What is the best equipment for cardio?
Anything that utilizes arms and legs simultaneously will burn significantly more calories than anything else. My personal favorites are the Giant Dual Fit bicycle, Schwinn Air Dyne bicycle, or the Versa Climber. All of these machines have zero impact and use your entire body to burn fat and strengthen muscle at the same time. If I had to pick one, the Giant Dual Fit bicycle is the hands down winner; it only costs a few hundred dollars, it never needs maintenance, it never breaks down, it leaves no messy oil or dust and only takes up a small amount of space.
9. Is it better to work out in my home or at a gym?
There is no perfect place to workout. No place works better than any other place. The only thing that matters is that the atmosphere is conducive to undisturbed quality training with effective and safe equipment.
10. What is the best exercise for my abs?
Why do you want to know? Do you have back pain? Are you trying to get a six pack? The answer lies in the goal. If you have back pain, it’s probably not your abs at all. It is probably your overall core strength, in which case you will need to train your lower back, your sides and stretch your abs and glutes. If it is a six pack, cardio…cardio…cardio…proper eating…proper eating…proper eating…and proper technique on all core exercises including the most important pulling your belly button to the spine which will engage the transverse abdominus and the multifidus; both of which keep the stomach wall flat and the core tight. If you have done all this, then utilize a variety of core exercises for upper and lower core covering the circumference of the waistline – front, sides and back. My favorites are hanging leg raises, supermans, bridges and bench crunches.
11. If I lift weights, will I build big muscles?
We hear this alot from women. The answer is more absolutely not unless your trying to. While some women certainly build muscle easier than others based on genetics and testosterone levels, it still doesn’t happen by accident. It takes years of hard work. If you are one of those women who builds muscle easily, simply stick with very high reps, very light weights and a tremendous amount of concentration on squeezing the muscles properly. Change your training program often, utilizing as many exercises as you know how to perform correctly. This should eliminate any excessive muscle growth and it wouldn’t hurt to control protein and fat intake.
12. What supplements should I use?
This is a complicated question and it really depends on your goals. However, nothing is our most common answer. The only thing we occasionally recommend to our clients is a high quality, low dose vitamin; our favorite is the Rainbow Light Advanced Nutritional System.
This is a whole food based vitamin and in twenty years, I haven’t found anything else that is more complete, easier to digest and doesn’t turn my urine colors.
13. I drink two shakes a day and eat a normal dinner, why am I not losing weight? I find myself bloated and having gas instead.
Humans were never intended to drink their meals. Your intestine works through parastalsis (it uses waves of muscular contractions to squeeze food through). This will not work with liquids. After breast milk, there probably aren’t any needed liquids other than water. If you think about human existence, there are not any other naturally occurring liquids. Wine, Beer, Pop, Juices, etc, are all man made. None of which are entirely healthy especially in the serving size our society currently ingests. A good variety of real food (that which walks, swims, flies or grows in the ground) is always the best choice. Pre prepared boxed or bagged food items just don’t seem to get the job done.
14. What is the best food for breakfast?
There is absolutely no food better for breakfast than any other food. The only requirement is healthy, real food. (That which walks, swims, flies or grows in the ground.) I often use eggs because they are readily available to me and so versatile. But in reality, anything will do even left overs from last nights healthy dinner. Just remember to stick with your serving sizes. Portion control is the key!
15. How much should I weigh?
Are you male, female, tall, short, younger, older? These and other factors play an important role in determining your weight. Most importantly, you need to realize that what the scale says is strictly a function of the earths gravitational pull and has no bearing on what your body is made of. You need to work towards a healthy body composition period. Generally speaking, men will be between 12% and 15% body fat to be considered healthy while women will be between 18% and 22%. Obesity starts at about 25% body fat with anything over 30% becoming morbid obese.
16. What is the best exercise to lift my butt?
This is one of the problem areas we hear about all the time. If your butt is sagging a little, it is probably excess body fat so doing the necessary walking lunges, squats, stiff legged’s, won’t be enough to make the area look good. You will need to add cardio to your workout regime and adjust your eating behavior to reduce body fat.
17. I like to run, but my knee’s hurt. What can I do?
If you think you have any type of physical injury go see a sports doctor, preferably a DO; they specialize in these types of injuries. If you do not have an injury, ask yourself how old your shoes are and are they high quality shoes. I prefer a running shoe designed for my specific body weight range. A running shoe that is used everyday can’t last more than two to three months. And, if you are running outside and they are getting wet or muddy, they will not last that long. After you have purchased the best shoes you can afford, look at what surface you commonly run on. Never run on cement, and if you are over 30, I personally would avoid treadmills – especially if you are overweight. Instead, look for dirt, gravel, grass, asphalt, sand. Uneven surfaces provide much more calorie burning and a much more enjoyable run without boredom in our opinion.
18. Is coffee ok?
Opinions vary, however black coffee not only burns calories and in fact is so effective in burning fat calories that it is a band substance in the Olympics because of its ability to force the body to burn body fat as its main source of fuel. In addition to this, coffee comes from a bean making it the number one consumed antioxidant consumed world wide. P.S. If you put cream and sugar in your coffee…you just ruined the whole thing. So yes, coffee is very ok with a little common sense. Too much caffeine can make you jittery, dehydrated and cause caffeine addiction, if you miss a day you may experience headaches.
19. Do I have to eat vegetables?
If you want to be healthy the answer is probably yes. The most effective way to get your vegetables is in a salad; the combinations are unlimited. The list of benefits from vegetables include but are not limited to fiber, nutrients, cancer fighting agents, insulin regulators and enzymatic function just to name a few. Plus, did you know that every time you eat a healthy salad (no creamy dressings, bacon bits, fatty cheeses) YOU LOSE WEIGHT! That’s right, it takes more calories from your body to digest the salad than you get out of it. You can probably have a salad everyday for your whole life and never have the same salad twice. So, if at first you don’t succeed with a salad that you like, try a different combination of vegetables.
20. I just can’t get motivated to work out. What can I do?
First thing I would do is call a qualified, experienced trainer. (Preferably us!) An experienced trainer will have an endless supply of exercise routines just right for you. More than likely, it is just a factor of boredom, the environment you train in, your current workout partner or lack thereof, accountability, lack of exercise knowledge/new exercises. A trainer can help you with all of these things. If you train in a gym try changing the hours you train at the gym, if this does not work try another gym; the atmosphere is very important. If you are missing workouts because your partner did not show up, if you find yourself talking too much during your workout with your partner talk to them about it or find a new partner. Ask a trainer to show you some new exercise routines that you an incorporate into your current workout. Try going outside to exercise and of course sometime you are just going to have to suck it up and get it done. Sometimes, I had the best workout when I forced myself to go to the gym. After the first few sets, everything came together for me and I felt better for making myself go.
21. What should I look for in a trainer?
This is probably the hardest question of all. Determining whether a trainer will be effective or safe is extremely difficult almost impossible until you start training. Some of the determining factors are college education, quality of certifications, areas of certification. Is that trainer living the lifestyle he/she is asking you to live? In other words, is that trainer walking the walk, not just talking the talk. Years of experience. Ask as many questions as you feel comfortable with and definately ask to talk to current and former clients – get a list of references. Maybe even ask if you can buy one workout but beware I have had many customers over the years who have told me word for word they would have fired me within in the first week because they felt they just couldn’t do it. It will take time to adjust to having a trainer. Their job is to safely push you to new limits doing things that you thought you were unable to do before. And lastly, the personality of your trainer should match with yours, you need to get along and work together towards the same goal. Your trainer should motive you, excite you, be upbeat and make you want to be the best you can be. Bear in mind, all of this will take time. If you first trainer does not meet your expectations, hire another one.
22. What is a set and what is a rep?
A workout consists of a series in sets which is turn consist of a series of reps. A repetition or rep, is one complete start to finish movement of an exercise. A series of repetitions is called a set. A set can consist of more than one exercise at times, but the set has a definite beginning and ending point where a short rest will take place. A series of sets defines your workout.
23. I only have 30 minutes available to workout. What would be the most effective way to utilize this time?
If you are serious about it, 30 minutes is all you need. Here is what you do. Choose an effective piece of cardio equipment such as the Giant Dual Fit bike. Start with a 2 minute warm up. Then switch to an on/off 1 minute sprint/1 minute body part getting in as many reps as you can during that minute without compromising your form. Example; 1 minute bike sprint as fast as you can go and then immediately begin shoulder presses for 1 minute as fast as you can go through the whole range of motion. Then a 1 minute bike sprint followed by 1 minute of hamstring curls followed by a 1 minute bike sprint and a 1 minute bicep curl. This is what we call Cardio up/down push/pull program. Which means you do your cardio sprint with an upper body pushing movement (chest, shoulders, triceps) with a lower body exercise and then a cardio sprint with an upper body pulling exercise (back or biceps). The goal is of this is to push blood through the entire body over and over again during the 30 minutes. This workout will kick your gluteous maximus guaranteed! Remember to keep yourself well hydrated, but do not rest during this workout. This workout can be done with exercise bands or dumbbells, as well as any kind of exercise equipment.
24. When I go on vacation all my training falls apart. What can I do?
First and foremost your eating behavior is controlled by you. If you are eating out, explain to the restaurant what you expect of your meal including how to prepare it and how much you want them to serve you. Ask them to box the remaining portion to take home. It has been our experience that even the best hotels or resorts have horrible fitness centers. Our advice to you is to buy a set of exercise bands and take them with you. They take up little space, weigh nothing and come in a convenient carrying bag. Take these bands to the fitness center, to the beach, in your room, or where ever you might be comfortable doing your workout.
25. I try to read food labels, but I can’t understand them. What should I be looking for?
Saturated fat, protein, complex carbohydrates and sugars are the basics of reading food labels. If it has more than 3 grams of fat per serving, put it back. If the sugars are more than a third of the total carbohydrate count, put it back. And as far as reading the ingredient list goes, if you do not know what the ingredient is, look it up or don’t eat it. Our recommendation is always, whole organic healthy food. (Walk, flies, swims or grows in the ground.)
26. How do you feel about artificial sweeteners?
Absolutely not under any circumstances would I incest artificial sweeteners in a food item. Maybe in a gum. Some of the research shows that artificial sweeteners can cause you to feel hungry sooner, eat more when you do eat and store more fat. Some artificial sweeteners have been proven to cause some cancers and are even illegal in some places.
27. What do you think about sports drinks?
As a general rule I do not like to incest liquids that require digestion. As we talked about previously, that is not how your intestines are designed to function, however some sports drinks require no digestion and are simply electrolyte replacements. These I’m in favor of. And you can start drinking them before you begin to exercise and consume moderately throughout exercise. These drinks should be consumed at room temperature for best results unless you are in an extremely warm environment at which point having your beverage slightly cooler than the surrounding temperatures can facilitate reducing the reduction in core temperature.
28. What kind of water should I drink?
The only kind of water I ever recommend is clean spring water. In my opinion city water treatment systems do not effectively remove some of the medications and other harmful contaminants and is loaded with chlorine. Bottled waters using reverse osmosis or distillation remove everything from the water including the good stuff such as electrolytes and minerals. This type of water does not exist anywhere in nature, it couldn’t and can actually dehydrate you. Some research even shows that to babies and the elderly this could be dangerous as dehydration and even death can occur. As far as athletes drinking this type of water I don’t recommend it because athletes need electrolytes more than anybody. When you consume distilled or reverse osmosis water products, the body tries to balance the electrolytes and minerals and since this type of water has no electrolytes & minerals it pulls them from other part of the body to balance water inside the cell with water outside the cell.
29. How much alcohol can I drink?
One or two beers or a glass or two of red wine every couple days in my opinion is very healthy for you. It improves prostate function, aids in digestion, and is full of antioxidants. Anymore than that, and it is no longer beneficial and actually creates a drain on the system. We all know what happens when we have too much to drink. We urinate more frequently which throws your body chemistry out of balance not to mention the proported loss of brain cells. Any other types of alcohol such as the hard liquors are recommended in even less frequency as they contribute no health benefits and contain a tremendous amount of calories.
30. I have to have chocolate, what do I do?
Us too! Research shows that Dark Chocolate containing half the sugar of other chocolates can actually be healthy for you in small doses. So look for organically grown dark chocolate containing at least 70% or more cocoas. Preferably in the 80 and 90 percentile. Your serving size depending on your size, age, sex – your serving size is probably not more than a few ounces.
31. What can I do to get rid of my cellulite?
First of all stop treating it as a noun. Cellulite is a verb, a descriptive term used to describe too much fat with too small of a spot, which forms little bumps or budges in the skin. This is similar to putting too many marbles in a balloon. With only a few marbles in the balloon you would not see them when the balloon was blown up. However, too many marbles in the balloon would be able to be seen. Cellulite should not be treated any differently than any other fat; while it can be a little more stubborn than fat in other areas due to its density and decrease in circulation. Decrease your calories from sugar and fat while you increase your caloric expenditure.
32. I know I should exercise, but I have arthritis, what should I do?
Most research suggests that all forms of arthritis are favorably affected by exercise and proper eating behavior. Osteoarthritis responds slightly better to exercise, both are equally benefited by proper eating habits. Reumatoidarthritis has flare ups where weight training and impact exercises should be reduced in their level of intensity, activity however should be maintained.
If arthritis effects your hands and fingers, there are several types of putty and hand stretching and developmental tools that can be used to reduce the severity as far as nutrition goes, it appears as micronutrients are key; from dark beans and dark fruits like dark cherries, dark blueberries and blackberries and acai berries.
