General Training FAQ

How often should I work each body part?

In order to see results, you need to work each body part at least two times a week. You also want to make sure that you don't overstress the muscles, so you need to give them 24 hours of rest in between workouts. For example, you could work your upper body on Mondays, and Wednesdays, and your lower body on Tuesdays, and Thursdays, which gives a day of rest in between each training session and allows for each body part to be worked twice each week. If you're really stretched for time you COULD do an entire body workout on Mondays and Wednesdays (or Tuesdays and Thursdays). As long as you work each body part two times a week with at least one day of rest in between, you will see results.

What about abs? I've heard you can work them every day, is that true?

There are differing opinions in the fitness industry about how often to work your abs. Some say every day, others say only twice a week, just like your other muscle groups. The abdominals are a muscle group, and just like the rest of the muscles in your body, you don't want to overstress them. But, it is very hard to work your abdominals intensely enough so that you are sore the next day. So, my opinion is that if you are not sore from your abdominal workout yesterday, then you can work your abs today. If you are sore, then give them rest.

Speaking of soreness, why am I so sore after my workout and what can I do about it?

DOMS stands for Delayed Onset Muscle Soreness- it's the soreness that you feel the NEXT day after a tough workout. Although it can be frustrating to feel it when you're walking down the stairs, this is a normal response to the new exertion your muscles are experiencing. Over time you will get stronger and you will not be as sore. There are ways to prevent soreness: a proper warm-up and cool down, not doing too much too soon and adequate stretching during and after the workout.

If you are sore, the best thing to do is to keep moving, even if all you want to do is lie on the couch. Some moderate cardio activity will get blood flow to the area and help loosen the muscles.

How often and how long should I do cardio exercise?

If you're currently doing 4 days a week, shoot for 5 days a week. Ideally, in order to lose weight, you need to be doing some type of cardio exercise, at least 5 times a week. Each session should be about 30 minutes long with the goal of upping one day to about 60 minutes long. If that seems daunting to you, just gradually increase the amount of time that you are exercising until you reach 30 minutes and then work on increasing your long day.

How do I know how hard to work during a cardio exercise?

The most accurate way to determine your training heart rate is to use what is called the Karvonen Method, which uses your resting heart rate to help assess your initial fitness level. You should stay between 60 and 90 percent of your maximum heart rate in order to burn fat and improve your fitness. To work out what your 60 to 90 percent range is (your training heart rate or THR), follow these steps:

• Take your resting heart rate (RHR), first thing in the morning before you do anything (even before getting out of bed, if possible).
• Subtract your age from 220. This provides your maximum heart rate (MHR).
• Subtract your resting heart rate from your maximum heart rate. This will give you your HRR.
• Multiply your HRR by 0.6, and then take this figure and add to it your resting heart rate (RHR). This will give you your 60 percent training zone in beats per minute (BPM).
• Multiply your HRR by 0.9, and then take this figure and add to it your resting heart rate (RHR). This will give you your 90 percent training zone in beats per minute (BPM).
• training range will therefore be between these two figures.

Another way of determining how hard to work during a cardio session is by using the talk test. You should be breathing hard and able to speak on short phrases only. If you can tell someone a long story, you are not working hard enough. If you are working so hard that you can't even get one word out, then you need to ease up.

I want to get rid of the fat on my belly. Does that mean I should do more abs?

Yes and no. There is no such thing as spot reducing in one particular area. You obviously need to work your abs in order to build muscle there, but you need to combine both cardio and strength exercises with the right diet so that your body will be forced to burn the fat that may be covering your muscles. This will result in you being able to see the muscles that were there all along.

So, the bottom line is; don't try to overdo in one particular area. Instead focus on making your whole body leaner through entire body workouts, fat burning sessions of cardio and a healthy diet.

As a woman starting a strength routine, how can I make sure that I don't get big muscles?

This is a common misconception among women. They think that if they lift weights- especially heavy ones- that their muscles will get too big and they will look like a man.

That will simply not happen. Due to the fact that women do not and cannot naturally produce as much testosterone (one of the main hormones responsible for increasing muscle size) as males do, it is impossible for a woman to gain huge amounts of muscle mass. You may be thinking of female bodybuilders that have incredibly large muscles. Unfortunately, it is common that the use of anabolic steroids allow these women to achieve such a high degree of muscularity. They probably also spend many hours in the gym. If you are a woman and you lift weights for 30 minutes, four times a week - you will not get "big". You will however get firm and toned body that you want.

How heavy of a weight should I lift?

This is one of the many things that a personal trainer can help you determine. It should feel slightly easy on the first repetition and very challenging on the fifteenth. If you can lift a weight more than 15 times easily, than it is probably too light. If you can't lift it at least 8 times, then it is probably too heavy. You also need to be able to maintain good form. If you are lifting the weight and you end up swinging it and using momentum to help you out, then it is probably too heavy. Again, this is where a personal trainer can evaluate your form and ensure that you are lifting the correct weight and using the appropriate muscles.

Should I hold my breath when I lift weights?

No! Holding your breath while lifting weights can dangerously raise your blood pressure, not to mention increasing the amount of fatigue that you feel. You need to get MORE oxygen to your muscles, not less. The best way to breathe through an exercise is to exhale on the beginning of the movement (concentric) and inhale on the end (eccentric) of the movement. So, if you're doing a bench press, for example, the exhaling would happen as you push the weight off your chest and the inhaling would happen as you lower it back down.