Fitness and Exercise Q & A

How many days a week do I need to workout?
This question can only be answered effectively after you have talked with a trainer. It depends upon your current conditions, goals, schedule, budget and your trainer's availability. You may "need" to workout with a trainer four days a week, but only have the time or budget for two days a week. In these cases, the trainer will work to teach you a program that you can do on your own for the days that you cannot work with a trainer. This, of course, necessitates your willingness and ability to implement such a program.

I don't have the discipline to train on my own, but I want to make my fitness a long term commitment. How long a period with a trainer work with me?
Some trainer/client relationships extend over many years. How long an extended period of time you work with a trainer depends upon many factors. These include the interrelationship between you and a trainer, availability, scheduling and logistics. If after a time, your trainer is unable to continue and you want to still work with a trainer, you can either contact us again and we'll find someone for you or your trainer may know someone who he/she thinks is suitable for your needs.

I can workout on my own, but I need to learn what to do and how exercise correctly. Will a trainer work with me on this basis?
Yes. A trainer will evaluate you, access your needs, develop a diet plan if needed and work with you over a number of sessions to teach you fat loss and toning/building exercises necessary for you to achieve your goals. You will come away with a program tailored to your needs and can workout on your own. The number of sessions needed for this depends upon your fitness needs, how quickly you master the movements and your budget. You can always schedule an additional session or sessions later for a refresher or to upgrade your program. Our trainers are responsive to occasional follow-up phone or email questions for no additional charge.


I have done everything, but I still can't loose weight. Is there anything you can do for me?
Losing bodyfat effectively is the result of a combination of a specific diet and calorie burning aerobic exercise carried out consistently for a particular duration of time. We usually find that when you think you are doing "everything," one or more elements specified above is either not being carried out correctly or is not being carried out at all. Sometimes folks will try a variety of fad diets one after the other for short periods of time and then give up. Or they may get on the treadmill at the gym for 15 minutes two times a week and wonder why they can't lose fat. Bodyfat reduction or "getting lean" is the single most requested goal of clients who come to us. Our trainers will work with you on an effective diet and fat-burning exercise program and will discuss how long you need to sustain this program to achieve results. They will then help you to attain the discipline and motivation to carry it out.

I've have been working out on my own for a long time, but have stopped making any progress in muscle gain. Can you help me?
Yes. Most people who have been working out on their own for a long period of time eventually hit a plateau and stop making gains in muscle mass. Often, genetics plays a role in this. That is, when someone comes close to or reaches their "genetic potential," muscle gain slows down and sometimes stops altogether. However, even taking genetic factors into account, we find that in most cases plateauing is due an inability by someone to push themselves to greater heights in their workouts and/or to find new types of routines. Without steady increases in muscle "overload" and varying of types of routines, gains will not be made. Some of our trainers are former competitive bodybuilders and know how to get you out of your rut.

I do hundreds of sit-ups but still have no definition in my abs. How do I get a six-pack?
Getting abdominal definition is only partially accomplished through specific ab workouts involving crunches or flexion of the abdominal muscles. For the most part "definition" of abs is accomplished the same way that "definition" of any other body part is accomplished: by losing the fat that obscures the muscle and building the muscle. Losing the fat is done through diet and aerobic exercise, not abdominal crunches (or sit ups). But even if you lose the fat, to see a nicely developed six-pack, the ab muscles need to be developed. This is accomplished by intense ab crunches with or without added resistance for about eight to fifteen repetitions, four to eight sets, about three times a week.

 

After I start working with a trainer when will I begin to see results?
This is an impossible question to answer without knowing your present condition and training history. There are many variables including your specific starting point, genetics, and metabolism as well as your consistency, commitment and time you are willing to put into training. You will get results commensurately with what you put into your training and diet. Also, we can set up programs that are aimed to work very quickly, but involve exceedingly stringent dieting and training. Generally we like to suggest that, if you are starting from a very low level of fitness, you take it slower at the beginning so you can accustom your body gradually to a training program. We want you to be fit and fabulous for your lifetime.

 

How hard can I work out and still stay in the fat burning zone?

If you´re trying to lose weight through exercise, the total number of calories is all that matters. Training at a lower intensity burns a higher percentage of fat calories, but the total number of calories burned for a given time period is higher at faster speeds.

 

How can I make ab crunches harder?

Try the bench crunch for a challenging ab workout. Lie on your back with your lower legs on a bench, knees bent 90 degrees. With your lower back on the floor, cross your arms over your chest and curl up slowly, raising your shoulder blades off the floor.

 

How should I do sit ups for best results?

Do not do the traditional sit-ups where you lie on the floor, legs outstretched, and then sit up lifting your torso off the ground. This movement puts too much stress on your lower back and it actually targets the hip flexors more than the abs during most of the resistance.
Instead, do crunches. Just lie on your back, knees bent, with your lower back flat on the floor or mat, and then bring your rib cage and pelvis as close together as possible, squeeze, and return to the starting position.
This works your primary ab muscles and no strain is placed on your lower back.

 

What does stretching have to do with sports performance?

Stretching to improve your flexibility can also improve your sports performance. For instance, if you are more flexible, and have greater range of motion, your tennis racket or the head of your golf club will travel farther, increasing the force with which it impacts the ball. But never stretch cold, and long stretching sessions should be done after your workout.

 

Should I do barbell curls if my wrists hurt?

If you feel discomfort in your elbows or wrists when doing barbell biceps curls, use an E-Z curl bar or dumbbells.

 

Should I hold the rails when walking on the treadmill?

Holding the side rails on a treadmill reduces the intensity so you are not burning as many calories as the display indicates. Holding the front rail so it pulls you along is worse yet. Hold the rails lightly for balance until you get used to the machine, then work toward letting your arms swing naturally.

 

Can I jump rope for my aerobic exercise?

Jumping rope can be a good aerobic exercise. For most people it´s pretty vigorous, so intervals may be the best way to go. Warm up with some brisk walking, then jump for a couple of minutes, rest a minute or so, jump 2, etc. If you can go longer, do it. Like other cardio exercises, work at a pace where you're breathing a little hard but can still talk.

 

Can I burn more calories if I walk with ankle weights?

Never use ankle weights when walking. Wrist or hand weights are not as likely to cause injury as ankle weights, but can still stress your joints. If you want to burn more calories, walk farther or faster. If you want to get stronger, lift weights.

 

Why do I have a potbelly when I am otherwise lean?

Sometimes, no matter how hard you work out and how well you eat, it seems like that pot belly just isn´t going away. The trick is to be patient. Most of us have a "problem area." For a lot of people (mostly guys), the pot belly is the last thing to go. Don´t give up!