Know Fitness

Q: I run a few times a week, a couple miles at least. Do I really need to strength train my lower body? Doesn’t running take care of strengthening my legs?
A: No! Running is not enough to keep your legs strengthened. The exercise of running is a great cardiovascular exercise however it can be very hard on your hips, knees and ankles. Orthopedic ally speaking it is not the best exercise. But if running is important to you it is wise to strength train the all the muscles around the hips, knees and ankles to prevent injury.

Q: How do I get rid of the extra fat around my “love handle” area?
A: It would be nice, but unfortunately we cannot spot reduce. In other words it is not possible to workout in such a way that we burn fat in only one isolated part of our body. When we workout our bodies draw calories from all over, causing an overall fat reduction. The best thing we can do to lower our body fat is to combine a cardio workout, with strength training and a weight loss focused nutrition plan.

Q: If I’m going to do my cardio and strength training in the same day which should I do first? Cardio or strength train?
A: There is no definitive answer to this question. It really depends on what your goals are. If you are trying to build muscle you may want to do strength training first, since you probably want to have the maximum amount of energy available to push yourself during your strength training. Now on the other hand, if your goal is to build endurance and lose weight, you may want to do your cardio first so you can give the maximum amount of effort towards that. Ideally, we would advice doing the cardio and strength training on separate days but if time doesn’t allow for that then look at your goals to determine which order is best for you. Ultimately, all of our goals are so different and specific to us that this is where a professional such as a personal trainer can really guide us down the best path for us so you don’t waste time doing the wrong thing for a year and end up feeling discouraged because you are not seeing the results you expected.

Q: For women it is recommended to strength train not only to become stronger but also to help prevent osteoporosis. I’m considering trying it but afraid I will bulk up?
A: Many women have a fear of strength training because the first images that usually comes to mind are bodybuilders with their larger than life muscles. Breath easy, because women are not prone to bulking up from strength training. Because of our low testosterone levels we are not able to build muscle in bulk unless we do some serious heavy lifting and an extremely strict diet.
What will happen from strength training is that your muscles will develop, become stronger and leaner. The more muscle we build the higher our resting metabolism becomes and therefore we have more energy and burn more calories at rest than before. And most importantly the stress put on the bones and joints from strength training will help in preventing osteoporosis.

Q: I’ve been working out and eating right but have not seen any changes in my body and the scale has barely moved. I’m so frustrated! What am I doing wrong?
A: We hear these frustrations quite often and what we recommend is that a journal or log is kept of exactly when and for how long you are exercising. Also, at what intensity are you exercising. If you are able to read a whole magazine during your workout then you are probably not pushing yourself hard enough. Also, writing down what you are eating, what quantities, and how often you are eating are very important. Often we forget a lot of the details as the weeks go on but all we know is that we’ve been trying. Writing these things down help us to get an accurate picture of what we are doing right and what needs changed.

Q: How long does it take for me to see results from strength training?
A: To see physical changes in your body it takes 8-10 weeks. This will happen provided you are strength training at least two times a week for an hour at a time.

Q: How long does it take to lose muscle if I stop strength training?
A: Only 2 WEEKS!!! That’s right, our muscles start to atrophy (lose muscle) only after two weeks of doing no strength training.

Q: How many reps and sets should I do?
A: It depends on what your goals are. If you are looking to lose weight and tone up then high reps are recommended, at least 20 reps. If your goal is to increase muscle mass then you want to keep your reps between 8-10. For weight loss purposes 2 sets of each exercise should be sufficient. For muscle building purposes 3- 4 sets would be recommended. Again, it is hard to give hard and fast rules since all of our bodies are so unique. The guidance of a personal trainer would be preferable.

Q: Should I stretch in between exercises?
A: Yes! Stretching if very important but unfortunately most commonly overlooked during exercise. Stretching is important for a couple of reasons: To prevent injury, not lose range of motion (ROM) from strength training, and to slow down the effects of aging which is usually a natural loss of ROM unless we stretch throughout our lifetime.

Q: Why does my neck and shoulders always hurt when I try to do ab exercises?
A: This is a common complaint for most people. Ab exercises when done properly should not hurt the neck and shoulders. This is where the guidance of a personal trainer can be really beneficial to ensure the form is correct. “I have always hated ab exercise because I felt them more in my neck than abs. It still amazes me now, even after training with Margaret for 4 months, how much stronger my abs are and how much better they feel after learning the correct form. I would have never been able to accomplish this without my trainer.” Mike Oxley, client of Columbus Fitness Consultants