FAQ's...
| Train Hard, Eat Well, Live Happy |
TRACEY MacDIARMID PERSONAL TRAINING
How can I get my unmotivated body to work out?
This is so common and understandable! You meant to get to the Gym or take that walk yesterday, the day before, last week...
Take heart ... it's okay! All you really need to do to get healthy and lose weight is MOVE. Research reports that so-called
lifestyle exercisers--those who regularly take stairs instead of elevators, walk instead of drive, cleaned the house, etc--lost just
about as much weight and body fat as those following a structured exercise regime. The real key to weight control is simply
becoming more active in general. Try shooting for 30 to 40 minutes of unstructured exercise daily if you can't face the confines
of the Gym.
I'm really keen to lose weight. What type of exercise is best?
It takes two different types of exercise to help you most effectively lose weight and keep it off: one is to burn a high number of
calories (aerobic-type exercise), the other to build and preserve muscle tissue (strength-training exercise). Muscle tissue
enables you to lose weight and keep it off because it helps you maintain your resting metabolic rate, thereby allowing you to
burn a greater number of calories when you're at rest. An analysis of the available data indicates that, in general, the
combination of a conventional aerobic exercise program with a severely calorie-restricted diet does little (if anything) to help
preserve lean body mass during weight reduction.
It is important to keep in mind that the less lean body mass you have, the lower your resting metabolic rate will be. As a result,
it is more likely that you will regain some or all of the weight loss you may have achieved. On the other hand, if you engage in
exercise designed to improve your muscular fitness level at the same time you are losing weight, you will enhance the
likelihood that you will be able to maintain your level of lean body mass. As a consequence, the optimal exercise prescription
for sound weight management is one that combines aerobic conditioning and strength training.
How can I get faster results?
Change your workout every four to six weeks, or switch the order of what you do. For example, if you usually do weights and
then cardio, switch it around. Better yet, try new moves for old ones in your weight routine and try a new form of cardiovascular
exercise. This way you challenge your muscles in a new way, which forces your body to work harder. This helps ward of that
dreaded plateau and you will continue to see results. In addition, it wouldn't hurt to take a look at what you're eating and adjust
your calorie intake if necessary. Your exercise efforts won't trim you down if you're eat high-fat, high-calorie foods and portions
that are too large.
Do I have to work out every day?
No, as long as you're performing a full body routine twice a week and getting at least three or four cardio sessions in per week
you will be able see gradual results. If you want to see changes more quickly, try six cardio sessions a week and strength
train three to four times a week (you will have to break your workouts down into different body parts to avoid fatigue). Just be
careful not to get too carried away and start over-training. This can be counterproductive to your weight loss / fat loss goals.
What is the best time of day to exercise?
As a general rule, if your habits are diurnal, exercise in the early evening, when your metabolism is at its peak, is more
efficient. This varies widely, however, and you really need to exercise at the time which "feels" best for you (and what works
with your schedule). The best time to work out is when you want to, so pick a time of day at which you find exercise enjoyable.
How hard must I exercise for an effect to take place? Will just a little exercise do any good?
Exercise doesn't have to hurt to be beneficial. Actually, physical activity to the point of pain can be harmful. Fitness can be
improved for most people with brisk walking 30 minutes or more daily. People who are moderately active substantially reduce
the risk of coronary heart disease and improve health in general. Research shows that you can benefit even from exercising
three times a day for just 10 minutes at a time. Increasing daily physical activity can add years to your life and life to your years.
What's the best way to get rid of fat?
Good question! There is a lot of debate about whether longer, slower workouts are better as opposed to shorter, more intense
ones. Technically, you burn a greater percentage of fat calories with the slower workouts (long jogs, leisurely walks). But high-
intensity workouts, such as running or multi-impact step aerobics, burn more calories overall, so you end up burning more fat
calories in total. You really can't go wrong either way, though. Both approaches will help you lose weight if you are consistent.
It basically comes down to personal preference; do whichever you prefer, and decide whether you have time for a longer
workout or more energy for a shorter, very intense one.
How do I know if I have extra fat cells?
The commonly believed theory is this: we are born with a certain number of fat cells that just grow and shrink when we gain
and lose weight. Is this true? For the most part, yes (that's the bad news!). You develop fat cells between the ages of 12 and
18 months and again during puberty. After that point, your 25 to 35 billion fat cells respond to weight gain by growing up to
twice their size. But, if all of your fat cells have already doubled in size and you continue to gain weight, your body cells have
already doubled in size and you continue to gain weight, your body starts making new ones. So if you have gained more than
30 or 40 pounds since your teens, you could have more fat cells than someone who has gained less.
Do carbohydrates make you fat?
Any food can make you fat, not just those foods high in carbohydrates. Carbohydrates, like protein, provide 4 calories per
gram; fat provides 9 calories per gram. But complex carbohydrates (starches such as brown bread, pasta, rice, and potatoes),
especially those derived from whole grains, are the body's best source of energy nourishment when they replace saturated
fats and excess protein in the diet. Eating more calories than you work off and leading a sedentary lifestyle are what will add
the extra "poundage."
Will weightlifting exercises help me to loose fat while increasing muscle?
Yes! A pound of muscle burns 35 to 70 calories per hour, depending upon its activity level. If you strength train and develop a
pound of muscle, then that muscle will keep burning the stored fat for energy even when you sleep. Hard weight lifting
workouts cause microscopic tears within the muscle fiber. In order to repair the microscopic tear the body will burn stored fat
during the repair process of the muscle fiber. This is called the EPOCH (excess post oxygen consumption) effect. Very cool!
Do women need to worry about bulking up when weight training? I don't want to get 'big."
ABSOLUTELY NOT! Only about 10% of women will build large amounts of muscle mass due to genetics. For the most part,
women do not have as much testosterone and other muscle building hormones as men do. Therefore women do not build
muscle the same way as men. Most women can only build about 1/4 lb of muscle per month, and that is with very heavy
weight training. If you are one of the 10% of women who are predisposed to build muscle more quickly and don't want to gain
muscle bulk, concentrate on high repetitions with low weights and vary your aerobic exercise routine. Remember though, that
women still need to lift a weight heavy enough to leave the muscle fatigued by 8-12 reps. No wimpy 2-pounders please ladies!
Should I use machines or free weights?
To establish which one is better you need to determine your goals. If you want to do bodybuilding or to rehabilitate a specific
muscle, then machines would be beneficial in reaching your goals. Many machines will lock you into a specific axis, develop
strength in that range of motion and allow only 10% of movement outside of that range of movement. If you are an athlete or
you wish to perform functional exercises, then free weights and cable machines that are used while standing would be the
best choice. Full body exercises with free weights are the best choices for a conditioned, coordinated body.
How important are cardio workout routines?
Cardiovascular training is the first step in developing a more efficient heart, the better condition that our heart is in, the less it
has to work. The more efficient our cardio system, the less effort needed for the heart can to pump the necessary blood to the
muscles. By getting the cardio system more efficient, more blood is carrying nutrients to our muscles and then our muscles
are burning more calories. With the increased efficiency, the body can be overloaded causing our muscles to become more
efficient. Long story short, cardio workout routines should be a part of your fitness program!
How much cardio should I do?
That depends on your goal. If you have more than 20lb to lose and you haven't been active in a while, doing as much cardio as
possible will get you the quickest results. Although 30 minutes 3x a week may seem like a lot, this is maintenance level
cardio, so you should be aiming for 45 minutes 5x a week. If you've been losing weight at a steady pace doing a lot of cardio
and all of a sudden hit a plateau, your best bet is to focus on one long session of cardio 45-50 minutes, and three shorter
bouts of high intensity interval style cardio per week. If you're in great shape and your main concern is losing a few pounds of
body fat, your best option would be to focus on three shorter bouts of high intensity interval cardio per week plus three or four
quick bursts of active recovery cardio intervals lasting 1-2 minutes. If you're very skinny and your trying to put on weight, limit
your cardio to 10-20 minute warm-up sessions before weight training.
Should I complete my cardio before or after my weight training?
There are two kinds of exercise: aerobic or cardiovascular, and anaerobic. Aerobic, as the name implies, requires “air” or
oxygen on an ongoing basis. Anaerobic exercise does not require constant use of oxygen or air. The human body has two
types of energy: immediate and stored. A name you may be more familiar with for immediate or readily available energy is
“glucose,” commonly referred to as “blood glucose” or “blood sugar.” Stored energy is better known as “fat.”
Different types of exercise can access different types of energy. Aerobic exercise can use either fat or glucose. Anaerobic
exercise, on the other hand, can only use glucose or blood sugar. In the human body, the ONLY way to burn fat is to supply
oxygen to working muscles; without oxygen, we can only burn sugar, and as soon as the sugar runs out, which is rather
quickly, we begin to burn or “metabolize” muscle for energy. This phenomenon is called “gluconeogenesis” which means “the
new formation of glucose.” Unfortunately, that new formation of glucose comes to us at the expense of hard earned muscle.
Because of this, it is recommended that you first go through a light warm up lasting five to ten minutes, followed by your weight
lifting session, and end your exercise routine with the cardiovascular portion of your training. Exercising in this order will
ensure that your body is ready to work out thanks to the warm up phase, that you have plenty of glucose available for your
weight lifting, and you will burn fat more efficiently by finishing off with the cardio since you used up most of the sugar in the
weight lifting exercises.
If you were to reverse the order and do your cardio training first, you would burn up most of your glucose during the
cardiovascular exercise most likely not using much fat for energy due to the fact that glucose is readily available and easy to
burn compared to stored fat. Once you finish your aerobic work and move on to do your weight lifting, you will find that you do
not have as much energy for your weight workouts because weight lifting (anaerobic) exercise cannot access fat for energy
and the only thing it can access (glucose) has all been used up by the cardiovascular portion of your routine.
Of course, there are always two schools of thought! If your goal is not so much focused on fat or weight loss, you could
perform your cardio and weight training in whatever order you wish. It just depends what your primary motivator is. If you
would like to be able to increase your running speed for a 5K or use interval training techniques for a triathalon, it would be
better to perform your cardio routine first, while you are fresh, and then do your weight training. On the other hand, if your focus
is to build muscle for a fitness or bodybuilding competition, you would be better served to do your weight training first, and
cardio second.
Should I train abs every day?
You can, but it's pointless to do so unless you are also cutting back calories and doing enough cardio to burn off those fat
layers covering your abs. Additionally, your abs are like any other muscle in your body; if you work them too hard all the time
you risk "over-training" and you will stop seeing results because the muscle never has adequate time to recover. The best
advice is to train abs every other day, or 3-4 times a week. Put your abdominal training into your regular workout routine and
pick 3-5 exercises that you can perform in between training other muscle groups, for example: one set of lunges followed by
ball crunches. This is another from of active recovery that keeps you moving and burning extra calories while strength training.
It also allows you to do a lot more ab work without getting so tired.
What is circuit training?
Circuit training means moving quickly from one muscle group to the next during a workout, which allows you to burn more
calories by working more muscles in less time. The key to minimizing your total downtime between sets is by utilizing
opposing muscle groups in sequence, such as going from a biceps move to a triceps one, or working your quads followed by
your hamstrings, or going from an upper-body exercise to a lower-body one. To design your circuit, pick eight or ten exercises
that will challenge your major muscle groups. For each exercise, choose a weight that you can lift in sets that last about 30
seconds between sets.
This is so common and understandable! You meant to get to the Gym or take that walk yesterday, the day before, last week...
Take heart ... it's okay! All you really need to do to get healthy and lose weight is MOVE. Research reports that so-called
lifestyle exercisers--those who regularly take stairs instead of elevators, walk instead of drive, cleaned the house, etc--lost just
about as much weight and body fat as those following a structured exercise regime. The real key to weight control is simply
becoming more active in general. Try shooting for 30 to 40 minutes of unstructured exercise daily if you can't face the confines
of the Gym.
I'm really keen to lose weight. What type of exercise is best?
It takes two different types of exercise to help you most effectively lose weight and keep it off: one is to burn a high number of
calories (aerobic-type exercise), the other to build and preserve muscle tissue (strength-training exercise). Muscle tissue
enables you to lose weight and keep it off because it helps you maintain your resting metabolic rate, thereby allowing you to
burn a greater number of calories when you're at rest. An analysis of the available data indicates that, in general, the
combination of a conventional aerobic exercise program with a severely calorie-restricted diet does little (if anything) to help
preserve lean body mass during weight reduction.
It is important to keep in mind that the less lean body mass you have, the lower your resting metabolic rate will be. As a result,
it is more likely that you will regain some or all of the weight loss you may have achieved. On the other hand, if you engage in
exercise designed to improve your muscular fitness level at the same time you are losing weight, you will enhance the
likelihood that you will be able to maintain your level of lean body mass. As a consequence, the optimal exercise prescription
for sound weight management is one that combines aerobic conditioning and strength training.
How can I get faster results?
Change your workout every four to six weeks, or switch the order of what you do. For example, if you usually do weights and
then cardio, switch it around. Better yet, try new moves for old ones in your weight routine and try a new form of cardiovascular
exercise. This way you challenge your muscles in a new way, which forces your body to work harder. This helps ward of that
dreaded plateau and you will continue to see results. In addition, it wouldn't hurt to take a look at what you're eating and adjust
your calorie intake if necessary. Your exercise efforts won't trim you down if you're eat high-fat, high-calorie foods and portions
that are too large.
Do I have to work out every day?
No, as long as you're performing a full body routine twice a week and getting at least three or four cardio sessions in per week
you will be able see gradual results. If you want to see changes more quickly, try six cardio sessions a week and strength
train three to four times a week (you will have to break your workouts down into different body parts to avoid fatigue). Just be
careful not to get too carried away and start over-training. This can be counterproductive to your weight loss / fat loss goals.
What is the best time of day to exercise?
As a general rule, if your habits are diurnal, exercise in the early evening, when your metabolism is at its peak, is more
efficient. This varies widely, however, and you really need to exercise at the time which "feels" best for you (and what works
with your schedule). The best time to work out is when you want to, so pick a time of day at which you find exercise enjoyable.
How hard must I exercise for an effect to take place? Will just a little exercise do any good?
Exercise doesn't have to hurt to be beneficial. Actually, physical activity to the point of pain can be harmful. Fitness can be
improved for most people with brisk walking 30 minutes or more daily. People who are moderately active substantially reduce
the risk of coronary heart disease and improve health in general. Research shows that you can benefit even from exercising
three times a day for just 10 minutes at a time. Increasing daily physical activity can add years to your life and life to your years.
What's the best way to get rid of fat?
Good question! There is a lot of debate about whether longer, slower workouts are better as opposed to shorter, more intense
ones. Technically, you burn a greater percentage of fat calories with the slower workouts (long jogs, leisurely walks). But high-
intensity workouts, such as running or multi-impact step aerobics, burn more calories overall, so you end up burning more fat
calories in total. You really can't go wrong either way, though. Both approaches will help you lose weight if you are consistent.
It basically comes down to personal preference; do whichever you prefer, and decide whether you have time for a longer
workout or more energy for a shorter, very intense one.
How do I know if I have extra fat cells?
The commonly believed theory is this: we are born with a certain number of fat cells that just grow and shrink when we gain
and lose weight. Is this true? For the most part, yes (that's the bad news!). You develop fat cells between the ages of 12 and
18 months and again during puberty. After that point, your 25 to 35 billion fat cells respond to weight gain by growing up to
twice their size. But, if all of your fat cells have already doubled in size and you continue to gain weight, your body cells have
already doubled in size and you continue to gain weight, your body starts making new ones. So if you have gained more than
30 or 40 pounds since your teens, you could have more fat cells than someone who has gained less.
Do carbohydrates make you fat?
Any food can make you fat, not just those foods high in carbohydrates. Carbohydrates, like protein, provide 4 calories per
gram; fat provides 9 calories per gram. But complex carbohydrates (starches such as brown bread, pasta, rice, and potatoes),
especially those derived from whole grains, are the body's best source of energy nourishment when they replace saturated
fats and excess protein in the diet. Eating more calories than you work off and leading a sedentary lifestyle are what will add
the extra "poundage."
Will weightlifting exercises help me to loose fat while increasing muscle?
Yes! A pound of muscle burns 35 to 70 calories per hour, depending upon its activity level. If you strength train and develop a
pound of muscle, then that muscle will keep burning the stored fat for energy even when you sleep. Hard weight lifting
workouts cause microscopic tears within the muscle fiber. In order to repair the microscopic tear the body will burn stored fat
during the repair process of the muscle fiber. This is called the EPOCH (excess post oxygen consumption) effect. Very cool!
Do women need to worry about bulking up when weight training? I don't want to get 'big."
ABSOLUTELY NOT! Only about 10% of women will build large amounts of muscle mass due to genetics. For the most part,
women do not have as much testosterone and other muscle building hormones as men do. Therefore women do not build
muscle the same way as men. Most women can only build about 1/4 lb of muscle per month, and that is with very heavy
weight training. If you are one of the 10% of women who are predisposed to build muscle more quickly and don't want to gain
muscle bulk, concentrate on high repetitions with low weights and vary your aerobic exercise routine. Remember though, that
women still need to lift a weight heavy enough to leave the muscle fatigued by 8-12 reps. No wimpy 2-pounders please ladies!
Should I use machines or free weights?
To establish which one is better you need to determine your goals. If you want to do bodybuilding or to rehabilitate a specific
muscle, then machines would be beneficial in reaching your goals. Many machines will lock you into a specific axis, develop
strength in that range of motion and allow only 10% of movement outside of that range of movement. If you are an athlete or
you wish to perform functional exercises, then free weights and cable machines that are used while standing would be the
best choice. Full body exercises with free weights are the best choices for a conditioned, coordinated body.
How important are cardio workout routines?
Cardiovascular training is the first step in developing a more efficient heart, the better condition that our heart is in, the less it
has to work. The more efficient our cardio system, the less effort needed for the heart can to pump the necessary blood to the
muscles. By getting the cardio system more efficient, more blood is carrying nutrients to our muscles and then our muscles
are burning more calories. With the increased efficiency, the body can be overloaded causing our muscles to become more
efficient. Long story short, cardio workout routines should be a part of your fitness program!
How much cardio should I do?
That depends on your goal. If you have more than 20lb to lose and you haven't been active in a while, doing as much cardio as
possible will get you the quickest results. Although 30 minutes 3x a week may seem like a lot, this is maintenance level
cardio, so you should be aiming for 45 minutes 5x a week. If you've been losing weight at a steady pace doing a lot of cardio
and all of a sudden hit a plateau, your best bet is to focus on one long session of cardio 45-50 minutes, and three shorter
bouts of high intensity interval style cardio per week. If you're in great shape and your main concern is losing a few pounds of
body fat, your best option would be to focus on three shorter bouts of high intensity interval cardio per week plus three or four
quick bursts of active recovery cardio intervals lasting 1-2 minutes. If you're very skinny and your trying to put on weight, limit
your cardio to 10-20 minute warm-up sessions before weight training.
Should I complete my cardio before or after my weight training?
There are two kinds of exercise: aerobic or cardiovascular, and anaerobic. Aerobic, as the name implies, requires “air” or
oxygen on an ongoing basis. Anaerobic exercise does not require constant use of oxygen or air. The human body has two
types of energy: immediate and stored. A name you may be more familiar with for immediate or readily available energy is
“glucose,” commonly referred to as “blood glucose” or “blood sugar.” Stored energy is better known as “fat.”
Different types of exercise can access different types of energy. Aerobic exercise can use either fat or glucose. Anaerobic
exercise, on the other hand, can only use glucose or blood sugar. In the human body, the ONLY way to burn fat is to supply
oxygen to working muscles; without oxygen, we can only burn sugar, and as soon as the sugar runs out, which is rather
quickly, we begin to burn or “metabolize” muscle for energy. This phenomenon is called “gluconeogenesis” which means “the
new formation of glucose.” Unfortunately, that new formation of glucose comes to us at the expense of hard earned muscle.
Because of this, it is recommended that you first go through a light warm up lasting five to ten minutes, followed by your weight
lifting session, and end your exercise routine with the cardiovascular portion of your training. Exercising in this order will
ensure that your body is ready to work out thanks to the warm up phase, that you have plenty of glucose available for your
weight lifting, and you will burn fat more efficiently by finishing off with the cardio since you used up most of the sugar in the
weight lifting exercises.
If you were to reverse the order and do your cardio training first, you would burn up most of your glucose during the
cardiovascular exercise most likely not using much fat for energy due to the fact that glucose is readily available and easy to
burn compared to stored fat. Once you finish your aerobic work and move on to do your weight lifting, you will find that you do
not have as much energy for your weight workouts because weight lifting (anaerobic) exercise cannot access fat for energy
and the only thing it can access (glucose) has all been used up by the cardiovascular portion of your routine.
Of course, there are always two schools of thought! If your goal is not so much focused on fat or weight loss, you could
perform your cardio and weight training in whatever order you wish. It just depends what your primary motivator is. If you
would like to be able to increase your running speed for a 5K or use interval training techniques for a triathalon, it would be
better to perform your cardio routine first, while you are fresh, and then do your weight training. On the other hand, if your focus
is to build muscle for a fitness or bodybuilding competition, you would be better served to do your weight training first, and
cardio second.
Should I train abs every day?
You can, but it's pointless to do so unless you are also cutting back calories and doing enough cardio to burn off those fat
layers covering your abs. Additionally, your abs are like any other muscle in your body; if you work them too hard all the time
you risk "over-training" and you will stop seeing results because the muscle never has adequate time to recover. The best
advice is to train abs every other day, or 3-4 times a week. Put your abdominal training into your regular workout routine and
pick 3-5 exercises that you can perform in between training other muscle groups, for example: one set of lunges followed by
ball crunches. This is another from of active recovery that keeps you moving and burning extra calories while strength training.
It also allows you to do a lot more ab work without getting so tired.
What is circuit training?
Circuit training means moving quickly from one muscle group to the next during a workout, which allows you to burn more
calories by working more muscles in less time. The key to minimizing your total downtime between sets is by utilizing
opposing muscle groups in sequence, such as going from a biceps move to a triceps one, or working your quads followed by
your hamstrings, or going from an upper-body exercise to a lower-body one. To design your circuit, pick eight or ten exercises
that will challenge your major muscle groups. For each exercise, choose a weight that you can lift in sets that last about 30
seconds between sets.