Questions and Answers
How can I workout at home because I don’t belong to a gym?
	There are many, many options for strength training and cardio workouts that don't require a trip to the gym. If you have dumbbells, a resistance band, or an exercise stability ball, there are literally hundreds of exercises that you can do at home. With these exercises you can increase your muscular strength, muscular endurance plus of course get a more defined look in your physical appearance. For cardio workouts you can simply walk outside or at an indoor location, stair climb, jumping jacks, etc.
How often should I stretch and should I stretch before or after working out?
	Actually, it's best to stretch both times. If you have the time, your body will really benefit from stretching both before you start exercising and again after your workout. At the very least, be sure to stretch after you have completed your workout. As far as frequency, even if you don't workout every day it is very beneficial to include a stretching routine daily.
Is it bad for your body to workout some of the same muscle groups daily?
	Typically you should allow your muscle to rest about 48 hours before working it again. This is the safest approach and also the most efficient approach for improving strength. It will help you increase hypertrophy more effectively.
What size weights should I train with and how many reps should I complete?
	There's no one size fits all weight size that is best. The size of weight you use depends on your goals, skills, past fitness experience, etc. A good rule of thumb is to start with about 70% maximum resistance with 8-12 reps and 1-3 sets. To determine your specific 70% maximum size, you must first determine the maximum amount of weight you can lift. However, it's typically not recommended that beginners attempt to lift their maximum amount of weight, for safety reasons. So, another simpler option is to choose a weight size that provides fatigue after the 8th - 12th rep is completed.
What is the best fitness program for losing weight?
	The key to a successful program is that it is comprehensive and includes the necessary pieces. There are three major components of a good weight loss program: cardio, strength training and stretching. It's equally important to include all three components. For example, you could do cardio 3 times per week, strength training twice per week and stretch before and after every workout.
I want to tone and tighten my legs (or stomach, or arms, etc). What exercises can I do to lose fat there and get them toned?
	You can't spot reduce. It is necessary for you to reduce the fat in your trouble area before you will see big results from your strength training exercises. You must burn calories and fat through cardiovascular activities. This includes such things as walking, jogging, step aerobics, jumping rope, swimming etc. But, while cardio is critical you should also include strength training exercises to help build muscles and tone your trouble area simultaneously.
People have been telling me that 5 days of cardio is way too much, I have no problem doing it like you had asked....what do you think and why ?
	I'm glad you that you will have no problem with the 5 days a week of cardio. When ever working with the average healthy person it is always advisable to have them start with 2-3 days of cardio for at least 20 minutes. This will help to maintain their healthy lifestyle and that is the key word...maintain. To go beyond that means increasing the time and intensity just like you had thought, think of this way.... you have will have the edge on the ones who have been telling you that you do way too much :-)
I was wondering if we could discuss a workout program that I could be put on to increase mass and strength rather then only strength.
	Most likely if you are new to bodybuilding and/or haven't worked in a while then most beginners will notice strength sizes rather quickly, more so than the most experienced of lifters. To make increase in size a few thing have to happen. First you have to increase your calories, for every 500 calories a day you will gain a pound a week...try not to go overboard in increasing your calories or a lot of your increases in weight will amount to fat. 500 calories is about equivalent to a bagel with peanut butter... or a couple of protein bars. Second, the workout routine should consist of 3 sets with rep ranges of 12-10-8 or 10-8-6, especially for the large muscles like legs, chest and back. Doing negatives will not necessarily increase your strength but will increase mass which is what you would also want. For example to do a negative for chest, do your set of 12 making sure that the 12th one is about as many as you can do then try 2-3 more but have your spotter help you with the lift and you have to lower it down yourself slowly for a count of about 4-5 second. The same can be done for many exercises (Curls, Pull Downs and so on) what is happening is your muscles are actually being stretched and some of the cells are being torn that is one of the reason for soreness the next couple of days. I do have a workout plan on my site that you can download and use which is what I would suggest using. You will have to sign in as a subscriber to have access to these workouts.
What is this "zone" heart rate that I always hear about, where do these numbers come from?
	About the "Zone" if you are pushing yourself too much where your heart rate is at 85-100% of you max then that is more of a cardiovascular benefit. When you are at 65-85% then you are at the fat burning stage. Using the simple formula of 220 minus your age (35) then multiplying by .65 will give your low end which is (120) and your high end multiple .85 (160) so try to keep your heart rate range between 120-160. There is a more accurate way to determine your actual range but that is based on your resting heart rate and in most cases I find it to be very similar to the one given above.
I seem to be in a rut lately with my routine, how come?
	It's true that your muscle do get used to doing the same thing over and over, this is called Neurological Adaptation. This is fine for an 8-12 week period and that is why we must change our routines around so often, so our muscles can adapt to new movements, this will help build other muscle cells and fibers that were not being used as efficiently during your last 12 weeks. Not only does this help condition your muscles but it keeps one from being bored with their routine and this happens a lot to people who begin a program.
What do you think of Bow Flex Gyms or Multi gyms?
	I spoke to a guy who owns one of those Bow Flex's, he said the nice thing is that they take up a small area and they do provide enough resistance. The bad thing is that is very hard to balance your lifting because both arms are controlling weights separately. This would be very hard for a beginner to get used to, plus the type of resistance it uses would not provide you with the benefits you may be looking for. My advice would be to purchase a Multi-Gym that comes with weight stacks, you can start at the low end for about $600.00 to a mid range for $1200 to $2000 to high end for $3000 and up. The advantage is that the resistance is very close to free weights, you can control the movement, it is much easier to use and in most cases you can get 30+ exercises out of one machine....and did I mention, it is much cheaper than Bow Flex. The disadvantage is size, if you have the room then your set.
What do you think about Torso Trak and all those other ab machines?
	All those gizmos do are exactly what a simple crunch can do, some of them do help prevent you from putting too much strain on your lower back and neck area so in some cases they would be beneficial. My advice would be to go ahead and use them if you have them, otherwise doing proper crunches will have the same effect on your abs.