Pump up, slim down

Tired of sweating all over every piece of cardio equipment at the gym and still getting zero love from the scale? You need more iron. And not in your diet—in your hands. According to the National Center for Health Statistics, a mere 21 percent of women strength train two or more times a week. What you don't know: When you skip the weight room, you lose out on the ultimate flab melter. Those two sessions a week can reduce overall body fat by about 3 percentage points in just 10 weeks, even if you don't cut a single calorie. That translates to as much as three inches total off your waist and hips. Even better, all that new muscle pays off in a long-term boost to your metabolism, which helps keep your body lean and sculpted. Suddenly, dumbbells sound like a smart idea. Need more convincing? Read on for more solid reasons why you should build flex time into your day.

Torch Calories 24/7. Though cardio burns more calories than strength training during those 30 sweaty minutes, pumping iron slashes more overall. A study in The Journal of Strength and Conditioning Research found that women who completed an hour-long strength-training workout burned an average of 100 more calories in the 24 hours afterward than they did when they hadn't lifted weights. At three sessions a week, that's 15,600 calories a year, or about four and a half pounds of fat—without having to move a muscle. What's more, increasing that afterburn is as easy as upping the weight on your bar. In a study in the journal Medicine & Science in Sports & Exercise, women burned nearly twice as many calories in the two hours after their workout when they lifted 85 percent of their max load for eight reps than when they did more reps (15) at a lower weight (45 percent of their max). There's a longer-term benefit to all that lifting, too: Muscle accounts for about a third of the average woman's weight, so it has a profound effect on her metabolism, says Kenneth Walsh, director of Boston University School of Medicine's Whitaker Cardiovascular Institute. Specifically, that effect is to burn extra calories, because muscle, unlike fat, is metabolically active. In English: Muscle chews up calories even when you're not in the gym. Replace 10 pounds of fat with 10 pounds of lean muscle and you'll burn an additional 200 calories a day without even trying.

Target Your Trouble Spots. If you've ever tried to ditch the saddlebags and ended up a bra size smaller instead, you know that where you lose is as important as how much. As great as it might be to see the numbers on the scale go down, when you're on a strict cardio-only program your victory is likely to be empty. A recent study at the University of Alabama at Birmingham compared dieters who lifted three times a week with those who did aerobic exercise for the same amount of time. Both groups ate the same number of calories, and both lost the same amount—26 pounds—but the lifters lost pure chub, while about 8 percent of the aerobicizers' drop came from valuable muscle. Researchers have also found that lifting weights is better than cardio at whittling intra-abdominal fat—the Buddha-belly kind that's associated with diseases from diabetes to cancer. Just don't rely exclusively on the scale to track your progress in the battle of the bulge. Because muscle is denser than fat, it squeezes the same amount of weight into less space. "Often, our clients' scales won't drop as fast, but they'll fit into smaller jeans," says Rachel Cosgrove, owner of Results Fitness in Santa Clarita, California. And it's the number on the tag inside your bootcuts you want to get lower, right?

Start Pumping. Begin with three weight-training sessions each week. For the greatest calorie burn, aim for total-body workouts that target your arms, abs, legs, and back, and go for moves that will zap several different muscle groups at a time—for example, squats, which call on muscles in both the front and back of your legs, as opposed to leg extensions, which isolate the quads. For each exercise you do, try to perform three sets of 10 to 12 reps with a weight heavy enough that by your last rep you can't eke out another one without compromising your form. To spark further muscle building, William Kraemer, Ph.D., a professor of kinesiology at the University of Connecticut, suggests alternating moderate-intensity workouts of 8 to 10 reps with lighter-weight 12- to 15-rep sets and super-hard 3- to 5-rep sets. And remember to fuel your workout properly. Too many dieters make the fatal error of cutting back on crucial muscle-maintaining protein when they want to slash their overall calorie intake. The counterproductive result: They lose muscle along with any fat that might have melted away. Sports nutritionist Cassandra Forsythe, Ph.D., co-author of The New Rules of Lifting for Women, recommends that you eat one gram of protein for every pound of your body weight that does not come from fat. For instance, a 140-pound woman whose body fat is 25 percent would need 105 grams of high-quality protein. That's roughly four servings a day; the best sources are chicken or other lean meats, soy products, and eggs. Ready to turn yourself into a lean, mean, calorie-torching machine? Then go get pumped!

Source: Womens Health

Fitness IQ Test Answered

1. C. Strength training. Your BMR (Basal Metabolic Rate) is the number of calories you burn during the day at rest, meaning if you laid in bed all day, this is how many calories you would burn. For most women, this number is between 1200-1600 calories/day. (The best way to find this number is to get tested.) This is an average of course, and obviously will vary. The higher your muscle mass ratio, the higher your BMR is (which is a good thing!). The only way to increase this number is to add muscle. And the only exercise that can add muscle is strength or resistance training. For every 1 lb. of muscle added, add 50 calories to your BMR. That’s more calories you burn everyday doing NOTHING!!!

2. FALSE. A common misconception is that in order to burn fat, you need to stay within the lower range of your Target Heart Rate zone (THR). In fact, any heart rate WITHIN your THR will burn fat. Why? Because the THR is your “aerobic” zone, meaning your muscles are working in an oxygen-rich environment, which is conducive to burning fat. Anything below that range isn’t considered aerobic, and above that range is anaerobic, at which point you are utilizing lactic acid. While it is good to have spurts of intense, huffing and puffing intervals of anaerobic exercise, you don’t want to have an ENTIRE workout in the anaerobic zone. Basically, you want BOTH your heart rate and breathing to be elevated. Here’s how we will figure out YOUR THR.
Take 220-your age=age-adjusted maximal heart rate (220-31 (my age)=189)
Figure out 65% of that number (Multiply 189 X .65=123)-low end of THR
Figure out 85% of that number (Multiply 189 X .85=160)-high end of THR

3. B. How high your heart rate is. A little bit of a trick question. Notice I emphasized BEST. While the other answers can be an indication of how hard you’re working, nothing is better than knowing what your HR is. Why do you think this is the most effective way to know how hard you’re pushing yourself? Because sometimes going by our “Perceived Exertion” isn’t always accurate. How much we’re sweating, how hard we’re breathing, or how fatigued we feel don’t always tell us WHERE we are working along the THR. Just as talked about in the last question. If we don’t own a HR monitor (which I highly recommend buying one-they’re not expensive), we can perform this self-check every 5 min by finding our pulse on our wrist or neck, timing it for 10 sec and multiplying that number by 6.

4. FALSE. Here’s a BIG misconception. Women do not have near the levels of testosterone that men do to build muscle. We aren’t genetically programmed to do that and would have to take anabolic steroids to see any serious amount of muscle mass built. The reason many women feel they appear “bulky” from lifting weights is because they have an extra layer of fat over their muscle! Shed the fat, and what do you see? A lean, mean muscle machine!

5. FALSE. Another big myth. Many people believe that the energy boost you get from exercise is a double-edged sword. It’s a great pick-me-up in the morning, but if you work out at night, you may not sleep well. If this was gospel truth, morning people would rule the world! Fortunately for night owls, there is no one best time to exercise. It’s a matter of what you prefer. Fitting exercise into your daily routine is the main issue. Just remember to wait at least 2 hours after eating before working out. And no, working out is unlikely to keep you up at night. As long as you don’t exercise too close to bedtime, you will probably sleep better on the days you work out.

6. E. All of the above. While many think running is the best way to lose weight, this isn’t necessarily true. It doesn’t matter what type of exercise you do. Of course, different exercises might burn more calories than others, but it’s all about intensity here. It might not take much to get your HR elevated up running, but maybe biking it takes a little more effort? Well, then work intervals into your routine-short bursts of speed, hills, or an increase in resistance to get that HR up! Just remember, it’s all about intensity, duration, and frequency. And the bottom line is, you have to ENJOY IT! If you’re not a runner and hate doing it, then why force yourself to do something you dread? It’s best to find activities we prefer, so we can stick to them and maintain healthy lifestyle habits!

7. FALSE. This is a big misconception and something I hear a lot, especially from women over 30! “It just seems like it’s so much harder to lose the weight now!” We’ve all heard or thought this before, right? So, why isn’t this true? The solution is going back to increasing our metabolisms, our BMR’s. While it is true that we start to lose muscle after age 30, that doesn’t mean we can’t stop it or reverse the effects of this! If we add a little muscle mass by strength training (which will also be good for our bones as we age!), continue exercising, and watch we eat, then we are not DOOMED and we can look younger and FABULOUS!

8. FALSE. You might not want to hear this, but you could do all the crunches and stomach exercises EVERYDAY and not see any results. While these exercises are great to strengthen and tone our abdominal exercises, they can’t get rid of the fat. To burn fat and flatten your belly, you need to burn more calories. Once you’ve gotten rid of the fat, your washboard abs will become more visible.

9. D. Any of the above can get results. Another trick question! We hear so many different answers to this one, don’t we? This can be very confusing to those trying to lose weight! How much effort do we really need to put in to see results? The answer is anything! Now, while devoting 2 hrs a day 5-6 days a week might deliver results FASTER, it doesn’t mean that’s what is required to lose weight. The key is consistency and the bottom line is CALORIES IN VS. CALORIES OUT. If we can’t or don’t want to devote too much time to exercise, then just focus more on the nutrition (which is 80% of it anyways). I’ve had clients before that did the minimum (3 days a week) and still lost lots of weight, mostly because of their eating habits!

10. TRUE. While this is actually true, it’s also only temporary. Just keep at it and periodically (every 2 to 3 weeks) “up the ante” by changing the frequency, duration, intensity, even type of exercise you’re doing. You should continue to see results if you continue to challenge yourself.

11. FALSE. Not necessarily. You should be working at your predetermined THR. If you exercise too hard and fast, you may be burning fewer calories than in less intense, aerobic workouts. This goes back to when we talked about our THR or aerobic zone, and the anaerobic zone. Again, this doesn’t mean we shouldn’t ever go outside and above our aerobic zone, but that we should keep those bursts of high-intensity exercise limited to a few intervals in each workout. (And it’s also good to go into this anaerobic zone because this is how we increase our heart rate zone and capacity to utilize oxygen!)

12. FALSE. Unfortunately, there's no way to “spot reduce” certain areas. Yes, it’s beneficial to do exercises that target our problem areas, but we should be doing compound exercises that utilize more than those exercises so we can increase our heart rate and burn more calories (and maximize our time!). And going back to the question about getting a 6-pack, it’s all about getting rid of the overlying fat, so we can see those muscles!

Test your Fitness IQ

Take this test. The answers and explanations will be given in a few days! Good luck!


1. You can increase your metabolism, Basal Metabolic Rate (BMR) by:
A. Running
B. Biking
C. Strength training
D. Any form of exercise


2. TRUE or FALSE If you want to burn fat, it is best to stay in the “fat-burning zone” of your Target Heart Rate (the lower end of your THR) and not the “cardio zone” (the higher end of your THR).

3. The best way to know how hard you are pushing yourself during exercise is by:
A. How tired or sore you are
B. How high your heart rate is
C. How much you’re sweating
D. How hard you’re breathing
E. All of the above


4. TRUE or FALSE Lifting HEAVY weights (strength training) frequently can cause women to get “bulky” and build too much muscle mass.

5. TRUE or FALSE The best time to work out is early in the morning.

6. The best exercise for losing weight is:
A. Running
B. Biking
C. Eliptical/Cross-trainer
D. Strength training
E. All of the above


7. TRUE or FALSE As you age, you lode muscle and gain fat, thereby decreasing your metabolism, no matter what you do.


8. TRUE or FALSE To get ripped abs or a “6-pack”, you should do crunches every day.

9. How much exercise time is needed to lose weight, improve cardiovascular endurance and function, and see results?
A. 3 days a week for 30 min/session
B. 5-6 days a week for 2 hrs/session
C. 3-5 days a week for 60 min/session
D. Any of the above can get results


10. TRUE or FALSE Eventually, your weight and fitness level will plateau.


11. TRUE or FALSE The more intense your work out, the more fat you burn.

12. TRUE or FALSE To get rid of the “arm jiggle”, the “saddle-bags”, the “love-handles”, or the “inner thigh fat”, you must do specific exercises to target those muscle groups/areas in order for them to go away .

9 fitness rules you should break

Each year fitness researchers release thousands of studies that challenge conventional fitness thinking, or at least shed light on ways to tweak it. Here are 9 "old-school" fitness approaches or strategies and some ways to tweak them to be up-to-date and to see results!

1. Position your hands shoulder-width apart.
You often see this in instructions for upper-body moves like bench presses and lat pull-downs. Why? Because it gives you a stable starting point. But that doesn't mean you need to stay there set after set. Switch up your position after every set for balanced strength and overall tone.

2. Crunches for a flat belly.
Turns out Pilates abdominal moves are superior to traditional crunches for sculpting your midsection and uncovering those abs. An exercise called "the teaser" is one of many highly effective exercises. It activates 39% more of your rectus abdominus muscle and 266% more of your external obliques. To do it: Lie face-up on a mat. Lift your legs so your thighs are perpendicular to the floor and your knees are bent 90 degrees. Raise your hands toward the celing. Lift your torso and straighten your legs, so you body forms a V. Hold for 1 second, then roll back down, keeping your legs raised. Perform 20-30 reps.

3. Squats=a perfect bum.
Although squats are a great exercise, try doing hip extensions too. The move hits 55% more of your hamstring muscle and 79% more of your glute muscle. To do it: Get on your hands and knees. Keeping your knees bent, lift your right heel toward the ceiling, then lower it back down to the starting position. Perform 15-25 reps each leg.

4. Eat lots of extra protein for less jiggle and more tone.
While it's true that protein is a vital muscle food, your body can use only so much of it. Any extra protein calories you take in will be stored as fat. As a general rule, remember that 20% of your calories should come from protein. So, if you're eating an 1,800 calorie diet, try to shoot fora maximum of 400 calories, or 90 grams, of protein each day.

5. Up-down-up-down. Repeat.
Instead of raising and lowering a weight (or your body weight) in one continuous motioin, pause for a second about halfway up, continue the movement, then pause again about halfway down. You'll fry more fat (by exhausting the muscles more efficiently) without sucking more time out of your scheudule.

6. Watch yourself in the mirror while you workout.
While the occasional glance at your reflection to check form is a good idea, for exercises that involve balance, such as the one-legged squat, you'll get a bigger boost if you face away from the mirror and close one eye. Doing so activates neural pathways between your brain and your muscles that you don't otherwise use, which forces your body to establish better balance.

7. Burn the most calories with cardio.
According to many studies, 30 minutes of weight training burns as many calories as running at a blazing six-minute-per-mile pace for the same amount of time. (And it has the bonus of building more muscle tone then running.) What's more, unlike aerobic exercise, lifting weights has been shown to boost metabolism for up to 39 hours after you finish your last rep! Interval training has yielded similar benefits. For optimal results, do a total-body weight-training workout three days a weeks, resting at least a day between sessions and do intervals on at least tow fo the off days.

8. Rest between sets.
Less rest increases your calorie burn and adds a cardio component to strength training. Try doing multiple exercises back to back (circuit training) using different muscle groups and combining large muscles and small muscles in as many exercises as possible. When you have completed a circuit, rest for a minute and then repeat.

9. Weigh yourself daily for motivation.
The scale measures water and muscle, too. It's not a great indicator of fat loss. A better way to measure success is by measuring inches or getting your body fat tested, say every month to see progress.

Source: Womens Health

The 5 Biggest Myths about Exercise

There are a lot of misconceptions/questions about exercise out there and I want to clear up a few that I frequently get asked about. (These aren't in any particular order.)

1. "If I do 500 crunches day, will I will get a 6 pack or a toned midsection?" False! You can do crunches or abdomen exercises until the cows come home, but if you've got an extra layer of fat around the middle, forget it, you've got to shed that before you see any kind of definition in those muscles. Now, that doesn't mean that you shouldn't do them at all (because of the strength benefits), it just means that you need to burn more calories than what you take in, so you can lose body fat.

2. "How can I get rid of that lower tummy bulge, or my flabby arms, or my inner thighs?" These are very common questions and issues among women especially. Unfortunately, there is NO magical exercise that will "spot reduce" certain trouble areas. So, the answer stands with the first question. In order to see muscle definition, you need to burn fat, which again, means heavy exercise (ideally a combination of strength training and cardio) and more importantly, watching your diet. Your eating habits will actually dictate your rate of fat loss more than exercise. You will see results on the scale, in your clothes fitting looser, in body fat %, by eating healthier, cutting down portion size, and ultimately, consuming less calories. If you want to accelerate fat loss, stick to a good nutrition plan AND exercise 5 days/week for an hour.

3. "I've heard that you want to keep your heart rate in a lower range to burn fat faster (you know, the whole 'fat burning zone'), is this true?" Again, FALSE! Think about it for a min. For example, if you do a high intensity workout for an hour like spinning and your heart rate is elevated on the high end of your "cardio zone", say ranging from 150-170, you're going to burn more calories (500-700 kcal/hr) than say, walking on a treadmill for the same length of time at a moderate pace. With that particular workout, you might keep your heart rate between 130-145 and hence, you will burn LESS calories (300-400 kcal/hr) than the high intensity workout. So, the more intense exercise you do, (you know, work up a sweat and breath heavily!), the more calories you will burn at the end of the day!

4. "Is running the best exercise for losing weight?" Surprisingly enough, I hear this a lot from clients. People think that because it's hard, it's the best exercise to do to lose weight. And although running is great cardiovascular exercise, it's not necessarily the best exercise. There are plenty of other types of exercise that can elevate the heart just as high, work the muscles just as hard, and burn the same amount of calories. Take cycling, for example. Just because it's not as "high impact" (on the joints), doesn't mean it's not great for the lower body muscles. You might have to maintain a faster pace, add hills, intervals, or maybe even wind to get your heart rate really up there, but it's still GREAT exercise and actually better for the joints in the long run. Swimming, high-intensity strength training (circuit training with multiple muscle groups ideally), kickboxing, hiking up hill, and many other exercises are just as good for you and can get the same benefits as running. If anything, some will benefit you more. The bottom line is...pick something you ENJOY because how are you ever going to stick to something if you don't like doing it? And push yourself as you get stronger, change up your routine (a big one!), and get creative! It will do wonders!

5. Last, but not least, "I don't want to bulk up. Will lifting weights do that?" (and probably the biggest misconception when it comes to strength training.) NO, NO, and NO! Women are so scared that if they do strength training, they will look "bulky". Let me tell you, ladies, we don't have NEAR the amount of testerone in our bodies to build muscle like our male counterparts do. (Of course, unless we use some kind of anabolic steriod.) If you think that you get bulky lifting weights, it's only because you have a fat layer over your muscle that you need to decrease! Strength training promotes LEAN muscle mass, it tones and strengthens your muscles, it improves your balance, your posture and core strength, it increases your basal metabolic rate (a big one! If you lift weights you will burn more calories throughout the day exercising or even just sitting there!). There are too many benefits to strength training to NOT do it, and let's face it, the older we get, the slower our metabolisms get (unless we strength train), and the more everything sags! We need all the help we can get, right?! :)