Question For a Personal Trainer?

[Rocklobster]

Hey!

I've been working out now since summer, I went from 165 pounds to about 125 pounds, this was just from low calorie diet and running. Once I hit 125 pounds I found myself to be way too skinny (mostly bone) so I felt it was time to start building muscle. It is coming along ok, slowly as its only been 2 months or so but I've seen some changes however I'm building a gut. I don't know why I intake on average no more then 15 grams of simple sugars during the day. I have maintained a simple diet and I'm up to about 2000 calories now (135 pounds).

My diet:
breakfast - bowl of cereal (I know this is bad but its the only thing I feel I can eat early in the morning but always healthy low sugar no salt cereal)
snack - dry natural almonds + banana
lunch - peanut butter (natural 100%) with whole wheat bread (or plain oatmeal)
snack - apple
dinner - usually I eat this after my workouts (example: 3 eggs, chicken breaks, brown rice, veggie)

I again come close to consuming 2000 calories and my BMR is suppose to be 1600 which is really hard to do.

Anyways I'm just a little lost and frustrated because the last thing I want is for all this hard work and to get a gut (also mind you I had a gut in the very start of this, even when I lost some weight the gut was gone but the belly fat was still there)

edit: I forgot to mention my workout routine is currently doing p90x I'm now in my 4th week. Although I havn't followed it perfectly as I only do 30 min of the Yoga and don't do KenpoX which is suppose to be a cardio workout so.

Saturday = Resistance 45 min
Sunday = Good Cardio/Leg Training = 45 Min
Monday = Resitance 45 min
Tuesday = Yoga =\ 30-45 min
Wed = Resistance 45 min
Thursday = 20 cardio
Friday = nothing

I'm thinking or trying to find a good intense cardio workout to fill in Thursday since

That's a remarkable transformation! I have a lot of respect for anybody that can keep a strict diet and exercise regularly.

Everything seems to be in place - you have a positive caloric intake of 400kcals which will eventually stack up. Depending on how your body is re-acting to it, you may want to increase your caloric intake to possibly 3,000 - 3,500kcals a day. Of course, you want to gradually do it and find what foods work for you. Personally, I am very sensitive to simple sugars, so I try to avoid that and replace it with complex carbohydrates. Always listen to your body, and if you're seeing results - chances are you're doing something right.

Now onto the cardio portion. If you have access to a gym (treadmill) then I highly suggest HIIT (high intensity interval training). I'm sure you've heard about this - but never really understood the theory. You're basically working at a very high intensity, for a short duration. Having that high intensity will keep your heart rate elevated, and tap into the anaerobic system (ATP-PC). The short duration rest will help you recover. The basic HIIT program is a 2:1 ratio. You could run for two minutes, then jog for one minute - and repeat for several times.

For example:
Sprints for 1 minute
Rest for 30 seconds
[Repeat five to six times]

Now before you attempt this training method - be warned! It can be very taxing on the body if you're muscles aren't adapted to the workload. HIIT can be involved in ANY activity. You could skip, run, swim, weight train - it's endless!

[Rocklobster]

Hope you can offer advice to a girl.

I love doing strength training at the gym.. hate cardio. That worked out well when I was 90 lbs (I'm 5'1") and was looking to get stronger/put some muscle on.

Now I'm around 104 lb and feeling a bit pudgy around the waist. I was off the gym for a while but am now getting back into it 3x/week. Doing a full body routine w/ one exercise per body part. What would you recommend for cardio? I'm not looking to drop weight, just want to get rid of a bit of fat. I can't stand doing the treadmill or eliptical for even 20 minutes. Soo boring to me.

I don't really want to spend more than an hour at the gym each time, so I'm looking for ways to be able to do a full repetoire of strength training and cardio... is that possible to do that in under an hour?? Or would I have to go the gym 5 days a week...

Great question! I don't see much females training for "strength"

Before I answer your question - I'd like to clarify what strength is. Strength is moving a mass from point A to point B (with heavy weights obviously!). There are two types of strengths: absolute strength and relative strength. Absolute strength is the strength you can produce regardless of your body weight. Relative strength is pretty much the opposite, it depends on the weight! Think of relative strength as a "pound to pound" fighter.

Now if you're really trying to "strength" train - it means you want to compete in a strength specific sport. Are you planning to enter any Bench Pressing competitions or anything like that? If not, then your definition of "strength" may be mis-leading.

Typically women want to "tone" up, and add a couple of pounds of muscle. You're doing everything perfectly, but what I want to focus on is the amount of repetitions, sets, and amount of rest you're taking. Because you're doing a full-body routine, I suggest doing it in a circuit fashion (if you already haven't. Read these guidelines carefully, and remember to follow them!

Repetitions : 12-15
Sets (circuits) : 1-3 (work your way up to 3!)
Intensity of weights : 70-75%
Rest : MINIMAL!

Many people hate doing cardio, and never end up doing it. You could either do your cardio in the beginning, and not have enough energy for your full-body workout, OR, you could import into the workout itself. Cardio is a cardiovascular activity that gets your heart rate elevated. The treadmill, eliptical, stair climbers are all "cardio" machines but there are a million ways to get the heart rate up.

In between every set, you could skip on the spot (as your rest) or jog on the spot. If that doesn't suit you, you could try importing the treadmill, eliptical, stair climber (I know you hate them, but hear me out) inbetween every couple of exercises. You could do three exercises, hop on the treadmill for five minutes, do another three, hop on the elliptical, another three, hop on the stair climber - and repeat That way, you have a lot of variety - and it isn't too boring, and it's an excellent way to keep the heart rate elevated.

To sum it up:
1. You could do cardio in the beginning in the workout, but may sacrifice required energy for the resistance training.
2. Importing cardiovascular activities inbetween sets (jogging on spot, skipping) to keep the HR elevated.
3. Importing the treadmill, eliptical, stairclimber every couple of exercises to add variety, and to get the workout done faster. ALSO keeping the heart rate elevated.
4. Lastly, keeping the rest to a minimum. If you do decide to do cardio at the end, remember have minimal rest inbetween your exercises. Don't wander off and get distracted - set everything up and finish it ASAP!

If I misunderstood anything about your post - please let me know. Especially the "strength" training!

[litebrite]

Great question! I don't see much females training for "strength"

Before I answer your question - I'd like to clarify what strength is. Strength is moving a mass from point A to point B (with heavy weights obviously!). There are two types of strengths: absolute strength and relative strength. Absolute strength is the strength you can produce regardless of your body weight. Relative strength is pretty much the opposite, it depends on the weight! Think of relative strength as a "pound to pound" fighter.

Now if you're really trying to "strength" train - it means you want to compete in a strength specific sport. Are you planning to enter any Bench Pressing competitions or anything like that? If not, then your definition of "strength" may be mis-leading.

Typically women want to "tone" up, and add a couple of pounds of muscle. You're doing everything perfectly, but what I want to focus on is the amount of repetitions, sets, and amount of rest you're taking. Because you're doing a full-body routine, I suggest doing it in a circuit fashion (if you already haven't. Read these guidelines carefully, and remember to follow them!

Repetitions : 12-15
Sets (circuits) : 1-3 (work your way up to 3!)
Intensity of weights : 70-75%
Rest : MINIMAL!

Many people hate doing cardio, and never end up doing it. You could either do your cardio in the beginning, and not have enough energy for your full-body workout, OR, you could import into the workout itself. Cardio is a cardiovascular activity that gets your heart rate elevated. The treadmill, eliptical, stair climbers are all "cardio" machines but there are a million ways to get the heart rate up.

In between every set, you could skip on the spot (as your rest) or jog on the spot. If that doesn't suit you, you could try importing the treadmill, eliptical, stair climber (I know you hate them, but hear me out) inbetween every couple of exercises. You could do three exercises, hop on the treadmill for five minutes, do another three, hop on the elliptical, another three, hop on the stair climber - and repeat That way, you have a lot of variety - and it isn't too boring, and it's an excellent way to keep the heart rate elevated.

To sum it up:
1. You could do cardio in the beginning in the workout, but may sacrifice required energy for the resistance training.
2. Importing cardiovascular activities inbetween sets (jogging on spot, skipping) to keep the HR elevated.
3. Importing the treadmill, eliptical, stairclimber every couple of exercises to add variety, and to get the workout done faster. ALSO keeping the heart rate elevated.
4. Lastly, keeping the rest to a minimum. If you do decide to do cardio at the end, remember have minimal rest inbetween your exercises. Don't wander off and get distracted - set everything up and finish it ASAP!

If I misunderstood anything about your post - please let me know. Especially the "strength" training!

I guess I misused the term "strength training". I meant to say I like to lift weights, going as heavy as I'm able to. Not really going for a bench pressing competition, but I do want to get stronger and have defined muscles while I'm at it. I really like the look of the girls in Oxygen magazine, where they're still feminine but have defined muscles. I know I most likely won't get a low enough BF% to get that definition, but I don't want my muscles to be all softy and flabby either.

Right now I'm aiming for 8-10 reps for my exercises using the heaviest weights I can. I want to be able to get stronger and lift more weight as I progress. Should I keep within that number of reps? And should I increase the weight when I'm able to do 10 reps easily?

Another question: The free weights at my gym go in crements of 5lbs. I'm currently benching 20lb dumbbells.. and the next set is 25lb. I don't really have a spot.. and I know I probably won't be able to do 25s. What's the next best alternative? Add plates to a straight bar and bench that instead?

And thank you for the great idea about alternating cardio and weights! I shall try that today... what % of the MHR should I aim for for fat burning? And for about how long should I do cardio in total?

[Rocklobster]

I guess I misused the term "strength training". I meant to say I like to lift weights, going as heavy as I'm able to. Not really going for a bench pressing competition, but I do want to get stronger and have defined muscles while I'm at it. I really like the look of the girls in Oxygen magazine, where they're still feminine but have defined muscles. I know I most likely won't get a low enough BF% to get that definition, but I don't want my muscles to be all softy and flabby either.

Right now I'm aiming for 8-10 reps for my exercises using the heaviest weights I can. I want to be able to get stronger and lift more weight as I progress. Should I keep within that number of reps? And should I increase the weight when I'm able to do 10 reps easily?

Another question: The free weights at my gym go in crements of 5lbs. I'm currently benching 20lb dumbbells.. and the next set is 25lb. I don't really have a spot.. and I know I probably won't be able to do 25s. What's the next best alternative? Add plates to a straight bar and bench that instead?

And thank you for the great idea about alternating cardio and weights! I shall try that today... what % of the MHR should I aim for for fat burning? And for about how long should I do cardio in total?

Yep - "strength" training is used a lot, the correct term is "resistance training" .

I would personally increase the repetition range between 12-15 and complete your full-body workout in a circuit fashion (minimum rest inbetween sets). The range you're doing right now (8-10) is mostly a hypertrophy rep range which means your body will react differently, and promote more muscle mass (which isn't a bad thing, but if you're goal is to decrease body fat %, change it to 12-15).

In terms of your bench pressing question - 5lbs is a huge jump, especially in a dumbbell bench press. You should be changing your routine every 4-6 weeks, but it's just a guideline. If you've been on 20lbs for a couple of weeks with no progress, chances are you won't be able to progress. But because you were doing 8-10 repetitions - we can increase the repetitions to 12-15, and drop the weight to 15lbs, and eventually progress to 20lbs.

As for a % of MHR - there's a huge debate about that. I can explain the theory to you if you want to, but I'm just going to tell you the conclusion. In my opinion, it's best to have different training methods throughout the week. One day you could have interval training (2:1 ratio) by performing something for a minute, and resting for 30 seconds - and repeating. Another day you could do your traditional cardio (30+ minutes) and you can always import cardio within the workout itself (between sets).

Do not go by MHR - it's more of a guideline than anything. Before anything, pick a duration! From the duration, then you can judge your intensity. So if you're planning to do interval training on Monday for one minute, and 30 seconds - you may want to work at 80-85% max effort, and then rest. MHR is still a useful tool, but do you really know your max heart rate in order to get a percentage of it? :P

[litebrite]

Thanks a lot rocklobster for your advice! You've given me something new to look forward to in my workout. I tried a circuit today, only giving myself enough rest to be able to continue on and it felt great. I was sweating and actually felt like I was working hard for once. Finished my whole routine in 'bout 45 minutes so that's an even bigger bonus!

[Rocklobster]

Thanks a lot rocklobster for your advice! You've given me something new to look forward to in my workout. I tried a circuit today, only giving myself enough rest to be able to continue on and it felt great. I was sweating and actually felt like I was working hard for once. Finished my whole routine in 'bout 45 minutes so that's an even bigger bonus!

That's great!

Keep the intensity up - rest minimal and incorporate some cardio movements in there and it'll kick your butt Keep the questions coming!

[litebrite]

Hey rocklobster, what are some best 'bang for my buck' exercises for my circuit training? I'm assuming compound exercises are best, but would you mind giving me a new full body routine?

Just trying to change up the exercises I do. Right now I'm doing:

chest: dumbbell bench press
back: bent over rows
quads: squats
hams: straight leg deadlift
shoulders: shoulder press
biceps: curl
triceps: bent over tricep extension
abs/core: plank for 30 secs x3

[Rocklobster]

Hey rocklobster, what are some best 'bang for my buck' exercises for my circuit training? I'm assuming compound exercises are best, but would you mind giving me a new full body routine?

Just trying to change up the exercises I do. Right now I'm doing:

chest: dumbbell bench press
back: bent over rows
quads: squats
hams: straight leg deadlift
shoulders: shoulder press
biceps: curl
triceps: bent over tricep extension
abs/core: plank for 30 secs x3

Not too sure what equipment you have there. But I generally set up my clients on machines for circuits. But here's one you can do at any gym

Chest: Incline DB Bench Press
Back: WIDE Bent Over Rows (think of it as a reverse bench press, you could also use lie on the incline bench, and do it from there)
Shoulders: DB Upright Rows
Lats: Lat-pull Down
Legs: Sumo Squats
Biceps: Wide Bicep Curls (elbows glued to torso, and rotate shoulders and palms facing up)
Triceps: Bench Dips (bring legs closer if it's too tough, further away if it's too easy)
Abdominals: Stability Ball Crunches
Lowerback: Supermans (on mat).

If you're looking for a different circuit routine that's different from the traditional circuit, let me know and I'll make one up.

[FreshNess]

Hey Rock lobster..

I just started trainning again from a 4 month break. I want to get back to trainning again this year and put about 10-15 pounds of clean muscle this year looking for some advice.Last year i need some good gain i put about 20 pounds of weight on mix between fat and muscle and the reason i know i am growing is because there is strech mark around my chest and shoulder area. Is there anything u recomman for strech marks?? The supplement i take of a daily basis is Bcomplex fish oil and zinc and whey protien. I dont know if i should go back on weight gainner again we seem to be working for me last year,But i put on too much fat which i dont like is there a way of reducing fat while bulking??

[Rocklobster]

Hey Rock lobster..

I just started trainning again from a 4 month break. I want to get back to trainning again this year and put about 10-15 pounds of clean muscle this year looking for some advice.Last year i need some good gain i put about 20 pounds of weight on mix between fat and muscle and the reason i know i am growing is because there is strech mark around my chest and shoulder area. Is there anything u recomman for strech marks?? The supplement i take of a daily basis is Bcomplex fish oil and zinc and whey protien. I dont know if i should go back on weight gainner again we seem to be working for me last year,But i put on too much fat which i dont like is there a way of reducing fat while bulking??

There are some lotions that work for stretch marks - but I personally don't have any experience with that, sorry.

As for packing on another 10-15lbs of muscle - it'll be a challenge! Depending on your age, height and weight, you have to be aiming for 3,000-3,500kcals (possibly even more) a day - with HIGH-quality foods of course. A weight gainer should only be added IF you cannot reach your daily caloric intake (3,000-3,500kcals). I've seen people pack a lot of weight with weight gainer, but the key word is "weight". Weight is a mixture of muscle and fat (and water) - your main goal is to add as much muscle with minimal amount of fat. So I would only recommend taking a weight gainer IF you know you cannot reach your daily caloric intake.

But because you haven't trained for four months - TAKE IT EASY. Aim for 12-15 repetitions at first, with anything between 1-3 sets (depending on your fitness goal). Always listen to your body, because the last thing we want is OVER-training.

[FreshNess]

There are some lotions that work for stretch marks - but I personally don't have any experience with that, sorry.

As for packing on another 10-15lbs of muscle - it'll be a challenge! Depending on your age, height and weight, you have to be aiming for 3,000-3,500kcals (possibly even more) a day - with HIGH-quality foods of course. A weight gainer should only be added IF you cannot reach your daily caloric intake (3,000-3,500kcals). I've seen people pack a lot of weight with weight gainer, but the key word is "weight". Weight is a mixture of muscle and fat (and water) - your main goal is to add as much muscle with minimal amount of fat. So I would only recommend taking a weight gainer IF you know you cannot reach your daily caloric intake.

But because you haven't trained for four months - TAKE IT EASY. Aim for 12-15 repetitions at first, with anything between 1-3 sets (depending on your fitness goal). Always listen to your body, because the last thing we want is OVER-training.

Thanks for the info. Yea i been lifting since i was 17 now i am 19 turning 20 soon and my height is 5'11 and weight about 174 i know i wont be able to achive 3000-3500 of quality food a day because of skool and work.How can i be on weight gainer without putting on too much fat?? And what kind of split should i do for my goal?

[Rocklobster]

Thanks for the info. Yea i been lifting since i was 17 now i am 19 turning 20 soon and my height is 5'11 and weight about 174 i know i wont be able to achive 3000-3500 of quality food a day because of skool and work.How can i be on weight gainer without putting on too much fat?? And what kind of split should i do for my goal?

It really depends on how your body reacts to specific nutrients. I pack on a lot of fat when I take in a lot of simple sugars (juice, fruits, etc) but responds very well to high-quality protein. There are a couple of weight gainers out there that contain a high amount of protein and carbohydrate ratio BUT, the carbohydrates being complex (takes longer to digest in your body). That's what you want to be getting, complex carbs oppose to simple carbs. I believe Cytogainer (a weight gainer) contains Complex Carbohydrates.

Because you have been training for several years - any split would be fine for now. A simple Chest/Bicep - Legs/Shoulders - Back/Triceps for 4-6 weeks, and then change it up right after. If you've been out of the gym for a while, aim for 12-15 repetitions. If you've been hitting the gym, then I would suggest 8-12 and staying in that range.

[Converged]

Hi again Rocklobster,

With Christmas season, I figure my calories will be up a little. That is why I chose to bulk for the next few months here, trying to keep it as clean as possible. However, I want to cut around February so I'm not too fat for the summer. Anyways, once I start cutting, what do you recommend for a routine. I imagine I should still keep up with weights a little with my cardio to minimize muscle loss. Should I do HIIT or would jogging/biking for an hour work?

[Rocklobster]

Hi again Rocklobster,

With Christmas season, I figure my calories will be up a little. That is why I chose to bulk for the next few months here, trying to keep it as clean as possible. However, I want to cut around February so I'm not too fat for the summer. Anyways, once I start cutting, what do you recommend for a routine. I imagine I should still keep up with weights a little with my cardio to minimize muscle loss. Should I do HIIT or would jogging/biking for an hour work?

It really depends on how many days you can workout a week. I would say do a three day split (possibly full-body) on Monday, Wednesday and Friday and having cardio on Tuesday and Thursday. The cardio sessions can be done in an interval training style, possibly a 2:1 ratio for 6 sets. Another method is to do a low-intensity long duration session.

IF you can, dedicate a good 15-20 minutes in every workout (mon,wed,fri) to cardio near the end. Finish a good workout, and finish it off with cardio (just a straight 20 minutes).

[luvshopping]

Hi, hope you can help.

I am coming off rotar cuff surgery 2 months ago and can't lift weights with my left arm yet. I am using the elipticall at my gym and I'm basically going all out for 1 minute and taking 3 minutes at a slower pace and repeat for 20 minutes.

I am also lift weights 3 times a week doing legs, my right arm, (ie curls, shoulders, chest..etc) and of course abs.

I don't wish to use the treadmill as I have had acl issues in the past and find the eliptical easier on my knee.

Any ideas on what I can change up or mix up until I can train my left side of my body?

I don't mind losing weight but my real goal is stay in shape until I have a healthy shoulder again.

Thanks so much