How many times a week should weights be done?
For general improvements in strength and muscle tone, a guideline to weight
lifting is 2-3 times/week. Try to avoid working the same muscle groups 2 days
in a row, i.e. upper body on Monday and again the following day. I'd recommend
alternating your workouts so that the same muscle groups are not worked on 2
consecutive days, or do a whole body workout every other day.
Try for 1-2 exercises for each muscle group. Start with large muscle groups first and work down to smaller muscle groups. Also, do exercises that work more than one muscle group (such as the bench press - pecs and triceps) first, and exercises that isolate one muscle group (such as arm curls) last.
The Chart says that for my age group (30), I should be below 180 bpm. Is
it dangerous to exceed this rate (for instance go 190 for 2 min?)
Your Maximum Heart Rate (MHR) can be estimated by subtracting your age from
220 (i.e. 220 - 30 = 190 bpm MHR). This is, however, an estimate. There is a
lot of variability between individuals concerning MHR. If your HR can reach
200 bpm on a sprint, than obviously 190 isn't your max. It is the rate at which
your heart rate plateaus, despite further increases in exercise intensity.
Exercising aerobically (using oxygen along with energy stores in the body for
fuel), (you tend to settle around 60-80% of your MHR. However, past 80% (again,
varies between individuals) you will begin to work anaerobically (using little
oxygen and stored fat as fuel, using body stores of glycogen and ATP). You will
fatigue shortly after this point and will be unable to maintain this pace because
you are simply too tired.
In good health, it is not dangerous to exercise at a high heart rate (near or
at your MHR), but be aware of the warning signs to stop (dizziness, difficulty
breathing, pain). Keep in mind that if your goal is a steady state 1 hour run,
keeping your heart rate that high is not realistic. However, throwing in a few
sprints differing in duration (also called Fartlek training. I know, it's hard
to read that word without snickering) can spice up an otherwise monotonous run.
Is the number of calories stated on cardio machines that you've burned somewhat
exact? Give or take 10-30 calories?
The cardio equipment gives a very rough estimate for a very average population.
The number of calories you burn in a workout is dependant on a number of variable,
including but not limited to body size, weight, and composition (%fat), gender,
age, etc…Body weight is among the most common used for estimates. If a
machine asks for your weight, then it is likely to give a reasonably accurate
estimate. The more body information you need to enter (gender, height, age,
etc…) the more accurate it is likely to be. However, if no weight is required,
you are being quoted an estimate for an average size person of the general population,
male or female, usually in the range of 65-75 kg. If you are a petite female
(~55kg), you likely burn less than the machine states, if you are a large male
(85+kg) you likely burn more.
If I feel I'm starting to get sick, should I exercise more? Does this help
fight an existing infection?
I wouldn't recommend exercising MORE than you normally do. Changing your program
could result in fatigue, soreness and possibly injury when your body is suddenly
under attack from infection. However, exercising as much as you feel well enough
for can definitely help you through your cold! It can decrease congestion. Ceasing
exercise can increase sleeping problems, fatigue and sluggishness. So to suddenly
stop exercising as you're starting to get sick can make you feel even more miserable!
If, however, all you want to do is rest, then do just that. Rest, keep warm,
and drink fluids.
If you have a raised temperature, feel shivery or sweaty, have aches and pains, swollen glands, and/or a very sore throat, then rest is best. These symptoms are partly due to your immune system's attempt to combat the infection, and you may compromise this by pushing yourself too hard at the same time.
I read the question "what if I exercise a lot?" and I was wondering
if you could define a lot? Is 1-hour daily too much for an 18 year old?
1 hour of aerobic exercise a day is a model fitness regime for an 18 year old
exercising for general fitness and health benefits.
'Too much cardio' has no clearly defined boundaries. It is very dependent on
the situation and the individual. Doing too much too soon (i.e. a sedentary
adult suddenly starting a running program of 1 hour each day) can result in
injury, including stress fracture, shin splints, muscle soreness and strain.
Another possible consequence of 'too much cardio' is Athletic Amenorrhea, the
absence of menstruation for 3 months without menopause or pregnancy. It is seen
in female athletes who follow a high volume and high intensity training program
(i.e. high intensity, rigorous training for hours daily over an extended period
of time). Exercise stimulates the production of endorphins in the body, and
with excessive exercise comes excessive levels of endorphins, which can interfere
with the female sex hormones that induce menstruation. Amenorrhea can also accompany
rapid weight loss, caused by extremely low body fat percentage and drastically
reduced caloric intake. Prolonged amenorrhea can lead to osteoporosis and infertility.
Keeping this in mind, exercise to meet your needs. A 45-minute workout 3-4 times
a week is recommended for health benefits. Your current program is excellent.
Varsity athletes may need to train 2-4 hours daily to be competitive at an intercollegiate
level, while elite, world class athletes may need to train over 6 hours a day
to achieve their peak performance. All
What is the best workout to burn the most calories?
The more muscle you use the more calories you burn. Activities that burn the
most calories are ones that recruit the most muscle groups. For example, jogging,
which includes arm, leg and postural muscle groups, will burn more calories
than cycling, which involves mostly legs. So, that being said, activities such
as jogging, swimming, rowing, x-country skiing, etc… are excellent calories
burners.
Will I burn fat in the first 30 minutes of cardio? If not, how long do I
have to work until fat burn?
Within 10-20 minutes of light/moderate aerobic exercise, the metabolic pathway
involving the breakdown of lipids (fat) becomes the primary source of energy.
So yes, you do burn fat in the first 30 minutes of a workout.
When should I stop eating before I do cardio? I get cramps and nausea if
I eat 30 minutes before, but I find I don't have enough energy if I eat a couple
of hours before.
Try eating something light about one hour before your workout, like an apple,
a cup of chocolate milk, granola bar or power bar. If you still get cramps and
nausea, try eating a little less, or try an hour and a half before your workout.
If none of these suggestions brings good results, eat a small meal 2-3 hours
beforehand and try drinking juice or a sports drink before and during your workout.
This will help keep your energy levels up without giving your stomach too much
to work on.
It is also a good idea to eat a light carbohydrate snack, about 100 calories,
within 20 minutes of the end of a hard workout to replenish depleted glycogen
stores. This will leave you feeling more energetic after your workout and during
subsequent workouts in days following.
-How do you get rid of fat on the arms and stomach?
-What exercises reduce fat on the arms?
-What exercises do you focus on to target the stomach area?
There is no way to 'target' an area where you want to lose fat. Fat loss is
not site specific (sucks, I know). When you exercise aerobically (long duration,
20+minutes, at a moderate to low intensity), you will use a higher percentage
of stored fat as fuel and it'll be used from stores all over your body. So any
aerobic exercise will reduce fat on the stomach and arms, as well as from everywhere
else. I'd suggest strength training for your arms and stomach, which IS site
specific. This can help tone your stomach and arms and give the 'illusion' of
reduced fat.
-Is there a big difference between doing a short cardio workout at a higher
heart rate (i.e. 75-80%) versus a longer workout at a lower heart rate (i.e.
60-70%)?
-What should my heart rate be in order to know I'm receiving a max workout and
burning fat?
-Why is it that (or is it true) you can burn more fat working at a lower heart
rate - even when it is easier in the fat-burning zone, than working harder and
burning more calories?
-My goal is weight loss. What's the most effective way to use cardio to achieve
this goal?
-I need to burn fat! Help!
You should perform cardio at lower intensities for longer periods of time to
burn fat more efficiently. Lower intensity exercise (never pushing it, always
able to talk) uses a higher % of fat for fuel than carbohydrates. Fat is the
most abundant fuel source in the body, and is therefore favoured during long
duration exercise. However, it is not the most easily accessible source of fuel
in the body (carbohydrates are number 1), so when you need high energy quickly
(i.e. 20 minute high intensity workout), your body tends to favour carbohydrates
as its fuel source. Within 10-20 minutes, fat will be the primary source of
fuel.
For example, if you used 55% calories from fat for 30 minutes at a low to moderate
pace, and 45% calories from fat at a high pace for 30 minutes, you could burn
840 (these are example values) calories in total and 462 from fat at low intensity
while 1200 calories total and 567 calories from fat at high intensity. Although
you'll burn more fat overall at a higher intensity, it is done more efficiently
at a lower intensity. If you're goal is to burn fat, exercise for longer periods
of time at a lower intensity.
What's the best way to increase aerobic endurance? Are intervals better
than a steady state moderate intensity workout?
Any aerobic activity can help improve aerobic endurance. However, longer duration
workouts that recruit more muscle mass can have a greater training effect. For
example, compare cycling and cross-country skiing. Cross-country skiing involves
arms, legs, back and stomach (to name a few) while cycling's predominate muscle
group is the legs.
Try 3-6 steady state workouts a week, with 1-2 (20%-30% of total training) higher
intensity interval workouts a week
I really like to run. On each session, I run 2-3 miles. My question is:
How often can I run per week (2-3 miles at about 8 min 20 sec/ mile) without
damaging my muscles or bones?
Good question! If you're a novice runner just starting a running program, begin
with 1-2 short runs/walks each week. Every 2-3 weeks, slightly increase the
distance of each run and/or add an extra run. The same guidelines apply to veteran
runners (have been running regularly) who want to increase their mileage. If
you've been running regularly but want to run more frequently, add a weekly
run or extend one of your runs every 2-3 weeks.
Remember to start each run with an easy warm-up and end each run with a light
cool down and stretching.
If you start to feel pain during your runs, drop one a week and wait at least
3 weeks before increasing your mileage again.