Chris Johnson a personal trainer and performance coach who trains people through his virtual personal trainer site www.FitZos.com has worked with hundreds of athletes as a collegiate strength and conditioning coordinator, cross country, and track and field coach over the years has been asked a lot of questions regarding fitness. When asked what the top ten fitness questions he receives are, Coach Johnson answered:
1. How often should I work out/lift weights?
How often you should work out/lift weights depends on a number of factors. The major ones being, goals, age, training age (how long you have been training), and medical/injury history. The Basic recommendations from ACSM and AHAfor healthy adults under age 65 are:
“Do moderately intense cardio 30 minutes a day, five days a week or do vigorously intense cardio 20 minutes a day, 3 days a week and do eight to 10 strength-training exercises, eight to 12 repetitions of each exercise twice a week. Moderate-intensity physical activity means working hard enough to raise your heart rate and break a sweat, yet still being able to carry on a conversation. It should be noted that to lose weight or maintain weight loss, 60 to 90 minutes of physical activity may be necessary. The 30-minute recommendation is for the average healthy adult to maintain health and reduce the risk for chronic disease.” American College of Sports Medicine. 2007. www.acsm.org.
2. How do I get a flat stomach?
You can spend all day doing crunches at the gym trying to get a flat stomach, with the only result being frustration because nothing has changed. Having a flat stomach is more about body composition (the ratio of body fat to lean mass) than it is about the size of your abdominal muscles. If you want to have good abs, then up your cardio and weight training in order to burn more fat while also reducing your caloric intake. It has been said that weight loss is 80% what you eat and 20% exercise so keep that in mind next time you feel it’s ok for seconds because you worked out earlier.
3. How do I get rid of these flabby arms/triceps?
When it comes to getting rid of flabby arms/triceps you cannot just isolate the muscle and wish the fat away. There is no such thing as spot reduction, otherwise known as isolating one area to burn fat there. However, if you eat a healthy diet aimed towards weight loss and work your arms you will lose weight and build up the muscles in your arms so they look more defined. And ladies, don’t worry only about 1% of the female population have the genetic potential to be jacked like a competitive bodybuilder. Men, that’s roughly 10% for you.
4. Is breakfast really the most important meal of the day?
I personally have never been a fan of a big breakfast. A nutrition bar does the trick for me. A lot of professionals in my field live by breakfast saying, it gets you fueled up for the day ahead of you. Others say by working out on an empty stomach you teach your body to burn more fat. I personally have only seen observational research claiming breakfast is the way to start off your day, not experimental research, meaning the people involved were asked their opinions on whether breakfast is the most important meal of the day to them and how they feel after eating it. This type of experiment leaves a lot of room for opinion so I say this one is up to you.
5. Why are my muscles sore after a workout?
Your muscles are sore after a workout due to D.O.M.S. Delayed Onset Muscle Soreness. It’s not during the workout that your muscles become bigger and stronger, but after the workout when they are adapting to the stress they just underwent that they are remodeling and rebuilding and hence hurting. D.O.M.S. can take 24-72 hours before you start to feel it and it can last a couple of days after it begins. Your muscles will also hurt more when you are new to a certain exercise, de-conditioned, or performing eccentric (emphasis on negative movement) exercises.
6. Does muscle turn into fat?
No, a muscle turning into fat is a popular myth but it holds no truth. What is actually happening when you think your muscles are turning into fat is as you become less active your muscles atrophy (shrink). When this happens your body’s metabolism slow down so you do not burn as many calories therefore you start to add new fat. It’s not muscle turning into fat, rather muscle wasting and fat being put in its place.
7. What is the difference between free weights and weight machines?
Free weights are exercise tools such as dumbbells or barbells whereas weight machines are more restrictive and used mostly for isolation exercises such as the pec deck or leg extension machine. I personally believe free weights are the best way to train for people of all experience levels because they teach your body how to properly use synergist muscles, enhance firing rate, and order of muscle recruitment. This will produce better performance in athletes and also boost your metabolism by recruiting more muscle fibers.
8. Why should I rest my muscles after a workout?
You should rest your muscles after a workout because it is after the workout that the actual adaptations occur that cause you to become stronger and bigger. During the workout you are causing micro tears to your myofibrils (part of your muscle) which during rest adapt to the new stress so you are stronger and ready for your next workout or competition.
9. What is my target heart rate?
There are a few formulas for estimating target heart rate. The most common one the Karvonen formula; Target Heart Rate = (max HR − resting HR) × %Intensity) + resting HR. In order to find your max heart rate it’s 220 – your age. Tanaka H, Monahan KD, Seals DR.Age-predicted maximal heart rate revisited. J Am Coll Cardiol. 2001 Jan;37(1):153-6.
Note: There can be some error when using this formula because people are so adaptable and varying to exercise.
10. What should I eat after a workout and why?
After you are done working out you should eat a 4:1 ratio of carbohydrate to protein. This meal should be consumed within the first 30 minutes of post-exercise while our bodies are still in an anabolic environment and should be mostly simple sugars and protein with a high biological value (most similar to the form our body needs it in). This will speed up absorption and enhance the recovery process. The quicker we begin refueling empty glycogen (energy) stores and rebuilding broken down muscle tissue the more we can get out of our next workout.
Chris Johnson is a nationally recognized fitness professional who has made appearances on NECN, Boston.com, and MediaZombies.com. Chris is a highly knowledgeable expert in the field of human performance enhancement. He has a degree in sports science along with numerous certifications in performance enhancement and injury prevention as well as experience at Harvard University. Chris’ athletic accomplishments range from two 4th place marathon finishes and a 2nd place half marathon finish to collegiate rookie of the year, three time collegiate MVP, Scholar Athlete of the Year, and course record holder.
Currently Chris is the Head Strength & Conditioning Coordinator as well as Assistant Cross Country & Track and Field Coach at Lasell College. Chris also performs personal training via his site www.FitZos.com.
To learn more about taking advantage of Chris’ premier services, visit www.ImproveWithChris.com.
Christopher Johnson | M.S. | NSCA-CSCS | NASM-PES & CES | ISSA-SET | USATF | RRCA