The so-called "glutes" reside on the back part of your hips and consist of three muscles: The gluteus maximus, gluteus minimus and gluteus medius. The primary function of the gluteus maximus – the largest and strongest muscle in your body – is hip extension (driving your upper leg backward); the main function of the gluteus minimus and gluteus medius is hip abduction (spreading your legs apart). The hip flexors – the psoas major, psoas minor and illiacus (collectively, the illiopsoas) – aren’t an issue in working the glutes since those muscles are involved in hip flexion (bringing your upper legs toward your torso).

The main exercises that are used to target the gluteus maximus include the barbell squat, ball squat, deadlift, leg press, lunge and step-up. All of those exercises are multiple-joint movements with action at the hip and knee joints. A disadvantage of multiple-joint movements is that they have a "weak link"; in this case, specifically, the quadriceps (the muscle located on the front part of your upper leg). This means that your quadriceps will fatigue before your gluteus maximus which is the real target of those exercises.

One option to circumvent this is to pre-fatigue your glutes with some sort of single-joint movement prior to a multiple-joint movement. For instance, you can do hip abduction either on a selectorized machine or with the aid of a partner applying manual resistance. In the event that a machine or a partner isn't available, you can lay on the floor or a mat on one side of your body with your legs straight and do hip abduction – here, raising your leg up – while wearing an ankle weight.

MB

In exercise science, the belief that exercise can produce a localized loss of body fat is known as spot reduction.  Researchers have been investigating the idea of spot reduction since at least 1962 with findings pointing to the fact that spot reduction isn’t possible.

When you exercise, fat (and carbohydrates) is mobilized from throughout your body as a source of energy, not just from one specific area.  Upper-back exercises certainly involve upper-back muscles. But upper-back exercises have no preferential effect on upper-back fat. So although you can “spot train” muscle, you can’t “spot reduce” fat.  For that reason, you can do upper-back exercises until you pass out but that will not automatically trim your upper back.

Exercises for your upper back – your lats – include the lat pulldown (underhand and overhand), chin-up, pull-up, seated row, bench row and bent-over row.  Proper diet, aerobic training ("cardio") and strength training will help you to reduce fat throughout your body.

Refer to Questions #03 and #05 for more information on spot reduction.

MB

According to the research, you can't selectively train to “slim,” "tone" or "bulk" muscles by doing certain exercises or by using different set/rep schemes or anything else.  It's yet another piece of gym lore that's been repeated for so long that it's accepted as fact.

The idea that exercise can "slim," "tone" or otherwise "shape" certain muscles falls under the realm of spot reduction.  You can’t preferentially choose to "slim," "tone" or "bulk" muscles.  Your response to training is largely determined by your genetics.

Refer to Questions #02 and #05 for more information on spot reduction.

MB

Bodyweight exercises that can be done at home include the squat, lunge, push-up and crunch.  Assuming that you have no equipment other than dumbbells, you can do the bent-over row, overhead/shoulder press, front raise, lateral raise, bent-over raise, upright row, shoulder shrug, bicep curl, tricep extension and side bend.  Add a sturdy flat bench to the mix and you can also do the bench press, bent-arm fly, wrist flexion and wrist extension.

Here’s the thing about only using dumbbells that weigh no more than three pounds: In most of those exercises, it’s likely that such a light resistance won’t offer much of a challenge to your muscles.  And if the muscles aren’t challenged with an adequate workload, the muscles literally have no need to respond by getting stronger.  So at some point, you really need to use heavier weights or you won’t be able to “stay fit.”

MB

In general, there are two types of body fat: subcutaneous (located just beneath the surface of the skin) and visceral (located around the major organs of the torso which are collectively referred to as the viscera). It’s well known that visceral fat – which, as noted, surrounds major organs (especially those of the abdomen such as the liver, kidneys, stomach and intestines) – is associated with an increased risk of cardiovascular and metabolic diseases, including diabetes, heart disease and hypertension.  (Interestingly, younger adults store about half of their fat as subcutaneous fat and half of their fat as visceral fat; older adults store a higher percentage of their fat as visceral fat.)

Similar to other types of physical training, strength training can produce a loss of body fat (visceral as well as subcutaneous). But neither exercise (strength training and aerobic training) nor diet (eating) can selectively target fat loss from specific areas of the body. In exercise science, that belief that exercise can produce a localized loss of body fat is known as spot reduction. A litmus test for evaluating spot reduction is to determine whether a significantly greater change occurs in an active (or exercised) muscle compared to an inactive (or unexercised) muscle. The research shows that spot reduction isn’t possible.

In a classic study, 19 subjects were assigned to two groups. One group performed a sit-up program for 27 days, amounting to 5,004 sit-ups per subject. The other group acted as a control and didn’t do any abdominal training. The experimental group significantly decreased the diameter of the fat cells in their abdominals, subscapular and gluteals. However, there was no significant difference between the three sites with respect to the rate of change in the diameter of the fat cells. In addition, after doing 5,004 sit-ups over the course of 27 days, the abdominal skinfold was unchanged; in fact, it was exactly the same. This means that exercising the abdominals didn’t preferentially affect the fat in the abdominal area more than the subscapular or gluteal areas.

There are three ways to lose weight: You can (1) decrease the number of calories that you consume and maintain the same amount of activity that you do; (2) maintain the same number of calories that you consume and increase the amount of activity that you do; or (3) decrease the number of calories that you consume and increase the amount of activity that you do.

The third way – decrease the number of calories that you consume (eat less) and increase the amount of activity that you do (exercise more) – is the preferred way. Why? Well, suppose that your goal is to lose 10 pounds of fat in 10 weeks. This represents a rate of one pound of fat per week. Since one pound of fat has 3,500 calories, you’d need to create a deficit of 500 calories per day. Eating 500 less calories per day can be quite a challenge; the same can be said about using 500 more calories per day. And don’t forget, this 500-calorie deficit would need to be achieved every day for 70 consecutive days.

The best way, then, is to do a combination of the two: Eat a little less and exercise a little more. And it doesn’t have to be a 50-50 split. In this example, you could achieve a deficit of 500 calories by eating 200 less calories and using 300 more calories. Same result but less overwhelming.

Refer to Questions #02 and #03 for more information on spot reduction.

MB

There are no exercises that you can do to “flatten” your stomach.  “Tone,” “shape,” “sculpt,” “tighten” and “flatten” are code words for spot reduction.  This is the belief that exercise can produce a localized loss of body fat.  Studies have shown that spot reduction isn’t possible.  Similarly, there are no foods that you can eat/avoid that will “flatten” your stomach.

Running is a good activity that can improve your aerobic fitness while using a sustained and significant number of calories . . . if you like to run and it’s orthopedically appropriate for you.  In one study, researchers described running as “a series of collisions with the ground.”  The impact forces that are encountered when running are at least several times bodyweight.  And depending on the distance that’s run, the number of these “collisions” could easily be in the thousands; taking 54-inch steps over the course of a three-mile run amounts to 3,520 “collisions with the ground.”  So be careful; running isn’t for everyone.

And while running can use a considerable number of calories, running won’t in itself “flatten” your stomach.

Refer to Questions #02, #03 and #05 for more information on spot reduction.

MB

When you exercise – particularly if the exercise involves strength training – your lean-body (muscle) mass will increase and your fat mass will decrease so it’s not uncommon for bodyweight to remain the same or even increase from exercise.  And if “eating well” results in a caloric surplus – caloric intake is greater than caloric output – bodyweight will increase.

The best way to tell if the increase in bodyweight was muscle or fat is to have a body-composition analysis.  A variety of methods can be used to measure body composition such as air displacement plethysmography, bioelectrical impedance analysis, computerized tomography, dual energy x-ray absorptiometry, hydrostatic (underwater) weighing and near infrared reactance.  But perhaps the most popular method of measuring body composition is to use skinfold calipers.  In general, this is considered to be the most practical and least expensive method of assessment without sacrificing much in the way of accuracy (assuming that the person who takes the measurements is reasonably skilled and the equation that’s used is valid).

Once you have a baseline test done, you’ll now have a point of comparison.

MB

You can “build” muscle without “weights” but you can’t “build” muscle without some form of resistance.  At home, you can use plastic containers – ideally with handles – filled with water and use cans to provide resistance.  You might also use resistance bands or resistance tubes that can be purchased at minimal cost.  And you can do exercises with your bodyweight such as the squat, lunge, push-up and crunch.

Also remember that in order to “build” muscle, you need to “load” the muscle with a resistance that’s of sufficient demand.  Furthermore, the demand must be made progressively more challenging by increasing the resistance that you use and/or the repetitions that you do in comparison to a previous workout.

MB

Well, you basically answered your own question: The idea is to get back into it without going too hard.  You can simply reduce the volume/amount of activity that you had done before getting sick.

For strength training, do fewer sets with less resistance.  For example, if you had been able to do three sets of 8 to 10 reps with 100 pounds, maybe it’s now two sets of 8 to 10 reps with 70 pounds.  (You may also need more recovery time between sets.)  For aerobic training ("cardio"), reduce the duration and level of effort.  For example, if you had been able to row 2,000 meters in 10 minutes, maybe it’s now 1,000 meters in 6 minutes.

As you “bounce back” from your illness and start to feel better, gradually increase the volume of activity and your level of effort.

MB

You don’t need to “mimic” lifting weights at home.  Weights don’t have to be made of iron.  All you need are objects that offer your muscles some sort of resistance or load.  You can fill plastic containers – ideally with handles – with water and even use cans to provide resistance.  If you want to expand beyond the realm of household objects, you can purchase resistance bands or resistance tubes.  (Think giant rubber bands.)  And, of course, you can do resistance exercises with your bodyweight such as the squat, lunge, push-up and crunch.

MB

Working out every day might have the best of intentions but such a spartan approach to training doesn’t necessarily yield the best results.  Among other things, training every day doesn’t allow for an adequate amount of recovery which is when the body actually responds to the stressors of exercise.

Remember, losing weight (fat) is the result of a caloric deficit in which caloric output is greater than caloric intake.  In other words, the number of calories that are expended (from exercising and generally just existing) must exceed the number of calories that are consumed (from eating foods and drinking beverages).  So if you’re not losing the amount of weight that you want, it could be that you haven’t produced enough of a caloric deficit.

Or, you may not be losing the amount of weight that you want because a decrease in fat mass is offset by an increase in lean-body (muscle) mass.  That’s not necessarily a bad thing, by the way.

It sounds as if at least part of the barrier here is your caloric intake.  Without knowing anything about your nutritional habits, reducing your caloric intake by a few hundred calories per day should help with your weight loss.  Consuming more fruits and vegetables and less calorie-dense foods/beverages should also help.

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For adults, the Recommended Dietary Allowance (RDA) for protein is 0.8 grams per kilogram of bodyweight per day (g/kg/day) or about 0.36 grams per pound of bodyweight per day (g/lb/day). According to the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics, the Dieticians of Canada and the American College of Sports Medicine, active individuals should consume 1.2 to 2.0 g/ kg/day or about 0.55 to 0.91 g/lb/day.

Eliminating or reducing meat consumption makes it difficult though not impossible to get an adequate amount of protein.  Two excellent sources of protein are egg whites and milk.  But if you want to avoid animal products altogether, options include (examples in parentheses) beans (black, kidney, lima, pinto, chickpeas, lentils), nuts (almonds, cashews, pistachios, walnuts), nut butters, seeds (pumpkin, sesame, sunflower) and grains (couscous, quinoa, rice, oats).

An important point to remember is that proteins that are found in animal sources – such as meat, poultry, fish, eggs, milk, cheese and yogurt – are complete proteins, containing all nine essential amino acids (which your body is unable to make and, as a result, must be provided by the diet). Proteins that are found in plants, legumes, grains, nuts, seeds and vegetables are incomplete proteins, lacking at least one of the nine essential amino acids.  Therefore, it’s a good idea to eat a wide variety of beans, nuts, seeds and grains to make sure that your diet includes all nine essential amino acids.

MB

In general, the “best” exercises to do are the ones that are as efficient, as effective and as safe as possible.  So while the incline press is a good exercise for the upper portion of your chest, it’s not a good exercise for you if it hurts your shoulder.

Exercise options for the chest include the bench press, incline press, decline press, chest press (machine), dip, push-up, bent-arm fly and pec fly (machine).  There’s no need to do every chest exercise that was ever invented.  Two or three per workout done with an appropriate level of effort will be efficient and effective.  And you don’t have to do the same two or three exercises every workout.

There are many different exercises that can be done for the biceps and triceps.  Any exercise that involves elbow flexion (bending) will engage the biceps; any exercise that involves elbow extension (straightening) will engage the triceps.  Again, there’s no need to do every arm exercise that was ever invented.  Simply pick one or two of each.  That might not sound like a lot but remember, the biceps are also used during multiple-joint “pulling” movements and the triceps are also used during multiple-joint “pushing” movements.  So the biceps and triceps get plenty of "indirect" work.

MB

Sure.

Here are the start/finish positions along with a brief description of how the exercises are performed:

Bench Press

Start/Finish Position: Lie down on an Olympic supine (flat) bench and place your feet flat on the floor. Grasp a barbell and spread your hands slightly wider than shoulder-width apart. Lift the bar out of the “gun rack” or have a spotter give you assistance. Keep your arms almost completely straight (without “locking” your elbows).

Performance Description: Lower the bar under control to the mid-range position (the bar touching the middle part of your chest). Without bouncing the bar off your chest, push it up to the start/finish position (your arms almost completely straight).

Leg Press

Start/Finish Position: Adjust the seat carriage so that the angle between your upper and lower legs will be about 90 degrees. Sit down and place your feet on the footplate so that they’re slightly wider than shoulder-width apart. Position your lower legs so that they’re parallel to the floor. Grasp the handles that are located on the sides of the seat pad.

Performance Description: Push the footplate forward until your legs are almost completely straight (without “locking” your knees). Pause briefly in this mid-range position (your legs almost completely straight) and then lower the weight under control to the start/finish position (your legs bent).

Deadlift

Start/Finish Position: Step inside the opening of a trap bar and spread your feet slightly wider than shoulder-width apart. Reach down and grasp the bar on the outside of your legs with a parallel grip (your palms facing each other). Lower your hips until your upper legs are almost parallel to the floor. Flatten your back and look up slightly. Place most of your bodyweight on your heels. Straighten your arms.

Performance Description: Stand upright by straightening your legs and torso. Pause briefly in this mid-range position (your legs and torso straight) and then lower the bar under control to the start/finish position (your legs and torso bent).

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Regardless of the exercise that you’re doing, the resistance should be challenging for you within a prescribed number of reps and you should choose the amount of resistance accordingly.  For most of the population, good rep ranges are about 15 to 20 on hip exercises, 10 to 15 on leg exercises and 5 to 10 on upper-body exercises.

MB

In order to increase your muscle mass, two things must be done.

First, you must engage in strength-training activities that address the major muscles in your body: the hips, legs and torso.  Moreover, when training, you should incorporate a system of progressive overload: In order to overload your muscles, every time that you train you should try to increase the resistance that you use and/or the repetitions that you do in comparison to a previous workout.

Second, you must increase the number of calories that you consume.  If you’re already eating a balanced diet – you’re eating a wide variety of foods while getting adequate amounts of nutrients – simply increase the amount of food that you’re consuming.  A good target is a weight gain of no more than about one pound per week; otherwise, it’s likely that at least some of the increase was in the form of fat, not muscle.

MB

You can “spot train” muscle but you can’t “spot reduce” fat.  When you exercise your chest, fat (and carbohydrates) is used from throughout your body, not just from your chest.  The belief that exercise can produce a localized loss of body fat is known as spot reduction.  Though spot reduction is widely believed, studies show that spot reduction is a myth.  Spot reduction is yet another one of those things that has been repeated so much over the years that it's been accepted as science fact when it's really more like science fiction.

In order to “build” your chest muscles – or any other muscle for that matter – you need to “load” the muscles with a resistance that can come from a variety of sources, including dumbbells, barbells, machines and your bodyweight.  The resistance must be meaningful in that it should be of sufficient demand (stress).  Also, the demand must be made progressively more challenging by increasing the resistance that you use and/or the repetitions that you do in comparison to a previous workout.

Refer to Questions #02, #03 and #05 for more information on spot reduction.

MB

First, you need to determine your goals.  Do you want to improve your muscular strength?  Improve your physique?  Lose weight (fat)?  Gain weight (muscle)?  Enhance your aerobic fitness?

Second, you need some direction as to how to reach your goals.  While the internet is an obvious choice, remember that anyone with a keyboard can post information on it.  Look for reputable individuals who are formally trained in exercise science and/or are credentialed by an established national or international organization.  Beware of “fitness influencers”; the vast majority of them have little or no formal education in exercise science.  You can certainly seek out the advice of fitness professionals in your local area as well but, again, make sure that they’re formally trained and/or credentialed.

MB

There’s a great deal of evidence found in research studies that doing multiple bouts of shorter-duration aerobic activity over the course of a day can improve aerobic fitness.  (This is referred to as “discontinuous” training.)  There’s little to no scientific support as to the effectiveness of doing multiple bouts of weight training over the course of a day, though.

That said, doing multiple bouts of weight training on the same day can work.  The easiest way to tell if what you’re doing works is to track your performance; in the case of weight training, it’s the number of reps that you do and the resistance that you use.  If you’re able to increase either of those numbers over time, then this is a clear sign that you’re making progress and whatever you’re doing is effective.

MB

One of the most common misconceptions in exercise is that doing high repetitions (with relatively light weight) will increase muscular definition (“tone”) and low repetitions (with relatively heavy weight) will increase muscular size (“bulk”).  The vast majority of scientific research fails to support this contention.  (Note: Here, “vascularity” is synonymous with muscle “tone” and muscle “definition.”)

In one study, 44 subjects were randomly assigned to three experimental groups.  (Six subjects withdrew from the study for personal reasons; the remaining 38 subjects were used for data analysis.)  One group did four sets of 3 to 5 repetitions; the second group did four sets of 13 to 15 repetitions; and the third group did four sets of 23 to 25 repetitions.  (A fourth group acted as a control and didn’t train.)  The experimental groups did one exercise for the lower body (the barbell squat) and trained three times per week for seven weeks.  Each set was done to the point of muscular fatigue.  All three protocols generated significant improvements in quadriceps thickness.  The groups that did moderate (13 to 15) repetitions and high (23 to 25) repetitions increased thigh circumference more than the group that did low (3 to 5) repetitions which, interestingly enough, is the exact opposite of the prevailing notion.

Each individual inherits a unique genetic profile with a unique potential for achieving muscular definition and muscular size.  Some people are predisposed toward developing highly defined physiques while others are predisposed toward developing heavily muscled physiques.  Whether sets consist of high repetitions or low repetitions (or intermediate repetitions), you’ll still develop according to your genetics (provided that the sets are done with similar levels of intensity).

Reference: A Practical Approach to Strength and Conditioning (5th ed)

MB

For whatever reason, it looks as if some words are missing from the end of the lead-in sentence as well as a question.  My guess is that the sentence ends with something like “ . . . but the fat in my buttocks is reducing at a slower rate than other areas of my body.”  And then the corresponding question probably asks for clarification and/or guidance.

To understand what’s going on, let’s first look at the opposite side of the coin: What happens when you gain fat?  Did you ever hear someone say that if they eat too much or eat a certain food that “it goes right to my hips”?  There’s actually a bit of truth to that.  Based on their genetics, people have a tendency to store fat in certain parts of their body more than in other parts.  For example, someone might tend to store fat in their abdominal area first, followed by their upper backs and then upper arms.

Interestingly, this is actually what happens when people lose fat . . . only in reverse.  Based on their genetics, people have a tendency to lose fat from certain parts of their body more than from other parts.  And guess what?  If you tend to store fat in your abdominal area first, followed by your upper back and then upper arms, when you lose fat, it’ll be in the opposite order: first your upper arms, then your upper back and then your buttocks.

To be clear, you gain/lose fat throughout your body; it’s just that based on your genetics, you tend to gain/lose fat a bit more in certain areas.

MB

In response to the first question, regardless of how many times you did Circuit #1, it’s still Circuit #1.  In other words, it’s the same series or sequence of exercises, right?  So if you repeated the same series of exercises two (or three) times, you repeated Circuit #1 two (or three) times.  Circuit #2 and Circuit #3 suggest that those are two different series of exercises.

As for as recovery goes – remember, “rest” as a four-letter word! – there are innumerable ways that it can be employed between sets and circuits.

For example, you could use a work:recovery ratio of 2:1 between sets which means that for each set that requires 60 seconds of effort (work), you’d recover for 30 seconds; for each set that requires 40 seconds of effort, you’d recover for 20 seconds; and for each set that requires 30 seconds of effort, you’d recover for 15 seconds.  Much of this depends on your level of conditioning.  As your level of conditioning improves, you’ll want something more challenging so you can try a work:recovery ratio of 3:1 which means that for each set that requires 60 seconds of effort (work), you’d recover for 20 seconds; for each set that requires 45 seconds of effort, you’d recover for 15 seconds; and for each set that requires 30 seconds of effort, you’d recover for 10 seconds.

In response to the second question, your level of conditioning again comes into play with respect to recovery between circuits.  Maybe early on, you’d need five minutes of recovery between circuits.  As your level of conditioning improves, maybe you’d need two or three minutes.

One last point is that the make-up of the exercises in the circuit will also dictate recovery between sets and circuits.  Doing exercises that involve the larger muscles of your body (particularly your hips and legs) are much more demanding than doing exercises that involve the smaller muscles of your body (such as your arms) and, therefore, will require much more recovery.

MB

Well, let’s first look at two of the major muscles of the abdomen and their functions.

One is the rectus abdominus which comprises the outermost layer of your abdominal wall. The fibers of this long and narrow muscle run vertically across the front of your midsection from the lower rim of your rib cage to your pelvis.  Its main function is torso flexion (pulling your torso toward your upper legs).

Another major muscle is the external and internal obliques which reside on both sides of your mid-section.  The external oblique extends diagonally downward from your lower ribs to your pubic bone, looking somewhat like the shape of a “V.”  It has two main functions: torso lateral flexion (bending your torso to the same side) and torso rotation (turning your torso to the opposite side).  The internal oblique – which is located immediately under the external oblique – extends diagonally upward from your pubic bone to your lower ribs, looking somewhat like the shape of an upside-down or inverted “V.”  It has two main functions: torso lateral flexion (bending your torso to the same side) and torso rotation (turning your torso to the same side). In a nutshell, your obliques are used during movements in which your torso bends laterally or turns.  The external and internal obliques are also involved in forced expiration during intense exercise/activity.

So how can you train those muscles without being in a supine position?  You can target the rectus abdominus with an abdominal crunch (using a selectorized or plate-loaded machine) and the obliques with the side bend (using a dumbbell).

Here are the start/finish positions along with a brief description of how the exercises are performed:

Abdominal Crunch

Start/Finish Position: Sit down and place your feet flat on the floor.  Position the back of your upper arms on the elbow pads.  Place your palms on the handles and open your hands (extend your fingers).

Performance Description: Pull your torso as close to your upper legs as possible.  Pause briefly in this mid-range position (your torso bent) and then lower the weight under control to the start/finish position (your torso straight).

But what if you don’t have access to a crunch machine?  You can mimic this exercise by doing a cable crunch on an adjustable cable column.  Here’s how:

Start/Finish Position: Position the pulley near the top of the column and attach basic handles or rope handles.  Grasp the handles and – with your back facing the column – sit on a utility bench or chair or kneel on the floor and place the handles near the sides of your head.

Performance Description: Pull your torso as close to your upper legs as possible.  Pause briefly in this mid-range position (your torso bent) and then lower the weight under control to the start/finish position (your torso straight).

Side Bend

Start/Finish Position: Grasp a dumbbell with your left hand.  Position the dumbbell against the side of your upper leg with your palm facing your leg.  Spread your feet about shoulder-width apart.  Place your right palm against the right side of your head.  Keep your hips in the same position and bend your torso to the left as far as possible.

Performance Description: Without moving your hips, bring your torso to the right as far as possible.  Pause briefly in this mid-range position (your torso bent to the right) and then lower the dumbbell under control to the start/finish position (your torso bent to the left).  Repeat the exercise for the other side of your body.

Reference: A Practical Approach to Strength and Conditioning (5th ed)

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There are no universally accepted definitions of what constitutes an “intermediate” lifter and an “advanced” lifter.  That said, it’s important for everyone – regardless of their level of experience, including beginners – to employ the Overload Principle by exposing their musculoskeletal systems to progressively greater demands.  Overload can be accomplished by simply using more resistance or doing more repetitions with the same resistance in comparison to a previous workout.

One other point has to do with the idea that individuals can somehow bypass the limitations of their genetics and increase their muscular definition (tone) by doing a “cutting phase” and increase their muscular size by doing a “bulking phase.”  For example, if someone has very little genetic potential to increase the size of their muscles, a “bulking phase” will not magically produce any significant results.

MB

Based on the limited details, no, this isn’t a good workout.  Here’s why:

It’s difficult to tell but it seems as if you’re doing the same workout five times a week.  That’s a problem since you’re not allowing for any recovery from the strength-training exercises (“weights”).

Stretching before a workout should be preceded by a warm-up in which you break a light sweat, indicating that your muscles are warmed up enough to stretch safely and effectively.

How are you doing the 10 minutes of biking?  Is it with enough effort to elevate your heart rate sufficiently?

Only doing “arm and back weights” means that you’re not addressing a number of major muscles, including your hips, legs, chest, shoulders and mid-section.

Lastly, in order for this or any other workout to be “good,” it must be progressively challenging over time.  Are you trying to do that?

MB

You state that you’re gaining muscle but your legs are “slinking” which seems like a typo and most likely “shrinking.”  This is confusing since “gaining” muscle size and “shrinking” – losing – muscle size can’t happen simultaneously.

But let’s just say that you’re losing muscle size.  This could be for any number of reasons.  Perhaps you’re overtraining: You’re using too much volume of training, either too many sets or exercising too frequently.  Remember, “volume of training” refers to all types of training that you do, not just strength training.  Did you ramp up the volume of your aerobic training, for example?  Are you an athlete who’s now practicing and/or competing which will add to your total volume of training?

Then there are your nutritional habits.  Are you getting enough calories?  Are you eating a balanced diet that consists of a wide variety of foods and provides you with sufficient levels of carbohydrates, protein and fat along with vitamins and minerals?  Are you losing weight?

Then there are your sleeping patterns.  Are you getting enough restful, uninterrupted sleep to allow you to recover from your workouts?

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Our University Health Services recommends that you to speak with your therapist to determine the best ways to ease back into an exercise program.  As with most things, the key is to exercise in moderation.  Remember, you don’t have to do marathon workouts in the gym to improve your strength and fitness.

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Greek yogurt is made by straining out the whey in regular yogurt.  This makes Greek yogurt thicker, creamier and tangier than regular yogurt.

In terms of nutritional content, in comparison to regular yogurt, Greek yogurt has slightly more calories, roughly half the sodium and sugar and nearly twice as much protein per serving.  On the other hand, in comparison to Greek yogurt, regular yogurt has significantly more calcium and potassium per serving.

It doesn’t seem as if eating Greek yogurt on a daily basis would cause any concern.  However, Greek yogurt should be eaten as part of a meal – not “as a meal” – or a healthy snack since it only has about 150 calories per serving.

You probably don’t need to supplement Greek yogurt with additional protein, at least not much more.  One serving of Greek yogurt has about 16 to 18 grams and, according to research, most people can assimilate – or “use” – about 20 to 30 grams of protein at a given time (i.e., during one meal).

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One lap on a standard outdoor track is 400 meters or roughly one-quarter mile.

MB

If you're doing US Navy SEAL-type workouts, you'll go through a boatload of calories – sorry, bad pun – which will need to be replaced.

Following an activity – especially one that requires intense efforts like SEAL-type workouts – the amount of carbohydrates in your body is depleted; the needle on your “gas gauge” is pointing toward “E” and your “gas tank” – your glycogen depot – needs refilling.  It makes a great deal of sense, then, to consume carbohydrates in order to refill your “gas tank” in preparation for the next time that you train, practice or compete.  And the sooner that you refuel with carbohydrates, the better.  Delaying the consumption of carbohydrates significantly reduces the rate at which your glycogen stores are replenished. This will impede the recovery process and impact your future performance.

After an activity, it’s best to consume foods that are rich in carbohydrates that have a high Glycemic Index (GI).  These foods will help to restore muscle and liver glycogen in the quickest fashion.

A good rule of thumb is to consume about 0.5 grams of carbohydrates per pound of your bodyweight (g/lb) within 30 minutes of completing an activity.  This should be repeated again within two hours of completing the activity.  Say, for instance, that you’re 200 pounds and finished your training at 8:00am.  You should consume about 100 grams of carbohydrates – or 400 calories of carbohydrates – by 8:30am and another 100 grams of carbohydrates by 10:00am [0.5 g/lb x 200 lb = 100 g].

There’s some evidence to suggest that combining carbohydrates with a small amount of protein can expedite recovery by improving the rate at which your glycogen stores are replenished.  However, it appears that simply increasing the quantity of post-activity carbohydrates will yield the same result.  Nonetheless, consuming a small amount of protein following an intense activity may aid in the repair of muscle tissue.  If carbohydrates and protein are consumed in combination after an activity, it should be in a 4:1 ratio, meaning that 80% of the calories should be from carbohydrates and 20% of the calories should be from protein.  Staying with the earlier example, instead of consuming 100 grams of carbohydrates within 30 minutes of completing an activity, you’d consume 80 grams of carbohydrates and 20 grams of protein.

Reference: A Practical Approach to Strength and Conditioning (5th ed)

MB

The deadlift is a multiple-joint (compound) movement that engages an enormous amount of muscle mass.  But because so many muscles – and so many joints – are involved, it has a higher potential for injury than a single-joint (simple) movement.  So you’re very wise to consider that aspect.

Getting hurt during the deadlift is often more the result of improper technique and low-rep sets (i.e., singles, doubles and triples) than frequency.  You can build strength in the deadlift by doing the exercise once a week.

While on the subject of low-rep sets, unless you’re a competitive powerlifter, there’s absolutely no reason in the world why you should do a one-repetition maximum – that is, to see how much weight you can lift on time – in the deadlift or any other exercise for that matter.

Here’s a good rule of thumb and not just for the deadlift: Ask yourself if the way in which you do an exercise is to demonstrate strength or to build strength.  There’s a difference.  When people try to demonstrate strength, they use technique that’s orthopaedically dangerous (such as bending backward at the waist when doing the bicep curl) or relatively unproductive (such as doing partial-range reps because the weight is too heavy to permit full-range reps).

MB

Working as an EMT (Emergency medical Technician) can involve moving and/or lifting heavy patients and equipment.  This suggests the importance of doing strength training.  You should focus on those exercises that engage large amounts of your muscle mass – including your hips, legs and major muscles of your torso – as well as your mid-section (abs and lower back).

Not to be forgotten is aerobic training.  This activity focuses on the most important muscle in your body: the heart.  Aerobic training is required in order to improve your endurance and resistance to fatigue.

A final area that’s often forgotten or dismissed is flexibility training (stretching).  The need to be flexible is most evident when having to move your body in to and out of confined spaces.

MB

No, that’s not true.

If you “work out extremely hard for a very short period of time,” your heart rate will be elevated . . . while you do the activity. Once you cease exercising, your heart rate should gradually decrease back to its normal resting level.

What will remain slightly elevated after a workout of high effort is your caloric expenditure.  However, despite the hype, this “afterburn” – technically known as “excess post-exercise oxygen consumption” or EPOC – doesn’t amount to a significant number of calories.

MB

Let’s first talk about 30 minutes of fast walking versus 10 minutes of high-intensity training for “overall maintenance of good health.”

Walking at 3.0 to 4.0 miles per hour (mph) would be considered a “brisk” pace.  This effort yields MET levels of about 3.3 to 4.1.  In other words, walking at 3.0 to 4.0 mph is 3.3 to 4.1 times more demanding than sitting still.  Moreover, these MET levels would fit into the definition of moderate-intensity activity, albeit at the lower end of the range.

Most authorities agree that individuals need to do 150 minutes of moderate-intensity activity per week in order to achieve health and fitness benefits.  So a 30-min “fast walk” would need to be done five times per week.

Ten minutes of high-intensity training fits the description of “vigorous activity.”  In order to achieve health and fitness benefits, vigorous activity needs to be done for 75 minutes per week.  Without knowing any specifics about a “10-minute high intensity workout,” this would need to be done about eight times per week.

As far as heart rate, you wouldn’t want to “[elevate your] heart rate as high as it can go.”  Most people should exercise at a level of effort that increases their heart rate to 60 to 90% of their maximum.  A handy and popular equation to predict your maximum heart rate is “220 – age.” If you’re 30 years old, for example, your age-predicted maximum heart rate is 190 beats per minute (bpm). Multiplying this by 60 to 90% yields a range of 114 to 171 bpm.

MB

In short, yes.  Working out for six hours a day amounts to a part-time job and leaves little time for anything else.

If you’re between the ages of 18 and 64, most national and global organizations that promote “best practices” on health and fitness – including the World Health Organization; the American College of Sports Medicine; the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention; the American Heart Association; and the American Council on Exercise – recommend that you should do at least 150 to 300 minutes of moderate-intensity aerobic physical activity; or at least 75 to 150 minutes of vigorous-intensity aerobic physical activity; or an equivalent combination of moderate- and vigorous-intensity activity per week.  In addition, those organizations recommend that you should also do muscle-strengthening activities at moderate or greater intensity that involve all major muscle groups on two or more days a week.

Remember, those guidelines are per week, not per day.  Although the phrase “at least” implies that it’s okay to do more, anything that approaches six hours per day is excessive and can quickly lead to overtraining and lack of adherence to the program.

Fitness enthusiasts should seek to get the most out of their training in the least amount of time, not the most amount of time.

MB

It’s no surprise that the root cause of stretch marks is a stretching of the skin.  There are a number of risk factors, including a rapid loss (or gain) in bodyweight. Stretch marks may or may not go away over time.

By the way, according to the Mayo Clinic, “cellulite is a very common, harmless skin condition that causes lumpy, dimpled flesh on the thighs, hips, buttocks and abdomen.”

MB

First, it’s important to note that muscles always pull when they contract; however, muscular contractions produce motion that can be described as either a push or a pull.  Your chest, anterior portion of your shoulders and triceps are used in pushing motions (and can be referred to as “pushing” muscles); your upper back, posterior portion of your shoulders, biceps and forearms are used in pulling motions (and can be referred to as “pulling” muscles).

On “pull day,” then, the idea would be to address the pulling muscles: your upper back (lats), posterior deltoid (“rear delt”), biceps and forearms.  Your “pull day” includes the pull-up, cable row, shrug and tricep extension.  The first two exercises – pull-up and cable row – do target the “pulling” muscles.  Although the shrug is a pulling action, it’s an exception in that it trains the trapezius, a muscle of the neck/shoulder area.  And the tricep extension is a pushing action.  You’d be better off doing the latter two exercises on your “push day.”

But does what you’re doing work?  Well, that’s a question that only you can answer.  Are you making progress over time in terms of the resistance that you use and the repetitions that you do?  If not, then what you’re doing doesn’t work.

MB

What you describe shouldn’t happen.  Please consult with your physician.

MB

With an average stride length of 30 inches, taking 5,000 steps per day would get you about 2.37 miles.  If you’re wondering about the caloric expenditure of that effort, it depends on your walking speed or pace.  For instance, a 95-kilogram person who walks 2.37 miles per hour on a level surface would use about 4.68 calories per minute or a total of about 281 calories for the hour of effort.

There are a number of ways to determine how many calories you need per day to maintain your bodyweight.  One of the easiest ways without sacrificing too much in terms of accuracy is to simply multiply your bodyweight by a number that corresponds to your gender and age.  For example, a sedentary man would multiply his bodyweight of 209 pounds (or 95 kilograms) by 16.  “Doing the math” reveals that this person would need about 3,334 calories per day to maintain his bodyweight.  This might seem like a big number but a 209-pound person is a lot heavier than average and, therefore, requires a lot more calories than average to maintain that weight.

It’s difficult to tell the direction of your question beyond this since your sentence was truncated before finishing. Feel free to follow up.

MB

In building muscle while simultaneously losing fat, it’s important to have realistic expectations and to go about it the right way.

There’s a limit as to how much muscle an individual can gain in a given amount of time.  And it’s not as much as many people think.  In practical terms, this means that the weight gain shouldn’t exceed about one pound per week.  For most people, an increase of about one-half pound per week is probably more realistic.  If the weight gain is more than about one pound per week, it’s likely that at least some of the increase was in the form of fat, not muscle.

Similarly, there’s a limit as to how much fat an individual can lose in a given amount of time.  And similar to gaining weight, it’s not as much as many people think. In practical terms, this means that the weight loss shouldn’t exceed about two pounds per week.  For most people, a decrease of about one pound per week is probably more realistic.  If the weight loss is more than about two pounds per week, it’s likely that at least some of the decrease was in the form of muscle and/or water, not fat.

MB

To summarize, here’s your workout:

knee push-up 3 x 10-20

tricep dip 3 x 8-15

pike push-up 3 x 8-12

decline push-up 3 x 8-12

BW tricep 3 x 10-15

Based on the above, you’re doing a total of 15 sets for as many as 222 repetitions for one prime mover: the chest.

My suggestion would be to reduce the volume of exercises for the chest and aim for more of a total-body workout by including exercises for your hips and legs as well as your upper back (lats), shoulders and mid-section.

MB

The best way to get back into the gym after an injury is to start with very few exercises using very light weights for fairly high repetitions, paying particular attention to your technique. As you increase your confidence, you can increase the number of exercises and amount of weight while “normalizing” the number of repetitions.

Needless to say, you’d also be wise to avoid doing the barbell squat.  Remember, not everyone is “built” to do the barbell squat in a safe fashion.  The ideal squatter has short legs and a short torso.  Those features not only allow someone to squat heavier weights but to do so with much less risk than someone with less favorable biomechanics.

I think that this is a cautionary tale and grim reminder to fitness enthusiasts that you can suffer traumatic injuries in the fitness center in a number of different ways.  You can reduce your risk of injury by emphasizing good technique (raising and lowering the weight without any explosive or jerking movements); avoiding low-repetition sets (unless you’re a competitive weightlifter or powerlifter); and abstaining from exercises and/or programs that expose your joints to an excessive amount of orthopaedic stress.

MB

Well, one way to look at this is to consider your oxygen intake, a metric that’s perhaps the most widely accepted indicator of aerobic fitness.  There are a number of ways to accurately measure oxygen intake in a laboratory.  However, laboratory testing can be impractical, expensive and time-consuming (if this option is even available).

Fortunately, there’s another way to assess your oxygen intake without the inherent drawbacks of laboratory testing and that’s using a prediction equation.  To calculate your relative oxygen intake, you simply need to know your distance and time which in your case is 1.0 mile in 7.867 min (7:52 expressed as a decimal).

Based on those numbers, your oxygen intake is estimated to be about 44.41 mL/kg/min.  Now, whether or not that’s “decent” for a non-runner is based on age and gender.  For example, an “average” oxygen intake for a male in his 20s is between 44.0 and 51.0 mL/kg/min; for a female in her 20s, “average” is between 35.0 and 43.0 mL/kg/min.

So in my opinion, I’d say that a non-runner who completes a mile in 7:52 is a “decent” performance.

MB

The numbers on bathroom scales and height/weight charts – such as those used by life insurance companies to determine the cost of your policy – are poor indicators of how much someone should weigh at a certain height.  Rather, this should be determined by body composition, not bodyweight.

As an example, irrespective of height, the 50th percentile (median) for women in their 20s is a body-fat percentage of 22.1.

It’s unclear as to whether or not your sentence was truncated before finishing but it seems as if it has to do with the recommended weight of models in relation to their height. If so, just remember that nowadays, models come in all different shapes and sizes.

MB