Certified Personal Trainer - Here to help you out and give advice!

[Mrs.Pretty08]

Hi, Roxie, thank you for helping us, but I have a few questions if you do not mind.
I am 5'7, I weight 160, muscular athletic body, but I would like to lose some weight to make me feel better. I feel best around 145, because I look like I weight about 125 at that weight(because I am naturally athletic and toned), but I would like to remain toned and tone up more in my abdonimal area. I already go to the gym and work the circuits doing 3-reps of 12 on all of the machines and 25 minutes work of cardio, but I love to eat. Can you help me?

[PinkSkates]

Hey Roxie, where have you been?...you could have been helping me with my challenges!

[foxieroxienyc]

Originally Posted by mariathoma

Hey foxie, What is a good routine to get rid of back fat among other fatty areas? For the past month I've been walking on my treadmill for an hour at least 6 days a week. I eat a very clean diet but I allow myself a cheat meal on Saturday night. I already have lost 17 lbs. Is there anything else I should add to what I've been doing?

Sounds like you're off to a GREAT start! Congrats on the weight loss. The next thing you want to do to rev things up is to try interval training with your cardio. Cut your cardio training down to 1/2 hour. But that half hour you're going to warm up for about the first 5 mins. Then you are going to take yourself out of your comfort zone for 1 minute, on a scale of easy/med/hard you want it to feel like a medium-medium/hard. Then back off for another minute at a pace of easy. Keep doing this cycle for 25 mins, and take a cool down walk for the last 5 mins. You can make it harder by increasing your pace to a jog, or by upping your incline, OR BOTH.... However you choose. For the next 30 mins after that try adding some weights in a ciruit training style fashion to keep your heartrate up and to build strength. You don't even need any fancy equipment. For example you can do one set of each of the following:

1. Reverse Lunges + Side Lunges - 12-15 reps
2. Modified Push Up - To failure
3. Single Leg Bicep Curl - 12-15 reps
4. Reverse Lunge + Overhead Tricep Extension (dumbell) 12-15 reps
5. Jumping Jacks (25 reps)
6. 60 Second rest
Repeat 3-4 times.

Or whatever else you can come up with! Do that 3x a week. And the other days where you don't do that, you can do your walking on the treadmill for the hour. You can even try to push it by trying to take your walking up to a jog. Ultimately you want to keep your heartrate up, and also add some weight training to really see the changes you want.

Originally Posted by Mrs.Pretty08

Hi, Roxie, thank you for helping us, but I have a few questions if you do not mind.
I am 5'7, I weight 160, muscular athletic body, but I would like to lose some weight to make me feel better. I feel best around 145, because I look like I weight about 125 at that weight(because I am naturally athletic and toned), but I would like to remain toned and tone up more in my abdonimal area. I already go to the gym and work the circuits doing 3-reps of 12 on all of the machines and 25 minutes work of cardio, but I love to eat. Can you help me?

Mrs. Pretty, sounds like you and I have the same kind of body type. I'm VERY muscular (in a feminine way), but my body fat % is pretty low. So although I hover between 135-140, I look closer to 120-125 lbs. In order to see some added changes to your body, try to get off the machines. To burn the most amount of calories, and to really create some change you've got to move your body through space. Start off with increasing your cardio to about 30 mins, and try interval training as I had described above. Next since you're already lifting, you probably have some good strength within your muscles. But you want to now shift toward things that will challenge your body's core and stabilization systems. Switch over to the Free Motion machines at your gym. Add medicine ball work, the standing cables, and balance tools like the Airex Pad and Bosu. You can start moving exercises to the stabilty ball and also again as I've suggested doing simple things like bicep curls/shoulder presses/etc on the single leg. You always want to keep your body challenged, it is designed to adapt to the stimulus that you give it. That's why it's soo important to switch it up. Keep a look out, I'll try to post a few exercise programs for you guys to take and follow that will have pics and discriptions of everything. I'm going to try to post it by the end of this week and do it as a weekly to bi-weekly thing.

Originally Posted by pinkskates

Hey Roxie, where have you been?...you could have been helping me with my challenges!

Girl I've been hanging out in the hair section, lol. Now after almost a year here I'm actually acknowledging that there are other parts to this site, lol.

[Quty_Bug]

Okay, I have a question: Is it better to:

A. Run a 1.5 miles in 10/11 minutes (pushing hard and exhausted when I’m done)
B. Run 3 miles at a slower steady pace, and not be exhausted when I’m done.

I work out Mon. – Fri. mornings with my Beachbody DVD’s (Turbo Jam and Hip Hop Abs) and I run 3 days a week after work. I’m just not sure which route I should be taking when I do my runs after work. Those intervals that you talked about above sound interesting, maybe I should give that a try? Oh and my goal is to lose inches and weight.

Thank you!

[noemi]

Thanks Foxie!

I'm going to join the gym today and I'm going to create a spreadsheet with the exercises you recommended so that I can stay on track at the gym!

Originally Posted by foxieroxienyc

LOL, actually, I'm working on a Blog and a YouTube Channel geared toward just that... Teaching people how to rev up their workouts and mix it up. Most people get stuck in a rut with doing the same things day in and day out. At first it works, then they hit a plateau and eventually give up. I want to help folks learn how to keep the ball rolling.

As to how you can probably right now rev up your own workouts... Raising the amount of weight you're using is just one way of many to make things harder. If you want to bring in an element of core strength and balance (hence involving more muscles groups and burning more calories) try doing things standing on a single leg. So for instance do a bicep curl standing on one leg. Once that gets easy try the same thing on an Airex Pad (that blue squishy square that you see in a lot of gyms - it's a balance tool).



Once that gets easy try doing the same thing on the cable machines... The posibilites are endless. You can also throw in extra reps, and maybe an extra set to spice it up a bit and fatigue the muscle out a little more. Once you've mastered the above, tweak the amount of weight you're using, so if you're doing 5 lbs, then try 7 or 8...



Awesome question Noemi! You want to start off slow and controlled. In the fitness industry we consider people who don't work out at all and have a sedentary lifestyle (whether it's sitting at home or at work in front of a desk all day) deconditioned. So the recommendation for a beginner program for deconditioned adults is to incorparte about 20-25 mins of cardio up to 5x a week. I like to say on a scale of Easy/Medium/Hard you want the level of exertion to feel like a Medium. It's something that you CAN SUSTAIN over the entire duration of 20-25 mins, but it certainly takes you out of your comfort zone and you even may work up a sweat. You should be able to talk, but needing to catch you breath every few words. Follow this for about 3-4 weeks, and then work to slowly increase the amount of time you spend with the cardio by 5 mins each week. So weeks 1-3 do 20 mins/scale of Medium; week 4 - 25 mins/scale of Medium; week 5 and 6 - 30 mins scale of medium; etc etc. Next you want to also include weight training 3x a week, focus on Medium for the amount of exertion with the weights (so it will be light but not too light), 15-20 reps, 1-3 sets. Do your exercises in a CIRCUIT to keep your heartrate up, and take minimal rest periods which should last about 60-90 secs. Focus on maybe doing some machines for the first 2-3 weeks to work on form and muscle endurance, but you will definitely benefit more through doing exercises which will have your body moving through space. For example instead of the chest press machine do presses with dumbells or a barbell while laying down on a stabilty ball.



Instead of the leg press, do full bodyweight squats or lunges. Always remember to stretch afterwards as well, flexibility is just as important as the rest of the work you do and can help to prevent injury!

[tapioca_pudding]

Originally Posted by Quty_Bug

Okay, I have a question: Is it better to:

A. Run a 1.5 miles in 10/11 minutes (pushing hard and exhausted when I’m done)
B. Run 3 miles at a slower steady pace, and not be exhausted when I’m done.

I work out Mon. – Fri. mornings with my Beachbody DVD’s (Turbo Jam and Hip Hop Abs) and I run 3 days a week after work. I’m just not sure which route I should be taking when I do my runs after work. Those intervals that you talked about above sound interesting, maybe I should give that a try? Oh and my goal is to lose inches and weight.

Thank you!

Kinda piggybacking off that question, I want to start sprinting (uphill) to boost my rear and to improve my speed. If I cut out my long jogs and focus on sprinting, will I still lose body fat at the same rate?

My overall goal is to become lean with some muscle definition.

Thank you.

[msdeevee]

Hi Foxieroxie,

It is really great of you to do this.

I am trying to get certified now as a trainer through NASM. I am a very smart woman but I find this course to be so difficult esp. the vocab. I'm on my 2nd extension now and I'm losing hope.

I've had a setback with my weight and finding it hard to get it together.

I wanted to specialize in training older women showing them that you can get fit no matter what age you are and that you don't have to run marathons and such to do it.

I guess I really don't have a question just had to vent my frustrations for a minute .

Congrats on your success.

[devin]

I am so glad you posted this! I have been losing weight with weight watchers and have lost 16.8 lbs thus far. I realized that I must incorporate exercise in order to continue losing weight. I used to have a really great trainer, but right now I can't afford one, so I use the Hip Hop Abs dvd's to workout 3-5 times a week. I am 5'2" and 142 lbs, but I guess I have more muscle than I think, because no one ever thinks I weigh that much. I am bottom heavy(butt, hips and thighs). What can I do at home to amp up my workout routine? I have weights(I currently use 2 lb, but I have 5 and 10 lb), a balance ball, and resistance bands. What can I do with those tools to get me toned? Thanks again for your help!

[foxieroxienyc]

Originally Posted by Quty_Bug

Okay, I have a question: Is it better to:

A. Run a 1.5 miles in 10/11 minutes (pushing hard and exhausted when I’m done)
B. Run 3 miles at a slower steady pace, and not be exhausted when I’m done.

I work out Mon. – Fri. mornings with my Beachbody DVD’s (Turbo Jam and Hip Hop Abs) and I run 3 days a week after work. I’m just not sure which route I should be taking when I do my runs after work. Those intervals that you talked about above sound interesting, maybe I should give that a try? Oh and my goal is to lose inches and weight.

Thank you!

I like to suggest interval training for people who are already on a cardio program and need to rev it up. You don't have to do cardio for hours to see results. You can try to up the intensity a bit and find other ways (like weight training, or a group ex class, or anything else you can thing of) to challenge your body. You can still go on those distance runs, maybe instead of the 3 days a week you can do 1-2x a week of it for a while and take longer runs to increase the intensity with that (add on 5-10 mins every few weeks). But mix in the intervals for something new and to keep your body guess on the other days. Also I cannot stress enough how much training with weights can change your body and make you loose inches and body fat! You don't have to train hard and heavy, just some circuits and super-sets and you'll be all set. And you won't bulk up either.

Originally Posted by kels823

Kinda piggybacking off that question, I want to start sprinting (uphill) to boost my rear and to improve my speed. If I cut out my long jogs and focus on sprinting, will I still lose body fat at the same rate?

My overall goal is to become lean with some muscle definition.

Thank you.

Yes you will in fact. You will be burning just as much energy, and maybe even more so in a shorter amount of time because of the fact alone that not only are you running faster at maximal exertion, but you are also putting that run on an incline which is really forcing your glutes, hamstrings, quads, and calves to REALLY work and engage. If you are running on a grassy surface, that will also bring in a balance element and get your core involved as well. Why, because it's more unstable and your body has to use it's proprioceptive system to keep you from falling over. More muscle groups get involved. By all means go for that sprint! Also mix in some lunges (in all 3 planes of motion, meaning take reverse lunges, forward lunges, side lunges, and lunges on the diagonal), step ups are great too! And lets not forget squats. These motions are great for toning (and strengthening) the legs!

Originally Posted by msdeevee

Hi Foxieroxie,

It is really great of you to do this.

I am trying to get certified now as a trainer through NASM. I am a very smart woman but I find this course to be so difficult esp. the vocab. I'm on my 2nd extension now and I'm losing hope.

I've had a setback with my weight and finding it hard to get it together.

I wanted to specialize in training older women showing them that you can get fit no matter what age you are and that you don't have to run marathons and such to do it.

I guess I really don't have a question just had to vent my frustrations for a minute .

Congrats on your success.

No probs and thanks soooo much! YOU CAN STILL DO THAT! NASM is a very HARD certification to pass. There's a lot of info, it's really physiologicially intense. It's cutting edge in the way it approaches program design. It ain't easy. My background in anatomy and kenesiology at least lifted some of the burden off of studying where I could breeze through that section and really focus on the nitty gritty about program design and special populations (which the women you are interested in training fall under).

What I would say is to just watch the CD-ROM lectures as you go though the text. Follow it as though it is a class, and SET TIME FOR THE CD ROM AND TO STUDY. Make flash cards and just keep going over the info, particularly making note of the info that you are most unsure of. Find a study group whether it is a trainer you know who is certified or a group of trainers who are preparing for the test. DO THE WORKBOOK, and DO IT AGAIN, and AGAIN AND AGAIN. I actually didn't write in mine until the week of the test, but I would go over the questions for each chapter each week and answer them on a seperate piece of paper. Eventually the info will stick in your head. Watch the DVD's that break down the info (that's seperate from the CD-Rom which is an actual NASM class type format). Take the online practice test... THEN TAKE IT AGAIN, AND THEN AGAIN, AND THEN AGAIN AND AGAIN, until you are passing it with flying colors. Make note of the anwers you get wrong and figure out and understand why you got it wrong - go back and look at the material on that chapter.

That's the way you practice for NASM. You've really got to dedicate a lot of time for it if the info is unfamiliar to you. I passed the test with flying colors, it wasn't as hard as I thought it would be actually, lol. In fact, some of the questions on the test are the SAME questions (sometimes reworded sometimes not) as the practice exam and the workbook materials.

If want to take a break from NASM and get certified with another organization, look into ACE. It's like the next step down, but a good starter certification which isn't as intense, but at least you will get a good foundation and get the basic info needed to be able to fully understand the NASM material. Before NASM came around, ACE was one of the top certs.

Originally Posted by devin

I am so glad you posted this! I have been losing weight with weight watchers and have lost 16.8 lbs thus far. I realized that I must incorporate exercise in order to continue losing weight. I used to have a really great trainer, but right now I can't afford one, so I use the Hip Hop Abs dvd's to workout 3-5 times a week. I am 5'2" and 142 lbs, but I guess I have more muscle than I think, because no one ever thinks I weigh that much. I am bottom heavy(butt, hips and thighs). What can I do at home to amp up my workout routine? I have weights(I currently use 2 lb, but I have 5 and 10 lb), a balance ball, and resistance bands. What can I do with those tools to get me toned? Thanks again for your help!

First off congrats on your weight loss! And girrrl you have ALL YOU NEED to start a great program. Ideas for your stability ball (SB) are:

Resistance Band Squat to Overhead Shoulder Press

SB Dumbell Chest Press (as shown in the pic I posted earlier in this thread)
Standing Bent Over Dumbell Row


Single Leg Squat with Toe Reach


Side Lunges + Bicep Curl


SB Tricep Extension


You can perform 2-3 sets of each, 12-15 reps for what your goals are. Minimal rests of 45-60 secs between each set. Or do each as a circuit with only 60-90 secs between each circuit. Same amount of sets/reps. I suggest circuits because for weight loss this is one of the best ways to get a better bang for your buck and burn lots of calories. Keep yourself challenged, scale of easy medium hard, it should feel like a medium and by the end a medium/hard. This will get you started, and it will be important to keep the challenge up when your body adapts to what you're giving it!

[msdeevee]

Thanx Foxie!! great info.

I'm mad at myself that I paid for the NASM cert first. I saw it mentioned it Essence and I jumped on it w/o researching as this is something that I've wanted to do forever. Not just to help others and make money but to get my own personal fitness goals in line. I have struggled with my weight all my life.

I wish that I had paid for the ACE certification first...at the rate I'm going with NASM, it seems like it will be a lot of money wasted. I have until 12/14 to take the test so I'll try very hard to do it.

You're very helpful, Thanx again