Strength training is an integral part of your fitness program. Listed below are some answers to commonly asked questions that will guide you toward success.

What is strength training?

Will I lose weight from strength training?

How many times a week should I strength train?

What exercises should I be performing?

How long should my strength training sessions last in duration?

Does lifting weights make women bulky?

What is the difference between machines and free weights?

How much weight should I use when lifting?

How many sets and repetitions should I perform when weight training?

Is it possible to do weights and cardio in the same workout?

Should I warm-up before I exercise?

What is the difference between isolation and compound exercises?

What are supersets?

What if I'm stuck on the same weight for weeks?

Why are my arms the first body part to get fatigued when lifting?

How do I know if I'm overtraining?

Will more fat be burned if I do upper or lower body exercises?

I want to get rid of my love handles. Is their an exercise to target that area?

What is the difference between aerobic and anaerobic?

Is it better to train the whole body, or should I alternate muscle groups?

I'm doing a group weight training class at my local gym, I am eating properly, and I am doing cardio exercise, yet I still do not look different. Why?

Why is it taking me longer to get into shape then this other guy in the gym? I'm doing exactly what he is doing.

 Q: Will I lose weight from strength training?
A: Yes. Having said that, you must understand that there are two types of tissue that make up your weight. These tissues are fat and muscle. When you initially step on your scale after a couple weeks of weight training, it may appear that you are losing only about a pound a week or you might be gaining weight. The weight scale does not accurately represent what is taking place in your body. Muscle is a highly active, dense, tissue that weighs more then fat and additionally takes up 5 times less space.

Strength training in essence helps you lose fat / weight or in other words, decreases your body fat, while increasing your lean body mass (LBM). Lean Body Mass is the amount of muscle your body is composed of without fat. Just because you are not losing a significant amount of weight doesn't mean you are not on your way to having a better body. Just pay attention to how your clothes fit. If you are training properly, they should feel loose.

A good analogy to help you understand muscle weight versus fat weight is if you were to compare a soft ball to a beach ball. A softball (muscle) is heavier, yet significantly smaller. A beach ball (fat) is lighter, but noticebly bigger.
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 Q: How many times a week should I strength train?
A: You can train your body everyday, as long as you are fatiguing different muscles. However, for people first starting a weight training program a good frequency to start out is 2-3 times a week. Once you become more advanced, you may increase this by a day or two, although it may not be necessary.
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 Q: What exercises should I be performing?
A: You should generally do exercises that are going to strengthen your weaker muscles to avoid muscle imbalances. For example, a lot of men do bench press and biceps curls more then any other exercise and in some cases it is the only exercises they do. Besides having a big chest and arms they are creating a huge problem for themselves. Since the muscles of the back are being neglected, the muscles of the chest and front shoulders are much stronger than the upper back. This causes the shoulders to shift forward and also results in the back muscles tightening. This muscle imbalance causes incorrect posture and is also responsible for back pain.

You need to balance your exercises to avoid this. Before you start exercising, you should know what muscles of your body are weakest. If you are unsure about this or you do not know how to perform particular exercises it would be wise to seek professional guidance.
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 Q: How long should my strength training sessions last in duration?
A: Typically your sessions should last one hour. After an hour your testosterone levels decrease and your cortisol levels increase. Testosterone is the hormone responsible for building muscle. Cortisol is a hormone that destroys your muscle tissue and stores fat in its place. The reason is because you are putting to much stress on the body.

Another reason for limiting your routine to an hour is because your glycogen (stored carbohydrates) diminishes as well. Glycogen is the fuel you need to exercise effectively with lasting strength. Unless you are a bodybuilder, working out beyond an hour is basically a waste of time. You need to use the time after exercise for rest and recovery.
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 Q: Does lifting weights make women bulky?
A: No. Since women have much less testosterone, it is not possible for them to get bulky unless they are taking anabolic steroids. Having said that, the only way women may appear to look bulky or thicker than normal is if they are not doing their entire fitness program correctly.

For example, let's say a woman starts a strength training program with her body fat percentage above 35 percent. If she fails to do cardiovascular exercise and additionally has poor nutritional habits. Overtime her body may get bulky. Cardio and good nutrition help stimulate fat burning and must be done in addition to lifting weights. If both of these components are neglected, the bulkiness will become more evident because the existing fat surrounding the muscle will expand from the muscle being built underneath the fat tissue. To avoid this, you must combine consistent cardio exercise and healthy eating to your program.
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 Q: What is the difference between machines and free weights?
A: Machines target the specific muscles you work while overloading them in a 2 dimensional environment rather than 3 dimensional. They put a greater force on one muscle at a time rather then a combination of muscles. Machines also are designed for people who are new to exercise. They can perform exercises on machines with a lesser degree of difficulty than free weights, thus making them feel safer.

When training with free weights you have to know what you are doing, because you are working against gravity instead of having your range of motion guided for you. You are working additional muscles including the ones you are isolating. These other muscles help stabilize your body for support. It is important to have someone spot for you when using free weights to avoid injury. Both methods are very effective for building a strong, muscular body.
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 Q: How much weight should I use when lifting?
A: This depends on your goals. Heavy weight builds strength, whereas low weight burns fat. Generally, it does not matter how much the weight may be, as long as you lift it as many times as you can until you are feeling a good burn (lactic acid) in your muscles, and you are pushing yourself to your maximum limit each time you exercise. If you do not keep a record of the weight you are performing each session, or if you repeatedly do the same weight over and over, you will not force your body to change.

Consequently, you will not see results or become stronger because your body will force itself to adapt to the unchallenging program you are putting it through. It is very important to track the weight you are using and be progressive with your workouts to avoid hitting a plateau.
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 Q: How many sets and repetitions should I perform when weight training?
A: You should generally perform 12-20 repetitions and 2-3 sets at a time for each exercise if your goal is to burn fat. If you are trying to build strength your reps should be within 8-12 repetitions while your sets should range from 1-2.
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 Q: Is it possible to do weights and cardio in the same workout?
A: Yes. If you are going to do both of these exercises in the same workout, it would be more beneficial to do weight training first, then your cardio. When you lift first, you are able to maximize your glycogen fuel so you have a productive workout. After you burn off your glycogen, your body primarily uses fatty acids for fuel. This is why cardio is effective afterwards.

If you were to perform cardio exercise initially, you would not have enough stamina left over to do your strength training routine, and you will tire more easily. In addition, you would not be able to burn fat productively because your body has to use your existing blood sugar (glycogen) before it can burn a higher percentage of fat.
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 Q: Should I warm-up before I exercise?
A: Absolutely. Anytime you are about to exercise, your muscles will always be cold and tight before you start. When you warm up, you are doing just that. You are increasing the temperature of your body or preparing it to be more coordinated and flexible, so you reduce the possibility of injury.

A good analogy would be to pretend your body is a rubber band in the freezer. If you take the band out of the freezer and pull or twist on it, it will break. However, if you put the rubber band in a warm glass of water and then try the same thing, you will find out that it is much more elastic and maneuverable. Warming up, treats your body the same way.
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 Q: What is the difference between isolation and compound exercises?
A: Isolation exercises are single-joint exercises that primarily work one muscle. Compound exercises are double-joint exercises that work more than one muscle at a time. Some examples of isolations include the following: biceps curl, triceps kickbacks, front raises, lateral raises, chest flys, reverse flys, leg extension, leg curl, and calf raises. Some examples of compounds are: squats, lunges, dead lifts, leg presses, bench press, lat pull-downs, upper back rows, and shoulder presses.
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 Q: What are supersets?
A: Supersets are performing exercises with little to no rest in between sets. Its an effective way to workout without taking a lot of time and it is also a great way to push your muscles to their maximum capacity. Types of supersets include pre-exhaust and post-exhaust. When doing a pre-exhaust routine you do an isolation movement first followed by a compound exercise. Example would be chest flys followed by chest presses. Post-exhaust are compounds first, then the isolation. Example would be squats, then a leg extension done afterwards.
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 Q: What if I'm stuck on the same weight for weeks?
A: This primarily means your body is hitting a plateau. Or in other words, you are not being progressive with your workouts which are causing your body to adapt.

The best way to get out of this rut is to change your exercise routine. If you have been using machines for a while, try doing some free weight exercises, then cables, then bands, then calisthenics, and while you are at it throw some cardio in between sets. The possibilities are endless. Your body is too smart to do the same thing repeatedly; you need to keep it guessing.
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 Q: Why are my arms the first body part to get fatigued when lifting?
A: It could be because you are new to fitness and you need to become more accustomed with working your muscles. When you do upper body exercises you are either pushing or pulling. Your arms are composed of the triceps muscle which are used for the pushing and the biceps for the pulling. Since you are always using your arms for upper body work, they will always fatigue sooner than you're other muscles.

The key is to stay consistent with training and always use proper form. Overtime you will notice that your arms will not play the weak link role as much. Instead your body will start to tire as a whole because all of your muscles will be able to work together.
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 Q: How do I know if I'm overtraining?
A: You usually know if you're overtraining because your body is constantly tired. The reason for this is because you are working out too frequently without properly feeding your body the essential nutrients it needs. In addition, you are not allowing your body to rest and recover leaving your body vulnerable to injury.

You must understand that the more strenuous activity or exercise you place on your body, the more proper foods you have to eat. The same goes for rest. For strength training it's ideal to wait 48 to 72 hours before you work the same muscles again. Cardio is not as hard on your body, so you can do it everyday, but again you must feed your body correctly. It is recommended that you get 7-9 hours of sleep for your recovery time.
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 Q: Will I burn more fat if I do upper or lower body exercises?
A: You burn more calories doing lower body exercises because you are working larger muscles. However, that doesn't mean you should constantly do leg workouts. You should always balance your workouts to avoid muscle imbalances.
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 Q: I want to get rid of my love handles, is their an exercise to target that area?
A: This question pertains to spot reducing and it has always been a common misconception in the fitness industry. You cannot burn fat in specific areas of your body from a particular exercise. Most people are under the impression that doing crunches or oblique twists will get rid of body fat around their mid section.

This simply will not work. They may be able to develop stronger abdominals, but they will not lose the fat that sits above it.

To lose those love handles you must combine progressive strength training, cardio exercise, and good nutritional habits. These 3 components are all you need to be successful. You must understand that your body burns fat globally not locally.
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 Q: What is the difference between aerobic and anaerobic?
A: Aerobic means "with oxygen". Aerobic exercise is any activity that is continuous in movement at a low intensity for more than 2 minutes in duration. Walking, jogging, running, biking, rollerblading or swimming are all good examples of aerobic exercise. Your body primarily burns fatty acids when performing this activity.

Anaerobic means "without oxygen". Anaerobic exercise is any activity that involves high intensity quick movements that are constantly stopping and going. Weight training, power lifting, sprinting, football, basketball, baseball, and tennis are prime examples of anaerobic exercise. Your body primarily burns sugar when doing this exercise.
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 Q: Is it better to train the whole body, or should I alternate muscle groups?
A: When you train your entire body, it's tougher for each muscle group to perform as efficiently because your body fatigues sooner. Training the back and buttocks uses much more energy than exercising the back and biceps. That's not to say that training the entire body is not effective, you can still achieve great results. Just don't get down on yourself if you cannot do a specific exercise productively.

When you alternate lower and upper you are able to maximize each exercise with better intensity and accompany that with precision form. You are also not as susceptible to exhaustion because you are balancing the muscles you workout. So, I would say both methods are equally good. Just choose what's best for your goals.
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 Q: I'm am doing a group weight training class at my local gym, I am eating properly, and I am doing cardio exercise, yet I still do not look different. Why?
A: The reason for this absence of change is because your weight training class is not pushing your body hard enough. When this happens your body adapts because it has become too efficient with what you are doing. You have to force your body to change. The only way to increase muscle and strength is if you are pushing your muscles to their maximum capabilities. This doesn't mean you should do heavy weight. It means you should challenge your body to its highest threshold.

When you do this, you will be able to transform your body for that sculpted look you want. Classes are an effective way to get a great aerobic workout; however they are not designed for building muscle. The best way to build muscle is through intense and progressive resistance training with machines, free weights or other types of resistance.
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 Q: Why is it taking me longer to get into shape then this other guy in the gym? I'm doing exactly what he is doing.
A: This is always frustrating for some people. The main reason why you are taking longer than this other person is because your genetics are different than his. This doesn't mean you cannot build a great body, you can, you just have to be patient and not compare yourself.

There are 3 different body types that everyone is born with. They are known as ectomorph, mesomorph, and endomorph. Ectomorphs are usually lean, tall, long limbed, small jointed, skinny and full of energy. Mesomorphs are naturally lean, muscular, broad shouldered, medium jointed, and have small waists. Endomorphs usually carry more body fat, are large jointed, have short tapering arms and legs, and usually have wide waists.
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