The Strength Training Critic Blog

I dont want to have to go to the gym then put my child in day care. I have horrible vision about my son losing his fingers or hands with treadmills in the house so that is out of the question.So what is the safest exercise equipment to have in the house with a toddler?

A rowing machine, or something else low to the floor. You don’t want him climbing on things. An exercise ball is maybe not the equipment you are looking for, but it offers a great workout for your core muscles, and it’s soft, so you could play with your son with it, too. How about a swing set, and you could do pushups, that kind of thing, on the play set while your child plays? You want something safe but usable, and maybe double duty.

I have a lot of weight to lose and hear conflicting info as to what helps you burn fat the fastest. Some say cardio, some say weight training. Should I focus more on one than the other?

Do both equally. Cardio does burn a great amount of calories. However, that doesn’t mean weight training is without benefit.

Weight training strengthens and builds muscle (although women don’t get bulky at all unless they’re on steroids).

An added benefit of increased muscle mass is increased metabolism which burns fat even faster, meaning weight is lost faster.

Doing a combination of both cardio & weight training will give the best results.

I am a traveling musician and would like to be able to work out on the road, but find I am having a hard time performing one core exercise in particular. Is there any good, HIGHLY PORTABLE piece of workout equipment allowing me to perform pulldowns with a progressively increasing weight (starting at about 100 lbs.) along with the rest of the most basic of the weight-lifting exercises? Thanks!

How about resistance bands? You can probably do an exercise equivalent to pull downs with the bands, like putting them on your feet and pulling up!

Talk about extremely light weight and portable…

Good luck with whatever you decide!

I work in my own business and do not have time to go to the gym throughout the day, and have no energy for it at night. As part of my job I walk dogs several times a day, so my cardio is good, but I have no way to do any strength training. Any suggestions??
- Clarification: I would like to know ways I can do strength training at my job – exercises that build muscle and such…

yeup 2 ideas, work out before work, i know it sucks but you gatta want it

if you can’t do that

make sure you getting 20-30carbs in the morning (starchy, like half a grapefruit with 6eggwhites 2 yolks). this will spike your insulin and you will get a good glycogen store for the day which should give you more energy to do it at night. a protein shake before and after lunch (2hrs) will help a ton as well.

other than that i don’t know what your looking for here, you basically said you want to do strength training but you cant.

I want to buy an exercise equipment for my home. i have a small room so take in mind that it can’t be too big. I dont want a sitting machine but i would like a cardio type thing that would lose the weight/tone my stomach, abs, thigh, ass…. basically i would like my body to be awesome for a bathingsuit. lol.
obviously i dont want something expensive. in fact i was thinking of getting something off of amazon or craigslist or soemthing

THANKS!!!

You don’t want to sit, yet a rowing machine will be the best for what you want. Maybe you should reconsider.

I’ve been training for about 3 months now and I have lost about 2.5% body fat but I am curious about what are some good excersizes/machines/intensitys on certain machines to burn fat.

Also any stretches for post workout?

its good to stretch before and after a workout…before is critical to prevent injury especially as you age….good cardio exercises include: running, walking, jogging,,hiking, the eliptical, the stationary bike(and regular bike) and swimming..lifting weights also helps you burn fat but cardio is probably your best bet…but be sure to do a combination of both…a good stretch that most people dont do is called the seal stretch..it stretches the lower back..the abdominal rectus.. and the seratus….its improves posture too….make sure you do stretches correctly..they are not meant to put you in pain….and also dont move fast when stretching..you could really do damage to your muscle spindles…. much luck with reaching your goals

I want to strength train my way to a 6pack nothing but strength training exercises and keeping my calories low..That would be my cardio, and over time have it come off that way. Possible?

Well the general rule is muscle cells burn far more calories than fat cells even at rest, sure you probably know that. You’d probably need to eat healthy and not undergo too much of a calorie deficit to keep your muscles growing. As for the 6 pack, we all have a 6 pack, just got to get rid of the fat so y’can see it!

So in short: more muscle = more fat burning potential.
be sure to use heavy weights and actually challenge your muscles and give them a chance to rest.

edit: For more effective fat loss from your entire body you should target the larger muscle groups (legs, chest, back) and do more complex exercises like squats and push-ups. Squats (with weights) are fantastic

I’m 15. I wanna get a six pack but I need to burn off the fat (I can feel my muscles when I do crunches).
I want to get them by the end of this summer (three months) and I run twice a week, 4 miles (two miles under 20 twenty minutes).
I have some fat and love handles but I have toned legs and thighs and I weigh like 160.
I haven’t drank soda for months and try to eat healthy and drink medium amounts of water.
I cannot diet well because my parents don’t listen and mostly buy only junk food.
I have a busy schedule.

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If you want to lose weight, Don’t Use Diet Pills. 
They are bad for you. Most of them are just a scam or they are addictive. Counting calories is a pain in the butt.  It will drive you nuts. But, losing weight is simple. You just have to do the right things. 
 Fad diets sometimes work but, you can be sure that at least 25% of the weight you lose will be muscle. Then when you stop the diet you will gain back all of the weight you lost but no muscle. So, you will have 25% more fat than you did before! Fad diets just
aren’t worth the bother. 
 Fasting or skipping meals will teach your body that famine is about to happen and your body will begin to store more fat to get you through the next period when food is not available. 
 Here’s a simple trick that can help you lose weight without doing anything else. Drink a litre of water as soon as you wake up in the morning and then drink two more throughout the day. You’ll notice a difference the first month. 
 Here’s a better way. For every pound of muscle that you add your body will burn 3000 calories (1lb) of fat every day. That means that just by having an extra pound of muscle on your body you will burn a pound of fat every day! So, add muscle! 
 This is the fastest way to add a pound of muscle. Squats and Pushups! You do them on alternate days; squats one day, pushups the next. And you do them SuperSlow style. That is, you do the easy part twice as slow as the hard part. That way you fatigue the muscles quickly. Then you rest the muscles for 48
hours which gives the body a chance to make new muscles.
Squats should be done with a wide stance and all the way to the floor. Pushups the with palms shoulder width apart and all the way to the floor, then all the way up. Use the full range of motion of the muscle group you are trying to develop.
The idea is to tire the muscles out completely so do a set of squats until you can’t do another, then rest for a couple of minutes and do it again. Do that 3 times and you’re done for the day. The following day, don’t do squats but do pushups. Do them the same way,
go down twice as slow as you come up.
You will lose weight fast, unless you add more junk food and fat to your diet. Instead, eat at least 5 to 7 different raw vegetables and fruits every day. Cut out anything that comes in a bag or package. Cut out all processed foods, soft drinks and sweets. Eat more grains and less red meat. Check out the Food Pyramid.
If you really want to give your body the best
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 Weight loss without exercise is not good. You need to eat healthy, exercise and get your rest. You will feel better, look better and be healthier. Try it for a week. You will notice a difference. You will feel better and that will motivate you to continue. 
 Losing weight only in specific areas of the body is impossible.  You can’t just lose weight around the belly, for instance. 
 If you want tight, rippled abs, do crunches and leg raises every other day the way I described above. 
Good luck!
Cheeck these links:
http://www.hc-sc.gc.ca/fn-an/food-guide-aliment/index_e.html
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Food_guide_pyramid
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I’ve gained about 20 pounds in the last year and have also developed plantar fasciitis in my right foot. I’m currently doing stretching exercises and wearing shoe inserts. I had planned to start walking but that’s not an option right now. What is the best cardio exercise equipment for me that won’t put unnecessary pressure on my foot?

Aqua Jogging, go to the local swimming pool and see if they run classes. Best of Luck

I’m 30 years old and female, 5′4" and 160 pounds. I gained 25 of those pounds in the last 6 years or so. (And I’ve had no pregnancies to excuse me!)

My blood pressure, cholesterol and heart rate are all in very healthy parameters.

I’m pretty happy with my diet. I generally eat about 1400-2000 calories per day of whole foods with just a little junk. I’m trying to cut down on the trash, which should save me a couple hundred calories per day.

My question: Will I lose any of this extra 25 pounds by walking and weight training? I am planning on walking about 45 minutes per day, at a brisk 4 mph pace, five or six days per week. My strength training routine is four days a week and comes from Wini Linguvic’s "Lean, Long & Strong." It’s not strenuous, but it is comprehensive.

Thank you!

Definitely….You should do cardio for about 30minutes a day so 45 minutes of walking is good and one of the best ways to lose weight is by gaining muscle since it raises your metabolism and BMR so you burn more calories while resting…sounds like a good plan good luck and don’t quit on it and you’ll accomplish your goals i lost 40lbs in 4 months because of my weight training and 30 minutes of cardio and of course eating healthier but not starving myself