The Strength Training Critic Blog

I’m trying to lose weight. I’m only 15 years old and it’s hard for me to go to a gym or to buy exercise equipment to exercise in the house. The only thing really holding me back from going on a diet is exercise because i know it’s hard to lose weight without exercise. Could someone help me?

there are actually a variety of ways you can exercise that don’t require any type of specialized equipment. you can do calasentics (e.g. jumping jacks, running in place, push-ups, sit-ups, etc.)
cardio is always a good thing to do whether you’re trying to shed pounds or not. start by going for short but brisk walks. as you build up your stamina start jogging/running.
another good workout is circuit training. its actually not that hard to do and it can help you keep from getting bored.
if you’re looking for alternatives to weight training you can use can goods. another suggestion is to get an empty milk carton (the plastic jugs work best) because you can adjust the weight by the amount of water you add. it might not seem heavy but after a few reps you’ll start to feel it. besides low weight and high reps is good for losing weight. if you need any help with setting up a circuit training e-mail me, i have experience in that area. but before you start any kind of diet or exercise program you should really consult your doctor just to make sure you do it safely.

I dont know if i worded the question correctly.

Lets say I eat a slice of pizza and then a half hour later I swim laps. Is it possible to burn off the fat/calories that I ate in the pizza before they have time to get processed through the body? Or is the fat that is burned during exercise stored fat?

It would make sense to me that after burning ‘new fat’ (the fat from the slice of pizza) that after that new fat is burned, THEN stored fat begins being burned off. Is that how it works?

Your body has to get more calories than it uses to store the energy, that is how we gain or lose weight. Regardless of whether what you eat is fat calories or complex carbohydrates it is the same thing. If you exercise and burn more than you ate then you do not gain weight. Your idea of burning the calories before you digest them is not the way it works. You can not burn off calories before they leave your digestive track. You do not burn off the new calories while they are in your stomach or intestines. So if you are counting calories and exercising eat healthy and you can control your weight.

I alternate between intervals and just fartleks/tempo runs/anything not intervals every other day. I have been reading alot about strength training recently and I would like to improve my core strength as well as some other areas. Should I do this strength training every day on different areas, or every few days on the same areas or what? Also, should I focus on just upper/core strength or should I work on my legs as well? Because I figure mmy legs are already getting enough of a workout from running and hills.

Core strength could be done every to every other day. Here are some core training tips:
Make sure you work all your abdominal muscles- upper and lower obliques and lower back. Go to these links for some exercises:
* http://www.beginnertriathlete.com/cms/ar… (scroll down a little bit to see the exercises)
* http://www.runnersworld.com/video/index….
* http://www.runnersworld.com/article/0,71…
* http://www.runnersworld.com/article/0,71…
* http://www.runnersworld.com/article/0,71…
* http://www.runnersworld.com/article/0,71…
* http://www.runnersworld.com/article/0,71…
The two from runnersworld.com are just a couple of the many they have. If you go to runnersworld.com and search abdominal workouts, it comes up with a whole page!

Our XC team incorporated strength training into one workout and one cross training. You don’t want to "bulk up" as a runner, you only want to "tone". For the cross training day we lifted weights, focusing a lot on our arms but also a little on our legs. Then we’d bike or swim, etc. For the regular workout days we’d call it "embedded circuits." We’d do light "tempo run" (2-4 miles at moderate pace), then a light weight lift (again, mainly arms but some legs too). In between ea. set of weight lifting we’d do 1 min. of cardio (bike riding sprints, jump rope, stairs, etc). We’d finish with another light "tempo run."

These are the exercises we did (in muscle group pairs):
- arms: shoulder press, arnold press, lateral raises, tricep kickbacks, one arm dumbell curls, upright rows, shrugs, and pull ups
- legs: squats, hamstring push ups, calf raises, hip adduction & abduction, & side leg lift
- we’d also do our core workout then, with cardio in between ea. pair.
- i don’t have links for the exact exercises, but I have other weight training links here:
* http://www.runnersworld.com/article/0,7120,s6-238-263-266-11152-0,00.html
* http://www.runnersworld.com/article/0,7120,s6-241-285–9915-0,00.html
* http://www.runnersworld.com/article/0,7120,s6-238-263-266-9211-0,00.html
* http://www.runnersworld.com/article/0,7120,s6-238-263-266-7522-0,00.html
* any article from runnersworld.com (especially in the strength and cross training tab under training)

Hi,
I started running on the treadmill, i do 40 mins at night time. 10 mins of running and 30 mins of fast/slow walking.
I like to get another exercise equipment, just so i can rotate what i do everyday. My main aim is to loose weigh. I am 200pounds, 5,10 height. Which equipment do you think it’s worth it to buy? i’m not looking towards spending a lot of money.
thanks

An exercise bike can be a worthwhile investment. Get one that’s of good quality, say in the price range of $300- $500.

An exercise ball is another good choice – it’s cheap and helps you heaps in strength training.

And dumbbells for weight lifting- cheap and very effective in boosting muscle growth.

Here’s more insight into exercise equipment: http://www.perfect-body-toning.com/home-gym-exercise-equipment.html

Do you use weights? If so what kind and how often?

What do you use to build strength in your training?

For weight training I use Olympic style lifts, in a circuit work out.

I switch up my circuit and lifting routines about every 6 or 7 weeks. I do a lot of different programs.

Here is a quick example:

http://answers.yahoo.com/question/index;_ylt=AjDqi21Fbi6d85mI1inH5t7ty6IX?qid=20070821110102AAYC6aa&show=7#profile-info-O9HkXTRmaa

I rotate between weight training, and plyometric circuits. For 6 weeks I will do weights, 6 weeks plyos, 6 weeks another weight program.

All of them I do are circuit workouts, all are explosive power type of lifts. My reps are fast, and explosive as I can be, I want fast twitch muscle as opposed to bulk. So a lot of "norms" I don’t follow.

I stay away from any slow sets, doing super slow lifts. I don’t go too high up in weight on anything except my legs. I am less concerned with exact technique as I am with explosion. For example on bench press, I am more concerned with blowing it off my chest then I am pressing it in a controlled manner all the way up.

That is just my routine, I also like to do Spartan type training here and there, and throwing the medicine ball around, planks, etc. Lots of core stuff.

Do you use weights? If so what kind and how often?

What do you use to build strength in your training?

For weight training I use Olympic style lifts, in a circuit work out.

I switch up my circuit and lifting routines about every 6 or 7 weeks. I do a lot of different programs.

Here is a quick example:

http://answers.yahoo.com/question/index;_ylt=AjDqi21Fbi6d85mI1inH5t7ty6IX?qid=20070821110102AAYC6aa&show=7#profile-info-O9HkXTRmaa

I rotate between weight training, and plyometric circuits. For 6 weeks I will do weights, 6 weeks plyos, 6 weeks another weight program.

All of them I do are circuit workouts, all are explosive power type of lifts. My reps are fast, and explosive as I can be, I want fast twitch muscle as opposed to bulk. So a lot of "norms" I don’t follow.

I stay away from any slow sets, doing super slow lifts. I don’t go too high up in weight on anything except my legs. I am less concerned with exact technique as I am with explosion. For example on bench press, I am more concerned with blowing it off my chest then I am pressing it in a controlled manner all the way up.

That is just my routine, I also like to do Spartan type training here and there, and throwing the medicine ball around, planks, etc. Lots of core stuff.

I know that in order to effectivly burn fat I should keep my heart rate at around 75%-80% of my max heart rate. But when I run my heart rate goes higher. So how can i burn fat while running?

Several possibilities here. First, you max heart rate might be higher than the formulas you’re using are indicating. Those formulas can be way off for some people. For me, the formulas would indicate a max heart rate that’s 30 beats slower than my actual max. The second possibility is that you’re out of shape so your heart is racing even though you aren’t running very fast. If that’s the case, run at a pace that you can carry on a conversation. If you get completely out of breath, walk for one minute and then resume running. This will allow your heart rate to drop quite a bit. You’ll burn more fat by running a longer time at first so your goal should be to work up to an hour on your long days and at least 30 minutes on the easy days. Once you do that for a few weeks, you should add a few strides. Strides are where you run a little faster for about 20-30 seconds, recover by walking, and the do another stride. You should build up to where you can do eight. The last few should be almost as fast as you can run. This helps speed up the metabolism so you burn more calories after you stop running for the rest of the day. Good luck and keep it up.

I know that in order to effectivly burn fat I should keep my heart rate at around 75%-80% of my max heart rate. But when I run my heart rate goes higher. So how can i burn fat while running?

Several possibilities here. First, you max heart rate might be higher than the formulas you’re using are indicating. Those formulas can be way off for some people. For me, the formulas would indicate a max heart rate that’s 30 beats slower than my actual max. The second possibility is that you’re out of shape so your heart is racing even though you aren’t running very fast. If that’s the case, run at a pace that you can carry on a conversation. If you get completely out of breath, walk for one minute and then resume running. This will allow your heart rate to drop quite a bit. You’ll burn more fat by running a longer time at first so your goal should be to work up to an hour on your long days and at least 30 minutes on the easy days. Once you do that for a few weeks, you should add a few strides. Strides are where you run a little faster for about 20-30 seconds, recover by walking, and the do another stride. You should build up to where you can do eight. The last few should be almost as fast as you can run. This helps speed up the metabolism so you burn more calories after you stop running for the rest of the day. Good luck and keep it up.

Hi,
I started running on the treadmill, i do 40 mins at night time. 10 mins of running and 30 mins of fast/slow walking.
I like to get another exercise equipment, just so i can rotate what i do everyday. My main aim is to loose weigh. I am 200pounds, 5,10 height. Which equipment do you think it’s worth it to buy? i’m not looking towards spending a lot of money.
thanks

An exercise bike can be a worthwhile investment. Get one that’s of good quality, say in the price range of $300- $500.

An exercise ball is another good choice – it’s cheap and helps you heaps in strength training.

And dumbbells for weight lifting- cheap and very effective in boosting muscle growth.

Here’s more insight into exercise equipment: http://www.perfect-body-toning.com/home-gym-exercise-equipment.html