The Strength Training Critic Blog

How do i burn the fat on my stomach to make my abs show but not lose potential muscle mass or fat in other places? If this is possible is it ok to do it the days after you weight train?

Since we cant spot reduce body fat the only way to get rid of fat in any specific areas is by lowering your body fat percentage which you achieve by healthy diet and exercise.
To not lose muscle never go over 60min doing cardio – do it 4-6 times a week for average of 45min
the best thing is to do cardio after weight training – you are full of energy to lift weights and can spend all thats left doing cardio
Diet is actually 80% of fat loss so you have to watch what you eat and count calories -once you get used to certain amount you wont have to count anymore -your body will feel it naturally
find daily calorie intake calculator on the net, enter all your stats and it will tell you how many calories you need a day to maintain, take off 300-400cal off that number and thats how much you need to lose.
eat 5-6 small meals a day (eat every 2-3 hours – it optimizes your metabolism)
5-8 servings of fruit and veggies a day
8 glasses of water
have complex carbs for breakfast – they give you energy
have protein (lean meat, legumes etc) for dinner – repairs muscle
dont consume foods that are made of white flour (white bread, cakes, pasta etc.), sugar loaded foods (cookies, icecream, candy etc) and nothing fried, oily.
ofcourse you can spoil yourself once in a while with a little treat:)

When one has young children (under the age of three), one obviously ends up spending a good deal of time at home & it’s difficult to get to the gym. However, most treadmills and exercise bikes have moving parts that are dangerous for small, curious toddlers. Is there home exercise equipment out there that is child-safe, or ways to better child-proof home exercise equipment you already have?

I would suggest keeping the exercise equipment in a seperate room, that is mostly off limits (such as a master bedroom, spare room, or basement) and using it at a time when you do not need to monitor your child– e.g. when it is napping. Or, alternatively, you could workout while s/he is in a playpen. It is good for you to realize that exercise equipment has many small moveable parts and are not safe for a baby.

That being said, I am sure those big exercise balls would be harmless and maybe even fun for a toddler! Yoga and aerobics are also good alternatives that do not require equipment– just a DVD!

I do a fight club type thing, and it requires strength training with heavy weight along with exercises like body weight exercises, explosive squats etc. You need an adequate amount of rest to gain any progress. So is there any way that I would be able to efficiently balance these two out?

try this
Monday & Friday

Squats 3 sets 8 to 12 reps
Bench press 3 sets 6 to 10 reps
Chins 3 sets 8 to 12 reps
Seated dumbbell press 2 sets 8 to 12 reps
Standing calf raises 2 sets 12 to 20 reps

Wednesday Arm Specialization

Standing Barbell Curls 5 sets 5 to 8 reps
Lying EZ bar Tricep Extension 5 sets 6 to 8 reps

Friday Arm Specialization

Scott Dumbbell or Barbell Curls 3 sets 8 to 12 reps
Overhead Pulley Tricep Extension 3 sets 8 to 12 reps

so work out 3 days a week, and eat

So i was thinking on buying a exercise bike or a treadmill but i have no idea which would be better to have around a 2 year old boy and to get a good workout, please help, Thanks in advance, any suggestions on any other exercise equipment is welcome, so tho in your own thoughts , again Thanks in advance.

I understand your concern, I’ve heard of children getting their fingers caught in treadmills etc. I don’t know what your child’s schedule is like, but if it’s possible to do your routine while he is taking a nap that’s a thought. Another possibility is to exercise with your child with no equipment involved, such as going for a walk, throw on some music and dance around the living room with him. As far as another piece of equipment the elliptical machine is very good. Hope I helped with ideas.

I walk/jog a couple times a week and will do sit ups, push ups and lunges.

What’s the most efficient way of using cardio and strength training together to burn the most fat?

ALSO, what are thee best leg exercises to get rid of that stubborn fat that won’t go away!
Hey Boogie* Guys just need to losin up a little!

The best way to implement cardio is by using PROGRESSIONS. Meaning "slowing adding to the amount when fat loss stalls".

For example. Start off 3x per week for 30 mins. Each week add 1 day to the mix. Keep it there until fat loss stalls. Then add 10 mins to each session. Keep it there until fat loss stalls. then add another 10 mins. etc etc

((Always wait for 2 consecutive weeks of no loss. Why? because our bodies don’t lose fat linearly. 1 week we might lose 3lbs the next week we might lose 0 lbs. The next week we’ll lose 2lbs and the following 1lb.)) It’s best to do cardio in this fashion because our bodies are highly adaptive so we have to steadily add to the minutes to keep our bodies from fully adapting to the stimulation.

Do weight lifting 3-4x per week. For no longer than 45 mins each session.

ALWAYS do your cardio AFTER the weight lifting. If you were to do the cardio before, it takes approx 10 mins before your heart rate is high enough to be beneficial. If you do it AFTER the weights, your heart reate is already raised so you immediately reap the benefits.

good luck Ms. Boring Dater :p

I’ve been running on the elliptical lately, and I feel that my legs are getting bulkier. I just want to get rid of some fat on my legs without gaining any muscle. I’ve been running on it for 30 min (around 7-8 miles) each day
Is there another way I can burn fat without gaining any muscle?

hmm, 30 min for 7-8 miles is a pace of about 4 min/mile. congratulations youve set a world record. now lets be realistic, your legs havent gotten bigger. you just think they have because perhaps they feel tired/overworked. your legs are going to change but its suppose to happen. if you want to eventually burn fat on the elliptical then your body needs to adapt to the new working environment in order to maximize its performance. that envolves reshaping the leg muscles by taking out some muscular fibers and adding in others designed for performing on ellipticals.

look at the worlds most elite runners. NONE have what would could be considered bulky legs. bulkiness comes from competitive weight lifters not people that run at your pace on ellipticals. and i dont mean your world record pace, im of course referring to the pace you actually run which is drastically slower than what you say.

Burn fat to show off a more toned body without losing alot of weight. I gained weight because i didnt liked how I looked when I was really thin. Then I got a little chubby, then when I tried burning fat I made a low cal diet and lost weight. Now i’m at the weight I want again, How do I burn fat from stomach and have tight without losing too much weight?

12 Tips for Atkins Diet

1. If what you are eating has less than 1 carb, count it as 1 carb just to be sure.

2. Totally avoid caffine at least for the first two weeks on the program.

3. Drink a MINIMUM of 8 glasses of plain water or seltzer daily.

4. Don’t weigh yourself more than once a week

5. Take starting measurements as well as weight – sometimes you’ll lose inches before pounds

6. Avoid any type of "low carb" sweetener for the first two weeks

7. Don’t compare your loss to someone else’s – this is a YMMV thing (your milage may vary)

8. Stalls are common around the third week so don’t panic

9. If you follow your plan to the T and don’t lose, consider Candida as a possibility and avoid vinegar, cheese, mushrooms and any other fermented food

10. Have bloodwork done before starting so you have a comparison

11. Cholesterol can be elevated in the first few weeks til your body adjusts – make sure your doctor knows that you’re doing low carb and when you started

12. Don’t blame the diet if you don’t read your plan book — blame the diet if you don’t read the labels — Don’t blame the diet if you don’t follow the diet

More infomation you can check:
<–12 Tips for Atkins Diet–>
<–http://www.healthylifeday.com/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=119&Itemid=62 –>

I want to get into better shape and exercise more but I don’t have any kind of exercise equipment. Can anyone help me?
I want to know what I can to to tone my stomach, I’m not fat or anything but I do need to be in better shape.

Rock on, not having any equipment is not a detriment you just have to be a little creative. Walking is a great way to start off a program. Just simply walk out the door for five minutes in one direction and then walk back. That may or may not be enough for you but it can be adjusted accordingly to what level you are at. Walking not your thing then try jogging or biking to work on the cardiovascular aspect of the program. You need at least thirty minutes of cardiovascular work six days a week. This can be broken into three ten minute sessions or whatever combination works for you. In line skating or jumping rope are another great form of this. To find out if this is working for you try this. Each morning as soon as you get up take your pulse for one solid minute. Record that number and at the end of five days average those numbers to find out what your resting pulse rate is. Use that as a barometer to your fitness program. That number should start to drop as you gain cardiac fitness. As for muscular strength or tone there are push ups, crunches, squats, lunges, jumping jacks, and chinning to name but a few of the movements that can be done without any weights just using your body as a resistance factor. Want a more organize program then get a book or dvd on Pilate’s or yoga. Either of those systems will help you gain in flexibility and strength though the Pilate’s will definitely develop more strength. For resistance movements grab a can of some product as they are usually about one pound and start doing the movements with the cans in your hands. All of these movements will definitely help to get you into better shape.

I have been doing cardio exercise for over a month now and lost 13lbs total. The problem is, I can’t seem to get my stomach flat. Would strength / weight training take care of this problem? I heard that cardio and ab exercises are not "spot" reducers. Am I right?

Congrats on your weight loss. Regarding your belly, it will probably just take time. You are correct about "spot reduction." (see source) You can firm up the musculature under the belly fat (and/or "over" if you have a lot of internal belly fat) thru abdominal exercise. Just keep after it and watch your diet.

Personally I do moderate cardio in the morning for 25 minutes, higher intensity calisthenic-type exercises in the evening for about 15 minutes and about 45 minutes of weight training in the morning (before moderate cardio). Current thinking is that either "fasting" moderate cardio or post-workout cardio is the most effective at fat-burning, as your glycogen stores are depleted at those times.

Good luck!

Im looking to buy some sort of equipment to burn calories on. Ive been looking at ellipticals, treadmills, and exercise bikes. Which of these three provides the best exercise for the amount of time spent on it?

Elliptical machines are very popular. It all really depends on which one you will be more likely to use. I personally like the treadmill b/c I like to run and walk. I bought an elliptical before and it was a total money of money b/c I hate using it.

Each machine will burn plenty of calories depending on what you do with it. On the stationary bike the hill profile will kick your ass. The treadmill allows you to run or walk on different inclines and speeds. The elliptical machine allows you to vary the intensity of your workout (but its extremely boring to me).