Free On-Line BODY FAT CALCULATOR

Click here for a quick and easy test that you can do in your home, and track results over time. All you need is a computer that is connected to the internet and a tape measure. For more accuate results, schedule a reading with me using body calipers.

GREAT EXPECTATIONS: Setting Goals that Get Results

by Cary Raffle

We start the New Year with resolutions, plans and great expectations. How many of us will stick to our plans and succeed? Research has shown that we are most effective in achieving our goals when they are clearly defined, measurable, achievable, and are realistic but at the same time represent a little bit of a challenge. It also helps to break your goals up into smaller goals so that can have little successes along the way. How do you know what is realistic and achievable? Read on....

Exercise to Maintain Body Composition and Health - the minimum amount of exercise required to maintain your body composition and health is 150 minutes per week, according to the American College of Sports Medicine. This is usually expressed as 20-30 minutes of exercise at least 5 days per week and preferably every day. To avoid risk of injury, ACSM recommends moderate intensity exercise for those not training for athletic competition.

Be careful not to overdo it. Working the same muscles day after day is counterproductive, especially in strength training. You actually damage muscle fibers when you exercise, and they need at least 48 hours to repair and recover. Muscles grow during this rest period, not when you are working them. So give each muscle group time to recover in between workouts.

Losing Weight - For safe and lasting weight loss, plan on losing between 1-2 pounds per week, according to ACSM and the American Dietary Association. Faster weight loss may be unhealthy and you run the risk of yo-yoing, experiencing rapid drops and quickly gaining. Instead of fad diets, focus on making long-term lifestyle changes.

Maintain a calorie deficit - calories taken in minus calories burned - of about 500 - 1000 per day, you can eat less or workout more or do both. Remember that as you lose weight, your calorie needs also drops. See me to estimate your calorie needs, or visit www.mypyramid.gov for more comprehensive tools. However, if you are beginning an exercise program, make sure that you don't reduce the calorie intake so much that you don't have energy to work out.

Goal Setting - Weight loss is probably the most frequent goal, but it isn't necessarily the most effective measure of results or the one that is right for you. Body measurements, clothes size and subjective assessments of how you look and feel and move are often a better indication. Many people who begin a new fitness program will see the shape of their body change and their clothes size decrease without a corresponding weight loss. This can happen because muscle weighs more than fat. So when you increase your lean body mass (muscle) and decrease your fat, you weight may not go down as much as you expect. Over a longer period of time, you should see the weight loss results. One of my clients was highly deconditioned and cited his greatest accomplishment as being able to reach down and tie his shoes without having to sit down and rest.

Getting Your Workout In - Whether you're joining a gym, running in the park, or walking at the mall, nothing is going to happen if you don't actually get your workouts in. Most successful people start by scheduling their workout appointments, just like any other important meeting. Put it right into your calendar! It may help to attend regularly scheduled classes, meet a reliable friend, or have an appointment with a trainer. I've had many clients who wouldn't make it at all without their training appointment, or who would cancel because they weren't in the mood if not for the 24-hour cancellation fee.

Muscle Growth (Hypertrophy or 'Getting Big") - It takes more than 16 exercise sessions over the course of several weeks to see an increase in muscle size, according to the National Strength and Conditioning Association. However, increasing the size of the muscle does not necessarily increase the strength or lifting capacity of the muscle. Increased strength and increased size are two distinct and different muscle adaptations, and you need to train differently for each.

Plateauing - Expect your strength training to plateau after about 4-6 weeks. At this point, you experience diminished return from your program as you continue doing similar exercises and a similar range of sets, repetitions, time under tension and stability. We call this the SAID principle (Specific Adaptation to Imposed Demand). Progression requires changing one of more of the variables in your program on a regular, pre-planned basis. It is not only about increasing the weight. Progression can also apply to your cardio training and diet, in some circumstances. I wrote about progression last year. You can sample a few general programs from past newsletters by clicking the links below, or meet with me to develop a program specific to your current fitness level and goals.

Program 1 - XpressLine
Program 2 - Introductory Strength Training
Program 3 - Unstable Exercises (incorporates Core Training)
Program 4 - Advanced Unstable Exercises (unilateral workout) Running the Marathon in 2009 - Start now and many of you can do it! If you've been running at least 2-3 hours a week for more than a year, you've got a pretty good base to start from. Let's set a realistic goal first - for most of you, that would be completing the training and the first marathon without an injury. You can find several alternate programs for marathon training at the ING NYC Marathon website (click here). You'll be increasing to about 50 miles of running a week at the peak of your training. It is a good idea to get assessed for any muscle imbalances and postural distortions, so that you can incorporate corrective exercises and stretching into your program. Exercises to strengthen your core and complement the running program will also help. Risk Factors - According to the International Health and Racquet Sports Association, about half of all new gym members experience an injury during their first 6 months of membership. This often leads them to abandon their memberships, fitness programs and goals. The National Academy of Sports Medicine recommends that all fitness programs begin with an assessment, identification of risk factors, and a corrective phase of training to reduce the chance of injury. Post Rehabilitation - If you've had an injury that required physical therapy, you may have some additional risk factors. The National Strength and Conditioning Association recommends that you continue to incorporate the rehab exercises into your training program.

URBAN LEGENDS: Two of the Great Myths of Fitness

"No Pain, No Gain" - Pain, especially that lingering sensation that you feel for days, is not necessarily the sign of a great workout. It is actually a sign that your body is adapting to new stimulus. If you continue with a similar exercise program at similar intensity, the soreness shouldn't return. You can minimize the soreness by starting light and gradually working into new routines. To read more about this subject, click here for an article from the American Council on Exercise.

"The Fat Burning Zone" - The idea here is that you burn a higher percentage of calories from stored fat in the fat burning zone compared to the cardio zone. True, but you burn more total calories in the cardio zone - think of it as getting a smaller piece of a much bigger pie. You actually get about 100% of your calories from stored fat when you are sleeping, but the total calories burned is very low. Focus on total calories, once you've established an aerobic base, and train in the cardio zone for best results reducing weight and burning fat. To read more about this subject, click here for an article from the American Council on Exercise.

The BRAIN TRAIN: Unilateral Workout

There are several good reasons to work one side of your body at a time, this month the focus in on training your brain - actually your neuromuscular system - through unilateral exercises.

Here's an interesting fact: numerous scientific studies have shown that working one side of the body can actually improve your strength on the opposite side. How is this possible? Because the major component of what we call "strength" doesn't happen in the muscles, it happens in the brain and nerve pathways and receptors that connect your brain to your muscles. We actually become stronger by improving the way that the brain "recruits" muscle fibers to do work such as lifting weights and the way the muscles respond to the call. Think of your body as a symphony. The brain is the conductor, the nerve pathways are his hands and batons, the musicians are the receptors in the muscles, and their instruments are the individual muscle fibers. Train them to work together and you'll make beautiful music.

What are some of the benefits of unilateral exercises? Most of you probably use them to balance your muscles. You feel you've got a weaker side, or maybe one side is slightly smaller than the other. That's only the beginning. Unilateral exercises can help improve core strength, and improve your overall strength by improving "neuromuscular efficiency." It's all in the way that you approach it.

Let's take a simple exercise like a single arm triceps push down with the cables. You'll often see someone doing this exercise leaning into the machine and putting their whole body into moving the handle from point a to point b. Instead, stand back, draw your abdominals and glutes in, bend the knees slightly, and maintain perfect posture throughout the movement. (Remember, glutes are core muscles). Now you've got those core muscles working to stabilize you - and not just in one direction. You'll feel the sideways pull as your obliques resist the weight imbalance. When doing single side exercises, lower the weight so that you can maintain perfect form and posture.

It is easy to start a unilateral program, you can even do it on ExpressLine. For added challenge, you can decrease the stability of unilateral exercises by standing on one leg, or use balls or balance boards. As you do these, you'll begin to understand how this is a learning process for your body, like loading a computer program into memory. Some of my clients and I began playing with unilateral exercises standing on one leg on a bosu ball - you may not want to think about that. They were incredibly hard at first, yet within a week or two, our brains had adjusted and they were surprisingly easy.

Will unilateral exercises make you smarter? Maybe not, but they're a smart addition to your program. Try the unilateral exercise program and 14 others at trainercary.com.

Advil Before Workout?

One of my clients, a hard training triathlete, recently asked me for my thoughts on using Advil before strength and cardio training. Advil, or ibuprofen, is part of a class of medicines call NSAIDS (Non-Steroidal Anti-Inflammatories). They act on the pain center of the brain and also act to reduce inflammation in the muscle tissue.

To begin answering this question, one has to understand what inflammation actually is: a protective response by the body. Swelling occurs as your body's own way of immobilized damaged areas. NSAIDS can help reduce the pain and swelling but as they do this, they are also reducing the body's natural ability to protect and heal itself. Repeatedly dosing on pain relievers and anti-inflammatories before training can casue stomach upset, interfere with the healing process, and make you susceptible to further injuries.

Be very careful. Listen to your body. If you have a constant nagging injury, see an orthopedist or physical therapist and learn how you can address the underlying causes rather than mask the problem with medication. In the extreme, there are some studies that suggest that use of ibuprofen during prolonged endurance exercises such as an Ironman can lead to dehydration, hyponatremia and kidney failure, because it alters kidney function (however, I haven't found any documented cases of this happening).

Bottom line: Advil is medicine. Avoid prolonged and chronic use of any medicine that your doctor has not approved, before OR after exercise.

Pre and Post Exercise Nutrition

Proper nutrition before and after competition or workouts can improve performance and results and in recovery. Many people today are putting too much emphasis on protein. Your muscles need carbohydrates for fuel and after a hard workout, they need to replace depleted glycogen - glycogen is the energy source that your muscles use and it most readily comes from carbohydrates.

PRE EXERCISE Eating before exercise can be tricky and very individual, you want to make sure that you can tolerate different foods at different times. Don't try new things the day of a big race or competition, and be aware of your body's signs. In general, you want to start with an empty stomach but plenty of energy flowing in your blood and stored in your muscles. Some people prefer a light snack within the hour before exercise, some prefer a larger snack about 2-3 hours before, others perform better with a large meal. It is also important to have enough fluids, and avoid greasy foods that can upset the stomach. Here are some guidelines:
1 hour before: fruits, fruit/vegetable juices, energy gels
2-3 hours before: fruits, fruit/vegetable juices PLUS low-fat yogurt and/or bread or bagel
3-4 hours before: fruits, fruit/vegetable juices plus low-fat yogurt, bread or bagel, PLUS a meal that is high in carbs, moderate in protein and low in fat (ie, pasta w/sauce, whole wheat bread w/chees/peanut butter/lean meat, cereal, baked potato), energy bar

POST EXERCISE Most important, replace lost fluids, about 20 oz per pound of weight lost during the exercise session.

Within 15-30 minutes, replace carbohydrates with a drink or light snack.
Within about 2 hours, have a meal that is high in carbohydrates, about 100-200 grams, together with some lean protein. That's about 3 cups of pasta or mashed potatoes.
For an excellent article called "Training Diet" from the Iowa State University, click here.

HURRY UP!!! Mini Work Out Program

Maybe you've been stuck on XpressLine for a while and aren't getting the results you want, or you've advanced your program but need a few new moves to kick it up a notch. I've got 4 words for you: TOTAL BODY EXERCISE CIRCUIT!

This mini program empasizes two factors that will maximize your calorie burn:
Exercises that use multiple joints and muscles groups simultaneously. The more muslces you use, the more claories you burn, especially when we incorporate the larger muscle groups (legs, back, chest - especially legs). You'll want to be as flexible as possible to begin, so try the program above as a warmup, and make sure to keep your abdominal core engaged throughout.

Circuit Training to keep the heart rate up. Bring your water bottle along, this program is designed to minimize the rest period between exercises to keep your heart pumping. The faster yoru heart beats, the more calories you burn. Be careful to stay in your comfort zone here, if you don't have a heart rate monitor and target zone, keep the exertion level at about 7 or 8 on a scale of 1-10 depending on your fitness level.

Click here for your program: HURRY UP! Mini Program

FLEXIBILITY: From Desk to Gym or Road

We've talked about it before in this space. Most of the clients and gym members I meet work at a desk all day long, seated and leaning over to reach their keyboards and computer monitors. Many also spend long hours on cars, trains, buses and planes. Their bodies become tight in front and some are virtually locked in that seated position head and shoulders forward position. For all of you, this is a fairly simple mini program to address the most typical issues as summarized below: TIGHT/SHORT MUSCLES: Calves, Iliotibial Band (side of leg), Adductors (Inner thigh), Hip Flexors/Quads, Piriformis, Chest, Anterior Deltoids and Internal Rotators (Front of Shoulder), Upper Traps, Lats WEAK/EXTENDED MUSCLES: Glutes Medius and Maximus, Deep Abdominal Core (mainly Transversus Abdominus) , Lower Traps and Rhomboids, Shoulder External Rotator Follow the link below to a flexibility program designed to stretch/lengthen the tight muscles and strengthen the weak/extended muscles. This program is not meant as a complete program or a substitute for a personalized fitness assessment, but is a effective way of getting most of you started towards addressing some of the most common flexibility issues.

BENEFITS OF IMPROVED FLEXIBILITY:
- Muscles work as intended, doing their proper jobs
- Helps avoid using the WRONG muscles leading to better performance, better results and reduced risk of injury.Click here for your program: FLEXIBILITY FROM DESK TO GYM OR ROAD

EXERCISE, FITNESS AND NUTRITION NOs AND DON'Ts

by Cary Raffle MS CPT Master Trainer

Hardly an hour goes by at the gym that I don't find someone doing something that is not really helping them and might eventually hurt them, including:
• Incorrect Exercise Form
• Inappropriate Exercise Selection
• Obsolete Exercises
• Ineffective Exercise Programs
• Things that Look Good but Don't Make any Sense (most of these don't really look good they just think they do)
• Poor Nutritional Habits
This is the first time I have attempted this project, I've searched the internet and the books and can't find anything else like it all in one place. I'll be working on adding to it over time, and I invite you to clip the list and email me with any suggested additions for future editions.

NO BEHIND NECK PULLDOWNS!
NO BEHIND NECK SHOULDER PRESSES!
NO UPRIGHT ROWS (FRONT ROWS)!
You may as well kiss your rotator cuff goodbye. These exercises are obsolete - they have been shown to cause injury or impingement of the rotator cuff muscles over time. In addition, they provide no meaningful advantage to other exercises.

DON'T ARCH YOUR BACK!
An arched back causes pressure on the spinal column, it can lead to damaged disks and vertebrae. Lower the weight, use a machine with back support, and strengthen your abdominal core if you find yourself arching. Be especially careful about this when doing any overhead exercises, the leverage of the weight increases the likelihood of injury.

DONT WORK THE SAME MUSCLES 2 DAYS IN A ROW!
Strength training damages your muscle fibers. Muscles recover, repair and actually grow during the 48 hours after your work them. You won't see progress and you increase the risk of injury if you don't allow the rest. This applies only to strength training, you can do cardio every day.

DON'T USE THE SAME EXERCISE PROGRAM FOR MORE THAN 6 WEEKS
Your body adapts to an exercise program within 4-6 weeks, so you won't see much progress. You also increase the risk of repetitive stress injuries by continuing to perform the same motions at the same speed and intensity. Vary the exercises, weight, and tempo in your program at regular intervals.

DON'T DO THE SAME EXERCISES AS WHEN YOU WERE ON THE FOOTBALL (OR WHATEVER) TEAM OR IN THE MARINES!
Most of you are 5-50 years away from your high school and college sports days. You spend hours at a desk and commuting, and need to select exercises that are appropriate for grown ups who live a grown up lifestyle.

NO ROCKING, SWAYING OR BOUNCING!
If you an't stand still while performing an exercise, your using too much weight or doing something wrong for you. The exception is certain exercises where rocking or bouncing may be part of the exercise - for reference, this does not include biceps curls, shoulder presses, lateral raises, and most other exercises that I see people bouncing though.

DON'T SKIP MEALS - ESPECIALLY BREAKFAST!
Breakfast kick starts your metabolism and gives you the energy you need to exercise. If you're looking to lose weight, numerous studies have proven that people who eat breakfast are more successful at long term weight loss than those who don't. You'll have more effective workouts when your body had the fuel.

DON'T RELY ON BELTS, WRAPS AND BRACES!
The old fashioned weight belt may help protect your back, but over time it weakens your abdominal core because it is doing the job that you want to train your core muscles to do. No weight belts! Unless you're in the heavy-lifting phase of a power training program. Wraps and braces are a like a Band-Aid, they don't fix an underlying problem and in some cases transfer stress and problems to other joints. Talk to a sports medicine doctor or orthopedist before bracing, or that pain in your elbow may turn into an even worse problem at your shoulder.

DON'T WORKOUT UNTIL YOU WARM UP!
Spend about 5-10 minutes warming up with some cardio. Your muscles are less likely to get injured when they aer warm, and the warmup causes enzymes to be released that help protect the muscles and make your workout more effective.

NO LONG CARDIO SESSIONS BEFORE STRENGTH TRAINING
You'll get more out of your strength training if you have the energy to dedicate to the workout, and save the cardio for later or another day. If you've just run 5 or 10 miles, you're ready to eat, not to workout! (This one is dedicated to one of my highly conditioned clients who ran a quick 8 miles before a strength training session... and took an early leave to get a yogurt).

DON'T HOLD YOUR BREATH!
Proper breathing is to exhale on the concentric contraction, that is when you are actually shortening the muscle. It's the push phase on pushing exercises or the pull phase on pulling exercises.

NO UNNECESSARY SUPPLEMENTS!
Protein: According to the doctors at the American College of Sports Medicine, a 170 pound man needs about 131 grams of protein per day to increase muscle mass (1.7g/kg body weight) and about 100 grams to support endurance (1.3g/kg). If you're already getting that much in your diet, skip the supplement. More is not better!
Sports Drinks: Research shows that Gatorade-like drinks are effective when you're exercising or playing a sport for more than an hour, or if you like the taste and won't get enough fluids otherwise. Water is just as good if you're planning a 59 minute workout.
Creatine: Is one of the few supplements that has a long standing body of research, dating back almost 100 years. It shows no effect in aerobic performance, some short term gain in muscle size -believed by many to be increased water retention, and marginal improvement in strength or anaerobic performance.
Weight Loss & Energy Supplements: Most of these contain caffeine or guarana. Guarana contains about 3x the caffeine as coffee, and when it is included as an ingredient instead of caffeine, the manufacturer doesn't have to tell you how much caffeine is in the drink. Caffeine will help you lose weight, it raises your heart rate and is proven to increase fat metabolism, but would you have 3-4 cups of coffee? Taurine, also popular, has very little human research, which brings us to...
Other Supplements: Supplement makers can claim whatever they want. The government does not test nutritional supplements for effectiveness, safety, consistency, purity, or interaction with other drugs or conditions. Think about how often you hear about a drug that was FDA tested, or a supplement, that is later found to have harmed people. Do you really want to take that risk with your health?

IF YOU HAVE SHOULDER PROBLEMS, DON'T DO ANY OF THE FOLLOWING Overhead Exercises, Incline Chest Press (and possibly any chest press), Front Raises, Shrugs, Preacher Curls, Behind the Neck Triceps Extension All of these exercises put you at risk of further injury and pain. Have a detailed conversation with your doctor and/or physical therapist about contraindicated exercises, and consider consulting a personal trainer with post-rehab experience to design a safe and effective program.

DON'T DO ANYTHING THAT HURTS!
If something hurts severely, or hurts for more than a week, its time to see a doctor. Don't assume that you can lower the weight and not do any further damage, sometimes it is the movement itself that is the problem. Get a diagnosis so that you now what you are dealing with.

DONT FORGET THE WATER!
Those ACSM Doctors say bring your water bottle along and: Drink about 1-2 cups of fluid 30 minutes pre exercise, drink ½ - 1 cup of fluid for every 15 minutes of exercise, drink 2 ½ cups for every pound lost during exercise. Drink even after your thirst is quenched.

NO STRAIGHT LEG OR DECLINE SITUPS!
These cause the back to arch and risks damage to the spine. Bent leg situps are not much better. Do crunches instead.

NO LYING FULL LEG & HIP RAISES WITH A DUMBELL BETWEEN YOUR FEET!
Never hold an unsecured weight over your face.

NO LEG EXTENSION MACHINE!
Current expert opinions on this machine, for most people, range from its a waste of time to its something that could hurt you if you have any knee problems. Try some lunges instead.

IF YOUR BACK HURTS, DON'T DO ANY OF THE FOLLOWING Back Extensions, Good Mornings, External Abdominal Exercises, Unsupported Above the Head Exercises, High Impact Activities Generally avoid anything that makes your low back tighten and/or arch. Focus on strengthening your abdominal core - your deep abdominals, not the so called 6 pack muscles. In most cases, back muscles are overworking because the inner abdominal muscles are weak. Sitting at a desk all day is one thing that can make your abs weak and your back tight, so you'll want to progress to exercises that get you out of a seated position.

DONT FORGET TO STRETCH!
Stretch before and after you exercise. Get your muscles into balance by stretching the tight ones before you exercise to get your joints in proper alignment and avoid injury; after exercise, stretch the muscles that became tight during exercise. You don't have to stretch EVERY muscle, just the tight ones.
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To be continued...

The Truth About Abdominals

If you want great looking abs, the first thing you need to do is reduce the layer of fat covering your abdominal muscles. The only way to burn fat is to have a calorie deficit: either burn more calories than you eat or eat less calories than you burn. You can do this through diet, exercise, or a combination of both. Resistance training of your large muscles - legs, chest and back - will maximize your calorie burn and may also help increase your resting metabolism as you gain lean muscle.

Abdominal Exercises strengthen your muscles but are not effective in reducing abdominal fat. You can have very strong abdominal muscles covered by a layer of fatty tissue. It is more efficient to spend the majority of your limited exercise time burning the fat than strengthening the abs. You cannot spot reduce - working the muscle in an area does not reduce the fat in that area, fat does not "turn into to muscle" they are two different types of tissue.
Most people will see definition in the abdominal area at around 9-12% body fat for men and 10-14% for women. This will vary from person to person, depending on where their body stores fat (sometimes called your body type). There are some theories about cortisol, a stress hormone, leading to increased storage of fat in the abdomen, but abdominal fat tends to be dictated mainly by your body type.

You don't need machines to effectively work your abs. Some of the most effective abdominal exercises don't use machines at all and some machines are actually less effective than plain old crunches. (See the next post for a report on the most and least effective ab exercises from the American Council on Exercise).

Most people focus on the rectus abdominus (6 pack muscle) and the obliques, but it is more important to work on the inner abdominal core. In fact, some people should avoid the most popular ab exercises altogether because it can exacerbate problems with posture and low back pain. Simple exercises that focus on activating the deepest abdominal muscle (the transversus abdominus) include a drawing in maneuver, balancing on one leg, planks, and quadrupeds with arm and leg raises. These core exercises can improve posture and pull the abdomen in, giving the appearance of a smaller and tighter stomach. You can also incorporate core training into your everyday exercise routine, click here for a sample program.

There is no conclusive evidence that you can work so called upper and lower abdominals separately. See ACE's study (sidebar) which showed that the abdominal muscles function as a single sheath.

Quality is more important than quantity. You don't need to do hundreds of crunches a day to have good looking abdominal muscles, and you don't need to use heavy weights. The abdominal muscles work slowly and work isometrically, they respond very well to being trained the same way. Increase the level of difficulty by varying the speed, adding isometric holds, and decreasing the stability of your abdominal exercises. You can get results by working for 15-20 minutes 3-4 times a week.

Not every abdominal exercise is right for everybody. If you're working with a personal trainer, your fitness assessment will help determine the best selection and any necessary modifications based on your own personal personal abilities, physical condition and goals. Just because you see someone else doing an exercise that looks interesting, or it is part of the routine in a group class, that doesn't necessarily make it right for you. Avoid any exercises that are painful to your lower back and exercises where you are unable to maintain proper form. In classes, if you have concerns or problems keeping up with the class, speak with the instructor or a personal trainer to determine whether you need to modify the exercise or perform an alternate instead. For example, a member recently complained to me about back pain and inability to work full range of motion while doing leg raises in abs class. Modifications could include bending knees during the exercise, placing hands beneath the tailbone or an alternate position.