Exercise Questions and Answers

It is almost impossible for me to get through an entire training session without answering some sort of question; that question, however, may or may not come from one of my clients, but possibly from another gym member who is curious about what we are doing or might just need help adjusting a piece of equipment.  The questions can come in many different forms: from the trivial (Do you have any tissues?), to the specific (Where should my hands be placed on a push-up?), to the complex (How do I get rid of the jiggly skin under my arms?).  The specific and complex questions are fun because they force me to dig into whatever knowledge I have to try and relay that back to people; and if I don’t know the answer, I have to go home and do some research or call on people who have more experience then I do and ask them for a little help.  Just last week I encountered a woman with a severe degenerative back condition and asked one of my friends who is a physical therapist for his advice, advice which was incredibly helpful and beneficial.  With every question that comes my way I learn a little more, and that’s a good thing.

Recently I’ve been making note of the most common questions I get in the gym, thinking they would make an interesting blog post.  Some of my answers might be a bit of opinion, but hopefully made clear by facts, links, and other resources.  So without further adieu, my top 6, in no particular order:

• Question #1:  I just don’t have any time.  What can I do to get some sort of workout?  Do you have 5 minutes, or can you make 5 minutes of time?  Most people can, so let’s start there.  Set a timer to a 5 minute countdown and group 5 body weight exercises into one minute sets.  How about 1 minute of push-ups, one minute of sit-ups, one minute of jumping jacks, one minute of squats and one minute of lunges?  There’s your workout.  5 minutes.  It’s better then nothing, right?  Or, check these out.
• Question #2:  I had surgery, did physical therapy and am still in pain.  Why?  Surgery and physical therapy are not means to an end.  You are never truly 100% after surgery, especially if you don’t continue to do the work.  I meet many clients who had some sort of surgery years ago and are still in pain, simply because they didn’t keep up with the exercises that were prescribed by their physicians and/or physical therapists.  You have to continue to put in the work, no matter how tedious that work may be.
• Question #3:  How DO I get rid of the jiggle under my arms?  According to the American Council on Exercise, the triangle push-up seems to be really effective at getting rid of that jiggle.  That’s a good one, although my advice to clients and gym-goers is pretty specific:  start lifting weights, and lift them HEAVY.  You can’t spot reduce or eliminate fat in an arm by doing tons of tricep work, for example, but you can certainly build some muscle by pushing and fatiguing directly on a muscle.  And, obviously, if you shred your diet and start eating real, wholesome foods, that’s a good place to start as well.
• Question #4:  Do I need to eat before I workout?  Do I?  Absolutely.  I’m a mess if I don’t have something in my stomach before I exercise.  My combo is a banana, peanut butter and a big glass of water about 45 minutes before I start, but I’ve discovered that everyone has a different answer here.  Some of my clients get sick if they have any food or water in their stomach pre-workout, while others get sick if they DON’T have anything in their stomach.  My annoying answer is find out what works for you and stick to it; but I think this well known personality has other ideas, and she knows what she’s talking about.
• Question #5:  My balance is terrible.  How do I improve?  Simple.  Sort of.  There are many things that can effect balance.  I have clients that have Vertigo and other disorders that can throw them off without any warning, but when there are straight balance issues, I work on simple one-legged exercises while facing the mirror and increasing basic core strength.  Balance is one area where I think practice makes perfect.  If you have poor balance, practice holding one leg up in front of a mirror or even while you are watching TV at night.  Then work on that core with a variety of planks and ab exercises to stabilize your mid-section.  Other quick tips include a really sturdy and stable pair of shoes, focusing on a specific spot on the floor while standing on one leg, and my personal favorite, the Bosu ball.
• Question #6:  I exercise all the time.  Why am I not losing weight?  Ah, the holy grail of questions to which there are truly thousands of answers and also … none.  This is a whole blog post in itself, the subject of hundreds of books and TV specials, but the one conclusion I’ve found is that everyone is truly different.  The exercises, routines, classes, and activity levels for one person might not work for another, and a certain “diet” or food plan might be great for one person but not the next.  I’ve had clients work their tails off and struggle while others can take it a little easier and be just fine.  All of us are different, but you have to find out what works for you.  And that’s why trainers are around, because it’s part of our job to help you achieve your goals and make sure that it’s a bit less of a struggle along the way.

There are dozens of other exercise questions that I hear during the course of a day, but those are the ones I get the most.  When you’ve gone up to a trainer in the gym and asked him or her a question, what did you ask?  Feel free to e-mail me at adam@admtraining.com and I’ll be happy to do some research and find some more answers for you.