16 frequently-asked fitness questions and their answers

1. How much cardio should I be doing?

The answer to many of the questions on this list, including this one, is “it depends.” I know. It’s frustrating to hear that answer, but I’ll break down WHY and hopefully this will help you determine the best method for your unique body.

With cardio, the amount you’re doing depends on a lot of different factors: your current activity level, your goals, and how hard you’re working. If you’re currently sedentary, general recommendations of around 150 minutes of moderate cardio each week (about 30 minutes most days of the day), would be way too much. In that case, you’d start with shorter rounds: 10-15 minutes each day of easy cardio (like walking) and build on from there.

If your goal is strength and lean muscle gains, you don’t want to do too much cardio. No daily long jogs if you want to build muscle, because after a certain point, your body will begin to use protein (aka muscle) as fuel. Many strength training exercises, especially circuit training, can count as cardio if it elevates your heart rate and sustains it. Many workouts can hit the strength and cardio box in one session and remember that intensity and purpose > duration.

If you are consistently doing intense cardio workouts (like HIIT or sprints), you will need less overall cardio time because you’re working harder. Check out this post on

how much cardio you should be doing, and how to modify it for your intensity and fitness level.

2. How often should I rest?

Rest is such a huge piece of the fitness puzzle and it’s easy to forget that

the magic happens when we REST.
This is when the body is able to restore its levels, rebuild muscle, and gather energy and fuel for the next session. If you’re constantly working yourself into the ground, there’s a point where you’ll hit diminishing returns. Too much exercise can lead to overtraining, which can potentially cause elevated resting heart rate, injury, poor sleep, low energy levels, depression/anxiety, agitation, decrease in performance, and extreme soreness/pain.

The amount of rest you need will also depend on your current routine, how quickly you recover, your fueling strategies, and the intensity of your workouts. If you’re working out at intense levels a few times each week, you may need more rest time to recover in between sessions. If your workouts are lower-intensity, you could possibly work out every day without the effects of overtraining. Make sure you have at least 1-2 days of full rest each week to allow the body to repair and prevent overtraining.

3. Should I stretch before my workouts?

Research is mixed on this, so if you don’t want to stretch, you can skip it! Static stretching before a workout has actually been shown to DECREASE speed and performance. If you’re going to stretch before a workout, use this chance to move your body through full range of motion exercises to prepare for the workout you’re about to do. Your warmup moves should mimic the “meat” of your workout and include dynamic stretching. Static stretching (holding for 15-25 seconds per stretch) is a better choice AFTER your workout. You can foam roll either before or after your workout.

4. How much weight should I be lifting when I strength train?

When you choose a weight for strength training, pick a weight that’s “heavy for you.” For example, 5 lbs may be heavy for one person, while 50 lbs is heavy for someone else. You should be able to complete all reps in a set with good form, and have to push yourself to finish the last 1-2 reps of each set. If you could easily breeze through 15-20 reps of an exercise at your current weight, it’s a good sign to bump it up a little. On the other hand, if you’re struggling to complete all reps and compromising form, decrease the amount of weight or resistance you’re using.

5. What is the best way to ”tone up” aka burn fat and build muscle?

You can absolutely burn fat and build muscle at the same time, but it takes conscious nutrition and training. You’ll ideally want to be in a little bit of a calorie deficit, weight training with challenging weights, and eating sufficient protein. (I typically recommend .8 – 1.2g per kilogram of body weight, depending on goals and preferred eating style. For example, I’ll recommend less protein for a vegan friend.) Nutrient timing can also play a part in this, once nutrition foundations are set (protein and produce throughout the day, adequate hydration, eating slowly and mindfully, eating to your needs). To lose body fat, consume a majority of carb-dense foods before and after exercise. Outside of the 3-hour window following exercise, you can shift your focus to mostly protein, veggies, and healthy fats (25% of each following meal using carb-dense foods).

6. What should I do about muscle soreness?

Contrary to common belief,

sore muscles do not mean that you had a *good workout* and you shouldn’t aim to be seriously sore after each session.
I find that when clients are super sore, it hinders their activity level for the rest of the day and days following the workout. For this reason, we take it easy on the first session because no matter what we do, it’s different and new, which means they’ll be a tiny bit sore.
What’s the benefit of pushing yourself super hard so you can’t move the rest of the week?
If your muscles are incredbily sore, focus on adequate water and protein intake, stretch your muscles (dynamic and static stretching feels great), a bath with epsom salts, and magnesium oil. Easy cardio and moving the legs can help to reduce soreness. Also, if you have a

sauna blanket
or access to a sauna, this is an incredible recovery tool for sore muscles and inflammation.

7. How do I get started?

As always, talk with a doctor before making any fitness changes. The best way to start a fitness program is consistent walking and establishing a cardio baseline. Aim for 5-15 minutes most days of the week. Once you’re able to hit this consistently for a few weeks, add in 5 minutes until you can reach the 150 minutes of moderate cardio guidelines. (30 minutes, 5 days per week) From here, I recommend meeting with a certified personal trainer to determine a personalized strength plan you can follow 1-2 days per week. (One upper, one lower, or two total body circuits) From here, you’ll be able to progress into different strength training styles and methods depending on your goals, but I love starting with walking!

8. What’s the best diet for my fitness goals?

This depends on so many things: medical history, preferred eating style, activity level, metabolism, medications, specific goals, how many meals you like to eat each day, so.many.things. This is why one-size-fits-all nutrition programs are a huge red flag. I recommend focusing on the foundations first: eating enough vegetables and leafy greens, protein intake, hydration, eating slowly and mindfully, and eating to your needs. If you need help with nutrition foundations, I’m opening a wait list for January group coaching. Make sure you’re on my

newsletter here
so you can get the details first!

9. How often should I work out?

This depends on intensity and your goals.
If your goal is general movement, your ideal amount of workout days will be different than someone who is training for a grueling athletic event.
You could train 2-7 times per week, depending on intensity. Make sure to vary intensity in your workout plan each week so you have a mix of challenging, easy, and moderate intensity levels. Always include 1-2 days of full rest. Need help creating a workout plan?

Here’s a post I did allllll about this.

10. Should I work out my abs every day?

Nope! Back in the day, I thought if you wanted a six-pack you needed to work out your abs every day. Our abdominals are like any other muscle group: they need rest to recover and repair. Also, SO many exercises that are not considered “ab exercises” work your core, like squats, deadlifts, push-ups, hip raises, balance work, etc.
If you put your mind to muscle and focus on breathing during your exercises, you may be surprised to see how much this works your core and can improve definition and strength. I don’t think you need to do core work more than 2-3 times max per week.

Whew! High fives to all of my friends out there who made it through this entire post. It was a beefy one, but I love talking about this stuff and answering your questions.

11. How Much Rest Between Workouts?

How long should people rest in between workouts?

What that boils down to is that it depends on the factors. If someone is training for endurance, they will need to refuel within 3 hours. However, if someone is training for hypertrophy, they will need to refuel within 48 hours. Lastly, if someone is training for strength, they will need to refuel after two weeks.

The recommended time between working out the same muscle group is three days for weights and one day for cardio.

12. Should Children Lift Weights?

Should children lift weights?

Kids lift weight constantly, and usually more than adults. For example, a kid climbing up a tree or jungle gym is lifting their entire body weight. Another example is when they piggy back one another and carry a friend's entire body weight while running.

If your child shows interest in lifting weights, allow him to lift a light weight. He is likely just trying to copy your movements.

If it's too heavy for him, he's not going to lift it anyways – there's no way a kid would keep straining, they're not motivated by ego like us adults.

If you have a curious kid, a broomstick is a great substitute.

13. Should I Disclose My Medications to My Fitness Trainer

A personal trainer should know what medications a client is taking in order to design the safest and most effective workout routine.

Absolutely.

Why?

When someone is working out with a personal trainer, they are being pushed to do more than they thought they could. Sometimes their limits are due to chemical reasons, not because they aren't physically or mentally able to do more.

If a client has disclosed all of the medications they are taking, a personal trainer can then know which exercises to avoid due to the limitations that the drugs impose on their body.

14. How Important Is Nutrition

How important is nutrition if someone works out consistently?

You can't out train a bad diet.

15. Should I Work Out Under Stress?

Whether or not it is a good idea to work out when feeling mentally stressed is up for debate. Some people feel that it helps them to clear their head, while others find that it makes their stress worse.

Yes, definitely.

?Why?

Exercise releases endorphins, which can help to reduce stress. It can be more productive to channel stress into something like exercise, rather than taking it out on your spouse, kids, dog, or yourself.

16. Obesity and Lifting, is it Safe?

Is it safe for obese people to lift weights?

Yes, obese people can safely do functional movements, which will help them become more physically fit. However, they need to be aware that their internal organs may be under more strain than average, so they should not push themselves too hard to avoid injuring themselves.

When formerly obese people lose weight, they can become very successful athletes because their organs have become stronger from carrying the extra weight.

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