trainwithmarv.com

I’m a 42 yr. old female who needs to lose about 30 pounds and tone up! Should I be doing cardio first to lose the weight, and then start doing weights later on?–Toni

Great question! The good news is that you can do both simultaneously and achieve faster results. Make no mistake, cardio is an indispensible fat loss tool. It will enable you to burn tons of calories, and improve your body’s ability to utilize fat for fuel. On the other hand, nothing beats the body sculpting benefits of resistance training. Apart from the obvious muscle toning, resistance training can boost your metabolism for up to 48 hours after a workout! Consistent training will promote an increase in muscle mass, which will allow you to burn hundreds of extra calories a week at rest. Cardio and resistance training are a winning combination.

Hi Marv, I’ve been trying to lose fat around my waist for the last few months. At the gym I do different types of crunches and leg raises on the floor, and I recently started taking a ball class 2x week. I know that I’m working the muscles because they’re sore the next day, but I don’t really notice a lot of change. Is there something else I should be doing?–Chris

Hi Chris, I’m pretty sure that this isn’t going to be the answer you were hoping for, but here goes. Your question highlights one of the most prevalent MYTHS in fitness: the idea that you can reduce the fat over a particular region of the body, by specifically targeting the area with exercise. In reality, it doesn’t work that way at all. Fat is ALWAYS released proportionately from ALL areas of the body to support the energy demands of physical activity. Abdominal exercises will strengthen and develop muscle tone, but will have limited impact on reducing the girth of your waist. It’s really difficult for me to give feedback or offer recommendations without more detailed information. Feel free to contact me directly at:info@trainwithmarv.com.

Is it true that you can burn more fat if you do cardio in the morning, before breakfast?–Liz

Perhaps on the moon, but definitely not on earth. Eat breakfast, train hard, and you’ll get great results any time of the day!

Hi! I’m a naturally thin guy who’s been lifting weights seriously for about 2 years now. I really enjoy training my legs, but for some reason I haven’t been able to increase the weight in a couple months. My workouts are pretty intense (for me), and I eat all the time! Is it possible that I’ve reached my maximum in some exercises?–Ravi

Probably not, but it sounds like you’ve hit a plateau. If you’ve been doing the same routine for a while, it’s time to switch it up a bit. Cycle these techniques over the next 8 weeks, then return to your normal routine.

ISOLATERAL

Train your legs separately from one another. Over time, bilateral training can create strength imbalances which may limit development. Try these exercises in single mode: bodyweight squat, leg press, stiff legged deadlift.

ISOMETRIC

Do exercises that require the muscles to develop tension without any change in length. Try these exercises: squat hold, wallsit, front plank on floor, reverse plank on ball. Hold repetitions for at least 60 secs.

PLYOMETRIC

The idea here is to execute the movements explosively. (ie. as fast as you can while maintaining proper form) If you’re trying plyometrics for the first time, DO NOT USE ADDED RESISTANCE. Your bodyweight will be challenging enough. Try these exercises: jump squat, box jump, split jumps, forward bound, lateral hop.