Thursday 7 January 2010

Ask Sophie...

Lyndsey
Q: I do around an hour of cardio at the gym four days a week but I don't seem to be loosing any weight, I am now a size 14 and want to be a size 10-12. Do you have any tips to help me loose weight?

Sophie
A. Lyndsey, think about your goal. It isn't specific. Do you want to loose weight, if so how much, or do you want to drop one or two dress sizes? Refer to previous post on goal setting.
Also you may not be working at an adequate intensity, as you haven't stated your age refer to the table on the lifefitness treadmills to find the heart rate you should be working at. If you do not have one of these tables available to you, ask one of the Gym Instructors for the guidelines.
Try introducing some resistance training into your gym programme. Try out 3 sets of 12-15 repetitions for each exercise. Start with one exercise per muscle group. For example:
Chest press
Bicep curl
Tricep dip
Lat pull down
Squat
Leg extension
Leg Curl
Calf raise

Integrating resistance training into your programme will increase your metabolism, improve bone density and if performed correctly will improve posture.

After your 5-10 minute warm up move onto core training, to switch on your core enabling you to perform all other exercises more effectivly. Try out
Ab crunches
Cobras
and Glute bridges to strengthen you core.
Then move onto 20-30 mins of cardio work, then to your resistance training, finishing with at 5 minute cardio cool-down to prevent dizzyness, followed by a stretch. This programme should take you just over an hour.

If you have any questions you would like answered in regards to health and fitness, email me at barrettsfitness@googlemail.com

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