Working out in the weight room can be intimidating, especially if you’re new to weight training. Hearing burly people grunt terms like: split set, strip set, super set, pyramid set, drop set, giant set and forced reps may cause you to speed walk back to the cardio machines. You don’t need to be scared off by the gym lingo and the many different methods of weight training. Adding weight training to your cardio program will help strengthen your bones (very important for women to prevent osteoporosis), raise your metabolism, increase your muscular endurance, help you avoid injuries and make you stronger for all of the activities you do each day.  In short, it is a very valuable component of your fitness program.  

For those new to weight training, the section below explains common terms and a simple way you can create an effective weight-training program.

The Basics:  “SETS” and “REPS”
A “SET” is a group of successive repetitions performed with no rest in-between exercises.

A “REP” stands for repetition, it’s the number of times you repeat an exercise in each set.
For example if you do 3 SETS of 12 pushups you would complete 12 push ups (1st set), rest then do 12 more pushups (2nd set), rest and finish with 12 more (3rd set).

Change is word we have been hearing a great deal of over the past year.  Change is a word that evokes a wide range of emotions that span from excitement to dread. I’ve been experiencing the full spectrum of these emotions this week as I prepare to move. Although I’m excited about the new place, I am also dreading the move and all it entails.  If I look at only the “to do list” I am left feeling overwhelmed.  I am learning to supersede this list and focus on the end result, my beautiful, organized and happy new living space.  When this is my vision the move is something to embrace and I am energized to take action.

Keeping your focus on the end result you want to achieve also helps when making changes in your physical health and fitness. Taking action is easier when you have a clear mental picture of the outcome you are going for.

Take a moment, close your eyes, breathe deeply, and get a mental picture of how you want to look and feel. After you have a detailed mental picture write down the specific characteristics you want to achieve. Be specific and have fun with it.

I was recently interviewed for a magazine article about “spot reducing”. “Spot reducing” is the concept that doing specific exercises for specific body parts will help you lose fat in that area. Although the idea of “spot reducing” has been disproved by various studies in the 1980’s many still cling to the idea that they can “spot reduce” their trouble areas. Common areas women want to “spot reduce” are hips, inner and outer thighs, back of the arms and stomach.

The frustration I have long heard from women focusing on one of those areas is that they see results everywhere except the area they want to lose weight, For example I was working with a women who was obsessed with losing her inner thigh jiggle, she was working out regularly, eating a healthy diet and seeing results everywhere…except her inner thighs. The fact is, how and where we lose fat depends on many factors including, genetics, gender and age.