Why is it important to warm-up?
“Warming up” increases the blood flow to working muscles which will improve muscle fiber contractility, increase oxygen delivery, and make your muscles more elastic reducing the chance of injury.

Is it better to do cardio or weight training first?
It does not matter which activity you choose to do first. The important thing is to make sure to do a proper warm-up prior to either activity. To make your workout interesting, alternate the activity you start with.

How fast should I walk on the treadmill?
Your heart rate should determine your speed on the treadmill or elliptical for cardiovascular benefit. You should try to exercise at your target rate, 60-80% of your heart rate maximum. Ask a Synergy trainer to calculate your target heart rate for you.

Is the treadmill better than the elliptical trainer?
Neither machine is necessarily better; both have benefits. You may burn more calories on the elliptical trainer because it uses upper body as well as lower body muscles which activate more muscle groups burning more calories. The treadmill speed and incline can be adjusted to make your workout more challenging.

Are free weights or machines better for resistance training?
Neither is necessarily better than the other, there are advantages to both. Free weight training requires more core stability than a machine because you must move unsecured weights against gravity. A machine provides more support and guidance throughout the range of motion. It is advantageous to combine both forms in your resistance training.

What is the body's core?
The core is simply the center of the body, or every part of you except your arms and legs. It is considered the beginning point for movement and should be stable in order to produce, reduce, or transfer forces throughout your body efficiently.

There are a great number of muscles that make up the core, primarily those that connect to the spine and the pelvis, which should be strengthened to maintain balance and produce optimum training results. The “drawing in maneuver” will help stabilize and strengthen your core and should be performed prior to each resistance exercise as well. To perform the “draw in” maneuver, place your finger about two inches below your navel. Pull that area in and up towards your spine as tightly as possible and hold for a minimum of 20 seconds. This takes practice, but you should be able to breathe normally if you are drawing in correctly. A strong core will help you maintain correct posture, help prevent back injuries, and prepare you for more rigorous training exercises.

How often should I weight train?
Rest is as important as the workout itself. Circuit style resistance training (working multiple muscle groups consecutively) should be performed two to three time per week with one to two days of rest between workouts.

How much weight should I train with and how many reps should I do?
In general, if your goal is to strengthen and tone it is best to use a weight with which you can perform 10 to 15 reps through full range of motion. To provide favorable adaptation in your muscle tissues, you must provide a sufficient stimulus, so use the maximum weight with which you can perform the exercise properly.

Does resistance training raise my metabolism?
Yes. Resistance training will cause hypertrophy, an increase in size of your muscle cells. Since larger cells use more energy, your caloric expenditure will increase both while exercising and at rest.

Can I spot reduce fat in targeted areas such as my abdominals,
triceps or thighs?
No. You cannot spot reduce fat. In other words, working arms will not burn fat in your arms, doing squats will not reduce fat in your legs. As a matter of fact, resistance training will burn very little if any fat at all. Resistance training will burn calories, primarily from a carbohydrate fuel source.

Your body will burn fat evenly as it is needed during aerobic or cardiovascular exercise,. Working up to 20-30 minutes of cardiovascular activity at least 3-5x a week will help contribute to fat loss.

How long should my workout last?
The surgeon general recommends accumulating 30 minutes of activity most days of the week. You should set a goal for yourself to spend 30 minutes per workout doing cardiovascular exercise and approximately 20 minutes of resistance training depending on the amount of sets and reps which you are currently doing.

© 2004 Synergy Health & Fitness Associates, Incorporated