Monday, July 31, 2000
Personal Trainer
Add several cardio segments to regular workouts
By David Patania
Question: I am a busy 36-year-old male who works out 3-4 days per week with a personal trainer. However, I need a good cardiovascular regimen that I can do that won't leave me feeling over-exerted and doesn't take too long. Any advice?
Answer: If time is an issue I would try to get more bang for your buck by adding a cardiovascular twist to your sessions with your trainer. Have your trainer add “circuits” and “half-and-halfs.”
Circuit training involves performing any number of weight-training exercises, then immediately doing three to five minutes of cardiovascular work, then repeating the sequence throughout the session. For example: Do one set of squats, a set of leg curls, four to five minutes of cardiovascular.
Half-and-halfs are when you do weight-training exercises for half of the training session and cardiovascular exercises for the other half (it is your choice whether you do cardio or strength training first).
On your off days, concentrate on burning calories by doing stretching, abdominal exercises and longer duration (40-60 minutes) of moderate-intensity, cardiovascular exercise (i.e. bicycling, hiking).
Q: I just started working out (running) again and my lower back hurts and gets extremely tight. I am now 27 and my back never hurt like this before. What can I do?
A: I wouldn't attribute your back pain to age but rather inactivity. After a lot of time off from activity, your bones, connective tissues and muscles get used to not receiving activity and stimulation.
Usually, when there is pain and stiffness in muscles after a long layoff, it just means that you are probably doing too much too soon. Start off slowly and remember that you have to slowly train your body to get acclimated to physical activity. This will help to build a foundation that will support good health and vitality for years to come.
Another reason your back may be hurting is because of a lack of warming up and stretching before and cooling down and stretching after exercise. Be sure to do this every time you work out to avoid injury and increase flexibility.
If the pain persists consult your doctor to make sure that there is no serious damage.
Dave Patania, a certified personal trainer, welcomes your questions at davpatania@aol.com.
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