The soreness is call Delayed Onset Muscle Soreness and results when a greater than normal load is placed on a muscle. (It was thought that a build up of lactic acid caused the soreness, but it is now thought that the soreness is a result of micro tears in the muscle directly due to the mechanics and nature of the muscle response to the greater than normal loads as well as a release or leaking of enzymes from the muscle fibers.) Soreness usually diminishes as the muscles adapt to the loads and is a natural part of the muscle response. !

The soreness is call Delayed Onset Muscle Soreness and results when a greater than normal load is placed on a muscle. (It was thought that a build up of lactic acid caused the soreness, but it is now thought that the soreness is a result of micro tears in the muscle directly due to the mechanics and nature of the muscle response to the greater than normal loads as well as a release or leaking of enzymes from the muscle fibers.) Soreness usually diminishes as the muscles adapt to the loads and is a natural part of the muscle response.

This is difficult to answer. Much depends on the nature of your workout and the parameters. Much will depend both on your genetics and gender and the amount of testosterone in your body. Generally, if you do not want bulky muscles, it is easy to participate in a muscle toning program rather than a muscle building program. !

Organizations like ACSM, AHA, ACE, and others have recommendations for workout frequency. Recommendations have changed over the years as new studies and research is provided, but the general consensus is 3-5 days per week for 20-60 minutes. Much depends on whether you wants to maintain a certain level of fitness or gain improvement. For more detail and the latest guidelines, check with your personal trainer.

When it comes to equipment, there is no best or worst. Much depends on your goals and level of fitness. Generally machines are better for the beginner because they provide more stability than free weights. However, machines may be limited in the exercises and weight increments that you can perform. Free weights and cable pulley machines can be more versatile in that sense but require better skill on the part of the participant.

Spot training implies that a certain exercise will get rid of the fat over a certain muscle. It is not true and does not exist. To remove fatty areas one must do two things. First, reduce overall body fat percentage. Second, improve muscle tone or mass of that specific muscle by strength training or toning.

Physiologic Benefits Loss of body fat. Weight control. Increased muscular strength. Increased muscular endurance. Reduced risk of injury. Increased bone, ligament, and tendon strength. Increased metabolism. Reduction in resting blood pressure. Decreased diabetes risk. Advantageous changes in cholesterol. Improved bloodflow in the muscles. Increased muscle mass. Decreased risk of osteoporosis. Improved flexibility. Improved speed and power. Decreased stress. Improved elimination and digestion. Increased ability to burn calories both during and after exercise. Other Overall improved health. Improved self-esteem. Improved posture. Improved physical independence. Improved experience during participation in physical activity .

Before you begin a rigorous exercise routine it is important to remember several key points. Paying attention to these points can make your exercise routine more effective, enjoyable, and safer.. Check with your health professional to receive an approval to do the exercises you intend to perform. This may entail a physical exam to make sure it is safe to do the routine and to make sure the exercises you are going to do are not going to cause any problems with any pre-existing conditions such as heart problems, diabetes, or other conditions that may affect your health. Establish goals for your program. This will help to keep you motivated as well as help you decide what you want to gain from your program. General goals may include strengthening, toning, or improving cardiovascular endurance. Your goals may be more specific to what parts of your body you want to work on such as upper body, abdominal strength and so on. You can even be more specific to include how much weight you eventually want to lift, or how many sets you want to work up to, or how much endurance you want to gain. Establish a specific and regular time to exercise. This will help you to keep your routine more consistent and more of a habit. It also ensures that other things in your daily life activity will not interrupt you. You may also find that you prefer to exercise at a certain time of day. Wear comfortable clothing. Clothing should not interfere with your exercise equipment. Wear clothes that allow you to absorb perspiration and that allow good airflow to prevent overheating. Wear proper athletic shoes for foot protection in case a weight is accidentally dropped. Warm-up prior to starting your full program. A warm-up prepares your body by increasing blood flow, loosening up the muscles, increasing heart rate, and can help reduce injury. This may be a short walk or jog or a mild bicycling regime. Simple range of motion exercises are also very good. These include shoulder circles, neck rotations, trunk rotations, leg circles, and so on. You should warm up each part of your body that you intend to work out. A warm-up should last about 4-5 minutes. Another part of warm up is to start out with lighter weights and gradually work up to the full routine. Keep a workout log. This will help you determine when you have reached your goals. Record sets, reps, weights, treadmill speeds and information of this nature. You may also want to keep measurements of your arms or waist as well as your weight. After your exercise routine, go through a cool down. Cool down can be the same as your warm up. Simple active movements help your body to return to its resting state. Gentle stretching is also a good thing to do. It keeps you limber and may help ease any delayed onset muscle soreness that may occur. For more information and details, consult with your health professional.

You are entering a world of fitness. Part of that world may include some new terms. While none of the terms are difficult, it is easy to get confused at first, so having a basic concept of the definitions and terms can make things easier. Knowing basic vocabulary will make it easier to communicate not just with your trainer but also with others in the gym. As you move along in your fitness program many of these terms will become second nature.. A Rep is a shortened term for repetition. It means the number of lift/lower that are done at one time in an exercise without resting. A series of reps is a single Set. When your trainer instructs you to do 3 sets of 10, that actually means 3 groups of 10 repetitions. To do that you would perform 10 repetitions, then rest, (usually 30-45 seconds), then perform another group of 10 repetitions, rest and perform the last group of 10 repetitions. For most strength programs you may do 5-10 reps, and for toning or endurance type programs you may be doing 12-20 reps. Rate is the speed you perform a repetition. It is usually expressed in reps per second. A rate of one rep every 2 seconds with a biceps curl would mean that you would lift the weight up in one second and lower the weight in one second. Working the Negative is the motion that is done when you lower the weight or load to its original starting position. As indicated above in the rate description, usually the negative lift is done at the same rate as the lift portion of the rep. Weight is usually expressed in pounds. However, in most areas outside the USA, it may be in kilograms. You may encounter equipment that uses kilograms made outside the USA. Be sure to check with your trainer as you are introduced to each machine. Abbreviated muscles: Lats stands for Latissimus dorsi, a large muscle of the back. Pecs stands for Pectoralis major, the prime muscle of the chest. Quads are the muscles on the front of your thighs and the hams are the muscles on the backs of your thighs. Thigh Abductors are the muscles on the outside of your thigh and the Adductors are the muscles on the inside of the thigh. Triceps is the muscle on the back of your upper arm. Biceps is the muscle on the front of your upper arm. Delts are the Deltoids, a group of muscles in the shoulder area. Anterior Delt is on the front, the lateral delt is on the side, the posterior delt is on the back. Abs are your abdominal muscles. At first, the world of the fitness center can be intimidating and overwhelming. It is a new environment with new words and new people. But, with proper orientation and understanding of equipment and terms, there is no reason why the new “exerciser” cannot easily adapt and learn until they too, will soon be the next experienced lifter. Stick with your trainer and ask questions. Your trainer is there to make your introduction and transition to an experienced gym member as fast and easy as possible. What does a Personal Trainer do and where do I find them? You have embarked on what we hope is an exciting fitness adventure. This information will introduce you to the world of personal training and provide some basic background and information to help you gain the best experience possible. You may be a current “exerciser” and want to receive coaching and further improvement. You may have been an “exerciser” before, but don’t feel you have enough fitness knowledge and direction, or maybe you fell off your program and want to get back on track. You may be completely new to the world of exercising with no knowledge at all and wish to learn and start a fit lifestyle. Regardless, there are a few basic guidelines to help you and your trainer get started. The Personal Trainer is here for you to provide numerous things. While the following list is not all-inclusive, there are 3 basic skills they bring to you. First, they can provide you motivation. Second, a good physical assessment can establish a starting baseline for measuring goal achievement and for developing your program. Third, your trainer can help develop and teach a safe and thorough fitness program to meet your specific needs, and ultimately improve your lifestyle. There are several things that occur when you begin your training. Following are a few that will occur during your first sessions, although each trainer and facility may vary slightly in procedure and implementation. Your trainer and facility will likely provide more specific details regarding their program development. First Step: The initial meeting. During this meeting you will be presented with pricing and costs, benefits, and a background of the trainer/s and possibly a tour of the facility. This provides you with the chance to decide if a particular trainer and or facility are right for you. Once you have decided who and where you feel comfortable, a variety of paper work and forms will need to be filled out. This is not the best part, but it is a step that needs to be accomplished. The forms may include your demographics, informed consent for exercising, liability releases, assumption of risk, appointment times, and heath readiness questionnaires. You will also need to fill out a general health and health risk questionnaire. If you have certain health risks, such as a heart condition, you may be asked to receive clearance from your physician prior to beginning your program. Second Step: You and your trainer discuss and review your specific goals. This may include things such as losing weight, gaining strength, improving general fitness level and so on. You may already know your goals or you may be asked to consider your goals and establish them on your next visit. Goals should be realistic and as specific as you can get them. Your trainer can help you formulate your goals as well. Goals are important to have so your trainer can help keep you motivated, and provide direction and purpose in your fitness program. Third Step: General fitness assessment. This will help your trainer develop a program suited to your needs and ability. The assessment may be as brief as some flexibility and general strength testing or more detailed to include endurance, blood pressure or other specific tests based on your goals. You will then begin your workout program and introduction to the equipment. You will be instructed on how to set up the equipment, how to get on and off the equipment in a safe manner, and taught proper exercise form. The first session (unless you are already an experienced and current “exerciser”) will usually be relatively light, short and condensed version of your complete program. This provides for the extra time needed for the assessment and for you to learn proper form and equipment use as well as avoiding excessive muscle soreness or undue stress on your muscles and tendons. Fourth Step: Gradually add a few more exercises, reinforce safety, form, and use of the equipment while your body and muscles acclimate to the program. Typically, for the beginner, the first several weeks consist of a relatively light program, 2-3 times per week for about 15-30 minutes per session. As you become more fit, the sessions may increase 3-5 times per week and last up to 60 minutes in time. Much of this depends on your goals as well as your body’s ability to adapt to the fitness program. After 4 to 8 weeks, your trainer may re-assess you to determine how you are progressing and what goals you have reached or how close you are to achieving your goals. Once you have reached a goal, you may wish to increase the level of that goal or create a new one. If you have questions, or wish to clarify anything regarding your fitness program, consult with your trainer. Congratulations! You are ready to get started!