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When I gain weight it always goes straight to my hips and legs. What exercises can help me to lose this fat, especially my saddlebags?

It is not uncommon for women to gain weight in their hips and thighs. There is no magic exercise that will melt the fat from this area. The concept of losing fat in an area by exercising the surrounding muscles is called “spot reduction” and unfortunately, it is ineffective. To lose fat from your hips and keep it off you have to make consistent lifestyle changes. A combination of healthy eating, cardiovascular exercise, and muscle toning is the solution. It is just like a triangle, if you have all three components you will have a healthy lifestyle and a strong triangle, and your body will show that. If you leave a component out, the triangle will be incomplete and your results will be limited.

Shaun Karp is a certified personal trainer in Vancouver. For further information call his office at 604-420-7800.

What is the minimum amount that I need to workout each week?

If you want to achieve a healthier lifestyle you should plan on exercising three times a week. You can workout in a gym, at home, or both. Working out in a fitness club is great because of the large variety of exercise equipment and because it is a motivating atmosphere. However, if you do not have time to make it to the gym one day you can do some exercises at home with some simple pieces of exercise equipment. Exercises performed with dumbbells or stability balls are great because they can be performed at home or in a gym. So, if you are committed to exercising three times each week, you can try to learn some exercises with each of these pieces of equipment as their versatility will help with your exercise consistency.

Shaun Karp is a certified personal trainer in Vancouver. For further information call his office at 604-420-7800.

What is the difference between sets, reps and supersets?

Sets refer to how many times you perform an exercise. Repetitions refer to how many times you perform a movement within each set. For instance, you may hear someone say that they are performing 3 sets of 12 repetitions on an exercise. A “superset” is when you perform two sets back to back with no rest in between. A superset can isolate the same muscle or opposing muscles. For instance, if you superset your legs by performing leg press and lunges you would really put your legs to the test because the exercises target the same muscles. You could also perform a superset on opposing muscle groups such as your biceps and triceps by performing barbell curls and tricep pushdowns. This way you still do not rest between your sets but you alternate exercises between the two muscle groups. Be careful when starting out with supersets, if you do too much too soon you will be hurtin’ for certain.

Shaun Karp is a certified personal trainer in Vancouver. For further information call his office at 604-420-7800.

What are the best exercises to build my chest and how often should I perform them?

It is very common for men to place a lot of attention on their chest routine. Developed pectorals can be esthetically appealing, and may be considered a symbol of strength and power. Typically bench press is the most popular exercise to develop the chest muscles, however, it is not the most effective. Excessive bench press can irritate the rotator cuff muscles. Bench press is also not a great strength indicator as it is very easy to cheat by lifting up your hips or by over extending your back. My favorite exercise for chest development is 45-degree incline dumbbell press. Dumbbells are great because they allow a greater range of motion, and the inclined angle helps to isolate the upper areas of the chest which are typically the most underdeveloped. However, this exercise alone will not develop a chiseled chest. It is important to have staples in your chest routine, but you must shock your system by changing your routine around regularly. Exercises such as dumbbell flies, hammer strength machines, pec dec and cable cross-overs can be great additions to your chest routine.

Shaun Karp is a certified personal trainer in Vancouver. For further information call his office at 604-420-7800.

What are lean sources of protein that can be eaten with breakfast and lunch?

Protein is often a little more difficult to get into the diet because foods that are high in protein usually take time to prepare. My two favorite sources of protein for breakfast are egg white omlettes and lean ham or back bacon. Three or four egg whites contains approximately 12 grams of protein and can be purchased in cartons already separated from the yolks, which are high in fat and cholesterol. Back Bacon or ham is also high in protein and can be very lean, but be sure to read the label first as some sources can be higher in fat than others. The best way to get protein into you lunch is to prepare it the day before. For instance, if you are having chicken or fish for dinner, simply cook a little extra and then you will have your lunch for the next day. Planning ahead will help ensure that you eat less fast food or make poor last minute selections due to poor organization. Yogurt and cottage cheese are also great sources of protein that can be eaten with breakfast or lunch.

Shaun Karp is a certified personal trainer in Vancouver. For further information call his office at 604-420-7800.

Should I use a workout log to record my workouts?

If you are working out on a regular basis it is a good idea to record your workouts so you can monitor your progress. You can start by recording the sets and repetitions that you perform with each exercise. This information is important because it will help you to see if your strength and endurance are improving. Recording your workouts can also help you with variability. A variety of exercises helps to prevent psychological burn-out and physical adaptation. Repetitive and unvaried training programs often lead to a plateau in results and occasionally to loss of strength and over-training injuries.

Recording your workouts is not only applicable for those of you that workout in a gym, it is also great for monitoring your running, hiking, swimming and many other activities. For instance, if you are planning on improving your time in the “Sun Run” it is a good idea to monitor you time and distance with each run. This way you can set personal goals and consistently improve upon your current personal best.

Shaun Karp is a certified personal trainer in Vancouver. For further information call his office at 604-420-7800.

My lower back and knees bother me when I run or bike, is swimming a good option?

For people with lower back pain or with injuries to their lower extremities exercising in a pool is often the best way to restore muscle strength, endurance, and joint range of motion. Swimming is also an excellent form of aerobic exercise and it is one of the few aerobic sports that emphasizes upper body conditioning while also improving flexibility.

If swimming lengths is not your thing try a water belt used for aqua running. A water belt fits around your waist and helps you to partially float so that you can perform a running motion in the water. This form of running closely patterns the form used on land. Water provides a resistance that is proportional to the effort exerted, much like running into a stiff wind. For variation, this exercise can also be performed in a cross-country skiing motion. The benefit of pool exercises is that the water allows you to move freely. Also, the water provides added resistance without the stress or impact on your joints and soft tissues.

Shaun Karp is a certified personal trainer in Vancouver. For further information call his office at 604-420-7800.

Is it true that ceasar salads and sushi are high in fat?

The lettuce and vegetable ingredients in salads are low in fat, it is the salad dressing and the garnishes that you have to look out for. One to two tablespoons of caesar salad dressing can add up to as much as 15 grams of fat. Also beware of garnishes on salads such as nuts and cheese. A mere ¼ cup of cashews, peanuts or almonds has approximately 20 grams of fat and a slim 1oz of cheese has approximately 8 grams of fat. A low-fat alternative would be to request a vinaigrette dressing(without the oil) with some lemon wedges or you can request the dressing on the side so you are able to limit the quantity. Not all sushi is high in fat, however the popular California Roll contains mayonnaise and avocado, which are both extremely high in fat. One tablespoon of mayo has approximately 11 grams of fat and an avocado has an incredible 30 grams of fat! The healthy version of the California Roll is to replace the avocado with cucumber and reduce or delete the mayo altogether.

Shaun Karp is a certified personal trainer in Vancouver. For further information call his office at 604-420-7800

I workout regularly but I never stretch, what is the benefit of stretching?

Stretching can prevent injuries, improve performance, reduce muscular soreness and it is a great stress reliever, so do not put it off any longer! Poor flexibility can limit normal joint range of movement. Once this occurs your body can be forced to perform abnormal movement patterns which can place excessive forces on your joints and muscles. This can lead to muscle imbalance injuries. Common problems related to poor flexibility are shoulder tendinitis, low back pain, and tension headaches.

Your stretches should be performed after an initial 5-10 minute warm-up and you should hold each stretch for 15-60 seconds. Apply a gradual stretch to each specific body part holding each stretch with a steady force. This form of stretching is called static stretching, it is the easiest and one of the safest methods of increasing flexibility.

Stretching can be performed effectively in only 5 to 10 minutes and can be done at home, in a gym, and some stretches can even be performed at work. So, if you are exercising and not stretching remember that it is important to stretch all the major muscle groups as part of a balanced exercise routine

Shaun Karp is a certified personal trainer in Vancouver. For further information call his office at 604-420-7800.

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