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Ask Joe Weider Ask Joe Weider, April 19 for 04/19/2008
Tip of the Week: Unless you're training to be a bodybuilder, limit the number of isolation exercises you perform in favor of compound movements. An isolation exercise is one in which you primarily use a single muscle group to lift a weight. For example, a strict barbell curl will employ your biceps muscles first and foremost, with a little assistance from your forearms. In cont ... Ask Joe Weider, April 26 for 04/26/2008
Tip of the Week: If you're not motivated to exercise by the thought of fitting into last year's bathing suit or bettering your best high school bench press, think of the children. Really. Think about those who you love and who love you most, and of the impact your better health will make in their lives. Whether it's your kids, your spouse, your friends — whomever it may be who you ... Ask Joe Weider, May 3 for 05/03/2008
Tip of the Week: Make a point of walking whenever you can. We've gotten to a point in our lives where we almost instinctively look for the path of least resistance. When we go to the mall, we would rather wait in our cars for minutes on end for a close spot rather than take one a few hundred feet further away. When faced with the choice of an elevator and stairs, we opt for the mechanical means ... Ask Joe Weider, May 10 for 05/10/2008
Tip of the Week: Do not mistake muscularity with health. While the work required to attain strong muscles may well lead to good health, a fit-looking body does not necessarily equate to an optimally functioning body. Unfortunately, I have known plenty of bodybuilders who, while looking like a million bucks, were often out of breath and tired. You see, they placed the attainment of muscle ... Ask Joe Weider, May 17 for 05/17/2008
Tip of the Week: To belt or not to belt? That is the question. Whereas once upon a time it was de rigueur to wear a lifting belt from the moment you stepped into a gym until you hit the locker room after training, these days we don't make such generalizations. Lifting belts can be of great value to anyone who has lower back issues or is lifting very heavy weights. The majority of people ... Ask Joe Weider, May 24 for 05/24/2008
Tip of the Week: Protein is essential for building, and rebuilding, the body. But while too little can be a bad thing, so can too much. The trick is finding the right amount for you. Protein is one of the three macronutrients (the others being carbohydrates and fat) that make up the bulk of your daily diet. Protein can be found in every cell in your body, including bone, blood, hair, ski ... Ask Joe Weider, May 28 for 05/28/2008
Tip of the Week: Cardio exercise is great for burning fat, of course, but it doesn't do much in the way of building or strengthening muscle. What many people don't realize, though, is that progressive resistance training not only keeps your muscles strong and toned, but also helps burn fat, in two distinct ways. If resistance training is done the way I recommend — at a fast clip wi ... Ask Joe Weider, June 7 for 06/07/2008
Tip of the Week: While I'm sure you're familiar with the undeniable benefits exercise can have on your body, did you know that it can also be highly beneficial to your mental function, helping keep your mind sharper, alert and relaxed? It's true. In fact, numerous studies have born this out. Harvard associate professor of psychiatry John J. Ratey, M.D., has found that just eight to 10 mi ... Ask Joe Weider, June 14 for 06/14/2008
Tip of the Week: You may have heard a fitness term floating around quite a bit over the last few years, one that for all its ubiquity is seldom explained. The term is "functional training." So, just what is functional training? Glad you asked. Since the onset of organized bodybuilding in the early part of the last century, a system of exercising began to evolve — o ... Ask Joe Weider, June 21 for 06/21/2008
Tip of the Week: "Better safe than sorry" may be an age-old axiom, but when it comes to exercising it couldn't be a more important one to remember. The gym can be a veritable minefield for the careless or uninformed trainer. With bars sticking out here and there, dumbbells and plates often left in the middle of the floor, and weight stacks just waiting to pinch a finger, there ... Ask Joe Weider, June 28 for 06/28/2008
Tip of the Week: Sure, I'll be the first to tell you that consistency is essential to achieving change in your body. For as long as I can remember, I've preached the importance of staying focused, with your eye on the prize, and making sure to stick to both your diet and workout plan if you want to see progress beyond that of the tens of thousands who aren't so diligent as you. Of course ... Ask Joe Weider, July 5 for 07/05/2008
Tip of the Week: Don't always believe the "experts." Every day, I'm more and more convinced that many of the so-called experts on the human body — aka scientists — don't know half as much about diet and exercise as you do. A half-century ago, I began compiling a group of principles for exercising based on things I witnessed bodybuilders doing. I dubbed these "T ... Ask Joe Weider, July 12 for 07/12/2008
Tip of the Week: Some say that when it comes to altering your body composition (as in losing fat and adding muscle), diet is 75 percent of the battle. Some put it at 60 percent, and still others put it at over 80 percent. Whatever the number, following a sound nutritional regimen is absolutely key when you're trying to improve your body, both inside and out. There are a number of diets o ... Ask Joe Weider, July 19 for 07/19/2008
Tip of the Week: Whether it's a training partner, a regular spotter or a personal trainer, having someone to support your body-reshaping efforts is often a good idea, especially when you're just starting out. The main problem I've seen with most new trainees is in their ability to stay motivated through the initial stages of their fitness regimen. In the beginning, the gains come relativ ... Ask Joe Weider, July 26 for 07/26/2008
Tip of the Week: There's no time like the present to begin your fitness routine. Not tomorrow, nor even next week. NOW! As humans, we tend to procrastinate. I know — I've been there myself. If I may belabor an old axiom, however, none of us are getting any younger, which means with each passing year it becomes more difficult to start good habits. And to me, there's simply no better ... Ask Joe Weider, August 2 for 08/02/2008
Tip of the Week: You are greater than the sum of your parts, but you shouldn't forget to pay attention to each of those parts to create a great sum. There are lots of options for the person looking to get into shape these days, many of them quite good. From bicycling to swimming to hiking and even yoga, there is a system of exercise for almost everybody. Yet as good as all of these are, ... Ask Joe Weider, August 9 for 08/09/2008
Tip of the Week: Never forget to honor your mother and father as well as those who have paved the way you now follow. These days, we're all too ready to think about the future — what's new and exciting — whether it's the latest technology that will make our lives immeasurably easier or coming trends in fashion, food or entertainment. Yet all that we have today and all that wi ... Ask Joe Weider, August 19 for 08/19/2008
Tip of the Week: A rolling stone gathers no moss, so goes the saying. I believe in applying this philosophy to your exercise routine, as well. Far too often we get complacent in our lives, be it in our home life, at work or even in the gym. Day after day, week after week, for months and even years on end, we perform the same exercises with the same weight for the same amount of time each ... Ask Joe Weider, August 23 for 08/23/2008
Tip of the Week: Over the years, I've often been asked whether one should begin a workout with cardio or weight training. The bike or the barbell? My answer is that there isn't one "right" answer to this question, only options for each person's fitness objectives. Of the many bodybuilders I've known, very few have performed any appreciable amount of aerobic activity prior to a ... Ask Joe Weider, August 30 for 08/30/2008
Tip of the Week: Don't compare yourself to anyone but you. In this day and age, we are bombarded with an influx of images of sculpted bodies and people who have the resources available to get themselves into the kind of shape many can only hope to achieve. From commercials to TV programs to magazine images and even billboards, we are constantly surrounded by idealized versions of the hum ... |
