Ask A Trainer Wednesday

Last week there was a great response to the first Ask a Trainer Wednesday. Thank you to all of those who submitted questions. This week Gregg, Kathy, Cameesa and Noah from American Mobile Fitness will again be answering several questions. Noah Simonetti is the newest personal trainer on the American Mobile Fitness team. I will be providing Noah's bio in an upcoming post.

This Week's Questions

From Diane at Fit to the Finish

Question: Is it better to work abs one day, legs the next, arms the next, etc. or should you do all your strength training in one day? I do cardio six days a week and have been doing 4 days a week of strength training (15 minutes).

Camessa: It depends on how much time you actually want to spend in the gym. The general rule of thumb is to work each muscle group at least twice a week. This can be accomplished by working full body twice a week (1 hour or more in gym) or you can break it into 3 or more days a week (1/2 hour or more in the gym). Just remember to give muscles around 48 hours to recover.

Gregg adds: Too much cardio can break down the body, the strength training builds it back up. A good option is to incorporate cardio into your strength training workouts by doing functional training which involves simultaneously performing lower and upper body moves.

Kathy adds: If a muscle group is feeling fatigued, be sure to give it an extra day off for rest. Also, don't forget to factor in time for stretching after your workout

Noah adds: You can have a workout routine of one muscle group a day but there are two things to consider when coming up with the order of the muscle groups. The first being how much time you have to work out every week. If you have 4 or more days available then yes you could use a routine like this. However, the second thing to consider is in which order you work your muscles. Never work the same muscle group two days in a row because rest is critical in recovery. For instance, you would not want to work arms one day and then upper body the next because you use the arm muscles to perform the larger upper body muscle groups. Always keep the muscles guessing, switch up the routine from time to time.






Gina from The Candid RD

Question: My mom developed fibromyalgia about 12 years ago after she was in a car accident. She also suffers from IBS, depression, anxiety, basically the whole sequence of chronic conditions associated with inflammation and ( I think) some fructose malabsorption. She's taken plenty of medications throughout these past several years, but she doesn't always take the health/nutrition advice I provide (although lately she's been doing much better). She works out MAYBE 3 times a week. She goes on long bike rides (as in 30 minutes-40 miles), rides the stationary bike, walks with me, and does some small weights and ab workouts. I think she's doing the right things, she just needs more motivation to keep doing it. Maybe some more ideas for exercises that she could do so she doesn't get bored, would be nice. Lately she's been feeling much better and I think it has something to do with the fact that she is following the FODMAP diet with me (low fructose and other sugars).


Cameesa: I think that it is great that your mom continues to be active. I have had several clients with fibromyalgia, ranging from little pain to extreme pain to the feeling of bugs crawling over the skin. I think it would benefit her to add some more resistance training to her current routine. Lifting some heavier weights that really challenge her and make her stronger will give her the confidence and motivation to keep going. I would also include core training, not just abs but low back as well. She could mix it up and do some circuit training or interval training. Get a third person in the mix and make it more social. There are a ton of options.

As for cardio, she should continue to do what she likes….ride the bike outdoors. Since she enjoys it, and it is seasonal, she should not get bored. Sounds like the FODMAP diet is working. I assume you have found the trigger food. That should help!





Jessica from See How She Runs

Question: I started jogging regularly in January, mostly outdoors. Now I average between 9 to 12 miles a week doing 3 runs per week and then X-training 2 days. About 2 months ago, I went and got fitted for running shoes. A few weeks after getting my shoes I started to notice tenderness in my right heel. It doesn't bother me while I am actually jogging or doing my x-training, but in the evenings before bed and in the morning. Are there certain stretched I can do to prevent this heel pain?

Gregg: I would suggest a calf stretch. It could be that the muscle is weak and needs to be strengthened. A tight muscle is generally a weak muscle. You need to stretch and strengthen that muscle. There also could be a muscle imbalance between the front and back of the leg. There are also different types of running styles you can try that may fix the problem. Make sure you stretch every day and for sure after every run.

Camessa suggests these stretches for heel pain.

Kathy adds: If stretching doesn't improve the condition, don't hesitate to contact your physician. He or she may recommend an insert for your shoe while running. The heel takes a lot of impact while running.





New mom Michelle from Blessed Quiver had two questions:

Question #1: How much does exercise really aid in weight loss?

Cameesa: I believe it is 80% what you put in your mouth and 20% is exercise. As you gain muscle, if you don’t lose fat, girth measurements may go up. Of course you should go at everything 100%, so you need both nutrition (80%) and exercise (20%).

Gregg adds: By building muscle you will increase your metabolism and, in turn, burn more calories while at rest. Muscle requires more energy to survive and, therefore, consumes more calories.


Question #2: I'm breastfeeding a 4 month old. She does not eat solids. Should I still be eating the extra 400ish calories I have been eating? this week my weight hasn't budged. Should I reduce my calories now that she's getting older and eating less often, though I assume more. When should I decrease those calories to continue to lose the baby weight?

Cameesa: I would continue to eat the same amount of calories, just make sure they are clean calories (no junk). Your body is naturally going to hold on to some extra fat while you continue to breastfeed. When you are done breastfeeding, drop the extra calories and your body will get rid of the extra fat.

Kathy adds: In any situation, most people overestimate calories burned and underestimate calories consumed. Everyone burns calories at different rates depending on weight and muscle mass. If you're not currently exercising and weight hasn't been going down, make sure you're doing enough cardio (getting heart rate up) 45 minutes - hour, 5-6/days week (ease into cardio if you're not currently doing any--starting with 1/2 hr 3-4X/week), and add strength training. See if that works before reducing calories.

Noah adds: The main point to remember is that weight loss only occurs if there are more calories expended than taken in. Exercise is the added component that will help you increase your metabolism and burn off those calories to create the deficit you need to lose weight.


Thank you to the personal trainers at American Mobile Fitness for taking time to answer our questions. If you have a question you would like addressed for next week's Ask a Trainer Wednesday, feel free to leave it in the comments section.

*The trainer's answers are based on the small amount of information given. Always consult a professional with any specific concerns you may have.