That's Fit

Think stretching helps prevent soreness after exercise? Not so, says a recent review of 10 stretching-related studies.

Stretching, either before or after exercise, seems to have little or no effect on muscle soreness, say the results of this review that are really pretty convincing -- for healthy, young adults, anyway. Further studies on other groups are necessary.

Stretching is still good -- it improves flexibility, helps prevent injuries, enhances sports performance, and promotes a sense of relaxation and well-being. Preventing post-workout soreness just isn't one of its benefits.

When performing a resistance training workout, your body is stretching and tearing muscle fibers. This may seem like a bad thing, but make no mistake, it's the process by which your muscles initiate hypertrophy (growth). One of the most vital steps involved in making this happen is feeding your muscles what they need right after your workout. And by right after, I mean RIGHT after.

For the most part, you have a window of about 30 minutes after your weightlifting workout to eat your post-workout meal, or else your body may become catabolic (a situation where you actually lose muscle).

Does what you eat matter? Absolutely. Unlike any other part of the day, you need some simple, fast-digesting carbs right after a resistance training routine. Think white bread with a Tbsp of jelly or a bottle of Gatorade. This is because your body requires immediate sustenance in order to begin rebuilding. Also, it is equally important that you consume an adequate amount of protein right after a weight workout -- preferably whey, as it digests faster than casein protein. As a matter of fact, a great post-workout drink is low-fat chocolate milk, for it contains a good amount of protein, high amounts of simple sugar, and only a minimal amount of fat.

Of course going jogging on a trail is a super form of exercise. I specifically like what trails have to offer hips and ankles over a flatter surface. The inconsistency of the trails' surface causes the joints in our lower body to constantly adjust which makes them uniquely beneficial for strengthening hips, knees, and ankles.

Trails are also great for other types of training as well. I think Women's' Health magazine did a super job of taking a few simple items we'd all eventually stumble across while trail running, and turning them into fitness equipment. As your fancy online Fitzness Trainer, these are the types of skills I want you to learn.

I love multitasking! Any opportunity I get to kill two or more birds with one stone gets me giddy. I'm a busy woman with far too much to do, and when things get done in an efficient and pleasing way...I feel elated. Where am I going with this, you ask? Women's Health recently published this Park Workout and I thought you may need to see it as well.

If you have kids, I'm guessing there is a 99.9% chance that they like to run around and play at the playground. If this is true, then I'm talking to you. Let your kids and their buddies have their fun while you get a workout. No use sitting on that park bench anymore....use it for a glute training! Utilize the swings, monkey bars, and more.

Curious to know how celebrities squeeze fitness into their daily lives? Want to know the secrets of the stars? Bi-weekly, our That's Fit fitness expert Fitz sits down with the celebs we want to know more about, and digs out their great and not-so-great methods to staying healthy.

I recently had the opportunity to spend time with Mr. Michael Weiss while visiting him during one of his show stops for the Smucker's Stars on Ice tour. He comes from a wildly successful family of athletes (we're talking Olympians here) and has lived up to the Weiss expectations perfectly. Of course he trains like a workhorse, but it was neat to hear how sports and fitness were ingrained in him from ..... birth! He also tells about about the weight-loss-ish type competition he's engaged in with the other guys in the show. Sasha Cohen will decide the winner. Enjoy this interview. The guys got medals coming out the yin-yang and offers some fantastic fitness tips. There is a lot to learn!

One of the most common questions I'm asked is, "how do I get in shape quickly?" Well ... I'm sure as you read that question you might have thought ... impossible! Yeah, kinda. But, there are some things that will get you in shape quicker than others. The key is to challenge yourself, work most areas of your body, and make sure you do both cardiovascular and strength training. These are my favorite five moves that I believe will have the greatest impact on your fitness level, and help you see results sooner rather than later.

Check out the Summer Slimdown Guide -- it's loaded with tips to help you make the best of this summer and that fine body you're living in!

Have fitness questions? Fitz has your answer. Our ThatsFit.com fitness expert -- and now your own virtual personal trainer -- will help you get fit, increase your overall health and do it in a fun way. Drop your questions here in the Comments section below and we'll choose two per week to publish on That's Fit! Learn more about Fitz here.

Q. Dear Fitz, I know that most people are trying to lose weight, but I am trying to gain. Gain muscle, that is. I am going to the gym three to four times per week. I'm using the weight machines there, but It doesn't seem like I am gaining any muscle. Could you give me some advice? What types of healthy food should I eat? Should I be doing more reps with less weight or fewer reps with more weight? Any help would be appreciated. Thanks, Lea Rettig

A. Hey Lea, your question is superb, and the answer thank goodness is quite simple. Strength training should be challenging. Funny enough, my clients always seemed shocked and follow up that feeling of shock by giving me dirty looks when I pass them the dumbbell I'd like them to lift. Along with that dirty look, I receive chronic cries of, "Fitz! That's heavy!" Well, yes. Yes it is. The purpose of strength training is to get stronger, and yes ... build muscle. If I were to give them weights they could already lift comfortably ... they wouldn't be getting any stronger!

When it comes to lifting weights, there's always been debate over what the ideal number of reps per exercise happens to be. No word of a lie, I once saw two guys (strangely, I think they may have actually been brothers) almost get into a fistfight over this very issue in the middle of a crowded gym. Thankfully, the National Strength and Conditioning Association published a study on what number of reps works best, helping people across the country fine-tune their workouts and ending this debate (and potential weight room brawls) once and for all.

Well, sort of ...

How many reps you should perform is largely based on what type of fitness results you are aiming for. For lean muscles and increased endurance, the NSCA study reports that three sets of 15 reps -- lifting 60 percent of your Single Rep Max (SRM) -- is ideal. For maximum muscle growth, shoot for three sets of 12 reps, using 80 percent of your SRM. For maximum strength, three sets of three reps -- using a whopping 90 percent of your SRM -- is the best approach.

Does this truly constitute a definitive answer on what the perfect number of reps is? Not in the general sense. But insofar as your figuring out what works best for your particular fitness goals, it certainly helps quite a bit.

For some people, merely talking about exercise seemingly causes their muscles to grow. For the rest of us mere mortals, building lean and strong muscle takes a great deal of time and dedicated effort. That's why preserving even the smallest amount of muscle gain is paramount.

Well, it turns out that keeping all your hard-earned muscle from atrophying doesn't require taking expensive nutritional supplements or spending your entire life in the gym. In fact, you probably have just what you need in your kitchen right now.

A study from Tufts University in Massachusetts found that older people who consumed the highest amount of potassium also had the most amount of total body muscle. One possible reason for this mineral/muscle link can be the neutralization of acid that causes muscle breakdown as we age.

Note to self: Add bananas to grocery shopping list.

As just about everything else in the world becomes more and more complex, a return to basic fitness principles can be a refreshing departure.

This is certainly the case with some exercises that fell out of fashion for a while, but are now finding their way back into many modern workouts. One movement that falls into this category is the standard push-up. It's not to say that people stopped doing push-ups; rather, it's just that push-ups had largely been relegated to being a warm-up or finishing move (burning out with a quick set of them after completing sets of bench presses, for example). Now, however, this classic upper-body muscle toner is quickly becoming a staple of exercise routines of people from all levels of fitness.

To perform the push-up, keep your body rigid and in a straight line from your ankles to your head. Then, slowly lower your arms until your nose just about touches the floor. Hold in this position for a second and then explode back upward until your arms are almost fully extended. To make things a bit more challenging, place a weight plate on your back and bang out as many reps as you can in this fashion. Then, roll the weight off you and then immediately bang out a set using only your body weight.

Walk into any weight room in just about any gym in the world on a Monday, and chances are you will find every flat bench taken. Perhaps at some point in time the gods of Olympia decreed that chest exercises were to be done on the first day of the week. If it wasn't by Zeus' hand, maybe it's just because so many peoples' training schedules are based on the same weekly calendar. Whatever the case may be, the fact remains that far too much reliance is placed upon what is considered to be convention when it comes to working out. There are seven days in a week, which is why so many workouts are based on this unassailable truth. However, without trying to get all Plato on you, are there really seven days in a week? Or could it be that there are no true days, weeks or even months – at least, as not as far as your body knows? At the risk of turning the routine world in which we live into a land of confusion, try the following split routine resistance training workout, which is based on ... oooh, are you ready? Eight days a week.

TRY BEING A CAVEMAN

Your body has no idea what a week is. In fact, it doesn't even know who you are. The collection and storage of knowledge are all functions of the brain. While the brain is of course part of your body, it can sometimes be your worst enemy when it comes to working out. Cro-Magnon, Australopithecus, and Neanderthal were all men ... real men, with strong arms and small brains. If for some odd reason you were ever in a room with any of these evolutionary rest stops and asked them what the date is, they would likely club you nearly to death and then pee on you. But you will have learned a valuable lesson from these troglodytes, and that is: you shouldn't be focused on days or weeks, and should instead be more concerned with getting fitter and stronger. This somewhat traditional split routine is designed to make you think with your body and not with your brain, much like your hairier ancestors. It's very simple to follow; you'll split your workout to focus on two different muscle groups each day, while briefly revisiting the two muscle group you targeted two workouts ago. What's more, you'll find that you'll almost never have to vie for a flat bench again.

When I grow up, I want to be just like the adorable and inspiring 85 year old women I saw following along as best as they could in the back of a cardio kickboxing class today. I stood in awe watching them in their elastic waisted linen pants and button-down collared shirts jabbing and crossing with energy.

I thought about the things I do today to increase my health and preserve my athleticism. Will I be able to do the same things those amazing women were doing today while surrounded by others more than half their age? I bust my butt to ensure a long healthy life, but I when I watch things like that....it just seems like a bit of a miracle as well. That's what I'm working for. With all of my being, I want to be just like them.

"Pretty Boy Floyd" is not known for mincing words or sugar-coating anything. In fact this elite fighter who has won six world championship belts in five weight classes and has gone undefeated as a professional says it straight. He describes himself as the "greatest athlete ever," and honestly ... has done a lot to back that up.

He's featured in the book, Men's Health Celebrity Diet Secrets 2008, and I think one of his quotes is both poignant and hysterical. I encourage you not to read any further if you're easily offended though. He wasn't vulgar, but his thoughts on maintaining flat abs isn't for children either.

Before I go there, I just want you to know that Floyd not only walks the walk, but he has made it possible for his team (those who bust their butt to keep in at the top of his game) to get and stay fit as well. He's purchased memberships to 24-Hour Fitness for all of his employees. "I want to keep everyone around me healthy and in shape," he says.

Curious to know how celebrities squeeze fitness into their daily lives? Want to know the secrets of the stars? Bi-weekly our That's Fit fitness expert Fitz sits down with the celebs we want to know more about, and digs out their great and not-so-great methods to staying healthy.

Have fitness questions? Fitz has your answer. Our ThatsFit.com fitness expert -- and now your own virtual personal trainer -- will help you get fit, increase your overall health and do it in a fun way. Drop your questions here in the Comments section below and we'll choose two per week to publish on That's Fit! Learn more about Fitz here.

Q. Fitzy. I work out a few times a week and eat pretty well, but "six-pack" abs have always escaped me. I do plenty of crunches, but nothing seems to bring me even close to the abs I see on the cover of Men's Health magazine. What is the secret to it? Chase

A. Ahhhh Chase. The elusive six pack. Doesn't every body wish for that? Yes ... almost everybody does. Very few actually achieve it, though. This is the deal Chase, the "secret," if you will. If you want to look like an athlete, you're going to have to behave like an athlete. Train ridiculously hard and eat ridiculously well. Six-pack abs are a sign of elite fitness for sure, and you're probably not going to earn them working out a "few times a week and eating pretty well."