Ask Joe Weider

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 mass above all else, to the detriment of the rest of their system.

By all means, I encourage you to get into the gym and aim to get muscular, toned, lean — however you wish your body to look. However, never lose sight of the fact that our bodies are intricate machines and that each part has a symbiotic relationship with its counterparts. Whether it's eating or training, make sure that what you are doing benefits the whole rather than only some of its parts.

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Q: I hear the term all the time, but I'm not exactly sure what "core training" means. Could you please explain and tell me how it's different from ab training?

A: Core training certainly is a very popular catchphrase these days — too popular for my tastes, actually. Back when I was first coming up in the weightlifting scene, there was no such animal as core training. We just performed lots of overhead lifts, like the standing press. Trying to lift 250 pounds over your head and hold it there for a few seconds will work your core really well.

To answer your question, core training is simply strengthening the layer of abdominal muscles that lie beneath the rectus abdominus muscles, which comprise the "six-pack" with which you're familiar. These are the muscles that work to stabilize your body when you're moving. They also keep your internal organs internal, so they are obviously of vital importance to your overall wellbeing.

While there are a lot of exotic ways to improve your core, my suggestion is to concentrate on standing free-weight exercises, preferably with dumbbells and preferably performed alternately rather than with your arms in unison.

As your body tries to keep itself righted, your core muscles will be worked. It's simple, effective and not only works your core, but all of your muscles.

Q: Is there any way in which I can firm up my face? I see ads for facial tightening systems but am skeptical. I'm 69 years old and would love to see more firmness in my face, especially around my jawline. Is this even possible?

A: When we talk about muscles, we mostly refer to the big, showy skeletal muscles that adorn the arms of men like Arnold Schwarzenegger and Sylvester Stallone. There are, however, muscles throughout our bodies — more than 630, actually — and they're not all as overt as our biceps and pecs. Fifty-three of them are located in our faces.

Because all of these 53 muscles are voluntary (meaning we can move them at will, as opposed to an involuntary muscle like the heart), they can all be trained to varying degrees. As you surely know by now, training a muscle causes it to firm up, which, be it your deltoids or your zygomaticus major (a facial muscle), can be a good thing.

A long time ago, I used to sell a beauty course that outlined various exercises one can do to tone the muscles of the face. As it turns out, smiling is one of the very best exercises you can do, as it trains your facial muscles to lift upward. So, besides finding yourself a good book on facial exercises, my advice to you is find reasons to smile, and then do it often. Your face and your attitude will be the better for it.

Joe Weider is the co-founder of the International Federation of BodyBuilders, creator of the Mr. Olympia and Ms. Olympia bodybuilding contests, and publisher of numerous fitness magazines. To find out more about Joe Weider, write to him and read features by other Creators Syndicate writers and cartoonists, visit the Creators Syndicate web page at www.creators.com.

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