Ask Joe Weider from Creators Syndicate

Sample #2 for 11/06/2007

Tue, 06 Nov 2007 00:00:00 -0800

Q: How do I know if I'm overtraining?

A: This is a very good question, one that should be considered by everyone who deigns to begin an exercise program. Before answering your question, however, I would like to briefly explain the meaning of overtraining.

Exercise is a process of taxing the body and then rebuilding it through proper nutrition and rest. It's a constant ebb and flow of th ...

Updated: Tue Nov 06, 2007

Sample #1 for 11/07/2007

Wed, 07 Nov 2007 00:00:00 -0800

Q: I'm a 45-year-old mother of three. Fitness is important to both my husband and me, and we often go on diet and exercise plans together to try to motivate each other to get in shape. It seems like every time we do my husband sees results almost instantly, however, while I struggle to lose even a few pounds. I know I work at it just as hard as he does, so I'm getting really frustrated. Am I doing ...

Updated: Wed Nov 07, 2007

Ask Joe Weider, January 19 for 01/19/2008

Sat, 19 Jan 2008 00:00:00 -0800

Q: I'm a 43-year-old man who's recently started training again after five years of being away from the gym. It feels good to be back, but I'm experiencing a lot of muscle soreness, especially in my hamstrings. Is there anything I can do to alleviate this?

A: Muscle soreness is a completely normal reaction your body has to stresses places upon your muscles. It exists as a signal to your b ...

Updated: Sat Jan 19, 2008

Ask Joe Weider, January 26 for 01/26/2008

Sat, 26 Jan 2008 00:00:00 -0800

Tip of the Week: Beware the word "light"! It's used on packaging to indicate that a food is low-fat. However, in order to maintain taste and consistency, manufacturers will often replace fat with loads of sugar and other quick-burning carbs. To avoid this trap, check nutrition labels diligently.

Q: I'm a 47-year-old woman who does a lot of typing in my job as a claims a ...

Updated: Sat Jan 26, 2008

Ask Joe Weider, January 30 for 01/30/2008

Wed, 30 Jan 2008 00:00:00 -0800

Tip of the Week: Throw away your scale. Too many of us get caught up in the ritual of daily weighings, fretting over the gain or loss of a pound or two. Your bodyweight can fluctuate several pounds throughout a single day, however, depending on your level of hydration and food intake. Instead of relying on the scale, use your mirror as a barometer of your progress in your body transformation go ...

Updated: Wed Jan 30, 2008

Ask Joe Weider, February 9 for 02/09/2008

Sat, 09 Feb 2008 00:00:00 -0800

Tip of the week: Odds are, you probably ate a little more than you should have this past Super Bowl weekend. Even if you didn't watch the game itself, you couldn't resist the bowls of chips and dip and leftover pizza slices, could you? And now you're racked with guilt over your Giants mistake.

Well I'm here to tell you not to beat yourself up the way New York's offensive line did Tom Brady and ...

Updated: Sat Feb 09, 2008

Ask Joe Weider, February 13 for 02/13/2008

Wed, 13 Feb 2008 00:00:00 -0800

Tip of the Week: Don't judge yourself in relation to others. All too often we set benchmarks for ourselves that aren't based on our personal abilities, but someone else's.

We'll see an image of a fit film star and then despair we don't sport his abs or her arms. We cover up at gyms for fear a hardbody might judge us. We even starve ourselves to reach the weight a chart says is desirable. Then, ...

Updated: Wed Feb 13, 2008

Ask Joe Weider, February 23 for 02/23/2008

Sat, 23 Feb 2008 00:00:00 -0800

TIP OF THE WEEK: Think of your body as an elephant. No, not in that way. The analogy is that, like an elephant, it remembers. It remembers your last workout, and within hours of completing it is preparing for the next. After a few weeks of the same workout performed over and again, it will adapt to the stresses you place upon it. What this means is that your results will begin to diminish as time ...

Updated: Sat Feb 23, 2008

Ask Joe Weider, March 1 for 03/01/2008

Sat, 01 Mar 2008 00:00:00 -0800

Tip of the Week: Sure, there are a ton of diet products on the supermarket shelves, but if you're looking to lose weight, step away from the processed foods, and head over to the fruit and vegetable aisle.

Although they may claim low fat, low carb or low sugar, diet foods often replace that which is missing with something that may be more damaging to your diet, and your health. It's hard to go ...

Updated: Sat Mar 01, 2008

Ask Joe Weider, March 8 for 03/08/2008

Sat, 08 Mar 2008 00:00:00 -0800

TIP OF THE WEEK: The architect Le Corbusier came up with the oft-quoted phrase, "Form follows function."

While he said it in the context of buildings, the idea that the shape of something should emanate from its use is a pretty good one for you to follow, as well. If you wish your body to look a particular way, you need to train it accordingly.

A prime example of the r ...

Updated: Sat Mar 08, 2008

Ask Joe Weider, March 15 for 03/15/2008

Sat, 15 Mar 2008 00:00:00 -0700

Tip of the Week: Mix up your training routine often to get your body and your mind out of any ruts. More than a half-century ago, I came up with something I call the Weider Muscle Confusion Principle. The theory behind it is that the body, being the wonderfully adaptable machine that it is, begins to grow accustomed to stresses being placed upon it in a relatively short amount of time. This cou ...

Updated: Sat Mar 15, 2008

Ask Joe Weider, March 22 for 03/22/2008

Sat, 22 Mar 2008 00:00:00 -0700

Tip of the Week: Undoubtedly you appreciate a sense of order in your daily life, whether it's the order in which you go about tasks (the supermarket first, then the cleaners) or the order of your meals (dinner after lunch). Likewise, order in your workouts is essential for maximizing your productivity and minimizing your workload.

By organizing your workouts correctly, you can train more ...

Updated: Sat Mar 22, 2008

Ask Joe Weider, March 29 for 03/29/2008

Sat, 29 Mar 2008 00:00:00 -0700

Tip of the Week: Forget the antiquated notion of eating three square meals a day. In case you haven't heard it before, that's yesterday's news. In fact, for bodybuilders, that's never even made it into the paper!

Your body is a machine that is processing nutrients all the time. It runs best when it is fed at a steady rate, rather than in the fits and starts that come with eating large me ...

Updated: Sat Mar 29, 2008

Ask Joe Weider, April 5 for 04/05/2008

Sat, 05 Apr 2008 00:00:00 -0700

Tip of the Week: The wiser among us will encourage you to "make every day count." I couldn't agree more, and by way of paraphrase, I also encourage you to make every rep count. It may sound like a platitude, but trust me, in the realm of fitness it's one of the most valuable truisms you'll ever hear come from my mouth.

No matter what gym you go to, you're sure to find scores of ...

Updated: Sat Apr 05, 2008

Ask Joe Weider, April 12 for 04/12/2008

Sat, 12 Apr 2008 00:00:00 -0700

Tip of the Week: I find that most people who are looking to get into shape, as opposed to extremely muscular, don't go high enough in their rep count.

Bodybuilders tend to keep their sets in the 6-12 rep range because this has been shown to be the most effective for maximizing size and strength. There are plenty of benefits to increasing the number of reps you perform per set, however.
Updated: Sat Apr 12, 2008

Ask Joe Weider, April 19 for 04/19/2008

Sat, 19 Apr 2008 00:00:00 -0700

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 ...

Updated: Sat Apr 19, 2008

Ask Joe Weider, April 26 for 04/26/2008

Sat, 26 Apr 2008 00:00:00 -0700

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 ...

Updated: Sat Apr 26, 2008

Ask Joe Weider, May 3 for 05/03/2008

Sat, 03 May 2008 00:00:00 -0700

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 ...

Updated: Sat May 03, 2008

Ask Joe Weider, May 10 for 05/10/2008

Sat, 10 May 2008 00:00:00 -0700

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 ...

Updated: Sat May 10, 2008

Ask Joe Weider, May 17 for 05/17/2008

Sat, 17 May 2008 00:00:00 -0700

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 ...

Updated: Sat May 17, 2008