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 could be as little as a couple of weeks or as long as a few months. Regardless, once it does adapt, progress stops and working out loses its luster.

So you'll want to frequently alter your routine in some way to keep your body from growing stagnant. This could mean changing exercises or your set-rep scheme, or even the order in which you train body parts. What's most important is that you keep your body guessing.

When it doesn't know what's coming next, it will have no choice but to continue to prepare itself for stresses to come. And how does the body prepare? By becoming stronger, faster and more agile than it was before.

Rather than adhering to the old adage "No pain, no gain," I suggest you consider this variation: "No change, no gain."

Q: Should I do cardio before or after my weight workout?

A: As you probably know, I have a long history coaching bodybuilders, including men like Lou Ferrigno and Arnold Schwarzenegger, and for as long as I can remember, the vast majority of them performed cardio after their weight workouts. Now, you may not have any desire to grow a pair of 22-inch arms, but this doesn't mean you can't learn from these men.

It's easy to assume that they lifted before running or biking (we didn't have very many stationary cardio machines back in the day) because they enjoyed it more. After all, bodybuilders wouldn't be bodybuilders without weights.

I believe they also instinctively knew something that modern research now bears out, however, which is that when cardio is performed before progressive resistance training, the results of the workout are diminished.

On the other hand, when cardio follows a weight workout, not only is there no negative effect on the cardio portion, the rate at which calories are burned is increased.

Five minutes of cardio before a weight workout isn't a bad idea, though. By increasing your core temperature you increase blood flow throughout your body, better preparing it for the stresses to follow. So, a touch of cardio prior to, and for 20 to 45 minutes following, your weight workout is the ideal mix.

Q: I know that caffeine is good for stimulating your metabolism, but I find that it makes me jittery. Is there anything else I can take that will have the same fat-burning properties without any side effects?

A: Any time you take a supplement to boost your metabolism, you're running the risk of potential side effects. Some people don't handle the thermogenic (heat-inducing) effects of many of the metabolism-boosters on the market well and therefore have to look to other types of supplements to aid them in their weight-loss program.

Fortunately, there are a few other ones out there that can aid your body in processing fat more efficiently, thus reducing fat buildup:

— CLA (conjugated linoleic acid) has been found to simultaneously drop body fat and build muscle by blocking an enzyme that increases fat storage and limits fat burning.

— L-carnitine, an amino acid-like supplement, helps transfer fatty acids across cell membranes into the mitochondria, where it is burned for fuel, making it an ideal fat-loss supplement.

— Forskolin is the active ingredient in the herb coleus forskohlii. It activates an enzyme that increases the release of fat from fat cells.

Most health food stores should certainly carry the first two supplements, while the third may not be as easy to find. Consult with a qualified nutritionist to determine how much of each you can take. None of the supplements will make you feel the slightest bit jittery and, combined with a good exercise and diet plan, will help you shed the pounds and reveal the lean you inside.

Joe Wieder 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 Wieder, 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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