Celebrities spend countless hours a day getting in amazing shape for a role, and it's hard not to compare your workout regimen with theirs. But is a three-hour-plus workout session any better than a killer, hour-long one? It's time to find out.
The Truth: Exercising at a high intensity for 30 minutes is a perfectly effective way to work out.
Looking at Hollywood's red carpet, you can tell the stars are all about developing and toning their upper arms. Even first lady Michelle Obama proudly shows her fantastic biceps regularly. Buff arms can be yours too! What you need is a move that will make what I call the "belly" of the biceps really pop! Ready? Get in the right mind-set — it's time to concentrate!
Shoulder exercises are a popular part of resistance workouts. Working out while facing a mirror, many people train what they can see — the front and middle heads of the deltoid muscle. But the rear head of the deltoid needs attention, too. Otherwise, you'll have unbalanced strength in your shoulders, which can set you up for a rotator cuff injury.
Let's take some time to target the back of your shoulders with bent-over shoulder raises. Here's how:
All of us want to "tone" our muscles to achieve a cut, fit look. But what exactly is "toning"? Let me clarify a little: The word "toning" has nothing to do with the size of a particular muscle; it refers rather to making a muscle lean by burning intramuscular fat, and conditioning the muscle for better performance.
Q: I have stretch marks on my stomach, back and thighs. If I lose weight, will they go away?
A: I'm gonna be totally honest with you — stretch marks will not go away completely. That said, they can fade a great deal. They should fade on their own with time, but there are cosmetic procedures, including laser treatments and injections, that can help them fade a little more quickly.
Growth hormone (sometimes referred to as HGH, for "human growth hormone") is something we all want more of. It builds muscle, burns fat, helps you resist heart disease, and protects your bones — among many other health benefits. By increasing your muscle mass, growth hormone raises your resting metabolic rate and gives you more power for your workouts.
Q: I have a huge appetite. It's not emotional or mental hunger. I've tried every gimmick out there (including the grapefruit diet!), but nothing has helped. If you have any insights into appetite control, please share them!
You may have heard the U.S. Surgeon General's recommendation of at least 150 minutes of moderate physical activity each week (and that breaks down to just 30 minutes of physical activity five days a week). What's important to understand is that this is intended for people who want to maintain the most basic level of fitness — but not for people who want to lose weight. But if you want to drop those pounds, you're going to have to be prepared for a bit more work.
Q: What is the best way to get rid of belly bulge?
A: Contrary to what you might think, getting rid of belly bulge is all about diet and cardio rather than strength-training exercises that target the abdominals. This is because belly bulge results from excess body fat, not lack of muscle. The best way to reduce the bulge, therefore, is to reduce your body fat, and we all know what that requires — eating right and exercising, baby!
I've worked with many people who have told me that no matter how much they eat, they're still hungry. They can scarf down half a pizza plus dessert and still feel ravenous afterward. Does this sound familiar? If so, it's possible that a condition called leptin resistance is at least partly to blame.
