FitCoachJen Member

Was this originally written in a language other than English? If not, they give PT's a bad name. I'd say this blogger is 50% correct. Being a pear shape has to do with bone structure (somewhat) and adipose storage (mostly). Being a pear shape is healthy because you're not suffocating your organs with excessive fat, e.g.:…

I had a trainer that told me I could get down to 115, but my set point is in the high 120s/low 130s. If it looks good on your frame and you feel healthy, go for it! I'd advise you to focus on body composition more than the number on the scale. I know it's easy to quantify a goal in lbs, but don't let that be your only goal…

I just ran a 1/2 marathon and my thighs would still be considered big. Professional marathoners also run upwards of 50 miles per week and have done so for many years, which would be disastrous for the average person. Sprinters, who also run, have large and well developed muscles. Running isn't the answer. The afore…

Not sure what's nearby, but any restaurant that serves a salad is a good choice. I look for protein and vegetables, trying to avoid fried foods and heavy sauces but sometimes that's tricky. Good bets are fish with roasted veggies, chicken with potatoes, or even fish and chips if EVERYTHING is fried. It's important to…

If it works for you and your goals, more power to you. I'm genuinely happy that you and many other have found sustainable lifestyle changes that work for you. I was merely offering a counter-point, that some people have different goals and thus different eating patterns.

"Normal" appears to be processed, calorie-dense food according to the examples listed here. If your goal is to simply lose weight with no regard to performance, overall health, and body composition then by all means, keep eating "normally" If your goal is visible abs, athletic performance-related, or a fitness competition…

I'd say it depends on what distance you're training for, how you're cross training, and how you're fueling up. Some people run and never lose weight because they eat back the calories they just burned. It's pretty difficult for me to run long distances (over an hour) and not FEAST a couple hours later. Running makes me…

Woah, so much judgment! Some people show up and don't appear to be working out to your standards because they're tired, feeling under the weather, under doctor's orders, have an underlying medical condition, starting a new workout plan and unsure of what to do...whatever the reason may be, why does it matter? Focus on you…

Thank you for all the advice! My main concern is definitely falling on my butt, so I'll try to keep to shoveled and non-icy surfaces whenever possible. I don't know if there are any gyms with pools in the town I'm going to, it's quite small but running in heated water sounds really nice. BKR, thanks for the great ideas.

If you sole goal is to weigh fewer pounds...use the scale; match your method of tracking to your goal. Most of us have ancillary (or primary) goals that involve more than the # on the scale, so the scale is obsolete. I'm training for a race, so my goal is minute/mile and/or miles run per week. I have used the scale in the…

I'm pretty stoked to have found this thread. I'm training for my first 1/2 in January 2012. I've been training since August, I started by following Galloway's training schedule because it was right there on the race website, but with 12 weeks left (and a bicep injury) I switched over to Higdon's plan. I track my miles…

What makes more sense? Depends on your goals. Running faster makes you better at running faster, but not necessarily running further. It feels pretty awesome to be able to run fast. Personally I add speedwork into my running training plan just to break up the monotony. It's good for increasing your VO2 and lactic threshold…

Coconut milk or oil. Amazing for sauteing or making tropical crepes.

Lots going on here, I'll try and break it down. How do you all go about building a workout routine? I train for specificity, first and foremost. Is your goal weight loss, weight gain, running a marathon, increasing cardiovascular endurance? Do you find a DVD and follow that a few times a week? Just do cardio? Yoga? DVD's…

Jay Robb is my favorite, but expensive. My favorite tasting powder, by far. Revolutionary Technology Nutrition is also free of artificial sweeteners, but has a chemicaly taste (I can only use 1/2 a scoop). Honestly, I just ran out of the RT and I think I'm going to stock up on eggs. Much cheaper, and they never taste like…

I'm a personal trainer / wellness coach (strength training is my specialty). I also volunteer for an animal shelter, listing kitties for adoption. I'm a beer ticker (someone who likes to try different beers & keeps track of 'em) and a pretty good cook. I used to do a lot of baking but my guy is gluten-sensitive so we've…

I'm a strength trainer-turned-runner if only to cross "running a half-marathon" off my bucket list. I miss heavy lifting so much, but alas, one must train for specificity. A lot of runners have been told to never, ever train their lower bodies because running utilizes a different muscle fiber and you work the heck outta…

Take into account the parts that make up the bike, not just the brand name. There are infinite amounts of component combinations, make sure you're getting ones that work best for you. I prefer full suspension over hardtails, they're more adjustable and much more of a comfortable ride. I prefer disc brakes over rim breaks…

I don't do much for knees besides RICE (rest, ice, compression, elevation). For shins: http://www.mobilitywod.com/2011/06/episode-270365-mobrx-for-shin-splints.html I bought a lacrosse ball just for this and it's a lifesaver.

5'6" and my goal is to do an unassisted chin-up. My weight is somewhere in the 130s. Ideally I'll drop a few lbs of fat and gain a few lbs of muscle and *finally* have enough back strength to pull myself up.

I tend to drink dark, heavy beers where one is more than enough in terms of flavor. Trappists, barrel-aged stouts, things the color of motor oil. You could also fast before the drinking so you'll get your buzz pretty quick and have calories to work with.

I thought I beat the heat going for a run yesterday morning...I was wrong. I ran the first 2 miles, did walk/run intervals the 3rd mile, walked the 4th mile cursing the heat. When it's super hot I expect my performance to be sub-par and I'm OK with just finishing the workout. No PR's this week!

I think "judge" has a negative connotation and my goal isn't to rank people. However...I'm detail oriented and nautally curious, so I notice everything. Muscles, clothes, shoes, form, exercises being performed (especially ones I've never seen or really hard ones). I also wonder what music you're listening to, what your…

How much weight - depends on the exercise How many reps - depends on the goals How long - ~6 years for me, started when I was 21. I *usually* lift for 3 sets of 12, standard for hypertrophy goals. Currently lifting heavy (3 sets x 6 reps) for upper body to increase strength and doing endurance (3 sets x 15 reps) on lower…

I follow http://www.marksdailyapple.com/ and robbwolf.com/ in Google Reader. They both update their blogs frequently and post videos, recipes, and q+a's. IMO it's the easiest "diet" to stick with if you're not a carbaholic.

I found this spreadsheet on a running website and use it in tangent with my Polar HRM. Website: http://mymarathonpace.com/Running_Calculators.html Download the one titled "Training and Racing Heart Rate Zones - Download (Greg Maclin)" You type in your max HR (one that you've actually achieved), your resting HR and it spits…

The lower the intensity, the higher the % of fat used as fuel. Sitting on your butt you're a fat burning machine! The higher the intensity, the higher the % carbs used as fuel. BUT you're burning more calories at the higher intensity, often times including more fat calories then you'd utilize at a lower intensity. You ate…

I run 3x/week, never on consecutive days. As for getting faster, it depends on who you ask. You can integrate any of the following and see if they help you: - trying to run negative splits - running sprints/intervals - running at the 10 min/mile pace for as long as you can (works best on a treadmill if you're not using a…

Depends on your strength levels. If you don't have access to any heavier dumbbells I'd switch over to carrying water jugs or backpacks full of books (hardcover of course).

Death of what, I wonder. Death of lactic generation would be an energy production disaster. I love strength training if only because the rep count is so low. Count to 5 and done. Now that I'm training for a half I aim for 15 reps which seems like an eternity of counting, though it passes more quickly if you hear the Count…