To start the year—and each day of it—right, we enlisted the help of Fitness Expert Gin Miller to provide personal coaching services to 11 Cooking Light readers. Each described her current fitness routine and how she hoped to improve it, then Gin mapped out a new program to achieve each reader's goals.
Reader: Cynthia Phillips, Ph.D., program evaluator, Richland, Michigan
Her challenge: "Help me work out smarter instead of harder."
Her story: Phillips has maintained her weight for the past year after shedding more than 80 pounds from her petite 4-foot, 11-inch frame. To do so, she spends up to two hours a day, six days a week exercising. At the gym, she follows a circuit workout three days a week, using a variety of exercise machines to perform up to 14 different moves in one session. Between sets, she jogs on a treadmill or powers an elliptical machine for one minute. In addition, she uses a rowing machine three days a week for cardio. "I think I am close to burnout, but not overtrained," she says. Phillips wants to maintain her current level of fitness and continue working out in the gym but needs advice on how to maintain her healthy weight without adding more time to her routine. "I'd really like to learn when enough is enough," she says.
Her new program at a glance:
Monday, Thursday, Saturday: Cardio (Swim routine, Spinning class, or walk/run for 45 to 60 minutes)
Tuesday, Friday: Strength training routine
Wednesday, Sunday: Rest
Gin's prescription:
Make a change. "Phillips has been performing the same exercises for more than a year," says Cooking Light Fitness Expert Gin Miller. This means Phillips's body has become so accustomed to her routine it no longer has to work hard. "To maintain her current physique, and continue to see results from her existing routine, she would have to increase her workout time. And at two hours a day, she's at the limit," Miller says. "Altering her workouts will allow her to maintain, and even improve, her current level of fitness while decreasing time spent in the gym."
Tweak resistance. Another way Phillips can continue to maintain her weight is by moving from exercise machines to free weights. "It will engage a new set of muscles—her core, which helps stabilize the body during moves," Miller says. The routine on the following pages simplifies Phillips's routine by using only free weights and a cable pulley machine. When making the transition to free weights, it's always best to start slow, Miller advises. The key to success: using enough weight to fully challenge muscles. "Increasing resistance to one to two sets of moderately high weights will not only make Phillips's muscles work harder but will also help shorten her workout," Miller says.
Add variety to cardio routines. Cardio is crucial for maintaining a healthy weight.
"I would like for Phillips to add a Spinning class or a swimming workout," Miller says. "Spinning will introduce her to a group exercise setting, which I believe will help motivate her, relieve boredom, and introduce her to some of the positive social aspects of the gym setting. Swimming is a great exercise for any fitness level. It helps expand lung capacity and doesn't place stress on joints like many other cardiovascular exercises do."
Stay motivated: "When strength training, it's important to focus on proper technique and contraction of working muscles—particularly when you're moving from machines to free weights, as Phillips is in this workout," Miller says. "Using momentum, or simply 'going through the motions,' sharply reduces each exercise's effectiveness. Concentrate as you lift and lower weights, and try to hold the move for at least two seconds before returning to starting position. You'll see results that will keep you inspired."
