Check out the questions on this page, and if you don't find the answers you're looking for, email our trainer today! Sets, Reps, Weights... Let our Certified Personal Trainer answer your questions and provide you with a step-by-step guide to build... a bigger chest; peaking biceps; bulging triceps; rock-hard abs; a V-shaped back; broad, cannonball shoulders; and shapely, powerful legs. Now! And learn the right way to build a lean, muscular physique. Read our Trainer's answers to recent questions below, and check this page for updates, or subscribe to our free eNewsletter now, and we'll deliver his latest insights right to your inbox! Ab Training for a Healthy Six-Pack Lose Fat, Not Muscle Train on an Empty Stomach Increase Your Strength—in Days! Maximum Muscle for Hardgainers!

Ab Training for a Healthy Six-Pack Is it good or bad to train your abs every day? I hear different answers all of the time. What is the truth? P.T. There is more than one way to skin the cat; however, a few things still hold true about ab training. Abs are muscles just like your biceps or other muscle groups in your body. If they are trained correctly, then there is no reason to train them more than two or three times per week. When I say train them correctly, I mean keeping your reps between six and 15, use resistance whenever possible (instead of just using bodyweight), and always make sure your tempo is twice as slow on the negative portion of the ab movement as it is on the positive or lifting part. The reason so many people think they can train abs every day is because they really aren't training them! They are going through the motions and are not creating enough muscle fiber recruitment to cause muscle soreness. Train your abs heavy just like other muscle groups, slow your tempo, and focus. If you follow these guidelines, you will have no choice because your abs will be so dang sore, you will have to let them rest!

Lose Fat, Not Muscle I just had my bodyfat checked, and I actually lost muscle during my transformation! I don't understand. I do cardio before and after training. I train five days a week with weights and run three miles every day. I'm going to keep my running days separate from my weight days, but what else can I do to keep from losing muscle? P.T. One of the biggest problems with the fitness industry and other areas of our society is we always think more is better. This is not the case. More training will not solve your fitness problems, just like more money never solves people's money problems. Make sure to think "quality," not "quantity." By doing your cardio before training with weights, you have totally defeated the purpose. Cardio depletes your muscles of precious glycogen and energy needed for your weight training. Cardio before weights along with too much training is most likely the reasons you lost muscle. If you insist on doing cardio on the same day as your weights, always perform it after weights. Your new approach of keeping your cardio and weight days separate should be much more successful. Remember that training is the stimulus for the results that occur when you are resting! Make sure you take a day off every seven to 10 days. This will give your body and mind the break they need to keep responding to training stimulus by recharging your physical and mental battery. The only other piece of the equation (and it's a very big piece!) is your nutrition and supplementation. You absolutely must have training, food, and supplements all working in synergy to see the results you are looking for. If you don't, you will hinder your ability to stay motivated, become frustrated, and lose focus. The most common mistake I see people make is that they try to reinvent the wheel. Thousands upon thousands of people have achieved phenominal results using books like The Lean System Success Plan and Maximum Growth, so why change it! Find someone or a method that has been successful and copy it, just like in business, family, and other areas of life where we all strive to find meaning, purpose, and growth!

Train on an Empty Stomach? What do you think of the idea of doing weight training first thing in the morning on an empty stomach? P.T. If possible, attempt to exercise first thing in the morning on an empty stomach. Exercising in the morning, whether it's with weights or cardio, is the most optimal time of day to burn the most substantial amount of fat. (Using the most understandable explanation.) The reason for this is that your body's glycogen reserves have been exhausted due to the overnight fast, so the body has to rely on burning fats for fuel. Besides, that way you have the rest of the day to eat, recover, and grow. Additionally it's important to take advantage of high hormone levels for maximal growth. Studies show that rest induces a greater release of hormones and free testosterone, which would mean training upon waking is ideal for yielding greater results from naturally increased anabolic hormones. Many will argue that exercising on an empty stomach will cause catabolism (muscle protein breakdown). But, if you're eating substantial calories from quality carbs and proteins, you shouldn't be experiencing catabolism.

Increase Your Strength—in Days! I'm preparing for next sporting season, and I've been told by several different trainers and coaches to work my core muscles. What's "core strengthening" all about? P.T. Core training is greatly increasing in popularity as more athletes and trainers are recognizing the endless benefits associated with training one's core muscles. The benefits of core training are incredible increases in performance and an immense decrease in injuries. The easiest way to understand Core Strength is to think about a wheel on a car. Envision a wheel that has a really sharp design that looks nice and is made from the strongest materials in the world. The only thing wrong with the wheel is that its hub is weak. In fact, the center hub of this awesome wheel is cracking and is made out of plastic. What's going to happen to this wheel when we put it on a car and start driving? Chances are, as the car goes faster, the hub of the wheel is going to break, the wheel is going to come off, and the car is going to crash. An athlete's body is just like the wheel. No matter how strong the arms, chest, shoulders, and legs look and feel, if the "core" (stomach and lower back) is weak, the athlete won't properly function. As an athlete performs explosive motions like jumping and sprinting, the upper and lower body must move in concert to generate maximum force. It is the muscles in the core that tie the upper and lower body together and help coordinate their motions. Athletes that possess a strong core will be able to better manage their body's motions as they learn to perform at higher speeds. You might have heard about football players doing "two-a-days" which consists of intense practices twice daily. The reason for this is to not only stimulate skills and teamwork after the off-season but also to activate the core to reduce injuries and prepare the body for impact during games and future practices. The process of activating one's core involves the strengthening of the abdomen, increasing the mind and body connection, greater muscle functioning and agility, along with better muscle contractile strength.

Maximum Muscle for Hardgainers! Over the last few years I've trained hard and have done everything to gain muscle weight, and I'm told my metabolism burns too many calories. Can you make some recommendations on training and supplements for me to put on some serious size? P.T. It sounds like your body type is what is commonly referred to as a "hard-gainer"—and you have difficulty putting on good, quality muscle. And you know what... you're right on the money... your body is burning up the calories you eat, BEFORE they can be used for building muscle. So, one would think to reverse this, you would merely need to slow your metabolism. While this is partially true, there is a much more effective way to accomplish this goal, which I'd like to share with you here... But first, here's one important factor to take into consideration that many people overlook: weight-gain powders, namely those loaded with tons of calories (i.e., in excess of 1,000 calories per serving), are totally worthless... so my suggestion is to stay away from them—all of them—regardless of their bold claims!! You will, and let me stress will, gain nothing but bodyfat (and have lots of gastronomical stress; i.e., bad gas!). These powders were the belief of "yesteryear" and no longer apply, thanks to a multitude of scientific breakthroughs. To put on good solid muscle and maintain your desired level of bodyfat at the same time takes a precise, carefully engineered plan. But thankfully, it's not all that hard. Let me explain... It sounds as though you are not "out of shape." You're just trying to put on solid muscle and are not worried about losing anymore bodyfat. But, you don't want to acquire any bodyfat as you gain mass. If this is right, then here's what I would do... First, you must recognize that putting on muscle simply means increasing your anabolic hormones as you decrease your catabolic hormones in your body. What this means is, you need to have mechanisms happening in your body, which are producing more anabolic (muscle producing/building) than catabolic (muscle wasting). Sounds simple enough, right? Then, you need to keep this balance long enough to allow the muscle to build and rebuild itself over time—at least four to eight weeks. So how do you create this balance of hormones in the body and induce more muscle growth? Well, really there are two ways: one, focus on the anabolic process; and two, focus on the anti-catabolic process. An anabolic environment can be enhanced as follows: Eat more food, equally balanced protein- and carb-containing meals throughout the day while you're awake. (Five to six meals every day.) Eat at least one gram of protein per pound of bodyweight (you can use whole food or a good quality whey protein powder supplement). Weight train with heavier weights (than normal), using less reps (just six to eight), and perform less cardio. Supplements can certainly help (you don't need to use them all, just pick one—I'd pick creatine and then switch to ZMA every four weeks, and so forth): => ZMA (a precise blend of minerals and aminos which have been shown to increase testosterone (a muscle-building hormone) in the body; => Creatine (this one always works!). Go with Meta-CEL => Flax Seed Oil (a "good" fat—it will help burn fat too, believe it or not) An anti-catabolic environment can be enhanced as follows: Try to lower your daily stress—this spikes a hormone called cortisol, which literally destroys muscle tissue. Try doing yoga, meditation, or taking breathing breaks. (Take at least five minutes each day to just sit, close your eyes, and practice taking long, deep breaths.) Eat less sugars (such as sodas, etc.). This really taxes your body and spikes a hormone called insulin, which causes you to store fat more easily. Give your body sufficient time to recover after workouts—at least five or six days in-between training the same body part. Over training, whether you feel it or not is a great way to break down your muscles and keep them from recovering and will eventually tear down your immune system too! Get at least eight hours of sleep! This is critical to recover the muscles sufficiently. Sleep is when your body is doing the more re-building of muscle tissue. Supplements can certainly help. (You don't need to use them all, just pick one. I'd pick glutamine.): => Glutamine (free-form, powdered), a conditionally essential amino acid, which is the most abundant amino in the muscle tissue, and it literally stripped away whenever you weight train. It needs replenished to recover; => Whey protein powder. It can serve to help supplement your protein needs and is rich in essential amino acids for muscle recovery/growth. Following this approach, you could expect to gain anywhere from two to four pounds of "lean" muscle inside of four to eight weeks. I know this doesn't sound like much, but think of this way... a pound of muscle is the size of one red brick, and one pound of fat is the size of four of those same red bricks. Now, do you see why someone who makes a physique transformation and loses fat and gains an equal amount of muscle can look so different?

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