-
Surprising Gym Time-Wasters: 5 Killers of a Good Workout
Tweet Share on Facebook September 14, 2011 Comment (6)Designing an effective workout regimen isn’t always intuitive. Sometimes, seemingly logical tweaks to intensify a session can have the opposite effect. If you’re aiming to improve results, or simply want to be in and out of the gym in less time, experts say don’t waste a minute on these five things:
1. Time-waster: Spot training
It’s smart to hit the gym with specific goals. But zeroing in on a single body part or muscle group—called spot training—isn't efficient. “The results are limited,” says Craig Ballantyne, strength and conditioning specialist and creator of the Turbulence Training Program, a workout guide for burning fat and building muscle quickly. Take crunches and sit-ups, for example. People often concentrate on these moves to trim and tone the midsection, but “you don’t need [to do] them to see your abs,” says Ballantyne: You need to lose body fat to reveal that six pack Same goes for bicep curls to beef up your biceps or calf-raises to tone your calves. Isolated exercises fall low on the fat-burning scale; even if they help you achieve muscle definition, you probably won’t notice results under the fat. -
6 Warning Signs of a Bad Diet
Tweet Share on Facebook September 2, 2011 Comment (6)These days there's a new diet almost weekly, and it's easy to find their glittering promises alluring. "People are sick of their old habits and being overweight, and they're looking for something new," says registered dietitian Jessica Crandall, a spokesperson for the American Dietetic Association (ADA). But embark on a bad diet and you could pay a price beyond fleeting results. Some diets can cause a range of side effects, from bad breath and frequent urination, to fatigue and slowed metabolism.
