Building muscle and staying fit can be confusing for many - but there are a few common denominators that stretch accross the board, and these are committment, consistency & diet. If you get this correct, results will always follow closely behind.

Q... I have been training for a number of years, but find it difficult to lose the extra pounds. I can build muscle easily, but can never see it because it is under a constant layer of body fat - what can I do?

A... Body fat is almost always driven by internal mechanisms, such as metabolism, hormone levels and so forth. Once a certain amount of fat is carried for a period, this fat will then begin to manufacture estrogen (female hormones). You first need to establish if you are insulin resistant, levels of oestrogen within the body, endogenous testosterone levels, etc. All this can be done via some blood work - so this is where I would suggest beginning (write me a private email if you want some clarification on the particulars of the blood markers).

Q... First of all, I love to train and work out, but I have been finding that as I get older - I am more prone to injuries. How much warmup time am I looking at before beginning my routine for the day?

A... Ok, good question. As we get older we need to spend more time "warming up" - the reason for this is connective tissue is not as strong as it once was, either are ligaments and tendons. It all depends upon what type of exerc ise you are doing or plan on doing, but I would suggest a good 10 - 15 minutes warming up with light basic movements of the same type that your main regime will include.

Rememeber, "an ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure" - injuries are something we can ALL do without!

Q... I am trying to put a little more muscle on my bones, and am not sure whether I should be using machines or dumbells - both are resistance training, but which type is better? Different people say different things.

A... Well, both types of training has its benefits - so really you should be using a combination of both. The benefits of using free weights are that it will help build up stabilizor muscles, thus leading to better cordination and balance. I use both - some machines such as leg press and lat pull downs are difficult to do without!