Getting your body back for summer, Part 3

Volume 1, Number 35 | The Weekly Newspaper of Chelsea | May 18 - 24, 2007

HeaLth & fitness

By Greg Rothman, M.S. P.T.

I mentioned in last week’s column that each spring, people tell me how their New Year’s resolutions fell through sometime in February and ask if it’s too late to get in shape for summer. This is the third in a four-column series designed to help you look good in that swimsuit with a time-compressed workout program. (To read last week’s column, visit www.chelseanow.com/cn_34/gettingyourbody.html.)

If you’ve been following the program as outlined, you started by making some changes in nutrition and doing some mild cardiovascular exercise, both of which prepared you to follow the more strenuous strength-training program that you began last week (phase I). Continue to follow the first phase until you’ve completed half the time you’ve allotted for your program (two weeks for a four-week program, four weeks for an eight-week program, and six weeks for a 12-week program).

After this, you’ll be ready for phase II, where you’ll make further changes to your nutrition and exercise program. The overarching concept is that we want to make use of our faster metabolism—which resulted from adding lean muscle in phase I—to burn body fat and reveal the new muscle tissue underneath. (Strip away enough fat and you’ll develop that lean, toned look to which many of us aspire.)

To shed the most fat in the least time, the first thing you’ll want to do is ‘tweak’ your nutrition by incorporating a “protein day.” If you’ve been eating as I suggested, your meals consist of roughly equal servings of lean protein, starchy carb and fibrous carb (or vegetable). On the protein day (which will be incorporated into your program as outlined below), the starchy carb will be dropped from the menu altogether and replaced by doubling your serving of protein. So, if a meal is made up of a chicken breast, brown rice and broccoli on a ‘regular day,’ on a protein day the meal will be a larger (or two) chicken breast(s) and broccoli. It is also imperative to get enough water during a protein day: Multiply your body weight by 0.6 and drink at least that many ounces of water.

Perform the strength-training program three times a week on non-consecutive days, and it is best to do so in a ‘circuit,’ or series of exercises performed back-to-back without resting between them. Do 15 repetitions of each exercise, using dumbbells and incorporating the principles of maximum intensity and progressive resistance, which I’ve written about in previous columns (for a primer on these concepts, please read the article on my Website: www.emPowerFitnessNYC.com/Foundations_of_Training.html.

The exercises are: (1) Alternating Lunge, (2) Alternating Chest Press, (3) Bent-Over Alternating Row, (4) Alternating Overhead Press, (5) Alternating Biceps Curl, (6) Alternating Lying Triceps Press and (7) Bicycle Crunch. If you don’t know how to perform these exercises or are unsure of the form, it is best to consult a fitness professional for advice and instruction.

Start each workout with a 10-minute cardio warm-up, and end with a cool-down composed of gentle stretching. Rest only as long as you need to between the exercise circuits, and between them, do five minutes of cardio in your (THZ) target heart zone (take 220 and subtract your age; multiply the resulting number by 0.65 and 0.85; the resulting range is your THZ; for more information on cardio training, read my column on the subject at www.chelseanow.com/index22.html).

Weeks one and two: Perform two circuits of the outlined exercises followed by 15 minutes of cardio in your THZ; do two non-consecutive ‘protein days’; and do 20 minutes of cardio in your THZ on three of the days you do not do strength-training. Weeks three and four: Perform three circuits of the outlined exercises followed by 30 minutes of cardio in your THZ; do two consecutive ‘protein days’; do 30 minutes of cardio in your THZ on three of the days you do not do strength-training.

This is an intense program designed to give you fast results for anyone who is in good physical health. If you begin to feel light-headed at any point, you should slow down and adjust your workout accordingly.

In next week’s column, I’ll recap the program and discuss how you can maintain your momentum so that you can turn your short-term goal into a lifelong pursuit of optimal fitness.

NOTE: There is inherent risk when undertaking any exercise program. The advice given here is for healthy individuals who are free of injury and musculoskeletal problems. Anyone embarking on a new exercise program should consult their physician.

Greg Rothman, M.S. P.T., is the owner of emPower Fitness Studios (emPowerFitnessNYC.com). He received his masters degree in physical therapy from Columbia University and has 15 years’ experience in the rehabilitation and fitness fields, most recently as the personal training manager and top-level trainer for Equinox Fitness Clubs in New York City. SEND YOUR QUESTIONS about nutrition, fitness and sports injuries/rehabilitation to Greg at emPowerFitness@aol.com.