Personal Trainer archive

	Dave Patania, a Cincinnati-based certified personal trainer, answers questions about fitness and workout in his weekly column, Personal Trainer. E-mail your questions to davpatania@aol.com.

• High-intensity workout good for shedding fat
Question: I am not new to working out, but I still need to get rid of body fat. I am getting frustrated. What can I do?

• Low-carb diet may disappoint muscle builders
Question: I have worked out for years and have been doing a lot more aerobic work recently, lifting harder and eating a very low-carbohydrate, high-protein diet to add muscle and lose more body fat. I had my body fat tested, and it went up. What's going on?

• Anybody, of any age, can achieve fitness
Question: I am a 58-year-old female who doesn't think you take people of my age into consideration when you speak of how far people can go with their fitness. What can I "realistically" expect to achieve with exercise?

• Seek guidance for balanced weight-training program
Question: I would like to begin a weightlifting workout, not to lose weight or bulk up, but to tone muscle, particularly legs and chest. What do you suggest? Also, is a cardio workout necessary along with weightlifting or is cardio basically designed for weight loss?

• Trying to beef up? Eat hard, lift hard
Question: My problem is that I am a male in my 30s who weighs 115 pounds soaking wet. I was in the Marine Corps, and they couldn't put weight on me. Weight training doesn't work. Are there any methods, or legal steroids, I can use?

• Eat more to gain energy for exercise
Question: I am a busy woman who loves to exercise, but my workouts make me tired, and by the end of the day, I am totally drained. I thought exercise was supposed to give you energy.

• Calculate workout intensity by keeping track of heart rate
Question: I am doing well with my weight training and nutrition, but feel that my aerobic work isn't helping. I walk/jog, but don't know if it is enough. What can I do?

• Eating organics not a green light to munch out on bigger portions
Question: I eat organically but would like to lose some pounds. Friends tell me that I should try some protein shakes and bars between meals to keep my metabolism up. I am afraid of the ingredients in these types of products. What do you think?

• Treat yourself to treat after hard work
Question: I am trying real hard to stay strong with my new healthy eating plan but what do I do about cravings for things that I shouldn't eat?

 • Improper technique can lead to injury
Question: I read your article about working with muscle pain. About a year ago I noticed pain in my right shoulder while doing behind the neck lat pull downs. Today the pain is much greater. Do you recommend exercising this shoulder to relieve the pain?

 • Don't let fear keep you from exercising
Question: I had a serious knee injury, had surgery, went through rehabilitation and have been cleared to do about any activity. But I have done very little out of fear of reinjuring myself. How should I get back to exercising?

 • Sweating is normal response to working out
Question: I sweat a lot when I work out and feel that I shouldn't sweat that much. What do you think?

 • Tightening triceps
Dave offers some tips that may help get tighter triceps.

 • The skinny (or fat) on protein drinks
Question: Can you recommend a good protein drink?

 • Shaping up abdomen takes a balanced approach
Question: I have been doing extra work for the past couple of months to get my stomach area tighter by doing crunches and using and ab-trainer type thing. I have become better at doing the exercises but no real changes in the abdominal area. What am I doing wrong?

 • 12-week program can help balance shape of body
Question: I have a pear-shaped body and would like to even things out a bit. My rear end and legs are very large with my waist and upper body being small. What can I do?