Fitness FOR DUMmIES‰
3RD EDITION by Suzanne Schlosberg and Liz Neporent, M.A., with Tere Stouffer Drenth
Praise for the first editions of Fitness For Dummies “Hey who are you guys calling a dummy? When it comes to fitness, like most male American slugs, I’m actually more of a complete blathering moronic idiot. This book will come in handy for those of us who don’t know a fat gram from Phil Gramm or a donut from a bagel. Now all I need to know is how to look cool and studly in the gym while sweating profusely.” —Steve Elling, Raleigh News & Observer
“This book is a joy to read — written with wit and style, it comes as a wel- come reassurance that both razor-sharp accuracy and first-rate writing can co-exist in the same package.” —Jonathan Bowden, M.A.C.S.C.S., Senior Faculty, Equinox Fitness Training Institute and Contributing Editor, Fitness magazine
“Fitness For Dummies is a smart buy for the exercise enthusiast. It’s the fitness equivalent of carbo-loading.” —Orange County Register
“This is one of the most comprehensive, authoritative — and entertaining — fitness books I’ve ever seen.” —Men’s Fitness magazine
“No one is more of a dummy when it comes to exercise than I am. Until I read Fitness For Dummies, I thought taking a book like this off the shelf counted as a workout. Now I know better. It’s only a warm-up!” —Phil Rosenthal, Columnist, Los Angeles Daily News
“The exercise content and evaluations in this book are outstanding. Liz and Suzanne are the ultimate professionals, and Fitness For Dummies will help all exercisers maximize their potential.” —Fitness magazine “Fitness For Dummies is the definitive book for people who would like to achieve a stronger, healthier body.” —Mark Allen, Six-Time Ironman Champion
“Suzanne and Liz have created an insider’s guide through the maze of mis- information about fitness. Before you buy an exercise gadget, a gym mem- bership, or a fitness video, read this book!” —Women’s Sports & Fitness magazine
“Fitness For Dummies is a real rarity: a fitness book written by fitness writ- ers — two of the best. It’s full of smart, jargon-free, common-sense advice for anyone who’s interested in fitness. These two are not afraid to tell the truth. It’s like getting the word from a trusted friend.” —Shape magazine
“I am duly impressed with the newest entry into the For Dummies series. From dispelling myths such as how we really burn fat to a comprehensive look at every choice of equipment on the market today, this book becomes a trustworthy, truly helpful guide to getting in shape.” —Diana Nyad, World Record Holder, Longest Swim in History, and TV Broadcaster Fitness FOR DUMmIES‰
3RD EDITION by Suzanne Schlosberg and Liz Neporent, M.A., with Tere Stouffer Drenth Fitness For Dummies®, 3rd Edition Published by Wiley Publishing, Inc. 111 River St. Hoboken, NJ 07030-5774 www.wiley.com Copyright © 2005 by Wiley Publishing, Inc., Indianapolis, Indiana Published simultaneously in Canada No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording, scanning, or otherwise, except as permitted under Sections 107 or 108 of the 1976 United States Copyright Act, without either the prior written permis- sion of the Publisher, or authorization through payment of the appropriate per-copy fee to the Copyright Clearance Center, 222 Rosewood Drive, Danvers, MA 01923, 978-750-8400, fax 978-646-8600. Requests to the Publisher for permission should be addressed to the Legal Department, Wiley Publishing, Inc., 10475 Crosspoint Blvd., Indianapolis, IN 46256, 317-572-3447, fax 317-572-4355, e-mail: [email protected]. Trademarks: Wiley, the Wiley Publishing logo, For Dummies, the Dummies Man logo, A Reference for the Rest of Us!, The Dummies Way, Dummies Daily, The Fun and Easy Way, Dummies.com and related trade dress are trademarks or registered trademarks of John Wiley & Sons, Inc. and/or its affiliates in the United States and other countries, and may not be used without written permission. All other trademarks are the property of their respective owners. Wiley Publishing, Inc., is not associated with any product or vendor mentioned in this book.
LIMIT OF LIABILITY/DISCLAIMER OF WARRANTY: THE PUBLISHER AND THE AUTHOR MAKE NO REP- RESENTATIONS OR WARRANTIES WITH RESPECT TO THE ACCURACY OR COMPLETENESS OF THE CONTENTS OF THIS WORK AND SPECIFICALLY DISCLAIM ALL WARRANTIES, INCLUDING WITHOUT LIMITATION WARRANTIES OF FITNESS FOR A PARTICULAR PURPOSE. NO WARRANTY MAY BE CRE- ATED OR EXTENDED BY SALES OR PROMOTIONAL MATERIALS. THE ADVICE AND STRATEGIES CON- TAINED HEREIN MAY NOT BE SUITABLE FOR EVERY SITUATION. THIS WORK IS SOLD WITH THE UNDERSTANDING THAT THE PUBLISHER IS NOT ENGAGED IN RENDERING LEGAL, ACCOUNTING, OR OTHER PROFESSIONAL SERVICES. IF PROFESSIONAL ASSISTANCE IS REQUIRED, THE SERVICES OF A COMPETENT PROFESSIONAL PERSON SHOULD BE SOUGHT. NEITHER THE PUBLISHER NOR THE AUTHOR SHALL BE LIABLE FOR DAMAGES ARISING HEREFROM. THE FACT THAT AN ORGANIZATION OR WEBSITE IS REFERRED TO IN THIS WORK AS A CITATION AND/OR A POTENTIAL SOURCE OF FUR- THER INFORMATION DOES NOT MEAN THAT THE AUTHOR OR THE PUBLISHER ENDORSES THE INFORMATION THE ORGANIZATION OR WEBSITE MAY PROVIDE OR RECOMMENDATIONS IT MAY MAKE. FURTHER, READERS SHOULD BE AWARE THAT INTERNET WEBSITES LISTED IN THIS WORK MAY HAVE CHANGED OR DISAPPEARED BETWEEN WHEN THIS WORK WAS WRITTEN AND WHEN IT IS READ. SOME OF THE EXERCISES AND DIETARY SUGGESTIONS CONTAINED IN THIS WORK MAY NOT BE APPROPRIATE FOR ALL INDIVIDUALS, AND READERS SHOULD CONSULT WITH A PHYSICIAN BEFORE COMMENCING ANY EXERCISE OR DIETARY PROGRAM.
For general information on our other products and services, please contact our Customer Care Department within the U.S. at 800-762-2974, outside the U.S. at 317-572-3993, or fax 317-572-4002. For technical support, please visit www.wiley.com/techsupport. Wiley also publishes its books in a variety of electronic formats. Some content that appears in print may not be available in electronic books. Library of Congress Control Number: 2005920303 ISBN: 0-7645-7851-0 Manufactured in the United States of America 10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1 3B/RV/QT/QV/IN About the Authors Suzanne Schlosberg is a magazine writer known for her humorous approach to health and fitness. She is a contributing editor to Shape and Health maga- zines and coauthor of Weight Training For Dummies and Kathy Smith’s Fitness Makeover. She is also the author of The Ultimate Workout Log, Second Edition, and an instructor in UCLA Extension’s Certificate in Journalism Program.
Suzanne writes frequently about her fitness adventures — from her failed tryout for The American Gladiators to her record-setting victory in Nevada’s Great American Sack Race, a quadrennial event in which competitors run 5 miles while carrying a 50-pound sack of chicken feed on their shoulders. Suzanne also has chronicled her two bicycle treks across the United States. She never travels without her weight-lifting gloves and has put them to good use at gyms in Zimbabwe, Morocco, Guam, and the Micronesian island of Yap.
A Los Angeles native, Suzanne refuses to walk anywhere, including the Starbucks 0.4 miles from her house — to which she commutes daily in her SUV.
Liz Neporent is a certified trainer and president of Plus One Health Management, a fitness consulting company in New York City. Her job is to make sure the members of more than a dozen fitness centers in hotels and corporations throughout New York are happy, motivated, and exercising on a regular basis.
Liz holds a master’s degree in exercise physiology and is certified by the American Council on Exercise, the American College of Sports Medicine, the National Strength and Conditioning Association, and the National Academy of Sports Medicine. She is coauthor of Abs of Steel, Buns of Steel: Total Body Workout, and Weight Training For Dummies. She also wrote Fitness Walking For Dummies. Additionally, she is the Gear Editor for Shape magazine and a regu- lar contributor to The New York Times. She appears regularly on TV and radio as an authority on fitness and exercise.
Liz is an avid runner and has competed in more than two dozen marathons and ultra-marathons. She’s also a devoted sports climber, walker, hiker, and weight trainer. She lives in New York City with her husband, Jay Shafran, and her greyhound, Zoomer.
Tere Stouffer Drenth is a fitness writer and retired professional runner who now spends her days hiking, walking, and snowshoeing with her workout partner, a chocolate Lab named Maxine. She is the author of Marathon Training For Dummies and coauthor of Fit Pregnancy For Dummies. Authors’ Acknowledgments The authors are indebted to Mitchel Gray, our photographer, and all the models depicted throughout this book: Nancy Ngai, Shel Bibbey, Terry Certain, Aja Certain, Annemarie Scarammucia, Melody Fadness, Yvonne Mitchell, Chris Stothard, Stacy Collins, Val Towne, James Jankiewicz, Jay Shafran, Doris Shafran, Melissa Saxon, Patty Buttenheim, Sunshine Hopkins, and Jane Scott.
Thanks, also, to our agent, Felicia Eth, for staying on the ball. At Wiley, we’d also like to thank Acquisitions Editor Tracy Boggier, whose vision guided this project, and Project Editor Elizabeth Kuball, who managed our book project with grace, humor, and exceptional skill. Technical Editor Randall Broderdorf added tremendous value to the book with his spot-on recommendations and additions.
From Suzanne:
I’m grateful for input from Sarah Bowen Shea, Mary Duffy, Daryn Eller, Daniel Hernandez, Jim Kraft, John Lehr, Wendy Niemi Kremer, Jennifer Schlosberg, and Dana Sullivan. Nancy Gottesman performed her usual function of allow- ing me to kvetch whenever I felt like it.
Special thanks to my family — particularly my parents, my grandparents, and my sister — for understanding my absence from various events while I worked to meet my deadline. And thanks Mom, Dad, Espy, Jen, and John for helping me move in the middle of all of this!
Finally, I couldn’t have a better coauthor than Liz Neporent, a good friend, a great wit, and the supreme maven of all things fitness.
From Liz:
Many thanks to my Plus One partners, Jay Shafran, Mike Motta, and Bill Horne.
Thanks also to the entire Plus One staff, with special gratitude to Grace De Simone, Holly Byrne, Baze Amiri, Lemont Platt, Bob Welter, Jamie Macdonald, and Tom Maraday. And, as always, I’m grateful to the individual site managers for making my job so easy and giving me the time to do all my extracurricular projects: John Buzzerio, Shel Bibbey, Kathleen Troy, Jason Ferrara, Terry Certain, Nancy Ngai, Nancy Belli, Mary Franz, Laura Girodano, Tom McCann, and Carrie Wujick. To my parents, sister, brothers, nieces, nephews, and all of my in-laws: Thanks for your encouragement. Ditto to my good friends Patty Buttenheim, Gina Allchin, Norman Zinker, and Mary Duffy. I also appreciate Frank Tirelli, Lucy McGovern, Pam DiPietro, and David Wildstein for helping out with orga- nization and proofreading.
A very special thanks to my husband, Jay Shafran, who is without a doubt the most supportive person on the face of the earth. And a very special thank- you to my coauthor Suzanne Schlosberg. It is always fun, entertaining, and enlightening to work with you. Publisher’s Acknowledgments We’re proud of this book; please send us your comments through our Dummies online registration form located at www.dummies.com/register/. Some of the people who helped bring this book to market include the following:
Acquisitions, Editorial, and Composition Media Development Project Coordinator: Emily Wichlinski Project Editor: Elizabeth Kuball Layout and Graphics: Carl Byers, (Previous Edition: Wendy Hatch) Lauren Goddard, Joyce Haughey, Acquisitions Editor: Tracy Boggier Stephanie D. Jumper, Barry Offringa Copy Editor: Elizabeth Kuball Proofreaders: Leeann Harney, Jessica Kramer, Joe Niesen, Carl William Pierce, (Previous Edition: Donna Love) Indexer: TECHBOOKS Production Services Technical Editor: Randall Broderdorf Editorial Supervisor: Carmen Krikorian Editorial Manager: Michelle Hacker Editorial Assistants: Courtney Allen, Nadine Bell Cover Photos: ©Royalty-Free CORBIS Cartoons: Rich Tennant, www.the5thwave.com
Publishing and Editorial for Consumer Dummies Diane Graves Steele, Vice President and Publisher, Consumer Dummies Joyce Pepple, Acquisitions Director, Consumer Dummies Kristin A. Cocks, Product Development Director, Consumer Dummies Michael Spring, Vice President and Publisher, Travel Kelly Regan, Editorial Director, Travel Publishing for Technology Dummies Andy Cummings, Vice President and Publisher, Dummies Technology/General User Composition Services Gerry Fahey, Vice President of Production Services Debbie Stailey, Director of Composition Services Contents at a Glance
Introduction ...... 1 Part I: Getting Your Butt off the Couch ...... 7 Chapter 1: Fitness 101: Getting the Scoop ...... 9 Chapter 2: Testing Your Fitness ...... 15 Chapter 3: Establishing Your Plan of Attack ...... 33 Chapter 4: Hiring a Trainer ...... 45 Part II: Enjoying Total-Body Health: Eating Well and Staying Injury-Free ...... 57 Chapter 5: This Doesn’t Have to Happen to You: Avoiding Common Injuries ...... 59 Chapter 6: The Scoop on Stretching ...... 69 Chapter 7: Nutrition Basics ...... 85 Part III: Getting to the Heart of the Matter ...... 103 Chapter 8: Cardio Crash Course ...... 105 Chapter 9: Using Cardio Machines ...... 127 Chapter 10: Exercising Outdoors ...... 147 Part IV: Lift and Curl: Building a Stronger Bod with Weights ...... 161 Chapter 11: Why You’ve Gotta Lift Weights ...... 163 Chapter 12: Your Muscles: Love ’Em or Lose ’Em ...... 171 Chapter 13: Demystifying Strength Equipment ...... 191 Chapter 14: Designing a Strength-Training Program ...... 205 Part V: Cardio-Strength Workouts: Getting the Best of Both Worlds ...... 237 Chapter 15: Circuit Training for Fitness and Fun ...... 239 Chapter 16: All about Yoga: Mind and Body ...... 249 Chapter 17: Pilates: Sculpting and Strengthening ...... 259 Part VI: Conquering the Gym (Even at Home) ...... 265 Chapter 18: Health-Club Primer: Getting the Most Out of Your Gym ...... 267 Chapter 19: Choosing an Exercise Class or DVD ...... 283 Chapter 20: Designing a Home Gym ...... 303 Part VII: Exercising for All Ages and Stages ...... 327 Chapter 21: Fit Pregnancy: Exercising for Two ...... 329 Chapter 22: Kids, Tweens, and Teens: Fun Activities for the Whole Family ...... 339 Chapter 23: Staying Active as You Age ...... 347 Part VIII: The Part of Tens ...... 353 Chapter 24: Ten Great Reasons to Break a Sweat ...... 355 Chapter 25: Ten Great Fitness Investments under $100 ...... 367 Chapter 26: Ten Fitness Rip-Offs ...... 373 Chapter 27: Ten Ways to Stay Motivated ...... 379 Appendix: Educating Yourself ...... 385 Index ...... 393 Table of Contents
Introduction ...... 1 About This Book ...... 1 Conventions Used in This Book ...... 2 Foolish Assumptions ...... 2 How This Book Is Organized ...... 3 Part I: Getting Your Butt off the Couch ...... 3 Part II: Enjoying Total-Body Health: Eating Well and Staying Injury-Free ...... 3 Part III: Getting to the Heart of the Matter ...... 4 Part IV: Lift and Curl: Building a Stronger Bod with Weights ...... 4 Part V: Cardio-Strength Workouts: Getting the Best of Both Worlds ...... 4 Part VI: Conquering the Gym (Even at Home) ...... 5 Part VII: Exercising for All Ages and Stages ...... 5 Part VIII: The Part of Tens ...... 5 Icons Used in This Book ...... 6 Where to Go from Here ...... 6
Part I: Getting Your Butt off the Couch ...... 7
Chapter 1: Fitness 101: Getting the Scoop ...... 9 Yes, This Class Has Tests ...... 9 Choosing Your Weapon ...... 10 Seeing into the heart of the matter ...... 10 Getting buff with weights ...... 11 Cardio and strength together: Two for the price of one ...... 11 Stretching Your Mind (and Body) ...... 11 What Are You Eating? ...... 12 At Home or at the Gym — Choosing What’s Best for You ...... 12 Special Exercises for Special People ...... 13 Chapter 2: Testing Your Fitness ...... 15 What’s Your Health History? ...... 16 What’s Your Heart Rate? ...... 17 What’s Your Blood Pressure? ...... 17 How Fit Is Your Heart? ...... 18 How Much of You Is Fat? ...... 19 Pinching an inch ...... 20 Taking your measurements ...... 21 Calculating your body mass index ...... 21 xii Fitness For Dummies, 3rd Edition
Getting zapped (also body-fat scales and handheld testers) ...... 23 Getting dunked (underwater weighing) ...... 24 BOD POD: The cutting edge of body-fat testing ...... 25 DEXA: X-ray vision ...... 25 How Strong Are You? ...... 25 Measuring your upper-body strength ...... 26 Measuring your abdominal strength ...... 27 Measuring your lower-body strength ...... 28 How Flexible Are You? ...... 28 Your Fitness Test Results ...... 31 Chapter 3: Establishing Your Plan of Attack ...... 33 Setting Goals ...... 33 Long-term goals ...... 34 Short-term goals ...... 35 Immediate goals ...... 35 Backup goals ...... 35 Finding Ways to Reward Yourself ...... 36 Writing Everything Down ...... 36 Making a goal sheet ...... 37 Keeping a workout log ...... 38 Making Exercise a Habit ...... 40 Expect to feel uncomfortable at first ...... 41 Pace yourself ...... 41 Work out with friends or join a club ...... 41 Mix it up ...... 41 Buy the right gear and equipment ...... 42 Cut yourself some slack ...... 43 Chapter 4: Hiring a Trainer ...... 45 Five Smart Reasons to Hire a Trainer ...... 45 Weeding Out the Poseurs ...... 46 Certification ...... 47 University degrees ...... 49 Experience ...... 50 Brochures ...... 50 Liability insurance ...... 50 An interview ...... 51 A trial session ...... 51 Trainer fees ...... 51 Knowing a Quality Trainer When You See One ...... 53 Getting the Most out of Your First Training Session ...... 54 Being the Best Client You Can Be ...... 55 Table of Contents xiii
Part II: Enjoying Total-Body Health: Eating Well and Staying Injury-Free ...... 57
Chapter 5: This Doesn’t Have to Happen to You: Avoiding Common Injuries ...... 59 Taking Care of Common Injuries ...... 59 Strains and sprains ...... 60 Shin splints ...... 61 Achilles tendonitis ...... 61 Knee pain ...... 62 Stress fractures ...... 63 Lower-back pain ...... 63 Tennis elbow ...... 64 Neck pain ...... 65 Rotator-cuff injuries ...... 66 Chafing ...... 66 RICE, RICE Baby ...... 67 Rest ...... 67 Ice ...... 68 Compression ...... 68 Elevation ...... 68 Chapter 6: The Scoop on Stretching ...... 69 Why You Need to Stretch ...... 69 Before, After, During? Knowing When to Stretch ...... 70 Following a Few Rules of Stretching ...... 71 A Simple Stretching Routine ...... 71 Neck stretch ...... 72 Chest expansion ...... 73 Back expansion ...... 73 Standing hamstring stretch ...... 74 Standing quad stretch ...... 75 Double calf stretch ...... 76 Horse biting tail ...... 77 Butterfly stretch ...... 78 Finding Alternative Ways to Stretch ...... 79 Active Isolated stretching ...... 79 PNF ...... 82 Chapter 7: Nutrition Basics ...... 85 Control Your Calories ...... 86 Get the Skinny on Fat ...... 87 Distinguish between healthful and unhealthful fats ...... 87 So how much fat is it okay to eat? ...... 88 xiv Fitness For Dummies, 3rd Edition
Choose Your Carbs Carefully ...... 89 Choosing the best carbs ...... 89 Getting enough fiber ...... 89 Avoiding processed carbs ...... 90 Going low-carb — with modifications ...... 90 Get Enough Protein, but Don’t Fall for High-Protein Propaganda ...... 91 Analyze Your Eating Habits ...... 92 Follow a Food Pyramid ...... 93 The USDA Food Guide Pyramid ...... 93 The Mediterranean Diet Pyramid ...... 95 Harvard School of Public Health’s Healthy Eating Pyramid ...... 96 Fuel Up for Your Workouts ...... 97 Before you work out ...... 97 During your workout ...... 98 After your workout ...... 98 Don’t go too long without eating ...... 98 Drink Lots and Lots of Fluids ...... 99 Don’t Waste Money on Useless Supplements ...... 101
Part III: Getting to the Heart of the Matter ...... 103
Chapter 8: Cardio Crash Course ...... 105 Two Cardio Rules That You Can’t Break ...... 105 Warming up ...... 106 Cooling down ...... 107 How Hard Do You Need to Push? ...... 108 The talk test ...... 108 Perceived exertion ...... 108 Measuring your heart rate ...... 109 How Much Do You Need to Do? ...... 115 Following a Cardio Plan for Good Health ...... 116 How often you need to do cardio for good health ...... 116 How long your workouts should last for good health ...... 117 How hard you need to push for good health ...... 117 Following a Cardio Plan for Weight Loss ...... 117 How often you need to do cardio for weight loss ...... 118 How long your workouts should last for weight loss ...... 118 How hard you need to push for weight loss ...... 118 Which activities burn the most calories ...... 119 Following a Cardio Plan to Maximize Your Fitness ...... 121 How often you need to do cardio for maximum fitness ...... 122 How long your workouts should last for maximum fitness ...... 122 How hard you need to push for maximum fitness ...... 122 Four ways to boost your fitness ...... 122 Training for a specific event ...... 124 Giving It a Rest ...... 124 Table of Contents xv
Chapter 9: Using Cardio Machines ...... 127 Can You Trust Those Calorie Counters? ...... 128 Combating Boredom on Aerobic Machines ...... 129 Take a cardio-machine class ...... 129 Vary your workouts ...... 129 Listen to music or a book on tape ...... 130 Watch TV or a video ...... 130 Read a magazine ...... 131 Exercise in short spurts ...... 131 Think, but not too hard ...... 131 Monitor your heart rate ...... 132 Talk to a friend ...... 132 Exercising in the Great Indoors ...... 132 Treadmill ...... 133 Elliptical trainer ...... 134 Stationary bicycle ...... 136 Stair-climber ...... 139 Rolling stair-climber ...... 141 VersaClimber ...... 143 Rowing machines ...... 144 Chapter 10: Exercising Outdoors ...... 147 Walking ...... 147 Essential walking gear ...... 148 Walking the right way ...... 148 Walking tips for rookies ...... 149 Running ...... 149 Essential running gear ...... 150 Running the right way ...... 150 Running tips for rookies ...... 151 Bicycling: Road and Mountain ...... 151 Essential cycling gear ...... 152 Cycling the right way ...... 153 Cycling tips for rookies ...... 153 In-Line Skating ...... 154 Essential skating gear ...... 154 Skating the right way ...... 155 Skating tips for rookies ...... 155 Swimming ...... 156 Essential swimming gear ...... 156 Swimming the right way ...... 157 Swimming tips for rookies ...... 158 Snowshoeing ...... 158 Essential snowshoeing gear ...... 159 Snowshoeing the right way ...... 159 Snowshoeing tips for rookies ...... 160 xvi Fitness For Dummies, 3rd Edition
Part IV: Lift and Curl: Building a Stronger Bod with Weights ...... 161
Chapter 11: Why You’ve Gotta Lift Weights ...... 163 Five Important Reasons to Pick Up a Dumbbell ...... 163 Stay strong for everyday life ...... 164 Keep your bones healthy ...... 164 Prevent injuries ...... 165 Look better ...... 165 Speed up your metabolism ...... 165 Building Muscle: Myths and Reality ...... 166 How long does it take to get stronger? ...... 167 Do some people have greater strength potential than others? ...167 Strength is one thing, but how long will it take before my body looks better? ...... 168 What if I want to get muscle definition like Demi Moore or Jackie Chan? ...... 168 Will weight lifting turn me into a WWE contender? ...... 168 But what if I want to increase bulk? ...... 169 If I stop lifting weight, won’t my muscle turn to fat? ...... 169 Should I lose weight before I start lifting weights? ...... 170 Chapter 12: Your Muscles: Love ’Em or Lose ’Em ...... 171 Shoulders ...... 174 Deltoids ...... 174 Rotator cuff ...... 175 Back ...... 176 Trapezius ...... 176 Latissimus dorsi ...... 177 Rhomboids ...... 178 Erector spinae ...... 178 Chest (the Pectorals) ...... 179 Arms ...... 180 Biceps ...... 181 Triceps ...... 182 Forearm muscles ...... 182 Abdominals ...... 183 Rectus abdominis ...... 183 Internal and external obliques ...... 185 Butt and Hips ...... 185 Gluteus maximus ...... 185 Hip abductors ...... 186 Leg adductors ...... 187 Legs ...... 188 Quadriceps ...... 188 Hamstrings ...... 188 Gastrocnemius and soleus ...... 189 Tibialis anterior ...... 190 Table of Contents xvii
Chapter 13: Demystifying Strength Equipment ...... 191 Weight Machines ...... 191 The advantages of machines ...... 192 The drawbacks of weight machines ...... 193 Special tips for machines ...... 195 Free Weights ...... 196 The advantages of free weights ...... 199 The drawbacks of free weights ...... 199 Special tips for free weights ...... 199 A word about benches ...... 200 Cable Pulleys ...... 201 Tubes and Bands ...... 202 Your Body ...... 203 Chapter 14: Designing a Strength-Training Program ...... 205 The Building Blocks of a Weight Workout ...... 205 How many reps should I do? ...... 206 How much should I lift? ...... 207 How do I know when I’m ready to lift more weight? ...... 207 How fast should I do my reps? ...... 207 How many sets should I do for each muscle group? ...... 208 How long should I rest between sets? ...... 209 In what order should I do my exercises? ...... 209 How many times a week do I need to lift weights? ...... 210 How often should I change my routine? ...... 211 All about Abs ...... 213 A Simple Functional Workout ...... 214 Reading the exercise instructions ...... 214 Lifting weights the right way ...... 215 A word about the exercises ...... 216 The strength workout ...... 217
Part V: Cardio-Strength Workouts: Getting the Best of Both Worlds ...... 237
Chapter 15: Circuit Training for Fitness and Fun ...... 239 Setting Up Stations and Knowing Which Exercises to Do ...... 239 Arm-strengthening stations ...... 240 Leg-strengthening stations ...... 243 Abdomen, butt, and lower-back strength stations ...... 244 Moving through Sample Stations ...... 246 Putting the Stations Together into a Circuit ...... 247 Chapter 16: All about Yoga: Mind and Body ...... 249 Knowing Your Asana from Your Elbows ...... 249 Finding a Yoga Style That’s Right for You ...... 250 xviii Fitness For Dummies, 3rd Edition
Taking Yoga Classes ...... 251 A Yoga Routine ...... 252 Easy pose ...... 253 Forward bend ...... 253 Child’s pose ...... 254 Sage twist ...... 255 Cat pose ...... 255 Triangle pose ...... 256 Sun salutation ...... 257 Chapter 17: Pilates: Sculpting and Strengthening ...... 259 Understanding How Pilates Works ...... 259 Finding a Class or Instructor ...... 260 Looking at a Some Pilates Exercises ...... 262 Upper-abdominal curls ...... 262 Bridge ...... 262 Basic cat ...... 264
Part VI: Conquering the Gym (Even at Home) ...... 265
Chapter 18: Health-Club Primer: Getting the Most Out of Your Gym ...... 267 Should You Join a Health Club? ...... 268 Three reasons to sign up ...... 268 Three reasons to say, “No thanks” ...... 269 Knowing How to Judge a Gym ...... 269 Location ...... 269 Size ...... 270 Cost ...... 270 Equipment ...... 273 Classes ...... 273 Members ...... 274 Staff ...... 274 Cleanliness ...... 275 Hours ...... 275 Extra amenities ...... 275 Braving the Gym Alone ...... 276 Health-Club Etiquette: The Unwritten Rules ...... 278 Major no-nos ...... 279 Locker-room rules ...... 280 A Classroom Code of Conduct ...... 282 Chapter 19: Choosing an Exercise Class or DVD ...... 283 Why Take a Class? ...... 284 Getting through when you haven’t a clue ...... 284 What to expect from your instructor ...... 285 Table of Contents xix
A word about cost ...... 286 Popular classes ...... 286 Choosing from Among All the Exercise DVDs ...... 294 Advantages of exercise DVDs ...... 294 How to choose a DVD ...... 295 Where to buy DVDs ...... 298 Your DVD options ...... 299 Our favorite instructors ...... 300 Important safety tips ...... 301 Chapter 20: Designing a Home Gym ...... 303 Planning Your Exercise Space ...... 303 Looking at the big picture ...... 303 Choosing an inviting spot for your equipment ...... 304 Taking careful measurements ...... 304 Thinking about flooring ...... 305 Equipment Shopping Tips ...... 305 Shopping around ...... 305 Taking a test drive ...... 306 Looking for safety features ...... 307 Asking for a discount ...... 307 Checking out warranty and service plans ...... 307 Investing in Cardio Equipment ...... 307 Treadmills ...... 308 Elliptical trainers ...... 310 Stair-climbers ...... 311 Stationary bikes ...... 311 Rowing machines ...... 313 Two cardiovascular bargains ...... 313 Buying Strength Equipment ...... 316 Exercise bands and tubes ...... 316 Ankle weights ...... 317 Free weights ...... 318 Weight benches ...... 321 Multi-gyms ...... 321 Considering Flexibility Gadgets ...... 324
Part VII: Exercising for All Ages and Stages ...... 327
Chapter 21: Fit Pregnancy: Exercising for Two ...... 329 Understanding the Benefits of a Fit Pregnancy ...... 330 Working with Your Healthcare Provider ...... 331 Great Activities to Consider During Pregnancy ...... 332 Walk this way ...... 332 Getting into the swim of things ...... 332 Prenatal low-impact aerobics or yoga class ...... 333 Continue lifting weights ...... 334 xx Fitness For Dummies, 3rd Edition
Monitoring Your Prenatal Workout Routine ...... 335 Keep Exercising after the Baby Arrives ...... 338 Chapter 22: Kids, Tweens, and Teens: Fun Activities for the Whole Family ...... 339 Getting Your Toddler Outdoors ...... 340 Taking your kids along on your fitness routine ...... 340 Focusing on fun ...... 341 Finding Time with Your Preteen ...... 342 Leaving the car behind ...... 343 Cutting back on TV and video games ...... 344 Connecting with Your Teenager ...... 344 Planning new traditions ...... 344 Letting your teen find his groove ...... 345 Chapter 23: Staying Active as You Age ...... 347 Keeping Yourself Young with Exercise ...... 347 Knowing Where to Begin ...... 348 Cardio workouts for a healthy heart ...... 349 Resistance training for strength ...... 350 Pilates for balance ...... 350 Stretching and yoga for flexibility ...... 350 Staying Safe ...... 351
Part VIII: The Part of Tens ...... 353
Chapter 24: Ten Great Reasons to Break a Sweat ...... 355 You Reduce Your Risk of Medical Problems ...... 356 You Can Control Your Weight ...... 359 You Improve Your Looks ...... 360 You Gain Psychological Benefits ...... 360 You Enjoy Social Benefits ...... 361 You Improve Your On-the-Job Performance ...... 362 Your Family Benefits ...... 362 You Satisfy Your Competitive Urges ...... 363 You Have Fun ...... 364 You Enjoy Life More ...... 364 Chapter 25: Ten Great Fitness Investments under $100 ...... 367 A Water Bottle ...... 367 A Good Pair of Socks ...... 368 Stretching Mat ...... 368 Table of Contents xxi
Weightlifting Gloves ...... 369 A Workout Log ...... 369 PlateMates ...... 370 A Gym Bag ...... 370 A Heart-Rate Monitor ...... 371 A Personal Training Appointment ...... 371 A Massage ...... 372 Chapter 26: Ten Fitness Rip-Offs ...... 373 Anti-Cellulite Products ...... 374 Metabolism Boosters ...... 374 Fat Blockers ...... 375 Effortless Exercisers ...... 375 Electronic Muscle Stimulation Machines ...... 375 Spot-Reducing Gadgets ...... 376 Weight-Loss Clothing ...... 376 Four-Minute Workouts ...... 377 Gym Cardio Machine Knockoffs ...... 377 Hand Weights ...... 378 Chapter 27: Ten Ways to Stay Motivated ...... 379 Train for an Event ...... 379 Keep Your Goals in Plain Sight ...... 380 Work Out with a Club or a Team ...... 380 Work Out with a Buddy ...... 381 Join an Internet Fitness Community ...... 381 Test Your Fitness Regularly ...... 382 Mix Up Your Workouts ...... 382 Dress the Part ...... 383 Keep Yourself Entertained ...... 383 Read Success Stories ...... 384 Appendix: Educating Yourself ...... 385 Sifting Through Scientific Research ...... 385 Look for context ...... 386 Consider the source ...... 386 Don’t assume cause and effect ...... 387 Look for comparison groups ...... 387 Do some math ...... 387 Notice the length of the study ...... 388 Pay attention to the number of subjects ...... 388 Don’t make too much of animal studies ...... 388 Recognize that people lie in surveys ...... 388 xxii Fitness For Dummies, 3rd Edition
Fitness Magazines ...... 389 Check out specialty magazines ...... 389 Beware of sensational headlines ...... 389 Know that advertisers influence editorial copy ...... 390 Newspapers ...... 390 The Internet ...... 391 Index...... 393 Introduction
ome things in life never change, like the traffic in Los Angeles or the Sweather in Tahiti. But fitness doesn’t fall into that category. In the exer- cise world, there’s something new in equipment, research, classes, gadgets, videos, and Web sites just about every day. In fact, so much has changed since the first two editions of Fitness For Dummies were published that we felt compelled to overhaul the book, adding several chapters and substantially revamping the others.
So what exactly is new in fitness? Health clubs are offering innovative new classes, like circuit training, cardio kickboxing, and firefighter boot camp, and nifty new machines, like the elliptical trainer. Yoga, Pilates, and other “mind- body” workouts have become so popular that we’ve devoted additional space to them. Technology has transformed fitness in many ways, too. And many clubs have invested in fancy entertainment systems so you can watch your own personal TV — or even surf the Internet — while running on the treadmill.
Of course, this being the fitness industry, the last few years have also seen the invention and marketing of new schlock — like pills that claim to elimi- nate cellulite or burn extra carbohydrates and machines that purport to tone your thighs “without any effort on your part.” And there’s no shortage of hokey books, Web sites full of misleading fitness information, and magazine ads posing as articles. We help you sort through all of that.
About This Book Fitness For Dummies, 3rd Edition, updates you on all the latest — the good, the bad, and the totally weird. But our main mission remains the same as it was the first two times around: to tackle your fears, whether you worry that operating a stair-climber requires a degree in mechanical engineering or fret that no matter what exercise routine you start, sooner or later you’ll end up back in the recliner.
We don’t want you to become a fitness statistic. The fact is, among people who start an exercise program, half quit within eight weeks. This book gives you the knowledge and motivation to stick with fitness for the rest of your life. 2 Fitness For Dummies, 3rd Edition
Fitness For Dummies, 3rd Edition, tells you the stuff you really want to know, such as: