The Most Common Questions Answered

Question 1: How long should I stay on one workout plan?

There are many of you who go to the gym and perform the same workout routine day after day - you know who you are! The problem with this is that your body adapts very quickly to the healthy strain you put it through and the results you achieve from doing your exercises begin to slow down.

What does this mean to you? If you're trying to lose weight, the time and the effort that you dedicate to exercising will stop paying off and the rate of weight lost goes into decline. If you're trying to build muscle, you will spend all that effort lifting and pushing weights around, but stop seeing growth - quite simply, your muscle memory will kick-in.

So here is the golden rule: change your workout plan after 6 weeks. You don't have to change all the exercises but at least change the intensity. Maintaining a steady and constant push to greater intensity equates to greater results sustained over time.

For example if you have been increasing your weights for your biceps curls and doing a maximum of 3 sets of 40lbs / 18kgs for 8 reps, change this after 6 weeks to doing 3 sets of 12 reps of 30lbs / 13.6kgs. Or alternatively, you can change your style of training to incorporate drop-sets to increase the intensity (or any other variable). The key is variety. Mix it up!

Question 2: When will I see results?

This question is not that easy to answer because there are so many variables. But for the average person, you should be doing the following;

Working out at the gym, at least 3 or 4 times a week.
Push yourself in every workout to lift a little more or add some form of variety
Watch your form. Keep your core tight with your shoulders held back
Remove junk food from your diet with an exception of a cheat day every week
Get at least 7 hours of sleep every night - 8 hours is optimal
Have rest days that incorporate some light cardio
Drink plenty of plain water

If you're following this ideal, you should be seeing some pretty impressive results within 4 to 6 weeks. If you are not, then you are missing one or two of these points - and that might be your cue to contact us via email. Remember: every qfit registered member gets unlimited email access to your digital personal trainer, at no cost - it's all just part of the service.

Question 3: Should I do my cardio before my weight training routine or after?

Doing cardio as a warm-up before weight training or as a cool-down after you have lifted weights is good for you, so long as you limit the cardio time to about 8-10 minutes. Warm muscles means your body will be ready to deliver oxygen and nutrients to your muscles.

If you have a heavy-duty muscle building weight training session scheduled, then a longer cardio session after you have lifted the weights is best. The reason is that you want to have your maximum strength for lifting the weights.

If you are managing your weight, begin with the higher intensity cardio session and finish with the resistance training workout - this way your muscles will be warm and you will use most of the sugar available in your blood for energy, thus creating an energy deficit. The resistance training component is only designed to condition your muscles in a repetitive stream.

Maintaining your ultimate fitness with elevated stamina and endurance levels, can go from resistance training to cardio and back again, in one continuous stream. For you, there is a fluid approach to all exercises.

Question 4: How often should I be doing cardio each week?

This obviously depends on your goals. You should make sure your goals are clear and re-assess your goals every month. With that said you may want to be doing 4 days of cardio a week if your goal is to really blast away fat and lose fat weight. If on the other hand your goal is to gain muscle you should aim to have cardio in at least twice a week. This leads to the next question...

Question 5: How long should my cardio training be each session?

This really depends on the intensity of the cardio session that is for you. For moderate intensity cardio, you can go for 45-60 minutes per session.

For those doing High Intensity Interval Training (HIIT), you can go as low as 15-25 minutes a session but try not to do more than 2 sessions of HIIT a week as it can place a lot of strain on your recovery system. Our recommendation is to mix it up, depending on how you feel on the day.

Note: If you're not sure what HIIT is, please email us we will send you some more information.

Question 6: How do I know how much weight to use for each exercise?

This is a case of trial-and-error and experience over time, as you get in-touch with the limits of your muscles. Suffice to say, beginners should start light and increase their weights in very small increments until they have mastered great form.

You know you are using the right weight when the last repetition in each set is almost impossible to do - signifying the right amount of intensity.

If you are using a weight that is too heavy and not completing the set number of repetitions, then you are failing to maintain the intensity level for the exercise. In these cases, drop the amount of weight for your next set. Do not be tempted to do the next set with the same weight - you may cause yourself an injury.

Question 7: What is the most effective type of training to lose lower belly fat?

Training yourself to eat correctly with low salt, low fat and low sugar content is the best way to lose that pesky lower belly fat. A healthy diet full of veggies, fruit, beans, whole grains and lean meats, coupled with High Intensity Interval Training is the ideal combination.

Question 8: Should I do cardio in the morning on an empty stomach?

This is a pretty controversial topic as there have been quite a few studies that have the answer on both sides. Some have shown that your body uses more fat energy in the morning since your blood sugar levels are low when you wake up. Others have pointed out that your body will also break down muscle for energy in this case and exercising after fasting (during your sleep) can be dangerous and make you extremely light headed.

We always recommend that you put fuel into your body first thing in the morning, before working out. If you are not hungry that means you ate too late the night before - so adjust your eating patterns appropriately. If you can work out after eating in the morning, then we say go for it!

Question 9: Is it enough to train only one body part?

It's a common misconception that workouts that only include one body part will not be effective. If you look at the routine of a bodybuilder, they will often go through a phase (called a body blitz) where they only workout one body part per session.

You use a number of your muscles with every exercise. For example, when doing push ups you actually also work your triceps, back, biceps and core. Sure, the secondary muscles are not the focus, but all these muscles come into play. In these workouts, it is important to maintain intensity and do a wide variety of exercises throughout the workout session.

Question 10: What's the best way to prevent muscle soreness after a workout?

If you're training with good intensity, you should be at least a little sore the next day. The first and most important answer to this question is making sure you get adequate sleep of 7-8 hours per night. Sleep is when our muscles are repairing themselves so it is absolutely essential to recovery. Tip: you may want to reduce or eliminate caffeine intake to help improve your sleep.

The second answer is flexibility training after your weight training routine. Most people leave the gym as soon as their workout is over, which is big mistake! It almost kills all that effort you put in if you are not stretching and relaxing those muscles post-workout. Aim for holding stretches 30 seconds at a time and leaving 10-15 minutes at the end of your workout to stretch.

The third answer is nutrition. High protein will help and so will sports supplementation.