What Personal Trainers Wish Every American Woman Knew

Teresita · August 9, 2006

Name: Denise Austin

What I want you to know: “You don’t have to do tons of sit-ups to tighten your tummy. Wherever you are—sitting in your car, cooking a meal, working at your desk—pull your tummy up and in, like you’re zipping up a tight pair of jeans. If you hold it for five seconds, it’s the equivalent of one sit-up. Practice this regularly every day, and in three to six weeks, you’ll see results.”

Name: Michael George

What I want you to know: “You have to give a new fitness program some time to deliver noticeable results. When you start cardio and strength training, you might actually gain weight at first because you’re putting on lean muscle faster than you’re dropping body fat. But if you’re training the right way—high intensity training mixed with interval training—you’re kick-starting your metabolism and should start dropping pounds in two to eight weeks.”

Name: Kathy Kaehler

What I want you to know: “Your diet is about 75 percent of the weight loss battle. Don't think that because you went to the gym, or saw your trainer before work, or did an exercise video before bed, that you can raid the pantry. If you do not fuel your body properly, your results will be washed down the drain with your sweat. Follow a well-balanced, low-fat diet that includes lean Protein, complex carbohydrates, and lots of fruits and veggies. Drink Water, Water, and more water.”

Name: Jillian Michaels

What I want you to know: “Go beyond your "target fat-burning zone" when you do cardio. It’s true that when you work out less intensely at a lower heart rate (65 percent to 70 percent of your maximum), you burn a higher percentage of fat calories over sugar calories. But when you get your heart rate up to at least 85 percent, you’ll ultimately burn more total calories overall of both fat and sugar, making it a better weight-loss strategy.

Name: Harley Pasternak

What I want you to know: “Train your body evenly. Many women will pick a body part they don’t like—like the inner thighs or butt—and work more on that than on the rest of the body. But this causes muscle imbalances and leads to injury, poor posture, and a worse physique. Just as you train equally on your left and right sides, train equally in the front and the back.”

Name: Gunnar Peterson

What I want you to know: “Strength training doesn’t make you ‘big.’ Women have on average only one-tenth the testosterone that men have, which means that their bodies are far less able to build big muscles. In fact, all training breaks down muscles; the building occurs after exercise while you are recovering, and only if you take in the proper nutrition at the proper time.”