Fitness advice from the pros

Here are a few key words of advice from some leading fitness professionals.

What do you think is the most important thing that makes or breaks a fitness program?
1. Sustainability - Each person should find his favorite fitness activities and then work them into his weekly schedule at a time of day that will be easy to commit to.
2. Setting realistic goals - A step-by-step approach is very important for beginners as well as for advanced exercisers.
3. Consistency – It's better to do a little bit every day than to push hard for a short time and then give up.

In all your years of training, what do you consider the three best non-weight-related exercises?
A squat, a lunge and a push-up.

What is the one food or meal you always eat before training?
I eat one hour before training, and I always make sure there is a combo of protein and low-GI carbs. For example, ½ cup of low-fat cottage cheese on a piece of Ezekiel toast. Or scrambled egg whites and sliced tomatoes.

What is the worst strength-training exercise?
Upright row. I really am not a fan of this exercise.

What specific foods promote muscle development?
Clean-burning complex carbs are a must as fuel for your workouts: whole-grain breads, whole-wheat pastas and pancakes, 100 percent real fruit juice. Then you need to have clean protein to rebuild your muscles: salmon, tuna, chicken, low-fat milk, cheese, beef, legumes, nuts and beans. Timing is crucial as well. You need nutrients on board and in your system at the right times to promote optimal growth and recovery.

What exercises are best if you need a condensed training program when time is limited?
My list would include squats (front or back), lunges (all types), deadlifts (regular or Romanian), overhead presses, rows (barbell or dumbbell), bench presses (flat or incline/ barbell or dumbbell), dips and pull-ups.

What are the biggest strength-training mistakes women make?
1. Not using enough resistance.
2. Using machines.
3. Substituting yoga and/or Pilates for strength training; they provide different training effects altogether and should be treated accordingly.
4. Poor footwear (particularly wearing shoes with too much heel-lift – both in and out of the gym).
5. Planning their strength training around their cardiovascular exercise and not vice versa.
6. Not using multi-joint movements.

What's the best way for me to stick with a fitness program?
Olympian Jim Ryan said, “Motivation gets you started. Habit keeps you going.” Motivation is the first step. I try to motivate through positive reinforcement. Feedback is motivating – when you can feel good about your commitment and see how consistent you've been, you feel better about the chance for results.

What's one of the biggest exercise myths?
Stretch out before you start working out. That's incorrect. You need to first warm up your body then you can begin either stretching or exercising because the temperature of your body is elevated, your muscles are much more pliable, and you won't get injured. So if you try to stretch cold muscle, you can actually injure your tendons.

Tell us the biggest secret that trainers typically don't tell their clients, but should?
To develop a mind-to-muscle connection. When you lift a weight, you should consciously visualize the target muscle and feel it working throughout the complete range of motion. Think about where you are supposed to feel the stress.