Fitness and Exercise Q&As
[50+ and counting!]

Concentrated Routine
I'm a 37 yr old guy in fair shape.. I'm about 5'11 and 190lbs. What I want to do is tone up my... (more)

Cheap Liposuction?
My abdominal skin has not only stretch marks but vertical lines (maybe a hundred of them) and it looks like the skin of a 90+ year old woman... (more)

Sit-Ups and Spot Reduction
How can I lose my 'spare tire' around my middle? I do sit-ups and crunches almost every day but I don't see any results.  Please help! (more)

Toning and Baby Steps
I'm small by nature with skinny arms and heavier legs. My goal is to increase my... (more)

Travel Fitness
My job has me traveling across the country and my free time is limited.  What can I do to... (more)

Food for thought...
What is the best basic routine in order to lose weight but NOT gain muscle. I belong to a gym and usually... (more)

Once and for all, what's really the best way?
I much prefer cardio BEFORE weights and I vary the intensity from mild to "I'm dying". Is what I am doing correct for... (more)

Thin as a rail, and HATING it!
I LOVE exercising and I started going to the gym and use the treadmill and do some stretching exercises, but I started to lose weight!! (This was NOT my goal!)... (more)

No butts about it
I've done squats and lunges and the machines that work the hamstrings at the gym... I don't think that I am doing the exercises right and that's why... (more)

Fighting fire with...
I am a 35 year old woman. I am 5'4" and weigh 125 pounds... Is it possible for a woman my age and size to be able to lift 150 pounds while... (more)

Bodyweight training and recovery
If you perform non-weighted exercises, (triceps dips, plies for inner thighs and buttocks) can they be performed EVERY day, or do they... (more)

Exercise videos
I definitely don't have all time to spend in a gym, but I am only 18 and am very athletic. I seem to find that most athletic videos I have are not beneficial to me because... (more)

Cardio training backfired
Dear Joe, I use the stationary bike for 20 min about 4-5 days a week at a low resistance and jog occasionally outside for 30min in an attempt to slim my lower body but instead... (more)

No weight loss after tons of exercise
I understand that muscle weighs more that fat, but how long does it take for one to exercise to lose a pound of muscle. It seems I should have lost some weight at least before... (more)

Results (?) with a personal trainer
I have been meeting with a personal trainer for about 2 months now, and she has me on a program that consists of 20 min cardio and about 40 min weights, 5 days a week. I can tell that I've been getting in better shape. My only concern is... (more)

The "best" time to exercise?
I am a stay at home mom. I am trying to fit in a half hour of exercising a day. My free time is late at night when my family is sleeping... (more)

Proportional body shape
Joe, I'm a bit hippy. My thighs are fairly large for my size and my shoulders have no fat on them at all! Is there a way I can...  (more)

Proportional body shape II
I need a little help. I am an 18 year old college student and I weigh 152 lbs. You're probably thinking; "This is normal...what's her problem?" Well the problem is...(more)

Before and after
Are warm-ups and cool-downs really necessary components of every exercise session? (more)

Lonely biceps?
I want to tone up all over, and I especially would like to build my biceps. I have a weight bench, as well as dumbbells. For someone who is a beginner, how much... (more)

HELP, I'm Fat!
My entire life I was a really nice size, nothing too large - sometimes a little too thin. And above average muscle tone and I always passed for at least 10 years younger than I am. When I hit my early forties..  (more)

(Un)reasonable goals?
Hi Joe - I've been wanting to ask this question for years, and never knew who I could ask... I find that since I started singing the hot-flash blues a year ago... (more)

Staying fit with an injured ankle
I am normally a very active woman, exercising every day.  I was just diagnosed with having a stress fracture of the left ankle. The doctor put me in a boot and told me to lay off of the... (more)

Morning or evening cardio?
I like to do my aerobics in the morning but don't have time for my strength training. I would prefer to do the latter in the evening when I'm watching tv. I would like to know if... (more)

Push-up test
I am a woman who is 5'10" tall and has trouble doing push-ups. I have a physical fitness test for law enforcement coming up in 2-3 weeks and I need to be able to... (more)

Difference in breast size
When i was about 16 I noticed that my left breast was slightly larger than my right. Now I am 24 and have three children, all of whom I breast fed and now my left breast is a D cup while my right...(more)

A questionable exercise
What is the functional purpose of the "Hydrant" (on hands and knees, lifting one leg out to the side with either the knee bent or straight)?...(more)

Starting up... again
I'm a 24 yr. old female, just a little shy of 5'9", and am 148lbs. I want to be in tip top shape for once in my life and...(more)

I feel good, but...
I am 5'2" and 199lbs.  I went to the doctor today to find out that I went from 195 to 199lbs in a 2 week period. I started a fitness program for myself to...(more)

Pilates vs. Kickboxing?
Hi Joe, I am a 32 year old housewife,and mother of 2. My youngest was born 4 months ago and I am looking forward to toning back into shape and possibly losing 15 lbs. Working out at home is...(more)

Running and Knee Pain
Joe, I'm a 20 year old female and I am 5'2" and weigh about 105-110 lbs. I started walking/jogging in a local park (with small hills) about 2-3 weeks ago and before starting that, I rarely got any exercise. I would basically jog until...(more)

Cellulite
I am pretty knowledgeable about basic nutrition and fitness as I've read a lot and I used to be very physically active (weight lifting and aerobic classes).   However.. (more)

Upper Body Strength
Hi, I'm really interested in weightlifting. I already do dumbbells about 10 pounds each (I'm female 17 years old). I'm only really interested in upper body strength as I do lots of ...(more)

Walking vs. Cycling (and carbs, too!)
I am 30 years old and exercise approximately 30 minutes to an hour a day usually by either walking or cycling. I am wondering - which of these activities is considered to be...(more)

Perspiration and weight loss
I've heard people say that in summer you burn more calories when you exercise because you sweat more. Others say...(more)

Perspiration and fitness
I was told by a trainer today that the better shape you are in, the more and the sooner you actually perspire. Is this true? I work out three to four times a week and do not look like...(more)

Spot reduction revisited...again! (the short answer)
What's a good exercise to tone your...(more)

The best cardio equipment
I would like to add more cardio to my workouts, so I am planning on buying a piece of equipment. I am thinking of either an...(more)

Step by step.  Inch by inch...
Hi Joe, I recently joined a gym and would like to get the best of it. I'm interested in losing inches - I could say weight, but the truth is, I'm more interested in losing 2-3 sizes than I am in losing 20 pounds. So here's my question... (more)

Now what am I supposed to sit on?
My question concerns the fact that once I slim down, my butt nearly disappears altogether...(more)

I want to drop a couple sizes
I have always been a "chubby" girl, a bit bigger, but never fat. I don't expect to be a super skinny girl, and I don't really want to be, I am happy with...(more)

Too much exercise?
Joe, I think I exercise too much... I spend 2 to 2.5 hours exercising but I have not been able to reshaping my body. Please help! (more)

Do I really have to work out too?
I am a woman who wants to lose 20 pounds without starving to death.  Do I really have to exercise?  How many days per week will I have to train and why? (more)

How hard should I exercise?
I've been training on my own for several months.  I vary the exercises, weights and reps. I can feel my muscles working, struggle to complete the last repetitions, and stop if I...(more)

Pudgy Belly
I am a 43 year old woman.  All of my life I have been a perfect size 2... During the past year, I have gained about 12 lbs, mostly in my belly... I have always been naturally small and lean, but now I have this bulge. Can you tell me what I need to do to get rid of the gut? (more)

Overdeveloped muscles
Are overdeveloped muscles permanent? If not, what is the best way to... (more)

My metabolism needs a boost!
Joe, my metabolism is super slow. I'm 29. Was 215lbs, joined the gym, got down to 175. My target weight is about 160-165 (I'm 5'6) so I just don't know how to go about it.  It's been a year and a half since I've... (more)

Lose fat while adding muscle?
Hi, I'm a 27 years old guy who stands 5'8". Unfortunately I only weigh 145 lbs with around 12% body fat. I have been working out religiously for a about 6 months now and have also been watching my diet. My problem is... (more)

Chronic Back Pain
H i, I hope you can help me! I am 55 have a lower backache, a pretty bad one, almost every morning.  I bought a 3 inch memory foam mattress; that didn't help.
I started walking; that made it worse. I started leg lifts with ankle weights; that made it worse. Yesterday, I ... (more)

Amino Acid Supplements
I am a young woman who is often fatigued. A few years ago I started taking amino acid supplements marketed towards bodybuilders in an effort to boost my energy level (I wasn't a bodybuilder). I found that... (more)

Big Thighs
I began working out regularly about 6 years ago. Ever since then my thighs and quads have gotten huge! It's hard to shop for pants now because when they fit in the waist they're too small in the thigh area, so in order for them to fit comfortably in the thigh/quad area, I have to... (more)