FITNESS MADE SIMPLE
Q&A Column with Fitness Celebrity John Basedow

Dear John,
I’m confused. I read so many different recommendations concerning how often to exercise and which machines to use. Some people say 3 days a week is best while others advise 5-6 days. Some people say to do full body workouts each day and others say to split body parts (chest and back on Monday, shoulders and arms on Wednesday, etc.). I’m new to all this. I read your column all the time and want your opinion. What do you recommend?

- “Training Tactics” - El Paso, TX

Dear “Training Tactics,”
When it comes to weight-training styles and frequencies no single method is right for everyone. In my opinion, variety is the key to getting the most out of my workouts. The human body is very smart and extremely adaptable. If we do one routine over and over again our bodies know what to expect and simply get used to it. That’s why many bodybuilders and fitness enthusiasts eventually reach a plateau with a specific training regimen and start experiencing diminishing returns for their exercise investment.

I like to vary my workouts a little bit each time I go to the gym. This practice keeps my body guessing and stimulates continuous growth in my muscle fibers. For example, when I train chest, I may alternate between dumbbell bench presses and the pec deck one day and then hit the incline press and cable cross-over machine next time. I also vary the frequency of my workouts. One week I may do 3 days on and 1 day off and the next week I might try 2 days on and 1 day off. I always keep my body guessing by changing routines. This constant change also helps keep my mental energy and motivation high since I don’t get bored going through the motions of doing the same thing all the time.

Two other buzzwords I keep in mind regarding weight-training are short and intense. I try to keep my gym workouts to no more than an hour at a time and focus on maintaining high intensity throughout my training. I’ve found that 3-4 days a week of one hour/day gym time is more than enough to stimulate growth and improve my physique.

NUTRITION SIDE

Dear John,
I love your videos and have begun to implement the dietary and training advice into my fitness routine. I’ve been working out on and off for the past 10 years and wanted to get a little more serious about improving my body. I thought this would mean getting to the gym everyday and spending hours pumping iron or riding the lifecycle till I’m ready to drop. I also thought I’d have to sacrifice all my favorite foods to finally squeeze back into a size 32 pair of jeans. I was really surprised and relieved to hear that you talk about eating “cheat” meals and needing rest periods from training. How often do you “cheat” and what’s your favorite “cheat meal?”

- “Cheating Carl,” New York, NY

Dear Carl,
I regularly indulge myself with “cheat” meals and recommend them highly. “How often” you ask? At least once a week and I actually feel guilty if I skip my weekly “cheat.” Despite their best intentions, all too often beginning dieters set themselves up for failure by thinking they have to have monastic-style discipline in their eating habits. They eliminate all of their favorite foods in an effort to eat “perfectly.” This pointless pursuit of “perfection” usually leads to a preoccupation with food cravings which can shake even the strongest resolve and result in free-for-all binges once the deprived dieter finally gives in. I believe life’s too short for such deprivation. That’s why if I have a strong craving I just satisfy it and get it over with.

I look at my nutrition plan (I hate the word “diet”) as a lifelong journey and not a weekend trip. As long as I make “good eating” the rule and “cheating” the exception, I know the occasional higher calorie meal or my favorite treat is going to have little to no effect on my overall appearance and fitness regimen. In fact, it might even help. You see when we’re on a lower calorie meal plan for an extended period of time the body adjusts by lowering metabolism to account for the “starvation” condition it’s facing.

This downward metabolic spiral is the reason many dieters reach a plateau where they stop losing weight even when they drop calories lower and lower. By throwing in the occasional excess calorie cheat meal we might be able to trick our bodies into keeping our metabolisms high.

That being said and to answer your question...Being the confirmed and proud “chocoholic” I am, I’d have to say that most of my cheats revolve around chocolate...brownies and anything with dark chocolate in particular. My absolute favorite cheat meal, however, is something called Thai Chicken Pizza. It’s actually not that bad nutritionally speaking. It has chicken breast, vegetables, and the most decadently delicious spicy peanut sauce (remember - peanuts are a good monounsaturated fat) on a light crust. I get it every now and then in my favorite restaurant, the Bistro at Foxwoods, the location of my other beloved vice - roulette. If you ever find yourself in the Connecticut woods and have a craving for something tasty make sure to stop by the Bistro and say hello to the lovely hostess Lydia for me.

Putting aside the palatable pleasures and getting back on track, I also want to say that I recommend “rest days” or days off from training, as you point out, because muscles need rest to grow. Usually we go to the gym with the goal of either building muscle or improving muscle tone. We want to stimulate our muscles enough to grow but not so much so that they breakdown. More is not always better when it comes to working out. In fact, it’s usually worse. Overtraining can be catabolic, causing muscle mass loss, and it’s one of the biggest mistakes people make. We all need a break both physically and mentally from our gym routines every couple of days and that’s why I believe in weight-training no more than 3-4 times a week at most.

John Basedow is an internationally recognized fitness personality and host of the best-selling videos Fitness Made Simple, Awesome Hour Upper Body Workout, Six Pack Abs, AM/PM Workouts, 45Min Fat Burning Workout, & FMS Basics. These programs offer time conserving workouts and fat burning meal plans which thousands of men and women, from teenagers to grandparents, are using to build lean, healthy, and muscular physiques. This year John began the new FMS Power To Be Better Supplement Line with FMS PAC (Power Ab Chiseler) ATTACK, a scientifically formulated biogenic amine blend designed to promote thermogenesis for maximum fat burning. This revolutionary supplement combines potent thermogenic ingredients to help increase energy, boost metabolism, and reduce body fat, thereby making existing muscle definition more visible. For more information go to FitnessMadeSimple.com and make sure to visit John on Myspace.com/OfficialFitnessMadeSimple.

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