Got a fitness question? Ask our online personal trainers!
Panel updated June 20, 2011
Now is the perfect time to get in shape, set fitness goals, train for a Get Your Rear in Gear 5K, or just get outside and get moving with the family. But sometimes, the best laid plans don’t yield the results you expect. What seems simple in a fitness magazine can get a little bit more complicated when you get to the gym or head out the door. This is your opportunity to clear up the confusion and get those fitness questions answered. GetYourRearinGear.com has gathered a panel of three fitness experts to answer your questions about preparing for your first 5K, training as you age, or general fitness concerns.
Submit a question!
Our fitness experts include:
Chris Freytag
Chris Freytag: Chris is a nationally known fitness expert on NBC-TV, the fitness expert for Prevention magazine, and author of 3 books. Chris holds a BA in Journalism and is a certified Group Fitness Instructor, Personal Trainer and Lifestyle and Weight Management consultant. She is a Yoga and Pilates instructor as well. Over the years, Chris has written numerous articles on health and fitness. She is a national fitness presenter, motivational speaker and has over a dozen fitness DVD’s in the marketplace. Check out her newest book, The 2 Week Total Body Turnaround available at bookstores now, or get more information about Chris’ classes and programs at her website ChrisFreytag.com.
Matt Haugen
Matt Haugen: Matt is a full-time coach who has trained thousands of athletes since 1980. On the community, high school, collegiate, national, and Olympic levels, he has guided athletes to podium finishes and personal best accomplishments. Since 1972, Matt has also continued to train and race in a wide range of sports and race distances. His blend of education, elite level performance experience, and coaching history provide athletes the guidance that they need to attain finish line goals. Matt holds a B.A. in Psychology, and M.S. Exercise Science/Sport Psychology from Penn State, and Ph.D. studies (A.B.D.) in Kinesiology/Sport Psychology from the U of Minnesota. He currently trains athletes of all levels through Performance Power (P2) based in St. Paul Minnesota.
Bryan Brander
Bryan Brander: Bryan is a school principal by day and runner/coach by morning, night, and weekend. He began his running career, entering his first race, at the age of twelve and was blessed to have the opportunity to run competitively in high school and college. Since then he has been coaching runners and sharing his knowledge, training, and success, while also competing in a variety of distances from 5Ks to 50 milers, and enjoying his love for the sport along the way. In 2010 he founded Bull City Coaching, a comprehensive running resource to deliver his coaching on a larger scale. Bryan ran his first Get Your Rear in Gear event in Raleigh, N.C. on March 5, 2011.
Dana Neve
Dana Neve: Dana is a New Orleans native living in the Twin Cities for the past eighteen years with her husband and two teenage daughters. She is a black belt in Tae Kwon Do, runner, fitness coach, motivator, speaker, avid spectator of her kids’ sports, and has been a guest speaker on the radio. Fitness has always been a part of her life, but it wasn’t until 2000 that she became passionate about it. After being diagnosed with fibromyalgia and having a negative reaction to the medication prescribed, she decided to control the symptoms with exercise and proper nutrition. The results were life changing and it has become her mission to help others lead longer, healthier, and more fulfilling lives through fitness and nutrition. She coaches people around the country developing nutrition plans and recommending workout programs for her clients, while motivating and supporting them along the way. She is dedicated to helping people achieve their goals and would love to help you too.
After you submit your question, check back to find the answer in future blog posts.
I have been a walker for many years and just started alternating walking/jogging. I jogged my first 5K at the Breast Cancer Walk last weekend and it was awesome.
My question is this: I am 54 years old and wonder if I am too old to begin a running program. My knees are achy since the race on Sunday and I am wondering how to treat this? I also have plantar fasciitis in one foot, which actually seems to hurt less with jogging. I want to lose 30 pounds and was hoping by starting a jogging/running program that this would help achieve my goal. I am currently following The Mayo Clinic Diet Program.
Hi Mary,
You question has been submitted to Kris Wayne. She is our fitness expert who works in the area of exercise and aging. We’ll have an answer for you soon! Thanks for reading the blog.
Hi Mary! Your question was answered! Check the 5/21 blog post and thanks for visiting getyourrearingear.com!
Hey there,
I am 21 years old and about 115 pounds. I like to exercise and I have a great tummy and legs, but when I tone I tend to loose my chest. It has begun to bother me because my sternum is beginning to show between my breasts and it makes me really self conscious. Im lucky to always have been a petite female, but I really stress about looking too thin. Do you have any suggestions as to what i could do to fill in?
I am a 46 year old male and new to running in 2010. I have run three 5k’s since the beginning of the New Year, one which I completed and two others I walked for about 20 seconds more than halfway through two of the runs, then ran the remainder to finish. What is the best way to get my endurance level up so I can complete the run without walking? Also, how can I train to get my time down to 22:00 from 27:00. I am 5’8″ tall and about 170lbs with 11 percent body fat. Thanks.
Hi Martay! I’ve submitted your question to our Ask the Trainer panel. Check back for a response in the next couple of weeks!
Hi John,
Great question! It looks like you are doing a great job, especially for a new runner. To answer your question, read How to Run a Faster 5K, in which our Ask the Trainer running expert Matt Haugen answers this question and gives a complete workout plan for improving your 5K pace. To improve your endurance, you could also use the Beginning 5K Plan, which begins as a run/walk program, then gradually eliminates the walk so that you run the entire 5K distance. Good luck with your training!
how can i do excersice for all the parts of my body, but to get bigger someones like my legs but without muscles, and to get smal just my stomach and not get fit all my body ?
Hello, Matt
I’m a 30 yr old female with no medical promblems, Im over weight, I have loss 70lbs, and lossing at the moment, I’m currently 240, Is it possible for me to be able to do the 10k, I have changed my eatting plan and I will walking 5 days a week for about 1.5, to get ready. By the time the race date of March 20,2011 I will be done more. thanks
Good morning i have a question i weight 278 im trying to go down. To 180 and iam going to the gym but my question what can i eat. To help me lose the weight because im a diabete and iam trying severe things but im tired of it so can u advise
Hello,
My name is Angela Bonilla and I am a sophomore attending Irondale High School. I was wondering if I could conduct an e-mail interview with you for a health project I have for school. I will simply post some questions regarding health and new fitness programs. It will be very beneficial to me if you are able to respond. Thank you for your time.
What is the most effective exercise program that will benefit teens and adults in a healthy and safe way?
How do home fitness programs vs. group fitness benefit you?
How do the video game exercise programs work and have they been proved effective?
Are the diets safe and coordinated with the fitness?
How will the people online help motivate me?
Which program will teach me to eat healthy and stop my bad eating habits?
If I’m trying to lost weight fast, what is the safe way to do it?
Is exercising through yoga or Pilates more beneficial?
What are the different and unique ways of working out?
Which gyms have classes available to me and of the type that I enjoy?
Which programs will allow me to carefully lose weight in a manageable time?
Angela -
I’ll check with one of trainers, and see if she can help you.
Good Luck!
~Erin
My question is about weight/strength training. Everything I’ve read says you have to give your muscles a days rest between sessions. I’m confused about what exactly constitutes strength training. If I do body weight bearing exercises like push ups, pull ups, squats/lunges with light weights to keep my heart rate up is that considered weight training? This is what I use for aerobic exercise in addition to walking. Or is weight training only using heavy weights and fatiguing the muscle. I usually do my aerobics with light weights one day and then use heavy weights the next with some walking. Am I overworking my muscles?
My question is this,
I’m about to be 19 years old & I’ve actually lost weight over the past year. I’m 5’4 and weigh 111 lbs. I have a small framed body so I’m not expecting to come out looking like the girls on music videos; but I’ve always been insecure about my skinny legs & small butt. What exercise can I do to fix that problem without the chance of me losing weight. Naturally I can gain muscle easily, my only issue is the way I eat, I’ve been told to have atleast 2000 calories a day & that’s just impossible for me. Any suggestions would be greatly appreciated!
Brianna and Sandy – we will get your questions to one of our trainers. Thanks for reaching out.
How do you keep your body shape while doing ab target exercise. I want to only target the abs, not my full body, how do i do that? And is it true that by breathing out you make your stomach expanding not go in?
About 6 months ago I started the C25K program to work on getting in shape. I was walking/running on the road near my MIL’s while it was summer and we were out of school. Everything was fine. With the start of school I had to change where I was exercising and took it to the sidewalk and the track at the Y. I ended up getting shin splints. Stopped doing the program and just tried to get them to heal. 2 months later, I tried again (just on the sidewalk/road by my house) and within 3 -4 times the shin splints were hurting again. I went and got shoes fitted for me at a reccomended running store. I went to the drs and got anti-inflammatory meds and she told me stretching I could do. No C25K for 10 days. Started back up and they came back. Stopped again. Here I am, months later and I have started walking 2-3 times per week at least. I also do strength exercises most nights (crunches, push-ups, bridges, reverse crunches, abductions, adductions, heel lifts) and the shin splints are here again. Is there anything I can do for this? I can’t run and sometimes even walking will hurt after awhile. I don’t want to stop exercising since I really need to for weight loss but it is getting to be too much. I also do not have access to gym equipment. Any help would be great. Thank you!