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• Stand with your feet shoulder-width apart.
• Run in place, driving your knees up as high as possible.
• Your other arm will naturally swing forward. Keep a bend in the elbow.
• Run in place at an interval pace.

Siff Squat

• Stand on the balls of your feet, with your feet just greater than shoulder-width apart.
• Stay on the balls of your feet for the entire exercise.
• Start the movement at the hip joint. Push your hips backward and "sit back into a chair". Make your hips go back as far as possible.
• Squat as deep as possible, but keep your low back tensed in a neutral position.
• Don't let your lower back become rounded.
• Push with your glutes, hamstrings, quads, and calves to return to the start

Dips

• Find a low bench or a sturdy chair that will hold your weight.
• Place your hands on either side of your hips so your palms are resting on the chair or bench your fingers are hanging over the edge.
• Place your feet together firmly on the floor, as far in front of you as possible.
• Tighten your abdominal muscles to prevent injuring your back during the exercise. Carefully move your backside off the bench leaving your hands in place. Keep your back straight and your head up.
• Slowly lower your hips as far as your able, bending your elbows backward so your arms remain close to your sides. Then lift yourself up the starting position, using your arms.
• Take care not to push yourself up with you legs. Don't sit back down on the bench until done with your repetitions.

Ask The Trainer

Is it wise to do an intense cardio workout before you hit the weights?

Dear Reader,

This is a good question that I actually get asked a lot by my clients. But to answer it completely and thoroughly, I need to know what your goals are and what you are trying to accomplish; as well as how comfortable you are (from a safety standpoint) with lifting weights.

For example, if you are looking to lose weight and have a substantial amount of weight that you want to lose, and if you are new at weight-lifting, I would go with cardio first and then weight-lifting, because you will probably get more out of the cardio workout right now because you are new at weight-lifting. Now, when I say cardio, I'm talking about no more than 30 minutes with intervals (30 seconds of work, 1-minute rest). That is most effective. On the other hand, if you have 10-20 pounds to lose or are looking to get stronger and lean out, and you are confident in using weights, I would go with a good weight-lifting workout first. Whatever is left in the tank can be used to do cardio.

The reasons for this is because if you are doing a circuit training-type of workout (performing 4-5 exercises back-to-back with little to no rest), you are also getting in your cardio. This is called cardio strength training. Research has shown that cardio strength training can actually be more effective when trying to lose weight than long, slow cardio.

In the end, it does depend on your goals and experience. But keep in mind that if you are doing cardio and weight training back-to-back, then one of the two is going to be affected negatively (whichever you do last, when you're tired). One way to get around this is to do one in the morning and the other in the evening. You also can do them on separate days.

My recommendation would be to look into circuit training, interval training or cardio strength training. Any of these options takes less time and is very effective when trying to lose fat compared to traditional cardio.

-Chelsea Cooper, CPT

Chelsea Cooper, MPA, CPT, is certified by the National Academy of Sports Medicine as a personal trainer, performance enhancement specialist, and rehab and exercise specialist. To learn more, visit www.trainwithchelsea.com.