Basic Fitness 101

15 Points Per Correct Answer - No time limit  

1. You have made the commitment to join a gym! Congratulations for taking the first step. You want to slim down and tone up, so which of these things should you NOT do? Improve your nutrition Get regular cardio-vascular exercise Fail to have your physician clear you for exercise Start a weight-resistance program

2. So you are 75 lbs. overweight and you want to lose it. About how much time should you allow to remove this weight safely and hopefully keep it off? 3 months 24 months 6 months 1 year

3. Let's go on a diet! What is the best way to lose weight effectively? Eat 3 square meals a day. Don't eat anything- fast! Skip breakfast Eat frequent small meals every 3 hours or so.

4. When you join the gym, you hire a personal trainer. One of the first things your trainer should do is get an estimate of your body fat percent. You are a middle-aged woman and your trainer just told you that your body fat was 25%, meaning that you are carrying around 30 lbs. of fat on your 120 lb. body. Should you be alarmed? (HINT: The answer will surprise you!) No, that is on the lower recommended range for a 40 year old woman Yes, you should reduce that percentage to 5% or lower. Yes, you should reduce that percentage to 15% or lower. Yes, you should reduce that percentage to 10% or lower.

5. On your first day at the gym you are all ready for your trainer to show you all those free weights and turn your Homer Simpson body into the Terminator's. You walk by all the muscle guys with the barbells and find yourself pointed to a treadmill to start with. Why? The trainer wants to demonstrate a cardio exercise you will do later. You should get 30 minutes of cardio in and the best time is the beginning of the workout. It gives the trainer a few minutes to chat with her buddies. You need about a 5 minute cardio warm-up before exercising.

6. Now that we are talking about cardio, how much should you do? That depends on you and your situation. If you are pretty lean, 20 minutes 3 times a week will give your heart a proper workout. If you have some fat to burn, go up to 45 minutes 4 times a week. Excessive cardiovascular exercise can burn muscle mass, which is not normally the desired effect. When is the BEST time to do your cardio - especially if you are looking to lose fat? After work Just after your morning workout When you wake up, before breakfast During your lunch hour

7. You see those guys with those 6-pack abs, but you apparently swallowed the whole keg. Slimming your waist is your primary goal. Which program will help you do that best? Sit-ups, Sit-ups, and more Sit-ups! Roman Chair sit-ups and machine crunches. Lateral Twists, hanging leg raises, crunches. Improving nutrition and increasing cardiovascular exercise

8. Now you are ready to hit the weight room! You have your new Everlast shirt, spandex gym shorts, and Nike gym shoes so you are ready to go. For that Greek God body, how long should your ideal weight-resistance training session last? 30 minutes maximum 45 minutes to an hour. 1 1/2 to 2 hours. a minimum of 2 hours.

9. One common problem for beginners is "overtraining", or adopting a "more is better" philosophy, thinking that you get faster results by working out more than recommended. Which of these is not normally a result of overtraining? Loss of muscle mass Bigger muscles and faster fat loss. Injuries Loss of motivation

10. Which of these weight training programs is DEFINITELY not recommended for optimal results? Lift weight 7 days a week - don't let your results backslide. Lift 2 days, rest 1, lift 2 days, rest 2. Split routine Lift 5 times a week, one muscle group per day Lift 3 time a week (alternating rest days, e.g., M-W-F)