Can I really speed up my metabolism?

Exercising and more specifically doing strength training exercises will increase your lean body mass (muscle tissue). Since muscle is living tissue, the more you have the more metabolically active you will be. Research has shown that after the age of 30, we lose about 10% of our muscle mass per decade. This is why even though we don't eat any more than we used to we tend to gain those few pounds every year. The exercising and lifting weights will help to maintain or even develop our lean body mass to keep your metabolism running smooth!

What is the best way to burn fat?

The best way to burn fat is to train aerobically at 60% to 75% of your age predicted max heart rate. You can find you APMHR by taking the number 220 and subtracting your age. Then, multiply this number by the appropriate percentage range.

For example: 40 years old
220 - 40 = 180
180 x .6 = 108 beats per minute
180 x .75 = 135 beats per minute

So, this person's exercise range for burning fat would be between 108 and 135 beats per minute. However, training at a higher or lower rate than this is still very positive. Most people want to burn fat because they want to reduce their body fat percentage and overall body weight. The most important thing is to burn more calories then you are consuming on a daily basis. It doesn't matter if they are fat calories, or calories from stored glycogen (carbohydrates). Remember, it's not necessarily fat that is the major culprit in reducing body weight, it's calories that count!

Does aerobic exercise build strength?

This depends on your definition of strength. The classic definition of strength relates more to a specific force production by your muscles. Aerobic exercise like walking, swimming, or biking will give you a "stronger" cardiovascular system (heart and lungs). However, you can develop specific muscular endurance in the body parts involved during the aerobic exercise, legs for example. But, if your goal is to build strength, weight training is the most efficient way to do this!

Can I increase my strength through pushups, calisthenics, etc?

Yes! These forms of exercise are great ways to start developing muscular strength. In the long haul you will run into strength plateaus because of the lack of variation or progressive overload to the specific muscles groups involved. In other words, you can only get so strong with exercises that use your body weight as the resistance. The best thing to do is to add in some specific weight training exercises into your overall program.

How does weight training effect the onset of osteoporosis?

Any form of weight bearing exercise can help stave off osteoporosis. Walking is a weight bearing exercise, however, it doesn't involve the upper skeleton system. A well rounded fitness program involving aerobic exercise, strength training, and sound nutrition over a lifetime is the best way to keep bone density intact.

How should I split up my workout routine on a weekly basis if I workout 3 days per week?

Aerobic exercise can be performed on a daily basis. Weight training on the other hand is a different story! Because you specifically target various muscle groups when lifting weights you need to give them a certain rest period between sessions. Research has shown that 48 hours of rest between training a muscle group will bring about the best overall gains. Also, training each muscle group of the body twice per week is all that’s needed to influence strength gains. However, it can be difficult once you get in decent shape to train your whole body in one workout session. This is where the 3 day split system is most beneficial. Here is an example of a fundamentally sound 3 day program: Remember, aerobic exercise can be done on a daily basis!