AboutAdam Kessler Expertise USA Weightlifting Sport Performance Coach and Certified Strength and Conditioning Specialist. I have 11 years experience in the industry and now run my own personal training company.
If there are questions specific to weight loss or muscle gain, body transformation programs, and some health issues (osteoporosis, diabetes, arthritis, elderly fitness, pregnancy, and fibromyalgia), I can help. I also deal with athletes who want to improve their speed, agility, and quickness, as well as providing sport-specific strength programs.
I seem to receive a lot of questions about weight loss, shaping up, and weight gain. Even though they are different questions, they all have a very similar answer. I have decided to write a 3 page document explaining what you need to do to achieve weight loss, weight gain, or just getting good definition (flatter stomach, thinner thighs, no granny arms, etc.). If your question falls in this area, please download this document and read what you need to do. This will save me and you time. Please click here to download this document. If you have a more specific question, please feel free to ask me. I'm more than happy to try and help you out.
Also, please don't ask me to give you a workout to do. I can't give individualized workouts over this forum. I know nothing about you. If you misinterpret what I'm saying, get hurt, then I get in trouble. So no workouts period.
Experience I have had over 11 years of experience in the health and fitness field. The last 6, I started and have been running my own personal training company. I have also been the head strength coach of an area high school for 4 years.
Organizations I am a member of the National Strength and Conditioning Association. I also belong to USA Weightlifting.
Publications I have been the feature of several articles in Columbus Business First and Mid-Ohio Golfer. I have written articles for various online article directories which can be found by Google searching my name.
Education/Credentials B.A. at Indiana University (1994)
Certified Strength and Conditioning Specialist
USA Weightlifting Sport Performance Coach
Question QUESTION: Hi I am a 33yr old woman and 5'10 tall. I have never really worked out ecxept after having my daughter at age 21 and I bounced back really quickly. I never had any problems with my weight or shape. (perhaps my butt was a little too big for my liking but thats it) For the last 2 yrs I have been working at a computer, do no exercise and although I dont eat a lot of food I eat the wrong foods at the wrong time. I have of course been meaning to join the gym and start to eat healhty etc. My question is this: I have cellulite around my thighs and excess fat. Although I dont "look" fat, Im terribly out of shape and pretty flabby. I want to know; If I start working out by doing resistant training 4 times p/w at the gym and walk for an hour 5 days per week, and eat properly, will I lose fat, tone my body and GET RID OF THE CELLULITE???? I know of suitable training programmes but I want to know my cellulite will go away. Its pretty depressing to have it 'creep up' on you. Thanks so much. S
ANSWER: Sarah, you CAN get rid of the cellulite, but you will have to take action sooner rather than later. It is no surprise to me that you bounced back from your pregnancy because you were 21. Now you are 33 and this is the time when you start losing a little bit of muscle each year, which in turn slows your metabolism down.
But don't fret. There is never a bad time to start exercising and you are still very young so if you do the proper things that you mentioned you will be just fine.
A lot of people are like you, not looking fat, but flabby. In this business, we call them "skinny fat" people. (please don't take offense to that). They look skinny, but they actually don't have much muscle tone.
If you can get active with exercise (the walking 5 days is good, but I would interval train it. Meaning, walk briskly for 2 minutes, then jog for 1, and repeat that cycle. You'll burn fat better this way), implement strength training to develop muscle and tighten your body up, and eat properly you can tone up and lose the cellulite. It will take time though and you will have to be patient, but it can happen.
Let me know you if you have other questions.
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QUESTION: Thanks so much for your advice; I feel much more positive to start my training. I weight 62kg (ish) - my weight just over 2 yrs ago was 55 (Im not so concerned about how much I weigh but just to give you an idea), and I have quite a slight frame... Im just wondering if you can estimate how long this senario would take. To recap, I currently do NO exercise and dont eat till around 3pm, I smoke around a pack a day and drink tea with one sugar pretty much throughout the day. I will change this taking on your advice, but considering it will be a drastic change in lifestyle im hoping it wont take too long to see results. What are your thoughts on when I can expect to see these results? Thank you so much! :) S.
Answer Safely, an individual can lose about 1 to 2 pounds of fat a week (sorry I don't know the conversion to kg). Anything more than that is probably some water and muscle.
Now with you smoking and not eating much and not doing any exercise, your metabolism is probably very low. When you start changing this around (especially the eating), you might start putting on some weight and that is fine. It will take your body awhile to figure out that you will be feeding it food on a regular basis and that it can burn fat now during exercise.
See with you smoking and not eating til 3pm, your body thinks it is in a starvation mode. What it does is save and store your bodyfat and burn your muscle for energy, which in turn slows down your metabolism. We need to reverse this process, by eating frequently throughout the day good foods and exercising.
You do this and you should see results, but it might take a little longer than you think because you will have to completely reverse what you have been doing. Good luck and let me know if you have other questions.
