AboutKaren Sullivan Expertise Karen can help with lifting technique, muscle recovery, weight loss, body building and powerlifting. She has been certified by AFPA for the last 10 years as a Personal Trainer and has recently acquired a certification from the same agency as a Post Rehabilitative Exercise Specialist. Any recommendations or advice rendered are based on fitness information as specified by the American College of Sports Medicine and the American Fitness Professionals and Associates.
Experience
Past/Present clients Clients include athletes training for marathons, mountain climbing and general weight loss. In addition I have clients troubled with COPD, Fibromyalgia, and Parkinsons as well as stroke rehab. She was the Strength and Conditioning coach for Williamsburg Aquatic Club, a USA Swim Team, in Williamsburg, Virginia for 3 years.
Karen is presently working at Main Street Gym in Historic St. Charles, Missouri where she teaches Pilates and continues her work with clients. Her training reaches across the country with her long distance Body Restoration eTraining. Her dedication to fitness reaches into the nutritional supplementation with Shaklee products. She only works with clients who add nutritional supplementation to their training. Read more of her story on www.shaklee.net/BodyRestoration
Expert: Karen Sullivan Date: 6/29/2008 Subject: i have 4-5 meals a day, workout regularly, still dont see much musle gains gaining belly fat help!!!
Question QUESTION: hi karen, thanks fr ur time.. i have been working out for almost 2 years now.. i started as a skinny 20 year old weighing 53 kgs( height 5'4") and now i am 61 kgs which includes quite a bit of belly fat. i have a few questions to ask. but first my daily eating routine... i have 4-5 meals a day which includes 1) two egg omlette with two slices of brown bread and a glass of milk 2)two slices of bread withpeanut butter +1 glass of juice 3)rice or bread with vegetables 4) a glass of milk + 1 banana + a cup of sprouts(this is 1.5 hrs before going for a workout) 5)after gym: rice and pulses.
my exercise program is: i workout one body part every day in the order of chest, triceps, back, biceps, shoulder, legs. one day rest. i dont do any cardio
my questions are: 1)i eat more than a lot of people in my gym. i even take whey protein from time to time but still i havent grown too much. and recently i have observed that i dont seem to put on any more muscle.. my arms wont grow bigger nor would my overall body... what do i need to do to make muscle gains??
2) no matter how hard i work my traps, they dont seem to grow... i started with dumbell shrugs for 2-3 months, followed by upright rows for 3 months, now im currently doing 3 sets of upright rows followed by 3 sets of barbell shrugs... i work my traps at the end of my shoulder workout which includes military press, dumbell press and side laterals.. how can i get my traps to grow??
3)i have this habit of sleeping right after lunch, then i wake up have juice/milk +banana+ sprouts and then go to the gym... is sleeping after a meal bad? even if i workout later in the day?? my belly has grown quite a bit.. can this be the cause??
4)i want to gain more muscle and also lose the belly fat.. would u advise to do it together or do one thing at a time? (i.e. gain first and lose later or vice versa?)and how to go about it??
i really appreciate your help.. thanks
ANSWER: Saurabh,
ok. I think the key to your problem is your diet. If I might recap some....
) two egg omlette with two slices of brown bread
and a glass of milk two slices of bread with peanut butter +1 glass of juice rice or bread
with vegetables
4) a glass of milk + 1 banana +
a cup of sprouts
rice and pulses.
To the right we have carbohydrates. To the left -- everything else. You see the issue? very very very little vegetables, almost no protein in your normal every day diet. Lots of bread and rice. Which convert to belly fat. You probably sleep because of the amount of carbohydrate you have your blood sugar levels peak and then drop into the bucket (so to speak) and you need to introduce the complex carbs in vegetables and the whole lean protein. Fish and chicken are best although other forms of protein are good too. If you do a shake find one that is low fat and lower carb.
Also, you are overtraining. An integral part of working to build muscle is giving that muscle time to grow. You aren't doing that. You work it and then hit it again. So it gets torn down over and over. Set up your routine to work out 4 days a week.
Alow 48 hours between workouts on a body part. So, if you go monday, tues, wed and thurs you will do this:
Monday
Chest, Shoulders, Triceps, abs
Tuesday
Legs, back and biceps
Wednesday
Chest, Shoulders, Triceps, Abs
Thursday
Legs, back and biceps
Try to do at least 20-30 minutes of cardio 3x a week so you can keep your heart healthy. Make it pump a little harder but not so hard you can't talk while you are working.
I think you will see changes in your body with this routine.
You will build and lose that belly fat.
Thanks,Karen
---------- FOLLOW-UP ----------
QUESTION: thanks for such a prompt reply... i really appreciate that. so i will reduce the amount of carbs i take and increase the protein intake (suggestions on diet plan welcome).ill go get a protein shake today but i am a little confused about my training routine...
1)like i mentioned earlier, my training routine is :mon chest, tue triceps, wed back, thu biceps,fri shoulders, sat legs... i thought i was working out a different muscle group everyday giving the other muscles enough rest... where did i go wrong??
2)also the routine that u gave me includes three body parts a day(chest,shoulders,triceps,abs) & (legs,back,biceps).is it okay to train so much in a single day?? i say this because its too hot and humid nowdays and im afraid i might lose more than i gain.
3)also u didnt mention anything about traps.. how can i make them grow??
4)i do three sets of 20-18-15 pushups and 3 sets of wide grip chinups as warm up.. is it okay to do pushups and chinups everyday???
thanks,
saurabh
Answer Saurabh,
Oh, I am sorry. I misunderstood your routine. The push ups and chin ups are ok every day as a warm up. I would cut down the amount and do perhaps one set of 20. Then you aren't pre-exausted before you start to lift.
When you work back you do traps and you do shrugs. Some people use dumbells, some a barbell. They all work. I even see guys doing this "farmer walk" (which personally I think is stupid looking) where you hold HEAVY weight and pull your shoulders to your ears and then walk the length of the room and back. I don't see what the walking part gets you except attention! (HA! look at me I am working out so hard! -- sorry, I digress!) Anyway, they all work -- with or without the walking.
Now, if you have a weather issue then it would seem that is a lot to work in a single day. I would try to double up a little bit more. So monday do chest and triceps, tuesday do back and shoulders, wednesday do legs and biceps, thursday chest triceps,friday back shoulders, saturday legs and biceps. Does that seem workable?
Early morning,,,,,late evening to avoid the heat of day. If you can. you didn't talk about what you are doing with each routine. Can you give me a breakdown of legs? That will help me understand your lifting. How many sets, reps, and exercises? Thanks, Karen
