Gina Jackson Personal Fitness - FAQs & Feedback

Q:  I have a fairly regimented fitness program including weights and cardio (fair bit of running) and abdominal exercises and I am a fairly fit and active person, but I have a small amount of fat on my lower stomach area that I simply cannot shift. Can you help?

Answer: It almost sounds as if you are in a training rut!  Cross- training with alternate exercise disciplines (pilates and yoga, for example) 
which focus on core muscles, will fire up your metabolism and abdominals significantly.

If you keep doing the same old things, you will always have the same old results.  Challenging the body with new and different exercises will recruit new and different muscles - deep muscles of the transverse abdominals - in this case.

My personal training regimen may involve one or more of the following different activities each week:

• running
• biking
• in-line skating
• pilates
• strength training
• walking 
• resistance band stretch/strength

In each program, I am conscious to focus on engaging the core prior to moving the body.  Here is an article I wrote about using Pilates focus and training orientation with your gym workout to accomplish the cross-training objective you seek.

Also, you need to work out with a qualified fitness teacher/trainer that can provide consistent feedback on form, control and execution.

Tags: cross-training, Pilates, Strength Training