Audra Yocom is a certified personal trainer based out of Los Angeles, who will be answering your fitness questions on a weekly basis (every Monday) and will also bring you monthly fitness tips via her regular column (resuming in April) to help us to disspell those myths we’ve all been subjected to regarding fitness at one point or another in our battle with the bulge. You can also hear Audra with her fitness tips during the early morning (5am – 7am) A.M. Blast block of upbeat tunes geared towards your morning workout on intraffikradio.com (http://tinyurl.com/intraffikradio) or under Intraffikradio under the eclectic section under iTunes Radio. To learn more about Audra or to inquire about training sessions visit her site http://audrayocom.com.
QUESTION: I’ve been battling a health issue that leaves me a little low-energy, what are some things I can do that won’t completely wipe me out?
ANSWER: It’s really hard to answer this question without knowing what that health issue might be. If we’re talking about something like a cold then really you should take a break from exercise until you feel better or you could make yourself worse. If you’re battling something as serious as cancer, then your doctor is really the person you should talk to about that to ensure that you don’t overdo it. However, if you are suffering from something like depression getting yourself to the gym is one of the best ways to help get you out of it. Exercise will usually help invigorate you and wake you up when you are fatigued in general, but if you’re battling something more serious your physician is the first place you should start to find out what is advisable for your specific condition.
QUESTION: I like swimming, but it’s all I do. Is swimming enough of a workout to not do cardio/weights?
ANSWER: Swimming is great and would actually be considered a cardio workout. I would suggest adding weights to your routine for a more complete workout regimen.
QUESTION: What is the best exercise to do to get the best results for toning up arms quickly if I have a limited amount of time before I have to show my bare arms? What are best things to do to keep them in shape for the long run (also any tips for women who want definition without ending up broad-shouldered)?
ANSWER: Tricep kickbacks, *skull crushers, tricep dips, bicep curls, hammer curls to strengthen and tone, but in order to show off those muscles you still need to burn the layer of fat on top of them by losing overall body fat percentage with cardio and eating right.
*Barbell Skull Crusher
The skull crusher is an exercise for isolating the triceps. The triceps brachii is composed of three heads. The three heads of the triceps have separate attachments near the shoulder but a singular attachment for each muscle just below the elbow.
Starting position: Lie on your back. Elbows bent and bar behind head.
Movement: Keep your upper arms static as you press the bar towards the ceiling.
Audra will be answering your fitness questions every Monday. If you have questions you’d like answered you may email her at Audra@intraffik.com. To see if your questions have been addressed check out past “Ask Audra” Column Entries here