Q: I’ve noticed how several of my son’s friends are getting personal trainers and trying sports performance training. I want to try to add some agility and conditioning exercises to his routine to keep up with his friends. How much and how often should he do these types of exercises?
A: I get asked this question on a weekly basis by Internet users and sports enthusiasts. Most are people who live in rural areas and may have to travel several miles to the nearest gym. I usually just write back with a response based on their specific needs. But then one morning I saw a father out at a local track putting his sons through a 2-hour workout that just did not make sense. This prompted me to respond on a more regional scale to spread the word on proper training techniques.

Q. I just started the training packet that my college strength coach gave me but I have been having some low back pain. I’ve never had significant low back pain or remember “pulling” anything, so what could it be?
A. Low back pain can come from a variety of sources and I suggest that you have a physical therapist or orthopedic specialist take a look at it before continuing.

Q. My daughter has been watching what she eats and has really been paying close attention to her body fat over the past couple of months. She is a track and cross-country athlete who doesn’t have much fat to begin with, could this be destructive?
Tennis elbow and golfer’s elbow are generic terms giving to tendonitis or epicondylitis of the elbow. For the sake of this article, I will apply the terms to a right-handed individual for a more simple explanation.

Q. What is the difference between “tennis” and “golfer’s” elbow and how do I treat them?
Tennis elbow and golfer’s elbow are generic terms giving to tendonitis or epicondylitis of the elbow. For the sake of this article, I will apply the terms to a right-handed individual for a more simple explanation. The term “ tennis elbow” is commonly used for a lateral tendonitis or epicondylitis and the term “golfer’s elbow” refers to medial tendonitis or epicondylitis.

Q. For my New Year’s resolution I want to lose at least 20 pounds. All my friends are telling me different things, some say run, others walk, some say Pilates or yoga, some say find a personal trainer, some say just take a weight lifting class or join Curves. I don’t have much time during the day, but can find an hour or so to get this done. Which is the right path?

A. This is probably the most popular question asked during this time of year. I first want to commend you for taking the steps necessary for better health and longevity. And despite the many choices that you have for weight loss, the answer is rather simple: Calories in needs to be less than Calories out.

Q: My doctor recently told me that I have patellar tendonitis in my left knee. I just started my basketball season and was wondering if there is anything I can do to lessen the pain? Do I have to stop playing?
A. Patellar tendonitis is a fairly common problem either in the acute form or a chronic condition in athletes involved in repetitive jumping sports like basketball and volleyball. In most cases, there is a predisposing physical impairment in patellar tracking causing tendonitis.

Q: A friend of mine suggested that I use a protein supplement after workouts, but there are so many different kinds that I’m not sure which one I should purchase. What are the differences and how frequently should I be taking it?
A: Surprisingly, this question is often asked among our members and before answering this I will need to know some basic pertinent information: What are you goals in your fitness routine? For most, they would like to balance their diet, lose body fat, and improve their lean muscle mass ratio. For some athletes, they seek to gain significant size and put as much bulk on as possible. Obviously, these two goals would require a different approach to supplementation, and for the purpose of this article I will assume the former is what you are seeking.

Q: My son is 12 years old and has friends that are already starting to lift weights. At what age is it appropriate for children to start a weight lifting routine? Are there risks of stunting his growth?
A: This question is frequently debated every year in many health and fitness conferences across America. The good thing is that this also provides an impetus for quality research on this exact topic. Current findings suggest that weight-bearing and resistive-weight exercises as early as the age of 8 can increase bone density rates later in life (10 years after) and help prevent osteoporosis.

Q: Is there is anything that I should be doing in my exercise routine to improve my golf game?
A: The last article I wrote, I addressed two main components involved in the golf swing: flexibility and dynamic stability. Now after practicing some of the exercises that I suggested, hopefully many of you have seen an improvement in your game. While we can spend hours covering other drills and exercises for those two main areas, today I want to focus on two other areas included in golf performance enhancing: strength and power.

Q: Is there is anything that I should be doing in my exercise routine to improve my golf game?
A: This is a commonly asked question among the members at our gym. In fact, many clients list as one of their main goals to improve their golf game.