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Ask the Trainer: Bruce Hedlund

August 20, 2011

Club: All

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IN:Ask the Trainer, Nutrition, Personal Training, Running, Bruce Hedlund, deadlifts, personal trainer, Personal Training, what to eat before running
By Kristi

With 17 marathons (including 10 Bostons) under his belt, and 15 years of personal training experience, Bruce Hedlund, the Rochester club’s resident running expert, is the trainer you want to work with if you’re preparing for a race.

Bruce also runs the club’s Ramp Up Your Run program, as well as S.E.A.L. Training.

He graduated from SUNY Cortland with a B.S. in Exercise Science, and is a Certified Strength and Conditioning Specialist. Bruce also works as Penfield High School’s Strength and Conditioning coach, and did the same for the Rochester Americans for the 2009-2010 season.

Reader Question: I work out regularly and mix cardio routines (elliptical) with strength training. I also play tennis twice a week. I think I’m in good shape, and yet I cannot seem to get a flat belly. What exercises do you recommend to achieve it?

Bruce: Proper nutrition is the most important factor and often the missing ingredient in achieving a flat stomach.

Certainly cardio and strength training are important but nutrition/eating habits are the 3rd part of the equation for good abs.

Try switching up your routine by incline-walking on a treadmill for 20-30 minutes without holding on to the console.

Or, try this on the elliptical:

Warm up at an easy pace for 5 to 10 minutes.
Perform shorter elliptical machine intervals of 30-60 seconds in duration at a higher intensity than your normal pace (an 8 on a scale of 1-10, 1 being very, very easy and 10 being maximum effort).
Take 90-120 seconds as a rest interval at a pace of 3 to 4 on that 1-10 scale.
Perform 3-4 repetitions initially and work your way up to 8-10 repetitions.

With strength training, change up your routine every 4-6 weeks. Changing your rep scheme and exercises can not only help you progress, but will also keep you from getting bored.

For a great and quick way to keep you burning calories after your strength training routine, try jumping rope with intervals of 20 seconds, taking 10-20 seconds as recovery. Aim for 5-10 reps.

Reader Question: I run in the morning, and I’m often in a hurry to get my run in before going to work, so I skip breakfast and eat at the office. I feel lethargic while running, probably because my stomach is empty, but I don’t like running on a full stomach either. What do you recommend?

Bruce: When you exercise first thing in the morning, it’s challenging to determine what, if anything, to eat beforehand.

A very simple answer is: eat something that won’t upset your stomach. Try one of these:

8 to 10 ounces of a sports drink
1/2 a bagel
small banana
Myoplex protein shake,
Small bowl of cereal
Dry piece of toast
Greek yogurt

Reader Question: Can dead-lifting several times a week build leg muscle? I am doing 3 sets of 8 reps.

Bruce: Dead-lifting is a great exercise on one of your leg days. However, I would suggest some changes to your routine. Try this:

Perform 1-2 warmup sets of 6-8 reps.

Week One

Perform 5 sets of 5, working your way up to a 5 rep maximum.

Week Two

Perform the same warmup, and then perform 5 sets of 3 working your way up to a 3 rep maximum.

Week Three

Perform the same warmup, and then perform 5 sets of 3, ending with a 1 rep “max.” I would not perform a true max, but work up to a weight that you can comfortably challenge yourself for a 1 rep max.

After you deadlift, add some auxiliary work such as the plate-loaded leg press (perform 4-5 sets of 15-20 reps), and finish with seated leg curls (4-5 sets of 10 reps). I would not deadlift more than once a week. If you do legs again, try back squatting, doing Romanian deadlifts, and finishing with either dumbbell lunges or leg extensions.

Reader Question: I am a 45-year-old woman who had knee-replacement surgery. I’ve lost muscle mass in my quads and want to rebuild them and my hamstring muscles. My orthopedic surgeon told me to avoid using weights. Can you suggest exercises for me?

Bruce: My first recommendation would be to see a physical therapist to ensure you are performing the correct exercises needed for rehabilitation. Any of the personal trainers can guide you through your workout once you’ve seen the PT.

To strengthen your legs with no weights, try standing calf toes raises, lying back bridges, and straight leg raises.

Standing calf raises are performed standing next to a wall or on a stair. Place the middle of your feet on the edge and press up to your toes. Perform 3 sets of 12 reps.
Back bridges are performed while lying on your back. Bend your legs and place your heels about 6 inches from your hips. Squeeze your glutes and lift your hips up toward the ceiling. Hold for a 3-count. Perform 3 sets of 10 reps, with a 3-second hold.
For straight leg extensions, lie on your back with your legs straight. Lift your leg up about 12 inches and hold for 5 to 10 seconds. While holding your leg up, squeeze your quadriceps muscle in that leg. Perform 3 sets of 5-10 reps on each side.

Reader Question: Who is your sports or fitness-industry role model, and why?

Bruce: I have several trainers that I follow each for different levels of expertise.

Dave Tate- maximum strength information

Vern Gambetta-sports training

Gray Cook-functional training

Corey Parker-My old boss in Syracuse and former strength coach at Syracuse university. In my opinion, he is the smartest coach I have ever met in the Sports Training field.

Thanks, Bruce!

Don’t be shy! If you have a question you would like one of the trainers in the Fitness department to answer, you can post your question as a comment to this post, or email it to me at kristi@meetme-atmidtown.com. If you email the question, I will ask it anonymously on your behalf, and post the question and answer (but not your name) on the next “Ask the Trainer” post. You do not need to be a member to ask a question.

Let’s hear it!

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