Frequently Asked Questions

• Q: “I don’t want to have to join a gym – do I have to?”
  A:You do not need a gym membership to do many of the workouts included in Lift Weights Faster.
  One of the best parts about the Lift Weights Faster program is that the workouts are organized by category, based on equipment you have on hand. You can choose from six different categories, including bodyweight, minimal equipment, dumbbell, kettlebell, barbell and full gym.
  Over a third of the workouts are either bodyweight only or use a minimal amount of equipment.
• Q: “The 10-, 20-, and 30-minute workouts don’t seem like they would be sufficient. Would LWF need to be supplemented with another workout program?”
  A: You’d be surprised what kind of changes you can effect in that amount of time! If you’re doing the workouts correctly, with proper form and steadily increased weight over time, and completing them more quickly, you’ll continue to give your body reason to adapt.
  While the Lift Weights Faster workouts can be used as a successful stand-alone program, it is not a mapped out, day-by-day program; it's more of a pick-and-choose conditioning library. The workouts can very easily serve as conditioning finishers after your strength training session, if you’re following a more traditional strength program.
• Q: “Is Lift Weights Faster a program or a collection of workouts? Should I do them in any particular order?”
  A: Lift Weights Faster is a collection of full-body, strength-building, fat-burning workouts. You can do any of them in any order. Would it make sense to map out a precise plan for how to tackle them? Yes. But, as my friend Carla Birnberg writes, “It doesn’t MATTER what the ‘ideal’ is. What matters is what I will consistently do.”
  And I can promise you that you will do these workouts, which have all been tested on clients and other trainers, because you will love them.
  Plus, as I said before,Lift Weights Faster workouts can easily provide the conditioning supplement to a progressive strength program.
• Q: “I travel a lot for work. Will Lift Weights Faster be an effective workout for when I’m jet-setting from place to place?”
  A: If you travel a lot, it’s not feasible to only train when you’re at home — I hear you loud and clear on that one! This conditioning library is the perfect thing to take with you on the go. Because the workouts are organized both by equipment and time, you can select the ones that are appropriate for you in any environment.
  Even if you’re limited on time and equipment, there are plenty of ways to keep your workouts fresh and challenging. Lift Weights Faster workouts include varying set and rep schemes, and different rest styles and workout structures, so cycle through different workouts to always present your body with a challenge.
• Q: “Is LWF for men or women…or both?”
  A: Lift Weights Faster is for anyone looking to enjoy their trip to the gym, their backyard or their living room. Lack of motivation doesn’t discriminate by gender, and neither do I. By enjoying your workout, you’re more likely to stick with the program and continue outdoing your expectations, whether man or woman.
  With our library of exercises, videos, workouts and how-to’s, anyone can learn these the movements included in these workouts. If you’re already familiar, that’s great. If not, get ready to learn exercises and movements you’ll remember and use for the rest of your life!
• Q: “Should I be following a strict diet when participating in the LWF program?”
  A: You do not need to follow a strict diet to see benefits from Lift Weights Faster — your conditioning will improve, and you will gain strength.
  That said, if you want to see body composition changes, your diet needs to be on point. Now, that doesn’t mean “strict,” however. I recommend picking up our companion nutrition guide, Eat Better Faster, by New York Times–bestselling author Diane Sanfilippo.
• Q: “Am I too old to do such fast-paced workouts?”
  A: At the gym I co-own with my husband, called The Movement Minneapolis, I run classes with people anywhere from age 21 to 66, and we do Lift Weights Faster with them three times a week. I don’t believe limits should be placed on participants because of their age.
  That said, I always start every client, regardless of age, off with just a little bit at a time. You want to give your muscles and connective tissues time to adapt, so go easy into the workouts.
  If anything feels like too much — too much speed, too much weight — it probably is. That’s why absolutely everything is scalable. There are ways to dial back the intensity and get comfortable with the exercise before going any harder.
  As we age, fat-burning hormones like growth hormone and testosterone begin to decline, so a program intended to spike these hormones, as Lift Weights Fasterworkouts do, can only benefit you in the long run, either young or old.
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