Rhea Lee Adam-Bell's First Workout Quiz

Answer: Time-oriented, so that she can gauge progress toward her goal weight

Too often, the determination to achieve a personal goal in a short amount of time undermines the motivation of lifters and runners. Putting extra pressure on yourself to reach a set number in a fixed period of time can be discouraging if the gym-goer is not on pace to achieve their goal. Also, working out too intensely in a short period of time can be detrimental to your health, increasing the chance of injury and leading to using unnatural form when pushed to reach the deadline. Goals should be broad enough to be tentative and flexible, but not so specific that all efforts our focused on the "destination" instead of the "journey".

Answer: A bottle of table water

When looking to lose excess body fat, water is often the quintessential drink and a staple of many diets. Water has no calories and thus does not inibit the progress of fat burning. While energy drinks can be good for before workouts, they have sugars in them that sometimes lead to a "crash" after the first hour or so of the workout. Protein shakes like Muscle Milk are best used after strenuous lifting.

Answer: Skullcrushers

Almost every biceps exercise that involves lifting involves a curl motion of some sort. When doing any those exercises with free weights, lifters only interested in biceps development should focus on curling at angle that completely isolates the muscle. "Skullcrushers" is the popular nickname for a common tricep extension exercise.

Answer: Ask an experienced trainer at the gym

While some gym patrons think machines only have warnings on them, most of them have step-by-step direction on how to do the exercise properly, the primary and secondary muscles used, and the motion being developed in the process. However, it is also easy to misinterpret these instructions and not all machines have them. So, when in doubt, ask a trainer. That's part of what they're there for!

Answer: False

The pre-workout meal and post-workout meal are of equal importance in almost any workout. While foods eaten before workouts should provide energy, they should not be so filling that they give you a "high" before slowing you down.

Answer: Squats or deadlifts

Using the belt and knee braces is more important for powerlifting. It helps most wearers squat slightly more weight and also helps with the deadlift. If you think you may have injured your back or knee or want to increase weight beyond your normal routine, you should wear both accessories as a precaution.

Answer: The amount of weight on each side equal to her body weight

When first benching, it's not recommended that you start out with a heavy weight. Even most competitive lifters often have a couple warmup sets before they try to put up their maximum. It is important to have an equal amount of weight on each side, use a symmetrical distribution and have the bar lined up correctly so that the bar does not tilt in either direction.

While clamps are best for this purpose, having a spotter is a relatively safe substitute.

Answer: The elliptical

Also known as the "cross trainer", the elliptical is one of the most common cardio exercises for burning calories. It is also particularly useful for people with debilitating hip injuries. It can work the upper body more if Rhea decides to grab onto the handles on the sides of it.

Answer: To get a firmer grip on bars and handles when lifting

Not wearing gloves will make your skin rougher and more resistant to the calluses that develop on your hands. Lifters still spread a lot of germs when they wear gloves. The only difference is the medium through which those germs are transmitted.

Answer: She should always clean the machine after using it

Even where there is no sweat conspicuous on a machine, you should clean it with a towel and some antibacterial liquid. There are still inconspicuous germs on it that will not go away without cleaning. While many gyms have sanitizers walking around cleaning equipment and do not require cleaning machines, spraying and wiping off equipment after use is still a good habit to get into.

Answer: 20

Rhea can calculate her body fat percentage by using a formula which requires her measuring her waist, neck, and hips. Women, who naturally have less muscle, are expected to have a slightly higher body fat percentage. An adult woman should have around 20 - 30% body fat and an adult male is recommended roughly 15 - 25%.

Answer: Increase the gradient (slope)

While Rhea might find that increasing the gradient will decrease how far should she runs in a given amount of time, she is working muscles in her legs that she was not using while running on a level plane. Holding onto the handles of a treadmill will generally decrease how many calories you burn and render the number on the computer screen an exaggerated figure.

Answer: Not stretch her arms as wide from her body

Generally, when pushing or pressing against something, the further you spread your arms, the more you are working your chest. A close grip isolates the back of your arms more. Rhea should still focus on the "negative", having her face come close to the ground with every rep.

Answer: False

By exercising for so long, Rhea has increased her heart rate and her metabolism with it. While her body ate into fat reserves while she ran, she needs to be careful not to make one of the most common mistake of gym-goers looking to lose weight: eating so much after running that it negates the effects of the workout.

Answer: His height is not factored into the equation

Body mass is calculated only by using height and weight. The Body Mass Index experts have found that a BMI 25 or higher generally indicates being "overweight" and increases risk of heart disease. There are many websites available for calculating your body mass or you can calculate it by hand - divide your weight in kilograms by the square of your height in meters.