The following post was written by New York-based trainer David Kirsch. It’s Autumn in Manhattan, and the days are growing shorter by the minute. Although time is always of the essence for a busy New Yorker, you know you're in for a serious time crunch when even the New York minute seems to lose a few seconds. Down in the dumps because you don't have enough time to exercise? Stop the clock, and Read more

A little muscle tone is a good thing, and based on new research it looks like lighter weights can help you achieve that goal. A new study, conducted at Canada's McMaster University, found that it's not the size of the weights that matter but rather fatiguing the muscle. To work your muscle to the magic exhaustion point to stimulate your muscle growth, you can either lift heavier weights for fewer Read more

The name of the exercise may sound macabre, but deadlifts will help you get a perky backside. Often done with feet hip width apart, bringing your feet together on this exercise targets a different part of the muscle. And, as the name suggests, the glute max is a big muscle, and you want to work the entire muscle. I suggest changing up your foot placement at your next workout so you can feel the Read more

Weight training is a slippery slope for a lot of women. Many are afraid of bulking up and skip it altogether, while others — including actress Kristen Bell — use lighter weights to avoid looking too muscular. The accepted logic is that heavier weights equal big muscles and using lighter weights is the best way to slim down and maintain "womanly" tone. Not so, says a recent article in the New Read more

Today's lesson: be careful when strength training. Research findings show that injuries related to weight training have increased by almost 50 percent between 1990 and 2007. During this period, US emergency rooms treated almost 100,000 weight-training injuries — about 6,000 per year. The good news for women is that men suffered the brunt of the injuries, making up 82 percent of the group. Read more

They've been around for decades, but only recently have kettlebells been gaining popularity. You may be thinking, "What's so great about kettlebells? They seem like dumbbells with handles, so why not just use dumbbells?" Your answer comes when you pick up a kettlebell; you'll notice that it's much harder to handle, which is what makes it more effective for strength training. The off-centered Read more

Dear Fit, I'm trying to lose 15 pounds before my wedding this Summer. I don't have a lot of time to work out each day, only about 30 minutes, so I was trying to think of ways to burn more calories per workout. What do you think about running with dumbbells? I figured I could burn more calories and tone my arms at the same time. Is this the best way to slim down before the Big Read more