SELF HEALTH + HEALING

By now, you probably know that upping the ante on your core workouts won't unveil the six-pack abs of your dreams. It's simply impossible to reduce body fat in a specific area, no matter how much you curse that little something extra around your middle.

However, that doesn't mean that strength training doesn't have a benefit for that belly. In a new study, Harvard School of Public Health (HSPH) researchers found that men who completed 20 minutes of weight training a day saw a smaller increase in belly fat than men who spent the same amount of time sweating it out in a cardio workout.

Have you ever heard of a barbell or dumbbell? If you don't know, they are the scary metal objects Arnold Schwarzenegger embraced so endearingly in the popular documentary "Pumping Iron." When most people think of weight lifting they visualize the imagery portrayed in this film -- oversized hyper-masculine bodybuilders yelling in agony, aggressively attempting to lift heavy weights. With this connotation in mind many people are fearful of the weight room.

As a personal trainer I see people sign up daily for gym memberships. Unfortunately- from the very first day through several New Year's resolutions later, most of them never actually make it to the weight room floor. That's the section where the good old-fashioned barbells and dumbbells are.