[joecrisp]

Daseal, I'm the former personal trainer. I was certified for 3 years with the YMCA and ACE.

Malcolm's got a great workout routine-- his abdominal workout is fantastic-- and it sounds like he really has made a lot of improvement with it. You'll notice he does a lot of cardio work, too, and that's really where the fat loss comes from. You simply have to maintain a steady cardio routine to keep the fat from piling on around the midsection.

Malcolm plays down the amount of cardio he's doing, but for most people, that's actually a lot. However, if you really want to reduce body fat, a steady diet of relatively intense cardio (60%-80% max heart rate for 15-20 minutes, 3 to 5 days a week) is an absolute necessity. The key is finding a variety of cardio exercises that work for you.

Personally, I've become a cross-trainer devotee. I like the upper-lower body dynamic that those machines provide, and I never get bored with them. I generally do 18-20 minutes on the cross-trainer, 5 days a week, using the cardio program on the machine. The cardio program automatically adjusts the resistance to keep your heartrate in the optimal "cardio zone" (60%-80% max heartrate), using heartrate sensors on the handgrips.

As far as weight training goes, I've found that I can get the same results from 1-set training that I can get from 3- or 4-set training. The key is using a resistance that will LIMIT you to your target reps in that one set. If you're shooting for 12 reps, use a weight that you can only lift 12 times. Once you get to the point where you can lift that weight 14 or 15 times, it's time to move up to the next weight that will limit you to 12 reps.

My upper-body workout generally consists of the 18-to-20 minute cardio program (I open every workout with the cardio--both to warm-up and for the fat-burning, cardio-enhancement effect), followed by stretching, and then a circuit of dumbbell press, seated row, overhead dumbbell press, lat pull-down, lateral raises, cable-crossover, dumbbell bicep curls, and finally, triceps extension. I do the weight training exercises with very little rest in-between exercises (just enough time to put the weights away, drink some water, and move on to the next exercise), and I find that my heartrate generally stays in the "cardio zone" throughout most of my workout. When you combine the 18-20 minutes of cardio exercise to open the workout, with approximately 20 minutes of weight training wherein my heartrate is in that same elevated zone, that means I'm burning a lot of fat.

In fact, while I was working as a personal trainer, I followed this routine religiously (5 days a week), and actually dropped down from about 8% body fat to 3.5% body fat in about six months. At the same time, I put on about 8 to 10 lbs of lean mass.

But like Malcolm was saying, you have to eat right. You've got to make sure you're taking in enough protein to compensate for your exercise program, and avoid simple sugars as much as possible. Consume only complex carbohydrates in the form of whole grains, and avoid loading up on carbs at night.

I'm not a big proponent of supplements or special diets, though. I strongly believe that you can avoid a lot of expense and frustration by simply eating a balanced, sensible diet-- avoiding sugars and empty calories, and getting plenty of lean protein; both in animal and vegetable form. Avoid caffeine and alcohol, and drink plenty of water, milk and juices.