Hi,

On the Dr. Oz show yesterday, there was a couple who was on a weight loss program that was doing very well. Dr. Oz suggested they bump up their weight loss by doing 20 reps every hour with 5 lb. weights of arm extensions. (lifting your arms straight up and down for 20 reps). I'm asking if you think this is a bit much? Every hour might be tough, but I sure could fit this in several times a day. Does anyone exercise this way? Does it help?

Thanks,
Gwen

I'll try it - why not.

You probably burn an extra 100 calories a day by moving your arms in this way.

But I will not be able to manage every hour - unless I want to really embarrass myself!

Sorry, but that advice by Dr. Oz pretty much contradicts all areas of research into resistance training. A proper diet and a proper strength training program (ie. 4-6,8-10,10-12 reps) of weight to a muscle group with a period of 48-72 hours rest is what free weights are for. Muscles are built outside the gym, not inside. I'm pretty disappointed that Dr. Oz would mislead people into thinking that is what weight training is about.

If you just want to use your arms, do some sort of chore every hour and lift a jug of milk or the vacuum.

I didn't see the show, but I kinda doubt he was really presenting it as a traditional strength training program, but probably more along the lines of functional endurance - much the way one's performance markedly improves by doing heavy labor every day, despite doing "reps" all day, every day, without rest days.

I think what Dr. Oz was suggesting, without really saying it, is to «move more, weigh less»... and by doing those arm extensions every hour you are moving more. This is not a weight training program at all...