By Craig Lindberg

“The Skinny” is a Fitness column by Craig Lindberg, CPT and Founder/Co-owner of Optimal Performance Center in Shrewsbury (www.opcfitness.com). If you have a question about training, nutrition, bodybuilding, or anything else that falls under the topic of Fitness, please send it to craig@opcfitness.com.  Craig will answer one or two questions each month, so check here as soon as a new issue of Pulse hits the streets to see if he’s chosen yours!

I have a confession to make.

My greatest flaw, professionally speaking, is taking the knowledge I have acquired over the years for granted. I am, at times, guilty of assuming that everyone must know what I know, and that if they don’t, there’s something wrong with them.  I forget that if fitness is not someone’s passion and profession as it is mine, he or she may ~ no matter how intelligent ~ believe much of the erroneous fitness “information” that assaults our brains each day.

So this month, I’ve chosen a couple of questions that initially struck me as perhaps silly, but then reminded me that it’s important that I take each one seriously, as behind it is a person genuinely seeking an informed answer.

Q: I’m only 32 and I hate the way that my underarms are all flabby!? What exercises can I do to tone them?? No matter how many bicep curls I do, nothing works! (Jenn, 29)

A: Anatomy 101. The muscle located under your arm, or more accurately at the back of your arm, is the triceps. The biceps are located at the front of the arm. So those curls you are so frustrated with aren’t doing anything ~ and never will ~ for the “flab.” Try raising that dumbbell over your head, slowly lowering it behind your head to the back of your neck, then pressing it back upwards. And repeat. This overhead extension will target your triceps and help tighten them up.

Q: I was working out with a friend and he said that we should wait one hour after weight lifting to eat or the exercise would be cancelled out.? Is that true?? What’s a good post-work out snack after weight-lifting and when should I eat it? (Tim, 26)

A: First…get a new friend. Second, the opposite is actually true. You should be eating within an hour after working out to feed and preserve the muscle you just busted your ass to build. I recommend a MRP (meal replacement shake) after a workout. These differ from strict protein shakes because they contain carbs and fat as well as a high concentration of protein. All three of these macronutrients are essential for building and ~ more importantly ~ preserving muscle after a strenuous workout.