Q&A for: 1-Oct-05
617. Q:
how good is creatine mixed with a high protein diet (i train very hard in the gym 5 times a week, 3 weight days 2 cardio 2 rest). would taking it stop my body from producing it?
A:
Good question! Creatine is one of the few proven safe and effective supplements. Most people will benefit from creatine supplementation through increased strength in weight training (it won't do anything for endurance cardio exercises). Some people (20-25% of population) are not sensitive to creatine and will not gain anything out of it.
Whether creatine supplementation will suppress its natural production in your body, none of the studies I've seen found it to be true. So some people do stay on creatine year-round. Most still cycle it just in case constant supplementation suppresses its natural production over time. So if you want to err on the side of caution, I'd recommend cycling creatine in 8-week periods or so: 8 weeks on, 8 weeks off, 8 weeks on, 8 weeks off, and so on.
618. Q:
how many grams of protein is recommended (per day) for someone training seriously and regularly? Why is it important to keep fat intake relatively high when weight training?
A:
People will give varying advice on this, but I think a good lower bound is 1 gram of protein per pound of bodyweight per day. If you want to set your aim high, try for 1.5 grams of protein per pound of bodyweight per day. High protein intake does NOT impact your kidneys negatively and does NOT suppress calcium uptake into your system (two common myths about the supposed dangers of protein). It is highly recommended that you drink a lot of plain water (one gallon is a good target) throughout the day to help your kidneys flush out any excess wastes. It's also always a good idea to eat lots of natural foods, raw fruits and veggies, etc. instead of heavily processed or synthetic foods. This will make your kidneys' jobs easier and will keep you much healthier overall.
As to fat intake, it's not really that high -- I recommend around just 30% of total calories. An average person in US who is not on any kind of diet typically gets 50% or more of calories from fats! So 30% shouldn't appear high by any means. Some motivation for why fat is important in your diet comes from the fact that fatty acids are some of the most common building blocks of all the trillions of cells in your body. So fat is not just the fuel for your body (which is the way we typically think of it), but also a major building block. The same is true of protein. Carbs, on the other hand, are used almost exclusively as fuel only (though, of course, carb-containing foods also contain many vitamins and minerals).
How the 30% figure was arrived at, nobody can really tell you. Millions of people weight training on their own and many conducting studies over time came to roughly the same conclusions about what appears to be optimal balance in proteins, carbs, and fats in one's diet. That advice is to get 40% from protein, 30% from carbs, 30% from fats when trying to lose fat and to get 30% from protein, 40% from carbs, 30% from fats when trying to gain muscle. These are of course rough guides and it doesn't mean you won't reach your goals if you don't follow them exactly. But if you want a dietary target, they are there. The other big asterisk is, of course, the kinds of foods you eat -- getting your 30% carbs and 30% fats all from ice cream won't get you very far.
619. Q:
Is it possible to lose weight without a change in body composition? for example : a 200 pound man at 20% BC goes to 190 pounds with a 20% BC.that would mean that the person has lost 2 pounds of fat and also has lost 8 pounds of muscle.
A:
Yes, unfortunately it's possible and is more common than one might think. A lot of crash diets can lead exactly to this sort of scenario. And of course the end result is that at 190 pounds this person is a lot more vulnerable to new fat gains than he was at 200 pounds because he just lost all that muscle and his metabolism is a lot lower as the result of the muscle loss and a restrictive diet. So chances are he'll go right back up to 200 pounds or even worse and this time he'll have 21-22% body fat! So he's only made the situation worse.
This is exactly why I always emphasize losing FAT and not just losing WEIGHT. Losing weight can be done in any number of ways, most of them unhealthy and counterproductive like the example above. Losing FAT and keeping it off for good takes more planning.
620. Q:
Is it possible to lose fat and gain muscle at the same time?
A:
It is possible and common for beginners who just started following good diet and training programs. It is also possible for people who are significantly overweight. However as one makes progress with one's body composition and training, it becomes more and more difficult to lose fat and build muscle at the same time. So after the first several months I would recommend adjusting your diet to continue meet your goals effectively. That means undereating slightly to slowly lose weight and fat (1 pound per week is a good target for losing fat) OR overeating very slightly to gain weight and muscle (2 pounds a month is a good target for muscle building).
621. Q:
Mike, I need help. I am lazy and I know it. I try to find reasons to get get up and get moving but I never actually 'Do what I say' When I think of the motivation things like saying,'Think how you will look wothout your gut and your man boobs' but it doesn't help. I don't know what can get me to at least go for a walk or short jog. Please help me.
A:
Only you and you alone can resolve this. You can read and listed to a million of motivational quotes, stories, speeches and it won't make any difference until you just start doing it. Don't rationalize or dwell on the reasons why you do it or don't do it, but instead just get up and go for a walk. Right now! Post back here when you get back home :)
622. Q:
is there a way to see if i just have excess fat or gynocostia, becase when i was younger i was much thinner i i didnt have any fat on my chest, only after about 15 did i notice it but by this time i had alot of belly fat aswell,
any help?
A:
With a lot of belly fat your chest problem is 99% sure to be simply excess fat and not any inherent problem that requires surgery or other medical intervention. Please read this article to learn the most effective diet and exercise to lose the chest and the belly fat. Good luck!
623. Q:
Hey Mike, today i wnet to the gym around 1 oclock, i posted my workout sched. on q. 591. today was chest and triceps. when i went. normally i bench 135 about 7 times, today i did 5 with trouble. my flyes went down 2-3 reps per set, every single tricep exercise i did, i did less weight and less reps.. what is going on?
A:
Can't tell you for sure, but here are some possibilities...
- Was your previous chest/tri workouts also at 1 o'clock? Changing time of day of a workout to something different is likely to have this effect. If you continue to have 1 o'clock workouts for chest/tri your body will get used to them and your old strength will return.
- Have you taken some time off gym and are coming back from the break now? First couple sessions will be weaker than usual, then the strength will return.
- If you just started on this new diet, it's also to be expected that it may take a bit of time for your body to get used to the new routine.
- Have you lost weight in the past 1-2 weeks? If you have, then you should expect your strength to go down. You should also then make sure you eat more since your goal should be gaining 1-2 pounds per month. Add more good carbs into your diet. Things like sweet potatoes, brown rice, oats. If you can't stomach those, then just plain whole-grain bread or pasta or Cheerios.
- Bad workouts happen from time to time. See what your chest/tri workout is like next week and if this repeats, then there's a problem.
- It's potentially possible that you're due for a rest. If you've been working out non-stop for 10+ weeks, you may want to consider taking 1 week off.
Can any of these reasons apply to you? If you've just changed to this new diet, suspect #1 would be simply that you're not used to it right now and suspect #2 would be that the new diet does not have enough calories and carbs in which case you'd want to add some of those sweet potatoes/brown rice/oatmeal/etc. options. Especially add carbs to the pre-workout meal. If you're losing weight, then it's a sure sign you're not eating enough. Track your weight carefully. But I would give it another week and judge after the next chest/tri workout before making changes.
624. Q:
how many carbs can i eat a day to loose 20 pouds?
A:
Sorry, it's not as simple as just controlling carbs. I recommend you fill out Mike's Fitness Guide specifying 'Lose Fat' as your goal to see the suggested diet and exercise routine. You also may want to read this to learn some reasons for the program I suggest. Good luck!
625. Q:
reply to 623, no, i havent taken a break, and no, only last week did i do chest triceps on the weekend. ill see if its the same next week, thanks
A:
Sounds good, let's see what happens next week. Remember to track your weight regardless -- you'll need to know how it's changing to stay on track with your progress.
626. Q:
why do posers go to gyms if they dont care much about working out?
A:
I don't want to speak for all, but I'm guessing many like socializing in the gym :)
627. Q:
What body fat percentage should women have?
A:
20-25% body fat is the average range for younger women. If you're targeting the lean look, then try for 18-20% range.
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