Q&A for: 10-Oct-05
671. Q:
Mike, I submitted question #628. I am very satisfied with your answer, but I am worried about two things before I begin weight training:
1. Is it true that weight lifting/training can stunt your growth? I heard this somewhere and I am afraid to weight train because of it.
2. Will my bra size go down even if I am a normal weight, but the normal weight is all fat?
Thank you for your time!
A:
Weightlifting, even heavy weightlifting, by itself will not stunt your growth. But serious bone injuries which can happen during unsafe weightlifting can stunt it. The risk of that is pretty small and you can eliminate it altogether is you put put safety first. When you lift, always focus on maintaining good form and don't try to do more than you can. If at all possible, have an adult supervise you.
Not sure if I understand your second question... If you stay the same weight, your bra size will not change. If you lose some weight, it may decrease slightly. But if you lose weight very slowly and keep total weight loss to no more than around 10 pounds/year, then it's unlikely that you'll notice the difference at all. Hope that helps.
672. Q:
what is the best way to lose inches around your waist?
A:
Best way is a fat-burning diet to lose 1-2 pounds/week combined with heavy whole-body weight training combined with a bit of cardio. Please read this for more.
673. Q:
manboobproblem :( Anything can be done about it in a home environment? IM average weight etc, not obese just got a little lazy and put on some weight
A:
Certainly, you can do a whole lot about it without going to the gym. You would need to lose some fat and therefore weight. The diet guidelines remain the same as for any other fatloss -- fill out Mike's Fitness Guide to see the recommended sample diet.
For training, I have two programs you can follow at home with minimal or no equipment: this and this. Both of these programs as I wrote them up prescribe high repetititons in every set (10-20), but if you are just beginning and not yet very strong or if you can get heavy enough dumbbells for home, you can do the same exercises and reach muscular failure in under 12 repetitions per set to make these programs even more effective.
674. Q:
what is the lowest bodyfat percentage for an average person can acheive (man), who trains hard and regularly at the gym following a good diet?
A:
It's going to vary depending on the person's age, past health and weight history, and genetics. The latter especially plays a very big part and can vary quite a bit. I'd say most men under 25 should be able to reach 10% body fat (seeing the six-pack). A few will be able to drop as low as 6-7%. But 10% is a good target that's achievable by most younger men. For older men it becomes more and more difficult with age, especially if they start out of shape.
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