Q&A for: 12-Oct-06
1817. Q:
how do i lose weight on my hips and upper leg area
A:
Unfortunately it's impossible to target fat loss in any one specific area, but by losing fat overall you'll lose it on those trouble spots too. Please read my fat loss article to learn the best way to lose fat and keep it off for good.
1818. Q:
Coes smoking affect your ability to gain muscle?
A:
Yes, smoking, besides all its well-known health hazards, will make your body less efficient in muscle recovery, both in short term (in between sets) and in long term (recovery between workouts). The extent to which smoking harms you in this respect of course depends on how heavy and for how long you have been smoking. A young guy may not notice the impact of smoking for a long time because he would be able to continue to make progress in spite of smoking thanks to the great growth and development potential at that age. However he would be able to make even better progress without smoking.
1819. Q:
My question is a based on q 1810 - in the same way as your body will eventually stop burning fat at say about 10 % body fat - unless you work real hard - q1809 - surely your muscles can only adapt to lifting a certain weight and then no more . I mean surely even power lifters and weight lifters must come to a point where they simply cannnot lift any more weight - are there any pro lifters who can lift say 5 times their bodyweight. Surely, unless you can put on extra muscle - your existing muscles and bones must have their limits.
A:
Of course, that is definitely true. A human body, just like anything else, has limits and those limits will be different for different people. Elite powerlifters can lift close to four times their bodyweight in squat and deadlift! Most people will not be able to come close to those levels, of course, even with years and years of weight training.
A common reference point for being 'strong' is being able to lift 2.0 times bodyweight in squat and deadlift and 1.5 times bodyweight in bench press. So, for example, if you weigh 180 pounds, then you'd aim for 360-pound squat and deadlift and a 270-pound bench press. Such strength goal is certainly very ambitious but not unreasonable for most young (late teens, early 20s) guys willing to put in years of dedicated training.
1820. Q:
Mike, despite the fact that I have been reading your site a while now, I just stumbled on the 'Standards' link. In reading through it, I think I would fall under 'Intermediate.' This suggests that I should be lifting 201 lbs. The part where I get confused starts here. Is this figure what I should be expected to be working out with? I typically do only 165 lbs, about 9-7-5 reps. I am a 42-year-old, 190 lb. male. How am I doing? - Ramiro
P.S., My lower weight is because I am now using my morning weight as my official weight, as you recommend. The old weight that I have always given you in the past is now 198, I just went on a 4-month bulk and gained 9 lbs, I am now starting a cut again.
A:
Hey Ramiro, good to hear from you again! Congrats on your recent bulk (4 months, 9 pounds sounds perfect) and good luck with the cut! Unfortunately I don't know what is the Standards link you're referring to? It sounds like an estimate for a target bench press strength, expressed as one-rep max of 201 pounds -- if that's the case then you're right on target... If you are able to lift 165 pounds for 9 reps, I'd estimate your one-rep max at around 210-215 pounds (don't try to max out without a good spotter and a warmup of course!).
If you were talking about something else, please post again with a little more info.
1821. Q:
what do i do to lose my manboobs?
A:
Please read this.
1822. Q:
Do you know anythign about Endothil-CR? It is supposed to be some kind of treatment for muscular atrophy that has crossed over to body building or something. Also When taking creatine do you really have to take with a high carb drink as directed? I don't drink anything but water so that really wouldn't be possible for me. Thanks
A:
As far as Endothil-CR I would approach it the same way as I would pretty much any other supp -- with a lot of scepticism. Every day brings new supplements to the market and most of them come with outrageous claims similar to Endothil-CR. That's not to say that all supps are totally bogus -- some of them may really help some people to a degree. But I would confidently say that NONE of them live up their hype. Check out Q&A #812 for my reasons for not liking supps too much.
As far as creatine (which by the way, is one of the very few proven supps), you can get some benefit out of it without the high-carb druink, but it would be most advantageous to take it when your body is experiencing insulin release. So to simulate the high-carb drink, have a regular meal that's generous in carbs and then about 10-15 minutes later (when your body has started digesting the food) wash it down with a little bit of water with creatine.
1823. Q:
hey mike..im 14 and after school for 4 days a week i am doing weight training (at school so im supervised). Is 4 days too much?
A:
Good to hear you have supervision when weight training. 4 days/week should be fine, but at your age I would recommend not going to failure on the exercises. Pick a weight that you can lift 12+ times and then only lift it 8-10 times. This will still give you considerable strength gains and some muscle gains without risking injury. By the time you're 16, when your body is ready to start building serious muscle, you will have an excellent strength base and then you can start increasing intensity pushing yourself harder. Great job starting weight training early!
1824. Q:
Hi Mike.I have 6 months that i stopped bulk up.I have made some cutting and now iam just going to gym 4 times a week 1hour each time in order to just mainten my current weight and also keep in good shape.I also continue the nutrition just i eat less carbs and fats (protein is same like when i was bulking up).
I have seen some progress in lots of exercises.Although i eat less anymore in many exercises i can lift heavier weights as the time goes on but this comes veryyyyy slowly as the time passes.Is it possible to gain strengh without eating more every time?(but with very slow progress of course).
And something else.Today at gym i was feeling stronger and i lifted heavier weights in all exercises.Later i experienced strong hunger.Is it cause my body wants to recover from the heavier weights and asks more food in order to do it?I mean is it normal?I eat the same calories each day anymore and time by time i get more strengh each time...
A:
Yes, it's possible to train specifically for strength without aiming to increase your weight. If you are a relative beginner (if you've only been training for a year or less), then just continuing your usual program will keep building strength. If you're past the stage of easy strength gains or if you just want to really focus on strength, then check out this program for a very simple but a very effective way to increase your strength in deadlift, squat, and bench press. Note that the training approach here is considerably different from traditional bodybuilding -- you will be lifting relatively light weights most of the time, do many sets per week, almost never reach failure, and only occasionally max out on the exercise (which is when you'll really appreciate your strength increases).
As far as your experience of a good workout followed by serious hunger, yes it is normal and good and you are correct that your body is basically telling you to help it with recovery from heavy training. It's always good to have days like that, when everything just comes together for a good heavy workout. Try to pay attention to all facets of your life to see what conditions led to it. Consider all factors -- your diet, your sleep, your stress level, your overall mood, etc. By learning what makes you tick in the gym you will be able to make better progress over time.
1825. Q:
Is it really necessary to do the creatine loading that is decribed on teh package. Also, does creatine make you gain water weight at all, or swell your muscles?
A:
No, it is not necessary to creatine load in the first week or two. You can just take the regular dose and achieve the same effect over a longer period of time. And yes, creatine usually causes water retention in tissues, so it's common to experience weight gain, slightly expanded waist line, a and slight increase in muscle size when on creatine.
1826. Q:
how many calories do you have to burn to lose a pound?
A:
Technically you have to burn 3500 calories to lose 1 pound of fat. But keep in mind that your body is a very complex machine and it's never as simple as that simply eating less and less would burn more and more fat. To some degree eating less will help you lose fat but if you push it too far your body will 'think' it's being starved and will start hanging on to fat and burn other tissues (muscle) instead! The kinds of foods you eat matter hugely as well -- cutting out 3500 calories of junk food will indeed help you lose fat but cutting out 3500 calories of veggies and fruits will not have the same effect and will likely hurt you over the long run. So counting calories alone is not a very good way to approach fat loss.
1829. Q:
why have i lost 34inches but onlly 14pounds,iam 14 years old
A:
Not sure how you're measuring inches (34 inches lost sounds like a mistake in measurement) but in general losing inches off your waist without losing much weight is a very GOOD thing! It means you're losing fat and building muscle at the same time. So in your case you may have lost 20 pounds of fat and gained 6 pounds of muscle. This results in slimmer waistline and better overall appearence and the best news is that the new muscle will make it easier for you to continue to lose fat. So you should be very happy with the results!
1830. Q:
why iam i losing more inches than weight
A:
Check out Q&A #1829 right above.
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