Q&A for: 12-Sep-07
2457. Q:
Hi Mike. Is it a good idea to do the DB Only program in addition to doing some form of cardio to lose weight, since I don't want to burn muscle as well? What cardio would be best to help me lose weight consistantly? I also have a question as to what I can fill-in for pullups. I don't have a pullup bar, and to be honest, if I got one I'd have nowhere to put it. Is there anything I can put in the place of pullups that has equal benefit? Thanks.
A:
Definitely, my dumbbell program or really any resistance training program is a very good complement to a cardio program. Cardio is great for you health-wise and certainly helps burn calories, but in the long run it does not boost your metabolism and has potential to burn muscle along with fat. Combining it with a resistance program will help preserve and build muscle and keep the metabolism high.
As far as what type of cardio to do, it really does not matter too much. Pick whatever your enjoy most or whatever fits your schedule best and do that at challenging for yourself pace. Anything from running to swimming to jumping rope to biking is fine. As you get better, you'll have to increase the pace and/or distance or time to keep it challenging. If you are interested in an unconventional but effective form of cardio, do a search for HIIT on my site (use the search box in the upper right of the page). But any plain old cardio of your choice is perfectly fine too.
Finally, there are some options for replacing pullups... One thing you could do is the dumbbell row with moderately heavy dumbbells (check out my Exercises page to see this exercise). Note that you'd want fairly heavy dumbbells for this exercise -- probably at least twice as heavy as dumbbells you would do bicep curls with. The reason is that the dumbbell row (just like pullups) uses much stronger back muscles instead of only biceps. Another, less conventional, option is to improvise the pullup exercise by placing two chairs 2-3 feet apart, putting a sturdy bar across them, lying down on your back (facing up) between two chairs so that the bar is above your chest, and then grabbing the bar with either underhand or overhand grip and do pullups to the bar, keeping your body straight and your heels on the floor. Hope that helps!
2458. Q:
Hi Mike, I've been working out using the P90X workout. The problem I have is like most women during certain times we like to binge, so do you have any advice that on appetite suppressants or alternatives? Also what do you think about P90X.
A:
Unfortunately I don't have any direct experience with P90X and they don't provide much free information on their page. From the cursory look at their page, the exercises they show are good. At the same time, as I mention elsewhere on this site, unless you are a highly trained professional athlete any number of free whole-body programs you can find on sites like mine are every bit as good as anything you'll pay money for. And, of course, it's always misleading and irresponsible to make ridiculous claims like 'Get ripped in 90 days'. So while their actual program may be good (and I have no reason to suspect otherwise), it's certainly overhyped and overpriced.
As far as binges, I very strongly feel that in the long run it's neither healthy nor conducive to your overall progress to try to fight them with appetite suppressants or any other drugs. Suppressants usually have a host of unwanted side-effects which may end up hurting you far more than a few binges would. Instead of fighting your own body with drugs, simply recognize and accept that once in awhile you'll fall off the wagon, binge, pig out, maybe stop exercising, etc. etc. All of these things are normal and unavoidable and not something to worry about. When they happen, simply move on without giving them a second thought. Don't try to suppress your appetite, don't try to 'compensate' by eating little the next day, and don't chew yourself out for lack of discipline. One thing I would recommend is to not keep junk food or other pigout food at home -- that way you'll greatly reduce the number of binges. But they will still happen, whether at home or eating out, and you simply need to acknowledge that they happen and get right back on to your regular schedule, including your regular meals (without skipping any) and your exercise routine. It's a much more wholesome approach than drugging yourself into not eating and it will certainly lead to much better results in the long run. Good luck!
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