Q&A for: 15-Dec-07
2520. Q:
ok here i am postin' back...(Q num 2518) my diet is all about eating healthy i dont eat any junk food,stuff like ice cream,sweets or rice cakes! my biggest meal is my launch from which i take around 600 to 700 calories,then i try to eat smaller meals and more often during the day,but sometimes due to frustration and anger i over eat on a day and the other day i eat less! i eat alot of friuts and veggies,the only things that might be not so good on my diet are cheese and honey. iv been doing rope jump for like 6 months and i can jump for 6 straight mins(2 jumps per sec),i also swim alot,i train with weights 3-4 times a week and the trained part sores for the next two days! im a hip hop dancer so i want to gain muscle and lose fat...and desperately in need of seeing my abs! HELP NEEDED!!!
A:
Thanks for posting back! I wish you gave more detail about both your diet and training (e.g. food-by-food breakdown with portion sizes for each meal, and exact training program you follow), but there's a couple things I can already see that you can improve...
The foods you are eating are all good -- veggies and fruits are great and even honey and cheese are OK in moderation. But the big thing that stands out to me is you didn't mention any protein-rich foods (cheese is moderately protein rich but you shouldn't be eating too much of it since it's fattening as well). In order to build muscle and burn fat you need generous protein intake throughout the day. Aim to get at least 1 gram of protein per pound of bodyweight daily (so 125 grams of protein daily in your case). Veggies, cheese, and most other foods all have some protein but to get 125 grams worth of protein daily you'll need to eat things like chicken, meat, fish, eggs and/or egg whites, maybe cottage cheese or whey protein powder.
Secondly, the best way to promote fat burning and muscle building is to make all your meal throughout the day roughly equal, and all with substantial amount of protein. So it's good that you eat several meals throughout the day, but try to keep them roughly even, instead of a big lunch and small other meals. Altogether you want to get at least 1500 calories daily (it sounds you get that much already) and can probably use 2000 or even more -- don't be afraid to eat more as long as it's healthy foods with plenty of protein. Higher calories in healthy foods will boost your metabolism giving you more energy, build muscle and burn fat.
Finally, for your weight training, if you don't do it already, don't be afraid to use heavy weights that you can only lift 12 times (reps) or so in a given exercise before needing a rest. Focus on compound exercises like squats, lunges, deadlifts, rows, pullups and pulldowns, and chest and shoulder presses. If you are not sure what those are, you can look them up on my exercises page.
That's all I can recommend without knowing more detail about your diet and routine. Again, remember that your goal of six-pack is extremely ambitious for any woman and you should not expect it to be easy. Do your best to keep up your training and to really optimize your diet. Good luck!
2521. Q:
How many carbs do I need a day if I play baseball?
A:
There's no way I can tell you that without knowing more about you (age, height, weight, activity level) but if you want to get a rough idea, you can fill out my Fitness Guide specifying either 'Maintain' or 'Gain Muscle' as your goal. Note that for an athlete protein intake is also very important to improve muscle recovery and performance. Aim to get at least 1 gram of protein per pound of bodyweight daily.
2522. Q:
I'm a early 20's male looking to add some cardio to my routine, and I was wondering what the best way to add it to weight training would be. A friend of my says just repeating some of my current lifting routines on my off days just with around 25% of my max and using increased reps is the best way to go. What's your opinion?
A:
If you are looking specifically to improve cardiovascular endurance then repeating your lifting routine with 25% weights is probably not the best way to do it since it'll continue to have anaerobic component. It'll also interfere with your muscle recovery from your regular heavy lifting. I would recommend traditional no-resistance constant pace cardio (running/walking/etc) instead.
If you didn't do regular heavy lifting then what you describe could be a good compromise between cardio and resistance, similar to what HIIT provides (you can search for HIIT on my site using the search box in the upper right). But for somebody who already lifts heavy the choice of cardio need to not interfere with muscle recovery.
2523. Q:
hi i am 20 yr, female. previously started a program at the gym to tone up. didnt quite get the results i was after. instead lost alot of overall body fat (fair enough) but none whats so ever around my abdominal area. why?... i am very skinny and have alot of abdominal fat. so now i want to bulk up, but my abdominal fat is going to be twice as much. will i ever get rid of my abdominal fat, since i've already tried the most significant method?
A:
Abdominal fat is the absolute last to go and it is very very difficult for an average woman to shed it completely to the point of having a visible six-pack. The best you can do is to make sure your training AND your diet are as good as they can be. Read my Weight Training and Nutrition articles carefully to get all the basics down.
Then you'll need to work to boost your metabolism by transforming your daily diet to something like described in the article. Being skinny with a lot of abdominal fat is very symptomatic of low metabolism and, usually, very low-calorie diet. You need to alter your diet to get the calories up and eat several small complete meals throughout the day. You can use my Fitness Guide to get a starter program. Once your metabolism is back up you will be able to bulk up without too much fear of gaining new fat. Hope that helps you get started!
2524. Q:
Hello, I am almost turning 13 soon! I personally weigh more than I should. I am 5'1 and I weigh 116. My question is howmany jumping jacks, or crunches should I do? ( per day ) If I want to loose 700 + calories and probably few pounds in 2 weeks??? And give me any tips that'll help me! Tell me any other excersises that'll help me, especially the waist + hips area. Thanks!
A:
Actually your weight is well within norm your age and height! I would not recommend that you actively try to lose pounds now -- firstly, there's no health reason to do it, and secondly, and more importantly, trying to lose weight during your growth years risks stunting your growth.
Instead of trying to lose pounds, resolve to eat healthy and stay active. Don't count calories or jumping jacks or anything else -- just eat healthy foods -- veggies, fruits, whole grains, lean meats and fish and stay active. Your continuing growth will ensure that whatever extra fat you have goes into fueling your growth and good nutrition and being active will ensure that no new fat forms.
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