Q&A for: 2-Aug-06
1697. Q:
one day i can weigh 180 and the next day 190 and no change in any dailly activities or eating habit
A:
That's not as unusual as you might think. An average person can easily fluctuate 4-6 pounds in weight during just one day. It doesn't mean they've gotten fat or muscular during the day, of course. It's just the extra food stuff and water that's being retained in the body. 10 pound fluctuations are less common, but can certainly happen. This new extra weight is called 'water weight' because it's mainly water (actual fluids you drank plus water content of the foods you ate).
These daily fluctuations are why by far the best time to weigh yourself is in the morning, first thing out of bed and having used the restroom and before eating or drinking anything. That's when you'll get the most reliable measures day-to-day and it'll be rare that it'll be more than 1-2 pounds difference (if any). Weighing yourself at other times of the day is a crapshoot.
The same water weight phenonmenon is the 'secret' behind many diets which claim to lose you 10 pounds in a week or other ridiculous claims like that -- all these diets do is force you to eat very little for day or several which flushes our the remaining water weight. Food -- specifically carbs -- retains extra water in your system, so no food means no water means water weight loss. The result seems to be miraculous fat loss, while the reality is that very little actual fat was lost and by undereating you kill your metabolism and likely will suffer all that fat and then some coming back. Avoid diets which force you to eat very little.
1698. Q:
Hi mike I am the guy from question 1658. I have been doing heavy high volume wieghts for the past year, but I have taken a week off about three times during the last year. I was planning on taking just a week off before switching to a low volume workout. Do you think just taking a week off would be fine? Also shoudl I adjust my calories while doing a lower volume workout. I don't want to gain any fat. Thanks again Mike.
A:
I would recommend taking a couple weeks off. Most dedicated weightlifters could use more rest than they give themselves. As for calories, I would keep them as is. Two weeks is not a very long time and keeping calories high gives your body fuel to repair whatever muscles and other organs that have been overstressed and need repair. It's unlikely you'll gain any fat during these two weeks of rest and if you do it'll be minimal and will be lost quickly when you restart training.
1699. Q:
mike, im on your push/pull schedule. how many chest exercises(sets/reps) can i do without overtraining my chest. i need to get it bigger, mainly the inner and upper chest.
A:
It's kinda individual and depends on how much chest/shoulder/triceps you've been doing in the prior months... In general I would not recommend exceeding 20 heavy to-failure sets/week for chest and 40 total for chest/shoulders/triceps for a long time. So you can about double the volume on chest if you like for a couple months max before lowering it back down. Also, a good way to prioritize chest is to do it first in your workout.
1700. Q:
Mike, Ramiro here, I wanted to tell you how my bulk cycle is going after the first month. I am not sure if it is going well or not. At the beginning of July, I started eating 2600 calories a day. I started the month at 188 lbs. and gained 3 lbs in the first week. For the middle 2 weeks, I stayed at 191 lbs. Now, for the last week of July, I have been at 192/193. I gained 5 lbs, which I know is too fast. However, my clothes seem to still fit the same. Any thoughts? My plan is to stay at 2600 calories for another couple of weeks to see what happens. If I stay at 193, I will add 50 cals a day. Can you please tell me what you think about my progress, thanks.
A:
Thanks for checking in, Ramiro! Your progress actually sounds pretty much right on. The first week of any bulk will always see a big weight change because the amount of carbs you eat increases thus increasing water retention in your system and water weight. The same phenomenon, in reverse, is responsible for quick weight loss in the beginning of a cut.
So pretty much write off the first week as far as keeping track of weight. Having done that, you gained about 2 pounds in 4 weeks which is just about perfect pace to begin a bulk. So everything's right on schedule. I'd stay at 2600 cals for another week and if your weight stays constant, then increase it by 200-300 for the following week. Good luck!
1701. Q:
mike, will my chest muscle transfer thruout the chest at all? what i mean, i have more muscle on the outer chest by the armpit than i do inner, so will it eventually even out at all?
A:
Not quite. The outer chest will always be more muscular than the inner chest -- that's just the way we're built. You can change up your chest exercises to target the inner chest more -- do cable crossovers as well as dumbbell flies more. But for most people it's not realistic to expect the inner chest to be as developed as outer chest.
1702. Q:
hi mike, as you know when we cycle very fast or up hill which requires us to use alot of strength and energy which will make us feel tired, will this train my sprinting speed for soccer?
A:
There will certainly be some carryover into sprinting speed, but I wouldn't rely on it as your primary training. The best way to train for sprinting speed is actual sprints while mixing in strength training and things like the intense biking that you do.
1703. Q:
i read your article that stated that to lose chest fat you need to lift weights. but i was wondering, i dont have a bench, so would pull ups and push ups work too?
A:
Yes, bodyweight exercises like pullups and pushups can be great substitutes for weights. In fact, pullups specifically are one of the best exercises even if you do have access to a full gym. Check out my no-equipment and dumbbells-only programs.
1704. Q:
I have been weight training with an extensive program for about 3 months now and am beginning to see results. The problem is I have also gained a small ring of fat around my lower stomach. Am I not eating right? Should I be doing more cardio?
A:
The newly gained fat is certainly due to your diet. Weight training without any diet change will make you lose weight and fat, not gain it. It's very common to eat more while weight training without even realizing it because you'll feel hungry a lot more.
If you want to gain significant amount of muscle, then you do have to overeat and gain weight and it will eventually lead to fat gain too (just an unavoidable side-effect of gaining weight). But you can minimize the fat gains by gaining weight very slowly and eating the right foods. Read my nutrition article if you haven't already, to learn the basics of good nutrtion and fill out fitness guide specifying 'Gain Muscle' as your goal to get a sample diet.
1705. Q:
Mike, I was wonderring how often I should be changing my workout routine. I am scared that if I start doing new exercises, and/or in different orders that I will have to decrease the weight that I lift.
A:
I usually change workouts every two months. You are correct that new exercises will initially seem hard and you'll lift relatively lower weights. But after a couple weeks your strength in those exercises will build up. And almost any good program will include the same basic exercises such as squat, deadlift, and bench press so your strength in those will never dip.
1706. Q:
Should I add weights to my abdominal workouts? For example, I can currently do about 20 curls on a 45 degree decline bench. If I held a medicine ball I can only do 10. Which is better?
A:
For abdominals, I would go with variety of weighted exercises and regular bodyweight-only exercises. So you can do one set with a medicine ball and another without. Or use medicine ball in one workout and go without it in another.
1707. Q:
mike great site, thanks to you and my dedication, i have lost about 18lbs and totally changed my eating style. However, i have few questions :)
1. i ignore doing the ab workouts on your 5day exercise plan since I have this 'understanding' that 'long as I do cardio 3 times a week, I dont have to do ab workout.' Good notion or is doing abs more effective way of burning the tire pouch?
2. just as i like do weightlifting for the upper arm, what about the lower arm exercises? I would like to be 'proportionate'. I do all the exercises you have for the arms...
3. can you suggest good list of ab workouts? i just got the 8min abs video. i figure i could do them before going to bed everynight. :)
thanks Mike...
A:
HUGE CONGRATS on your weight loss! Great job! And it's great to hear I was able to help. Your questions...
1. For the most part, yes, you're not missing too much by skipping ab workouts. Doing squats and deadlifts will indirectly exercise your abs. You would get some additional fat-burning benefit from exercising abs to failure -- just like with any other muscle, but it's not a big deal if you skip them. However there's another reason to do some dedicated ab training: it's possible for lower back and abdominal muscles to get unbalanced as your lower back muscles (trained intensely by deadlifts and also strongly by squats) become much stronger than abdominals. This in turn could lead to back pains. So while it's not a good idea to completely forget about abdominal training, not emphasizing it too much is OK.
2. Some of the best forearm developer exercises are deadlifts and shrugs! Holding on to heavy weights gives you a great forearm workout. In addition, check out my essential exercises page for Wrist Curl and Reverse Wrist Curl exercises.
3. I'm not too big on various ab workout videos and devices. The single best ab exercise is the plain old crunch. Variety is good, so doing all the different variety of crunches (on swiss ball, weighted, side-to-side, incline, crunching and holding or lowering back) is good. There are also a variety of leg raise exercises as well (while lying, while hanging, bent at the knee or straight leg, raising just a bit or as much as possible, raising and holding up or lowering back). Any kind of mix and match of these exercises is as good as any other, so just use your imagination.
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