Q&A for: 20-Aug-05
392. Q:
for 390: I well i made one mistake i mean 8 repeats not sets:)i do 12 -10-10-8(are the harder ones) so its defintately 4 sets.After i feel tired and sometimes my arms and legs are in pain but after i eat and some hours its ok.
A:
That sounds reasonable. If you've regularly been going over 80 or 100 sets/week you may still benefit from taking time off and doing lower volume for awhile.
393. Q:
No matter how much I eat or lift I still look the same 'SKINNY'.
A:
EAT MORE! :) Seriously, absolutely every single skinny guy can put on weight and muscle if he really wants to. Keep upping the calories until you start gaining. It may not happen at 3000 calories and it may not happen at 4000 calories, but it sure as heck will happen at 5000 calories/day. If you really want it, you can make it happen. Just remember to eat good foods and not too much junk to make sure what you gain is muscle and not fat. And do weight-training for your entire body! Read this and this if you haven't already and good luck eating!
394. Q:
what exercises can I do to lift sagging buttocks?
A:
Check out Q&A #236.
395. Q:
How about this one?In a book that is supposed to be famous for teacing people how to lose fat and become stronger it is referred that in order to burn fat you should do weight training and cardio on an empty stomach.The reason is that if u consume some carbs before the exercise as a fuel then your body will burn the carbs and not the fat and with that way we preservate the fat in our body and we dont let it burn.It says that this is a very common mistake many people do and it is strongly recommended that anyone who is interested to lose fat and build muscles should always wait 3 hours after eating anything and only then exercise.On the other hand i have heard from other sources that this is not good cause in this way u wont have energy for ur training and this way also u ll burn muscles.So,what is true and what not?I would like hear ur explanation and ur general opinion for this.
A:
I'm firmly in the eat-before-exercise camp. Check out Q&A #159.
396. Q:
Mike, i know you always say that you arent much of a man for supplements and all, but what is your opinion on the ErgoPharm Ergolean AMP, as far as a fat burner and energy provider pre-workout.
A:
I really hope you meant to say I'm not much of a FAN of supplements... :) I haven't had first-hand experience with this product, but looking at the ingredient list it's basically chocamine. Chocamine is made from cocoa. It's a stimulant that's largely similar to caffeine (in fact, it contains caffeine among other things) but that's supposed to have less of a quick kick and more of a prolonged milder stimulation. It's one of many 'alternative' stimulants that cropped up after the government ban of ephedra for health risks. Because it is so new, there's pretty much no information on its health effects other than the word of mouth. Just like for any other supplement, I've heard or seen everything from people loving it to people swearing it's worthless or worse. It's impossible to say for certain, but I suppose the fact that it's derived from cocoa powder gives some assurance of its safety compared to more 'exotic' supps.
As far as its effectiveness it should be comparable to a gentler caffeine, so perhaps something similar to drinking 2-3 small cups of mild coffee in a few hours time. The only way you'll know for sure is try it yourself since everyone reacts to these things differently.
Once again, my usual lecture about supps -- don't expect miracles from them and don't expect them to make up for a deficient diet and/or exercise regimens. They may help you a little bit, but none of them will make a world of difference like a good diet and exercise routines can.
397. Q:
So, would you recommend me try the Ergolean AMP, or the Lipo-6, i hear alot on websites, FLEX magazine, etc that its good for fatloss...
A:
Sorry, I do not have enough data to recommend one over the other. As I said, different people often react very differently to the same supplement (which I think has to do more with their psyche and expectations than with the actual physical results), so the only way you'll know for sure is to try one for a month or two, then another for a month or two.
One other note is that it's generally not a good idea to rely on commercial magazines for reviews. These magazines depend on advertising revenues and are not objective. For the same reason, of course, you shouldn't rely on ads or retailers for your info. Unlike in the pharmaceutical industry, there are no government regulations in the supplement industry which lets companies make outrageous claims that have no basis in reality. Your best source of info (other than your own experiences) is other people, hopefully those you know personally and trust.
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