Q&A for: 20-Oct-05
759. Q:
Mike, about 2.5 weeks ago i injured my rotater cuff, and i havent been able to do any chest exercises since then. i tried today with just the bar, and everytime i brought it up it would click and hurt. my dad talked to a therapist, and he had my dad test me, and said it doesnt need surgery or anyhthing big.. what can i do to help this recover faster?
A:
The therapist is a lot more qualified than me to answer this, but really it'll simply come down to letting it rest. It might take a month or even longer, but that's what you have to do. There're some supplements (glucosamine) that are advertised to speed up joint recovery, but they will likely make little or no difference. Rest is going to be the main thing. Make sure you eat well during this period, lots of veggies and fruits. Vitamins and minerals are going to be important for your body to help this heal. Ask your therapist if perhaps a sling or any sort of hot/cold therapy might help too. But again, mostly it'll just come down to letting it rest and certainly not doing any upper body exercises (not even with just the bar) for awhile.
760. Q:
Hey Mike, a couple weeks ago you and me worked out a bulk diet, i think its somewhere in the late 500's, i said i was like 200, and now 2 weeks later im still the same weight
A:
I can't find which Q&A you're referring to, but basically if your weight stayed completely constant for 2 weeks, that's actually a very useful point of information and a good start. That means you know your 'maintenance' calorie level. Now what you'll do is increase your portion sizes slightly and monitor your weight for another 2 weeks. If you start gaining weight in those 2 weeks, then there's youyr bulking program! If you still don't gain, again increase those portion sizes and again monitor for 2 weeks. Your goal is to gain about 1 pound every 2 weeks. So any time 2-3 weeks pass by without any weight gain, you need to slightly increase portion sizes and, conversely, if you gain more than 2 pounds in 2-3 weeks, then you need to slightly decrease portion sizes. So just continuously monitor your weight and adjust your daily calories up or down as needed every 2-3 weeks.
761. Q:
Hi Mike i am a 43 year old man allways been into any form of sport and kept relitivly fit...for the last 15 months i have made a very conserted effort to train with weights for about 45 mins 5 times a week and do hard cardio 4 times a week and also play outdoor 8 aside football for 1 hour twice a week, and i diet well too, around 1,500 to 1,800 quality calories a day i have gone from 235llbs to 205llbs in this time and am only left with love handles now, but how do i get rid of them and how many calories do you think i burn a week
A:
Congrats on your weight loss and great job keeping yourself in shape like that! If your weight loss stopped lately, then the problem is not in the calories you burn but in your metabolism. Between weights, cardio, and football you could be eating 3000 calories daily and still losing weight. Instead you eat 1500-1800 and are not supplying your body with enough energy so it reacts by going in this defensive mode -- it'll use as little energy as it can to maintain the vital processes, but it sure as heck will not go out of its way to burn fat to fuel 'optional' metabolic processes such as building up your muscle. And when your body wants to be conservative with spending energy, it can! So those 1500-1800 calories are stretched to cover all the basic metabolic functions and your weightlifting and your cardio and your football.
So what you'll need to do is wake your body up from its metabolic slumber by eating more. This will not happen overnight or even in couple of weeks. But as you steadily increase your calories, your metabolism will eventually start responding. You might even gain a couple of pounds at first, but eventually fat loss will restart.
Take a look at this fat-loss diet -- this would be a good starting point for you (in fact you probably eat something pretty close to this already if you have a good diet). Start with that and ever so gradually increase serving sizes and eventually add a whole extra meal, so that a month later you're following this fat-loss diet (increase of 400 daily calories over the span of one month). By this point you should again be losing fat and weight again. So try this and see what happens in one month. If you're agressively losing weight then, I would then recommend eating even more: like this! But for now just start with the first diet I suggested and in a month time build up your portion sizes to the 2nd one at which point your metabolism should be revving again. Hope that helps!
762. Q:
Hi Mike, i am 24, weigh about 135lbs, been doing weights for about 12 months, i have noticed some growth but was wondering how long it will take to get big, say about 200lbs, i work out three times a week using split days.
A:
How big you get will depend entirely on your DIET!! What you do in the gym is break down muscles. Then in between gym sessions your body goes to work to repair the muscle damage and, if enough nutrients are available, make them a little bigger. So you need to make sure you supply enough food to your body to help it repair and build up muscles.
Fill out Mike's Fitness Guide specifying 'Gain Muscle' as your goal. It'll give you a complete detailed daily diet suggestion. Work it around to make it fit your lifestyle (combine some meals into one maybe, substitute foods around), but try to keep the overall calories, protein, carbs, and fats the same and split it into at least 5 meals a day.
Then start following that diet. After a couple of weeks if you're not gaining any weight or if you've actually lost weight (possible if you have a faster an average metabolism -- the guide is written for an average person), then increase portion sizes slightly. Then wait another couple of weeks and again see if you're gaining weight. If not, increase portion sizes again, and so on.
Your goal should be to gain 1 pound every 2 weeks -- that's a very good muscle building pace that will assure you gain minimum or no fat. In one year, it's perfectly reasonable to aim for 160 lbs! 200 lbs will take a lot longer though, but set a goal of 160 lbs in 1 year and do that first. Remember, your goal is to gain 1 pound every 2 weeks. If you're gaining too fast, cut portion sizes slghtly. If you're not gaining fast enough, increase portion sizes slightly. Good luck!
763. Q:
How long should I typically run per day to see adequate wight loss results?
A:
Running alone is certainly very beneficial to your health, but it's a subpar way to lose fat. The most important thing is to have a good fat-burning diet and second most important is to include heavy whole-body weight training. Cardio, such as running, is only the 3rd most important thing. Please read my fat-loss article carefully and follow its directions.
764. Q:
What is being burned when doing push-ups? And how much?
A:
Please see Q&A #243.
765. Q:
I have lost a lot of fat and iam thin anymore.I talking about fat only and not only weight.My fat percentage is about 9,4% but i dont have muscles yet.I know work slowly on it.My question is.Should i eat more than normal in order to obtain muscles or should i eat like now but just a way more protein than before?Some ppl told me that i should eat 5 small meals each day every 3 hours and each of them should contain some carbs and protein.Also before i go to bed and when i wake up i should also take protein first thing.Also they told me that how much protein anyone needs is determined by his kgs(kgsx1,5)So. if iam 65 i need about 100 grams of protein each day.What is your opinion for all these?
A:
Congrats on your fatloss! 9.4% body fat is very impressive! To build muscles now you'll need to eat more overall, not just more protein. The other directions are basically corect -- many small meals throughout the day. But altogether they should add up to quite a bit more calories and more of proteins and carbs then you're eating now. Fill out Mike's Fitness Guide specifying 'Gain Muscle' for a complete diet (and exercise) suggestion. Remember to gain weight slowly (about 1 kilo per month) or you'll end up putting on a lot of fat. Good luck!
766. Q:
how to get rid of stubborn belly fat
A:
The best way to lose extra fat is a solid fat-burning diet plus heavy whole-body weighttraining with some cardio. Please read my fat-loss article carefully and follow its directions. Aim to lose about 1 pound per week for sustained long-term fat loss. Good luck!
767. Q:
how do i get rid of belly fat when i exercise regularly and eat healthy and even do crunches
A:
The best way to lose extra fat is a solid fat-burning diet plus heavy whole-body weighttraining with some cardio. Please read my fat-loss article carefully and follow its directions. Aim to lose about 1 pound per week for sustained long-term fat loss. Good luck!
768. Q:
I am morbidly obesed, and I want to start today loosing my weight. I've done a lot of research, and I'm ready, but I just need to know the quickest, smartest, and most effective way too loose. What is the comparison of calories intake and burning that needs to happen for me to loose weight effectively? I'm 26 years old, female, 5'9,and 285 pounds.
A:
First, consult your doctor and tell him or her that you're considering starting a weight training program and get their feedback. Assuming they approve, the best way to lose all the extra fat is a solid fat-burning diet plus heavy whole-body weighttraining with some cardio. 'Heavy' here means picking such weight for any given exercise that you can only physically lift it 12 times or so before needing a rest. This weight is going to be different for different exercises and you'll need to be doing a lot of different exercises to hit all the muscle groups in your body. A gym membership would be good, but you certainly can make good progress at home (at least for awhile, until your strength picks up) with minimal or no equipment. The key is to do all the different exercises for different muscle groups and do them with high resistance levels (again, so you can only perform the exercise 12 times or so).
What I want you to do is read my fat-loss article carefully, including both the nutrition and weight training articles it references. Read them a couple of times if needed. Try to really understand and remember what it's saying. Then fill out Mike's Fitness Guide specifying 'Lose Fat' as your goal and specifying the weight as your ideal weight + 30 pounds (instead of your present weight). The guide will give you a complete diet and exercise prescription. Read both carefully, especially the diet -- you'll need to change it around to fit your life and schedule, but try to keep as close to the suggestion as possible.
If you don't have a gym membership, substitute either the No-Equipment exercise program or the Dumbbell exercise program and do it at home. You won't be able to do many exercise for as many reps as I specify -- that's OK. Do the best you can, your strength will build up. Aim for a gradual weight loss, about 2 pounds per week is a good pace. Much faster than that is going to kill your metabolism and your weight loss will stop far short of your ultimate goal. So take it slow and be patient.
Good luck!
769. Q:
How do I loose stomach fat from having babies
A:
The best way to lose extra fat is a solid fat-burning diet plus heavy whole-body weighttraining with some cardio. Please read my fat-loss article carefully and follow its directions. Aim to lose about 1 pound per week for sustained long-term fat loss. Good luck!
770. Q:
mike how does a man 36 295lbs,pretty active,loose weight and fat after plateauing from being 385lbs 2.5 yrs ago.been doing adkins for 2 yrs now off and gaining weight again pls help if possible. no cardio stamina. looking for solid safe advice
A:
First, consult your doctor and tell him or her that you're considering starting a weight training program and get their feedback. Assuming they approve, the best way to lose all the extra fat is a solid fat-burning diet plus heavy whole-body weighttraining with some cardio. 'Heavy' here means picking such weight for any given exercise that you can only physically lift it 12 times or so before needing a rest. This weight is going to be different for different exercises and you'll need to be doing a lot of different exercises to hit all the muscle groups in your body. A gym membership would be good, but you certainly can make good progress at home (at least for awhile, until your strength picks up) with minimal or no equipment. The key is to do all the different exercises for different muscle groups and do them with high resistance levels (again, so you can only perform the exercise 12 times or so).
What I want you to do is read my fat-loss article carefully, including both the nutrition and weight training articles it references. Read them a couple of times if needed. Try to really understand and remember what it's saying. Then fill out Mike's Fitness Guide specifying 'Lose Fat' as your goal and specifying the weight as your ideal weight + 30 pounds (instead of your present weight). The guide will give you a complete diet and exercise prescription. Read both carefully, especially the diet -- you'll need to change it around to fit your life and schedule, but try to keep as close to the suggestion as possible.
If you don't have a gym membership, substitute either the No-Equipment exercise program or the Dumbbell exercise program and do it at home. You won't be able to do many exercise for as many reps as I specify -- that's OK. Do the best you can, your strength will build up. Aim for a gradual weight loss, about 2 pounds per week is a good pace. Much faster than that is going to kill your metabolism and your weight loss will stop far short of your ultimate goal. So take it slow and be patient.
Good luck!
771. Q:
I want to make my butt bigger with exercises. How can I do that and actually get results?
A:
See Q&A #581
772. Q:
Mike, I'm trying out your 'no equipment' program, and there is no way I can do the pull-ups. I don't have the equipment needed and I can't buy it, and I've looked everywhere I can think of to find a makeshift one but there's nothing of that sort at all. (And since winter's coming I can't use any branches or anything.) What do I do?
A:
Pullups are really a great exercise and you'd be missing out not doing it. All you need is a pullup bar like this. It should cost under $20 and installs in about 10 minutes (screws in any average doorframe -- its length is adjustable). If you absolutely cannot get it you'll need to either get dumbbells to do bent-over rows or skip back exercises altogether, which is of course undesirable. So try to get the pullup bar.
773. Q:
how many carbs can you have per day?
A:
It's not a matter of just controlling carbs if you're serious about losing fat. Please read this.
774. Q:
Will pushups get rid of manboobs?thks!
A:
They'll help a little bit by building out your chest which will mask the manboobs a little, but if you're serious about losing them for good please read my fat-loss article and follow its directions.
777. Q:
Hey mike, in 591 i gave you my bulk diet, it is pretty much the same still, except for breakfast i eat a peanutbutter toast and a banana along with what is there. (still no gain as seen in Q. 760) what should i add for my extra 300 cals, and what meal do you think?
A:
Add a serving of rice or sweet potatoes or even just a couple of slices of whole-wheat bread to the pre-workout meal and add a smaller version of the same to the post-workout meal (so about 200 cal to pre-workout and 100 cal to post-workout). If that's not enough (no weight gain in the next 3 weeks), then make the next addition to either of the turkey sandwich meals -- another piece of fruit or even double the turkey and use a third piece of bread for a mega-sandiwch.
778. Q:
hey im 14 and im 145 pounds i play football basketball and baseball i would like to know how to get buff?
A:
You gotta learn about good nutrition and exercise, be physically active (which you already are) and maybe start moderate weightlifting. Then by the time your prime muscle-building age comes around when you're 16 you'll be in a good position to get as buff as you want. So right now, just keep playing sports and start learning. Keep reading my Nutrition article and my Weight training article until you fully understand them.
Then start implementing nutrition suggestions in your life -- cut out junk foods and substitute healthy stuff instead. Drink a lot of water and not sodas. You can also start weight training, but don't push yourself hard in the gym now because an injury can screw up your growth. But you can start moderate weightlifting now without going to failure. Have an adult supervising you and have responsible spotters for dangerous exercises like the bench press. Do NOT get in ego contests to see who can bench press or bicep curl more -- a stupid injury will cost you a few weeks of training and sports in the best case and a lifetime of stunted growth or injured joint in the worst case. Between nutrition and your sports and weight training you'll already be in terrific shape and good muscle mass for your age. And then in a year or two you'll be in perfect position to get really buff!
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