Q&A for: 22-Feb-06
1352. Q:
mike, today i was doing squats and immediately after i finished,i had a little bit of a burn where my legs meet my butt, is this bad? also, my squat form i have my legs farther then shoulder length, and toes pointed out, is that fine?
A:
That's normal. Doing squats in wide stance with toes pointing out places more emphasis on hamstrings (back of thighs) and glutes (butt) and that's exactly what you've experienced.
1353. Q:
reply to 1339, so i should replace 1 meal (pre/post workout chicken) for salmon, and then get flax seed(what kind i remember there are a couple different?) and then i have my 2 daily omega 3's and pb on my toast in morning, hows that?
A:
You don't need to take those omega-3 capsules if you are already eating salmon and/or flax. Salmon for chicken is a good substitute. For flax seed, my favorite is Bob's Red Mill ground flax meal -- it comes in 1-pound yellow and white packets that most supermarkets carry for 2-3 dollars. I mix it into oatmeal or sometimes sprinkle on salads. It has a bit of nutty flavor.
For you I'd first substitute salmon for chicken in one meal, like you said. That'll give you some extra calories and fats, especially omega-3.Then stay on that diet till it's time to increase calories again (i.e. till you stop gaining weight on your bulk). At that time you may want to think about adding a bit of flax as well.
1354. Q:
Mike, im the 15 year old on a bulking diet, puffy nipples guy. when shold i drink milk? i used to have a cup with my protein shake, but i drink it w/ water now. every other meal is water, but i know i shoulud have at least 1 cup milk/per day, when though?
A:
Breakfast would probably be the best time. If you eat oatmeal, milk goes great with it. If not, then swap in a glass of milk for a glass of orange juice (if I remember correctly you drink OJ for breakfast).
1355. Q:
58kgs is how many pounds
A:
About 128 pounds. Multiply by 2.2 to convert from kilograms to pounds.
1356. Q:
Is oatmeal along with a fruit and whey protein a good breakfast before the weight training?
A:
Yup, that's a very good pre-training breakfast.
1357. Q:
when i do sit ups it seems that my legs are hurting more than my abs, is that normal or am i doing it wrong. Thanks mike
A:
It's probably normal. Situps work both the abdominals and the hip flexor muscles (which 'tie' the thighs to your torso) and it sounds like you're feeling the situp more in the hip flexors. If you want to isolate the abdominals, do crunches instead of situps. In crunches your only raise your head and the top of your back off the floor instead of the entire torso -- this take hip flexors out of the equation.
1358. Q:
Is there any good protein without milk?Iam allergic to milk products.If no then from where can i get protein?Iam also allergic to eggs....Can i build muscles from other sources of protein and if yes which could they be?
A:
You can just eat regular lean meat, poulty, and fish. Those are by far the best and richest sources of protein. Legumes (beans and lentils) are also good sources of protein, especially for vegetarians who can't eat animal products. If you are specifically looking for protein powder, then your only choice would be soy protein powder. But really, if you can eat a few servings of all regular lean meat/fish/poultry every day then there's no reason to supplement with any protein powder.
1359. Q:
How long should we train in order to not overdo it?As far as i know its about 4 hours a week,45mins-1 hour 4 times a week(could also be 5 max)with one rest day in mid of the week and one more after.Somewhere i have seen that max should be only 2 hours per week?! with 20-30 mins each time?!(only?)What is the best time for best results?
Also,some main exercises require pyramid(12-10-8-6reps with heavier weights each time)while others u go all sets till failure.In my program i have one main exercise each time and all others are till failure(8-10 reps each and 3 sets.main is with pyramid and is supposed to be the best one for each body part).Wouldnt it be better to do all exercises till failure?What is pyramid usefull for?Why not do all exercises till failure and in some we have to use the pyramid?
A:
For most people the good weight training target is between 2 and 5 hours per week (40-100 total sets per week), assuming most training is near or to failure. Young guys can benefit from the upper end of that range and perhaps even more while older people should perhaps keep it towards the lower end. It's a good idea to vary your training volume throughout the year (for example: 2 months at 5 hours/week, 2 months at 4 hours/wk, 2 months at 3 hours/wk, 2 months at 2 hours/wk, and then back to 5 hours/wk). This keeps your body from getting 'used' to the same load, lets it recover during low-volume periods, and also may give you insight into which approach works best for you.
As for pyramid training, it's just a training variation introduced by bodybuilders. There is some evidence that pyramiding is inferior in building strength compared to straight sets and (especially) compared to strength-specific training programs. I wouldn't use pyramiding most of the time and I don't think you'd miss out if you never used it at all. If you look at my programs they all prescribe straight to-failure or near-failure sets.
1360. Q:
After how many time we stop gaining easy kgs in weight training?Iam 24 years old and i do weight training 6 months now 5 times each week one hour each time till failure.Till now i was gaining easy but recently that stopped.I gain difficult now anymore.Is it ok ? Hoiw much time one beginner can benefit from gaining easy kgs?
A:
That's very typical -- I'd say the average time interval for easy gains is 4-6 months, though everyone is different of course. Now you are entering a new stage when you have to start paying more attention to your diet, your program, and the state of your body to continue gains at best possible speed (which is of course still going to be slower than the first easy gains).
Decide on your priorities... Do you want to focus on strength more or just put on as much muscle as possible? My weight training article gives a couple of sample strength programs which are quite a bit different from typical bodybuilding-type programs.
How much weight are you willing to gain and how sensitive are you to fat gains? A good diet will help you put on muscle mass and minimize fat gains. You can fill out my Fitness Guide to get a custom diet recommendation along with directions on how to customize it and stay on track.
Have you been training without rest for these 6 months, never taking a week off? In this case you are very likely overtraining and your body is just too exhausted to continue making progress. A good rule of thumb is to take at least 1 week off from gym after every 2 months of training. You may even want to go as far as taking full 1-2 months off every year. Letting your body rest and recover is very important!
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