Q&A for: 28-Sep-05
601. Q:
Mike, I have a big problem. Whenever I go running, i get a very bad sore throat the next morning. Can you tell me how I can prevent this because I want to run to lose weight. I am 14, 5'9, 200 lbs.
A:
That's something you'll want to talk with your doctor about. I can make some guesses, but they'll be just that -- guesses. It may be that you sweat a lot during running, then take a shower -- in this scenario your body rapidly goes from very hot (running, sweating) to cool (getting into the shower) to cold or hot (shower, depending on whether you take it cold or hot) to cool (getting out of the shower). Hot and cold cycles like that give some people cold-like symptoms. It may be that your diet is poor (not enough food, and especially not enough vegetables and fruits) -- that would your body much more prone to overtraining which leads to getting sick easily. Even just the lack of vegetables and fruits in your diet will make you fall sick easier. Or it could be some combination of these things. But you definitely need to talk to your doctor about this.
602. Q:
Even though I have gotten significantly stronger from weight training in the last 3 weeks my body composition and weight has not changed.
A:
Well, first off 3 weeks is almost nothing for any good sustained fat loss program. You should hold off for at least a couple of months before concluding that the program is working or not. Secondly, it's very likely that, assuming you have a good weightlifting program and a good diet, you have had changes in your body composition, if not weight. It's very common to burn some fat and build some muscle in the first month so your weight doesn't change, but your pants feel looser and your stomach doesn't look so big. Again, in 3 weeks the changes will in no way be drastic, but they should start to be noticeable.
Finally, make sure your diet is up to par. The diet is going to make or break a weightlifting-based fat loss program. If you eat junk or you eat too much or you eat too little, then weightlifting alone won't make you lose fat. Make sure your diet is on track, fill out Mike's Fitness Guide if you haven't already to see what a fat-loss diet should look like.
Most importantly, have patience! If your diet and your workouts are right, then they WILL WORK. And they will work for good, not just a temporary weight loss that's followed up by all the fat coming back. But you have to give it time. You didn't gain extra fat in just a couple of weeks, so it's certainly unfair to expect to lose it so fast. Make sure you're doing all the right things and just stick with it for weeks and months. The results will come, I promise. Good luck!
603. Q:
How many calories do you burn off by doing sit-ups?
A:
Not enough to make a difference. Please see Q&A #191
604. Q:
mike i can only go to the gym everytuesday and everyother weekend how can i stay on my program with a schedule like that
A:
Working out one and a half times a week is enough with a little planning and improvisation. On Tuesday and on the weekend, do this. On weeks when you don't go to the gym on the weekend, do 2-3 sets of every exercise on Tuesday (instead of 1-2 as the program usually prescribes) and then do lighter bodyweight or dumbbell only exercises 1 or 2 other days that week as prescribed here or here.
605. Q:
Mike!!! there's this guy on the internet called Anthony Ellis, i'm sure many readers have heard of him, and it shows how he transformed his body from broomstick to one of the four horsemen in 16 weeks. is this possible?
A:
No, it's not even remotely possible. With one-in-a-thousand genetics and using steroids (NOT RECOMMENDED!) one might accomplish something like that in under a year. It's absolutely not going to happen for an average person training naturally (i.e. without steroids) for many years and for many people it won't happen ever at all.
You'll find ridiculous claims like that all over the tv, web, and weight training magazines because they simply sell. Enough people will fall for the hype and buy the product. If you buy the Anthony Ellis program, inside of it you'll find nutrition and exercise guidelines very similar to the ones I give here. It's all fairly common knowledge for weightlifters and bodybuilders. The big 'secret' is steroid abuse and it can make a huge difference. It can also screw you up pretty badly, especially if you don't know what you're doing. It also happens to be illegal, of course.
So anyway, don't fall for the hype and don't expect miraculously fast results. Educate yourself as to the optimum nutrition and training programs and follow them to the best of your abilities. The results will come.
606. Q:
hi Mike, long time reader, first time writer. I was just wondering, I carry all my stress on my back mainly my showlders, I heard exercising can help to relieve stress. Any hints.
A:
Exercising in general is a great stress reliever, whether it's cardio, weights, sports, or pretty much any other physical activity. Whatever you enjoy doing -- do it! And if you don't enjoy any of them, do something anyway! :)
Weightlifting specifically will give you greater control over your muscles which will carry into your everyday life. Your posture will be better and you won't involuntarily tense up as much.
For upper back and shoulders exercises like shrugs may be a good choice. You can even do them without any weights and still gain much of muscle control benefits. Stand upright, feet shoulder width, arms at your sides, relax, shrug your shoulders up (just up, not forward or back), hold them there for 1-2 seconds, slowly bring them back down. Inhale as you shrug them up, exhale as your return them to normal. Do a couple of sets of 15-20 of these -- if you're not using weights you can do them daily. Hope that helps!
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