Q&A for: 4-Dec-06
1904. Q:
how many calories are burned while lifting weights
A:
Heavy weightlifting session can burn roughly the same number of calories as a heavy cardio session of the same duration -- around 10 per minute. However the huge advantage of weightlifting is that it will continue to burn calories AFTER you're done lifting weights. This happens because heavy weightlifting inflicts significant physical damage to the muscles, forcing your body to repair them. That repair process can burn more calories and fat than the exercise burned in the first place!
1905. Q:
does muscle accelerate fat burning
A:
Yes, muscle is a great fat-burner! Muscle is a metabolically active tissue which means it requires energy to sustain itself even if it's not being actively utilized. And, of course, muscles burn more calories if you use them. And, as noted in the previous Q&A, if you use your muscles for very heavy lifting then they burn even more calories in the repair process required after such efforts. So to summarize, the more muscle you have, the easier and faster you'll burn calories and fat.
1906. Q:
Hello Mike,
My question is if it would be OK to drink a Labrada shake every AM before going to work, then eating something sensible such as a tuna sandwich, chicken salad, or even a cold cut sandwich for lunch. For diner, I would normaly eat whatever I was in the mood, but in a small portion.
I am 5'9' and weigh right at 205lbs. I jog 2 miles about 2-3 times a week. My goal is to loose at least 20 pounds.
What do you think?
Thanks in advance
A:
I would recommend eating a more complete breakfast than just the shake. Breakfast is the most important meal of the day and least likely to make you gain fat. A good breakfast would be based around a whole grain such as old-fashioned oatmeal and maybe a piece of fruit. In addition to that you could drink the shake for protein.
Overall, it seems like you are eating way too little. Depending on what and how much you have for dinner you might be getting only around 1000 calories daily with your present diet. For somebody like you I would recommend getting AT LEAST 2000 calories daily and probably more. Eating as little as you do will make it difficult for you to lose weight for a long time and even harder to keep it off afterwards. You may lose 10-15 pounds quickly, but then the weight loss will halt and then the lost weight will start creeping back.
As far as exercise, it's great that you jog! I would also strongly recommend adding some sort of resistance training to your program. It could be something as simple as doing bodyweight exercises at home (like this) or a full-blow gym routine.
I suggest you start by reading my fat loss article and the diet and weight training articles it refers to. Then you can start improving your diet to boost your metabolism and hopefully add some weight/resistance training to your program. Best of luck!
1907. Q:
mike, after a successfull bulk thanks to your advice, I've really brought out my shoulders, from someone who had loads of fat on his arms, to a much more defined, leaner shape. However, I've still got too much fat on me in my oppinion, and I would like to begin a cut program. what would you recommend for me to do over the next few weeks? how long should i cut for before my metabolism slows down too much? Al (cro)
A:
Glad to hear about your successful bulk! Transition from a bulk to a cut is a fairly straightforward one: simply start gradually cutting down calories (mostly starchy carbs and maybe some fats) from your diet until you start to slowly lose weight. Cut out in chunks of about 200-300 calories per week, then allow a week for your weight to stabilize and then cut another 200-300 until you are steadily losing about 1 pound per week (slower is OK too, but not faster). Keep the carbs the same in breakfast and the meals before and after weight training. In all other meals you can cut out some or most of starchy carbs and (don't cut out ALL carbs in any one meal -- at least have some light veggies). Typically it may take lowering your calories by 600-900 over the course of a month or so to go from a bulk to a cut. Your weight training need not change at all, though some people like to add more cardio when cutting.
As far as how long to stay on a cut, it really depends on how you are able to progress. As long as you are able to slowly steadily lose fat with minimal if any muscle loss you can keep cutting. At some point the weight loss will come to a stop and will require further 200-300 calorie cut to restart it. But there is no hard stopping point -- just lose weight slowly, don't let your calories drop too low overall (no lower than 1800 for most men), and judge your own progress to make sure you're losing mostly fat and not muscle. Good luck!
1908. Q:
How do I get flatter abs?
A:
To get flat abs you have to lose abdominal fat which is covering them up. And the only way to lose abdominal fat is to lose overall body fat -- to learn the best way to do it please read this.
1909. Q:
If you start to feel sick to your stomach while working out, should you stop immediately? Is it ok to just work through it? Today, somehow, I seemed to have pushed my self really hard. I began to feel nauseous about half way through my workout. Today was leg day and I decided to go really heavy on squats about 6 sets of 7-8 reps at 225. And some decline leg presses. I just came off of a one week break, if that matter. I am 23 about 5'8 150lbs and I have been training for over a year. It is not normal at all for to feel sick during a workout. Thanks Mike.
A:
Getting lightheaded and/or nauseous during weight training can certainly happen when you are pushing yourself hard and it's especially common on leg days as happened with you. One common cause of it is dehydration, so make sure to drink plenty of water. But it can also happen just because you are pushing yourself so hard. In either case, you should stop immediately and rest. I would recommend ending that day's workout altogether, but at the very least take a 20-30 minute break before restarting.
1910. Q:
is skipping meals good for you so you can make weight for wrestling
A:
If you have to make a weight the following day, then, for better or for worse, you can do some pretty extreme things to yourself and skipping meals is certainly understandable. However if you in offseason and trying to make a lower weight in upcoming season you really need a more comprehensive fat loss program than just skipping meals. I recommend you read my fat loss article. It's written for overweight people needing to lose fat, but it applies just the same for well-conditioned atheletes too.
1913. Q:
mike.. i got 2 questions.
1) i just started kickboxing, and am curious how many calories you think are burned. we start with 6 minutes of jumproping, then get into a 25 or so minute stretching routine. followed by about 15 minutes of shadowboxing, and then we end by punching the bags or practicing against the instructor for about 15 minutes.
2) what should i do so i dont lose any weight? im trying to bulk right now.
A:
1. I'd guesstimate that burns around 500 calories.
2. All you need to do is simply eat more! Make the meals before and after your kickboxing sessions bigger, with more starchy carbs like oatmeal, brown rice, whole-wheat bread, or sweet potatoes. It should give you extra energy as well. If you feel your stomach becomes too full then, then spread the same extra calories throughout all the day's meals instead.
1914. Q:
What are some exercise I can do to lose weight around my waist?
A:
There is no one exercise. However by following a complete training program and a healthy balanced diet you can successfully lose all the extra fat you want AND make sure it doesn't come back later. Please read this.
1915. Q:
How can I lose weight around my waist?
A:
There is no one exercise. However by following a complete training program and a healthy balanced diet you can successfully lose all the extra fat you want AND make sure it doesn't come back later. Please read this.
1916. Q:
Mike, a lot of people believe in numbers when it comes to losing weight. Body weight, calories, waist size, grams of fat, etc. Isn't it possible to not have to count anything. A lot of people I talk to who lost weight just say, 'I ate healthier and exercised'. I wish it was just as easy done as said. I mean I would just like to lose weight by 'Eating healthier and exercising.' Do you think its really necessary to count anything when it comes to losing weight?
A:
It really depends on the specific case. An average person who is sedentary, overweight and has a poor diet can certainly achieve great progress by simply eating healthier (and less) and doing some sort of exercise -- no counting needed!
However the closer you is to your ideal weight and especially if you are already in good shape but want to be in great shape (have abdominal six pack, body fat below 10%, etc.) the closer attention you'd need to pay attention to your diet. You won't necessarily need to count calories, but you would want to put together a general diet plan that you follow more or less daily, and at the very least you would want to track your weight to make sure you lose weight no faster than about 1 pound per week. And of course you would need a good exercise program too.
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