Q&A for: 4-Mar-07
2031. Q:
i am 16 about 153 pounds and am 5 foot 10 i want to gain muscle with the least amount of fat gain possible how many calories should i try to get daily.I lift three times a week, Run stairs once and try to do some other cardio during thee week for atleast twenty minutes
A:
Start by filling out my Fitness Guide specifying 'Gain Muscle' as your goal. It'll give you a starter diet, along with number of calories. It'll also tell you how to modify the suggested diet to make it fit to your tastes and schedules.
2032. Q:
How can you prevent muscular bulk being added to your legs and lower body when trying to increase the size of your upper body’s muscles? Do you have to avoid weight training your lower body? I ask this as I think that having a relatively small lower body will make any muscle gain in the upper body look more impressive as you’ll get a more pronounced v shape than if you added bulk to both your upper and lower body at the same time. Why add bulk to lower body when your legs are normally natural better toned and well built – probably because we use these muscles all the time when walking – than your upper body muscles and a lot bigger than your arms.
A:
Yup, you got it -- simply don't do weight training for lower body if you don't want to build it up any more. Core exercises like squats and deadlifts are probably best overall exercises and they help you bulk up in the upper body, not just in lower, but if you want to focus specifically on upper body, don't even do them and simply stick to upper body exercises like various rows, presses, pullups/downs, to go along with isolation exercises for arms.
2033. Q:
Hullo. I'm 16 years old weighing 110lbs (5'1) and I'm aiming for >100lbs. Would consuming 1000 calories a day be fine for me?
A:
I really would not advise cutting down on calories too much in your teen years. You may still be growing and risk stunting it if you eat too little. The same goes for trying to lose weight. Right now, at 110 pounds, you are at the perfect, healthy weight for your height. At 100 you woud be borderline underweight.
If you want to get in better shape, even possibly lose some weight (though as I said, it's not necessary and should certainly not be done quickly) I would recommend focus on being more physically active and maybe exercising while still eating enough -- 1200 or so should be considered the minimum. Also make sure that the foods you eat are natural, healthy, and nutritious -- they are not only better for you health-wise but are also much less likely to add to your fat deposits compared to the same number of calories of junk or other heavily processed foods.
Between more physical activity and healthier foods you should find it unnecessary to diet actively.
2034. Q:
I've been loosing weight on the nutrisystem foods and noted that there is alot of Whey & Soy protein in their products. I'd like to start introducing my own cooking again but keep the portions small and add some WHEY & SOY protein to the already cooked food. Would this work for continued weight loss? Thanks- Linda
A:
Yes, high-protein foods like whey and soy are part of Nutrisystem's 'secret'. High-protein foods are less likely to make you gain fat. But the really important parts of that diet actually are carefully measured portions and healthy, nutritious food choices. Nutrisystem does not do anything that you could not do yourself simply by choosing good foods and practicing portion control. But whey and soy additions alone will not make poor food choices into good ones. So while you certainly can get as good results by yourself as you do with Nutrisystem, you'd need to make wholesale changes to your diet to accomplish them and not merely eat more whey/soy. Check out my nutrition article -- it has all the info you'll need to build your own 'Nutrisystem' diet.
2035. Q:
Mike, this is kind of long, but id appreciate your response. Let me start with some background info. im currently 6'4 214. I started the schoolyear out around august and went from 215 to about 220, where in november i started taking kickboxing. ive been trying to bulk while working out 3days a week, and kickboxing on 2. from november til now, despite the fact im trying to gain weight, ive lost 6 pounds. ive logged my info on fitday, and the average amount of food im eating is around 3100 calories. 325g protein, 254 carb, and 85g fats. this is my diet on a workout day, where i eat 5 whole meals, and a protein shake post workout. on kickboxing days, their is probably 200 or so more calories because i eat alot after im done. here is my average diet:
Meal 1 7 AM(breakfast): a glass of milk with a scoop of whey, 2 eggs, 2 egg whites, and 1/2 cup of oeats
Meal 2 11 AM: Big turkey sandwich on 2 slies of wheat and swiss cheese, a cheese stick, carrots, an apple
Meal 3 3 30 PM: 2 slices of wheat w/ tuna. (im considering adding a handful of mixed nuts here for more calories, fats, protein)
Meal 4 6 PM: glass of milk, either steak or chicken with broccoli, and some kind of carb (rice/potatoes/etc)
Meal 5 8/9 PM: on gym days its a shake immediately post workout with milk, 2 scoops whey, penautbutter, and oats.. on kickboxing days its a repeat of meal 4
Meal 6 10 30 PM: 1 cup of cottage cheese
thanks mike, im trying to gain some weight, and its not happening.. i would greatly appreciate your input
A:
If you are trying to bulk up, but instead find yourself losing weight, then the problem is real simple: you are not eating enough! If you fill out my fitness guide you'll see that for somebody like you I suggest: around 4000 calories daily broken down to about 320 grams protein (which you get -- god job!), about 390 grams of carbs (this is where you need to eat more) and about 130 grams fat (again, you're too low on this). Good protein intake is great, but a high-protein diet by itself will not bulk you up. You'll need to significantly increase your carb intake and probably fat intake as well. All of your meals look like great food choices -- you'll just need to eat more of carb-rich and healthy fat foods.
Don't jump all the way to 4000 calories overnight, but over the course of the next couple weeks, gradually eat more of calorie-rich foods to increase your carb and fat intake: use more oats, have 3 slices of bread instead of 2 in your sandwich, eat more peanut butter and cheese, throw in some fruits here and there (OK as snacks).
2036. Q:
I thought that when I lost 15 pounds(body composition of 15.5%) that I wouldn't get as tired as quickly when I engaged in sportst but that is not the case.but I do have less joint pain because of the weight loss.
A:
Yes, it's a little counter-intuitive, but merely losing weight does very little to improve your cardiovascular endurance. Your joints will thank you, as you've discovered, but as far as actual endurance it is virtually unaffected. An overweight person who has been running for even just a few month is likely to have better cardiovascular endurance than a slim person who has never run or been otherwise physically active.
The only way to improve your endurance is to actually take up some sort of cardio activity -- start with walking or light jogging a few times a week. With time you'll find it easier and easier and eventually you'll be able to start running. Good luck!
2037. Q:
I workout five times a week, mixing up cardio, weight traning, and ab training along with a nutritional diet. I have been doing this for all most two months and I see some changes, but how can I speed up the fat lost especially around my mid section?
A:
Make sure your diet is up to par -- please read my Nutrition article. Eating the right kinds of foods and not eating too much of them is at least as important as exercising.
2039. Q:
Mike I eat a little over a thousand calories a day. I have had some weight loss and I losed some inches. I was wondering is that not enough and could it hender me from losing that stubborn fat.
A:
Yes, just 1000 calories/day is probably too low for just about anyone. Please fill out my Fitness Guide to get my recommended diet/calories for your specific case.
2042. Q:
Hi Mike, I recently asked you a question about developing my shoulders. Thanks for your advice, I actually found that my shoulders had grown in size (despite cutting calories), it was just the fat on the back of my arms that made my bi's and tri's seem so much bigger.
I wanted to ask you: is it possible to make any gains whilst on a 'cut' phase? I'm eating less than I burn. Adam uk
A:
Glad to hear your shoulders saw gains! As far as making gains on a cut, the answer in most cases will be 'no'. A beginner in a relatively poor or average shape who is nowhere close to his or her potential may be able to gain muscle and strength even while losing weight. But for somebody who is already in good shape, the cut phase is just a 'necessary evil' when new gains are highly unlikely and just hanging on to existing muscle and strength would be considered a success.
2043. Q:
I'm 72.5 inches tall.I weigh 189 lbs with a body composition of 15.5%.what is my bmr? I'm a male.
A:
I don't put too much value in BMR numbers since they represent a hypothetical situation which nobody ever faces -- staying in bed around the clock. For you the BMR would be around 2000 calories, but I would instead focus on finding your 'maintenance calories' -- the number of calories you need to eat to keep your weight constant doing your usual everyday activities. Once you know maintenance calories you can easily adjust them up by a couple hundred to bulk up or down by 400-500 to cut down.
2044. Q:
Iam 25 years old,69 kgs and 175 cms high with around 12% body fat percentage or even less(11,5 maybe).I wanna do some more bulk this period and i consume around 160 grams per protein every day.Is it enough if i wanna take 4 kgs of muscles the next 3 months?
A:
160 grams should be considered the minimum for a quality bulk. I would try for 200+. And don't forget about eating enough carbs and fats -- without overall calorie surplus you'll never be able to bulk up. You can fill out my fitness guide to get a sample starter diet (1 kg = 2.2 pounds).
As far as 4 kgs gain in 3 months it's a little aggressive, but certainly a good goal to shoot for. Good luck!
2048. Q:
Hi Mike.I would like ur opinion on this:I do bulk up this period 5 times a week.Each part takes me about 30-40 mins max and every day i do one part except one day in which i do one hour(this day i do an hour).Overall the hours i spent at gym ar about 3,5 hours.My questions are:
-With 5 days a week do i give my body enough time to rest?I do different parts day per day and only half an hour a day(expect one day as i told before).
-If i wanna can i do 4 days(instead of 5)and break the exercises of one part into 3 different days(among with others parts)with one day blank(for rest)between these days?Will i have the same results?
I do 5 days a week cause i have little free time so i spent half an hour a day each day and also cause i do only one part iam stronger at it and can lift heavier weights.
A:
What you are doing now is perfectly good and fitting those same workouts into 4 days is perfectly fine as well. The important thing is to keep overall heavy weighttraining hours/week to somewhere between 2 and 5, which is exactly what you are doing. Good job and keep it going!
2050. Q:
If i need lets say 2800 calories a day in order to bulk should i eat those calories every day even the days i rest and dont go to the gym?Some ppl eat 2800 calories the days of workout at gym while the days of resting eat about 400-500 less(2400calories).What should i do?
A:
What's really important during the bulk is steady weight gain (1 pound every 2 weeks or so) and it can be accomplished with either approach. I prefer eating the same number of calories daiy -- it's easier to keep track that way.
2051. Q:
Mike, I know you say it's better to get your nutrients from foods that are as close to natural as possible, but what are your thoughts on multiple vitamin supplements, to ensure that one is getting everything that one needs?
A:
Sure, if you feel they provide a safety net in case you don't get enough vitamins or minerals through regular food, then you can certainly take multivitamins. I would just make sure you don't start relying on them as your main source of vitamins/minerals. Also make sure that your multivitamin does NOT contain overly large doses of vitamins A, D, E, or K because they can be harmful in large doses.
2052. Q:
Hey Mike,
I'm a 17 year old,I'm 5 foot 7 and i weigh 190 pounds-what should my ideal weight be?I also wanted to know how push ups affect your body?
A:
Your recommended weight range is 125-160 pounds. You don't need to try to agressively lose a lot of weight since may still growing, but you should probably make an effort to be more physically active and also improve your diet to eat more vegetables and fruits and less junk food and sweets.
As far as push-ups, they are a good upper body exercise to build up chest and tricep strength and they can be an effective part of a whole-body exercise program. By themselves they are not likely to help you lose much fat, but along with other exercises (like in this program) and better diet they can certainly make a difference. But even just doing push-ups alone will make you much stronger (you'll be able to do dozens of pushups with time) so if that's what you are interested in, by all means go for it!
2053. Q:
Is true that estrogen blocker supplements can help women with that stubborn fat that comes from pregnancy?
A:
To my knowledge there has been no controlled scientific studies showing that these products (6-OXO being the most popular) help with fat loss. There also has been no studies verifying no harmful short- or long-term side-effects. Add to that the fact that the supplement industry is absolutely notorious for hyping up useless (and sometimes harmful) products, I would not be even thinking of taking estrogen blockers until I was absolutely sure that I have done my best as far as diet, nutrition, and exercise to lose the extra fat and truly reached the limits of what can be done with proven healthy methods of fat loss.
2054. Q:
does situps burn calories or glucose
A:
Asking a question like this is oversimplying things. Situps, just like any other resistance exercise will burn calories, some of which will come from glucose (glycogen) and some from fatty acids. However if you are thinking of situps as any kind of solution to losing fat, then please reconsider. As I mentioned, situps by themselves will do next to nothing for fat loss or better looking abs. They are absolutely in no way different from other resistance/weighttraining exercises and are a relatively minor exercise which will have correspondingly minor effect. If you are interested in losing fat, please read this.
2055. Q:
Mike what is the right analogy between grams of protein and kgs in order to bulk up?Is it 2 grams of protein per kgs or 3?Thanks in advance.
A:
I would shoot for 3 grams of protein daily for every kg of bodyweight. And don't forget about carbs and fats of course -- without them you'll never see any gains no matter how much protein you eat.
2056. Q:
I've tried before to lose weight, and I was successful in shedding maybe 10 pounds, but I've since easily gained it back because when we renovated we had no room for the tredmill I used. The hard part for me is starting a routine and sticking to it. After watching a movie or just looking in the mirror realizing nothing has changed, and
realizing that if I had kept working for it I would of lost all the weight by now it's a real downer. It's hard for me to keep motivated, and I'm hoping for some suggestions on how to keep at it. I really do want to lose this weight, but I'll work-out (I've used your no-equip. program, because I don't have and can't really get any dumb-bells or equipment) maybe once or twice, then get bored
and not feel like it any more. I just can't stick to it, even though I really want to.
Turning 17 in a couple of months, I weight 230 pounds. A lot of guys I know weight around 200, but they are tall and it's not fat, it's muscle. I really want help and suggestions in how I can lose weight. Would getting down to 180 pounds by this time next year be possible if I follow a program for 3 days a week? I really want to lose weight, and this might be my last chance to start trying in the near future, because after next year I'm off to university and I'll have a much more hectic schedule than I do at present time. Any help/suggestions are appreciated.
Thank You.
A:
Staying motivated and disciplined is certainly the hardest part of weight loss, especially in the beginning, so you should not feel bad about it. For many people it takes numerous attempts at weight loss before it finally 'sticks' and they are successful. And, of course, some people never quite manage it.
The best help in staying motivated is probably to surround yourself with people who support you in your quest and who will root for you and maybe even kick your butt when needed to make sure you stay on track. Your family and friends are probably best for this, but even internet boards can be helpful.
Of course no amount of external help will be enough if you don't exercise some inner strength and resolve and do your best to stick with the program and restart it if you ever fall off the wagon temporarily. Here you have to visualize your end goal and keep reminding yourself why you are doing all this.
As far as losing 50 pounds in 1 year, yes, it is certainly very doable! It's actually not something I would normally recommend at your age, preferring to wait till after 18, but it should not be harmful. Do get cleared with your doctor before starting, however.
The approach to use is the one you already know: a resistance training program (like my no-equipment one), cardio (your treadmill or sports or walking/jogging/running outside), and most importantly a healthy nutritious diet free of junk foods, sweets, and other processed foods (if it comes in a box and/or has a long ingredient list, chances are it's not a good food choice).
Get started, expect to go slow, and take pride in little things and small progress. And don't give up just because you have a bad day or three -- just get back on track and keep going. Good luck!
2058. Q:
am 17 and weighing 52 is that bad cause am so thin?
A:
I assume you mean 52 kgs (115 pounds)... It really depends on your height -- if you are 5 ft 6 inches or taller, then 115 pounds is underweight. It's not very uncommon among teenagers, however, and is unlikely to be a serious problem unless you chronically feel weak or unenergetic or have other health problems. In that case you probably want to see a doctor. Otherwise, I wouldn't worry too much about it and simply make an effort to eat more.
2059. Q:
chest fat
A:
Please read this.
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