Q&A for: 5-Feb-06
1303. Q:
Mike, im the 15 year old with the manboobs puffy nipple thing. ive been on a bulk diet, and all. Yesterday marked my 1 yr. anniversary of working out, and my puffy nipples havent gotten any better. I really want to lose them, i hate swimming public places with this, its so embarassing. i found some pics of an 18 yr. old kid with what looks like my chest http://www.gynecomastia.org/cgi-bin/gyne_yabb/YaBB.cgi?board=11,action=display,num=1138042417 except my nipple sticks out a tiny bit more then his. If you want, i can have some pics of me by tuesday.
A:
You have to remember that bulking up and losing chest fat that's causing your 'man boobs' are two different things. Bulking up involves gaining weight and it's very difficult to not put on at least a bit of new fat while bulking up. Losing chest fat or any other kind of fat generally requires losing weight. Things are somewhat different for a growing teenager like yourself... Just by virtue of growing, eating healthy, and being physically active you will lose some of the fat naturally as your grow. Also, by trying to 'force' weight loss you will jeopardize your continuing growth somewhat.
So you have to decide which is more important to you: gaining new muscle or losing the chest fat? It's not impossible to do both, but it will be a very slow process and may take you through high school. If you decide that you don't care about muscle and just want the chest fat gone, then the next question is whether you should try to actively lose weight? The more and the faster you lose weight, the more higher the risk it stunting your growth. If you are already 6 feet or taller then it may not be such a big deal. But if you are only, say, 5 foot 8 inches there's a good chance you are not done growing yet. The best advice for whether weight loss is a good idea for you would come from a doctor. If the doctor does recommend that you lose weight, then you can simply change from a bulking diet to a fat-loss one as you can find on this site. Of course with losing fat and weight you won't be able to grow your muscles more and may even lose a bit of them.
So, again, you need to decide on your priorities and act accordingly:
1) Do you want to build more muscles (bulk up, gain weight) or do you want to accelerate fat loss (maintain weight or lose weight)?
2) If the answer to (1) is that you want to accelerate fat loss, then you need to decide whether you are willing to lose weight (and some muscle along with it)?
3) If the answer to (2) is yes, then consult with a doctor to get an OK for weight loss and then restructure your diet to cut down calories (mostly cut down carbs) to start losing weight (continue your workouts as usual).
My personal preference is to not recomment teenage guys to lose weight until they're at least 17-18 unless they are quite obese. The reason is, as I said before, is that I don't feel that it's worth jeopardizing growth when they can simply wait couple of years and if it's still required start on weight/fat loss then, after finishing growing. But ultimately this is your choice -- just follow the 1-2-3 above.
1304. Q:
hi mike your website has helped me alot and i am very happy to learn alot from you but i do not know how to improve my running speed ? is there a way to do it at home and in the gym ?
A:
Sure, but the best program would depend on exactly what distance running you are looking to improve. It would require running, of course, so you probably won't be able to do it at home. A gym with a treadmill is an option I would probably recommend just running outside, especially if you are sprinting.
Check out my asnwer to Q&A #1279 to see a program to prepare for a 2-mile run. You can use the same program to prepare for 1-mile run too -- just cut all the distances by half.
If you are more concerned with sprinting, runs 40-200 yards, then your training will be a bit different. Say you're training for 200 meter (which is just over 200 yards) run... You could alternate days during which you'd actually run the 200 meters (2-3 times with 15-minute rest in between) with days during which you'd run 50 meters using both standing and running starts at pace a bit slower than your 50-meter best (6-8 times total with 6-8 minute rests in between).
Also, when training to improve sprint speed you'd benefit from lower-body weight training, especially from the squats exercise.
If you tell me exactly what your goal is as far as running, I could help with a specific program.
1305. Q:
Are powerbars for everyone? I'm 15, just wondering if I can take them? I can always use an extra 'boost' to get me going on exercise ,)
A:
I would recommend just eating a regular healty meal before working out instead of things like powerbars. There's no magic to them -- they're just a bunch of subpar carbs (mostly sugar or hidden sugar) with some protein (which is also of subpar quality a lot of times). You can read about them in my protein supplement article. I would eat 'real' healthy foods wheneven possible and save powerbars for situations when you absolutely can't eat 'real' food.
A good pre-workout meal will be generous in carbs and protein with majority of carbs coming from starchy sources like whole grains (oatmeal), brown rice, sweet potatoes, or whole-wheat bread. The protein can come from any variety of sources (lean meat, poultry, fish). Some fats are OK too (all meats, even very lean, have some fat as does some fish). Eat the meal 45-60 minutes or so before the workout -- enough time for the food to 'settle down' in your stomach.
|
