Q&A for: 6-Sep-06
1768. Q:
how to get ripped
A:
Getting muscular and very lean at the same time takes a long time for most people. You need to learn how to successfully bulk (which is when you gain muscle while trying to minimize fat gains) and cut (when you trying to lose fat while trying to preserve the muscle you have). Then you need to go on alternating bulking and cutting cycles. While you bulk you'll gain muscle and some fat (some fat gain when gaining weight is virtually unavoidable). While you cut you lose fat and some muscle (some muscle loss when losing fat is expected when you already have fairly low body fat). So at the end of every bulk-cut pair you should have a little more muscle than before and a little less fat. Then you keep repeating as long as necessary -- expect it to take years.
To learn how to successfully bulk and cut, read my nutrition and weight training articles until you fully understand them. Then you can fill out fitness guide specifying 'Lose Fat' (for cut) or 'Gain Muscle' (for bulk) to get starter programs which you can customize for yourself.
1769. Q:
how to get huge arms?
A:
To build any muscle the recipe is simple: eat healthy protein-rich diet with enough calories to slowly gain weight + do heavy weight training. Even if you only care about having big arms I would recommend that you still do whole-body weight training -- it'll contribute to arms more, will keep you in good overall shape, and help keep your fat gains low. Read the articles I referred to in Q&A #1768 to learn the details of how to go about eating and working out right.
1770. Q:
how to get rid of man boobs?
A:
Please read this.
1773. Q:
mike, when I do cardio, I am confused between training as at my hardest for 30 mins, or training in the 'fat burning zone' on my electronic, heart sensor cross trainer. does training in this zone actually work? and if so, how long will I need to train in this lower intensity zone for? thanks for the great website
A:
The 'fat burning zone' is mostly marketing hype. For regular cardio, I would advise training near your maximum effort for those 30 minutes. Pick a pace that you can maintain for the entire duration and stick with that. It may or may not fall in the 'fat burning zone' and it doesn't really matter.
All other things being equal, I would also recommend doing cardio on separate days or at least separate times from weight training (so you're fresh for both). If you have to do them back-to-back, I would do weights first and then cardio.
1774. Q:
mike, my wife is incredibly skinny, would it be possible for you to design a weight gain program for her? she does eat, but she won't put on weight. please help.
A:
The only way for her to gain weight is to simply eat more. If she eats more, but still doesn't gain weight, she needs to eat more still. That's the only way, unfortunately.
Weight training by itself will burn calories and make her actually lose weight. But weight training may wake up her metabolism which would help stimulate her appetite for food, especially if she rarely feels hungry now. But aside from that aspect, weight training in and of itself will NOT help her gain weight.
The bottom line is that she absolutely have eat more if she wants to gain weight.
1775. Q:
mike, after randomly putting on a kilogram for the last 4 weeks, each week, I have ballooned from 78 kg to 82kg. I have been told that my body has become intolerant to dairy products (including eggs). I admit, I have always been chubby, but I'm actually getting very fat now. I have been weight training, and a small amount of this gain in mass is muscle, but my waistline has exploded. could you recommend the types of food that I should NOT eat, as I am unfamiliar with nutrition, and would whole heartedly appreciate the guidance of a fitness guru like you. Kim UK (male 22)
A:
The problem is probably not so much what you ate but how much you ate. You put on weight way too fast -- 4 kgs in 4 weeks is about four times as fast as you should be trying for! In order to minimize fat gains I recommend gaining about 1 kg per month. Otherwise you get what happened to you: way too much new fat, even if you do weight training. It's very common to gain a quick 1 kg in the first week when you start on a muscle-building diet as your body adjusts to the change. But after that first week you need to find the right diet for yourself to keep weight gains very slow and gradual. It's by no means easy to find and stick to this optimal slow-weight-gain diet, but certainly gaining 1 kg with very passing week is way too much.
As far as your lactose intolerance it need not be an obstacle in gaining muscle -- you don't need dairy or oggs or whey protein (which is derived from milk) in order to gain muscles. You can just replace those foods with other protein-rich foods such as poultry, fish, meats, beans, and lentils.
So you need to find the right diet for yourself, both in the kinds of foods you eat and the amounts. If you need some sort of starting for the diet, point, fill out my fitness guide (1 kg = 2.2 pounds) specifying 'Gain Muscle' as your goal. It will give you a suggested diet that you can use as the starting point. You will then need to customize it for yourself by replacing foods you can't eat with equivalents (equivalent food groups are described on that same page) and probably combining some meals together since you likely don't have time to eat as many meals as it suggests. Alternatively, if your existing diet is already healthy, you can simply keep eating the same foods, but in smaller portions -- probably cutting your portion sizes by about 25% is about right.
Once you have your new diet figured out, whether by cutting down existing portion sizes or by following my Fitness Guide recommendations, do your best to stick to it and monitor your weight. Remember, your goal in building muscle is to gain about half a kilo every two weeks (1 kg in 1 month). So if after two weeks you find that you've gained more than a full kilo you know that you're eating too much and need to reduce your portion size slightly again. On the other hand, if you find that in two weeks your weight hasn't changed (or actually decreased), then you need to eat a little more.
By keeping track of your weight and making portion size adjustments every few weeks to keep on track for 1 kg per month you'll be able to gain new muscle with minimum new fat. Hope that helps and good luck!
1776. Q:
reply to 1767, whats wrong with bagels? they are 100% wheat bagles. i cant stand oatmeal, and i put it in my pre and post workout shakes. is there a different alternative, or would they be fine?
also, about eating again.. i barely have any time inbetween classes to go to my locker and get my books and be to class on time, let alone enough time to eat. is there anything else REAL quick and easy to eat, with enough protein, and carbs?
A:
Bagels are just not a very healthy food. Even the whole wheat bagels I've seen (and your '100% wheat' is probably not the same as 'whole wheat' -- you should try for 'whole wheat' if possible) contain 'enriched unbleached flour' which is the omnipresent flour used in virtually all processed carb foods that you should try to avoid. Check the igredients label on your bagels. If all you see is 'whole wheat flour', then they're pretty good. If you see the 'enriched unbleached flour' (or something like that) then you can do better.
In the end, of course, it's entirely up to you whether you stick with these bagels or not. By themselves they won't sabotage your bulk, but if they're like most bagels I've seen then they're just something you can improve on. Good news is that you eat them in the morning -- when your body is less likely to store fat -- and you are young, which means you can get away with less perfect diet than somebody older.
As far as eating between classes, I would just make sure you eat something in those five hours, even if it's not rich in protein. A banana or a handful of dry-roasted nuts or a protein bar or even your protein/oats shake brought from home can be kept in your locker and gulped down in about a minute if you have to. I would try for something like that to make sure you don't go whole five hours without food.
If you absolutely cannot eat anything, then so be it, you'll still be able to make progress. Just like the bagels, it's just another small thing you can improve on. In that case make sure your breakfast and your lunch are both very generous.
1777. Q:
Hey Mike Well my question for you is I'm a skinny guy I weigh about 150lbs and I'm 6'1' and I have man boobs I dont need to lose weight! but I would love to get in shape If you have any ideas let me Know Thank you
A:
You definitely should not be trying to lose weight! At your height and weight you can't possibly have significant 'man boobs'. A bit of fat deposit behind the nipples in the chest area is perfectly normal and you should not fret over it. If you are a teenager, then chances are good the appearance of these 'man boobs' will diminish as your body matures.
As far as getting in shape, that depends on what it is exactly you want to accomplish. You obviously don't want to lose weight, but do you want to gain weight and muscle? If you do, then you should start by reading my nutrition and weight training articles to learn how to eat and how to work out to build muscle. You can then use my fitness guide to get yourself a starter muscle-building diet with instructions how to customize it for yourself. If you are diligent in having a good diet and weight training then you will not only build muscles but also diminish the appearance of your 'man boobs'.
On the other hand you may not want to build muscle, but just get stronger. In that case you still want to read my weight training article and pick from the weight training programs in it.
Or you may not care about weight training at all but just want to have good cardio and be active. In that case, simply start running or swimming or biking or whatever you like best, play sports with friends or in school.
So it's up to you to decide what kind of 'good shape' you want to achieve exactly. Good luck!
1778. Q:
I am a fenale and have male calve muscle. How do i lose the calve muscle so i can have firm female legs and at the same time, lose weight on my thighs?
A:
Unfortunately there is no way to directly lose only calf muscle or only thigh fat. The good news is that you can accomplish both by losing overall weight! The best way to go about losing overall weight for you will be pretty much the same as for anyone else trying to lose fat: healthy diet, weight training, and cardio as described here -- please read that article carefully and follow its directions. BUT, because you specifically want to lose calf muscles, you will need to skip any lower-body weight training (but keep upper body!) and you will need to limit your cardio to pretty much just swimming or another zero-impact form.
Finally, if you wear high heels a lot you may want to try and cut down on them as well -- they can build up calf musles quite a bit. Good luck!
1779. Q:
what is the best way to lose love handles, thigh fat and calve muscle? as summer is around the corner?
Linda
A:
Check out right above: Q&A #1778
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