Q: Mike are you familiar with the product called Billy Bands which comes with 3 DVDs? I have it and havent made use of it very much. I tried the Basic Training DVD once and then gave up. It seemed too hard(but i was able to do it) Do you think it is a good program to keep up with?

A: I think you're talking Billy Blanks's program that uses resistance bands. My approach to training and fat/weight loss is different from his, but his program is above average for that style of training (cardio + light weights/resistance), so I would encourage you to stick with it.

Q: mike when i stand up i have a good upper body with little fat which i can see my not solid packs but when i sit seems that there is more fat so i feel weird

A: That's normal. When you sit down you typically relax, hunch over and/or lean forward a bit so what you suck up naturally when standing up bulges out and whatever little skin and fat you have on your stomach gets squeezed and folds over a bit. All that gives a different appearence from when you're standing up. There's no way of avoiding it aside from sitting perfectly straight up all the time.

Q: mike i have this fitness test in 2 months time can you give me a workout that can improve my fitness and stamina

A: It'd be easier for me to advise you if you told me what your fitness test consists of. For this answer I'll assume that the test is a mix of 2-mile run, pushups, and situps which pretty typical. The preparation for such a test should be two-fold: one, losing fat/weight to make yourself lighter and two, practicing and practicing often the actual running, pushups, and situps.

Q: reply to 1267, so you want me to do exactly the same, where i work the same body parts 2 days a week? or should i take one of your sample workouts, just for the days and exercises, then modify it for what i need?-what do i need then, just like 3 sets of 10 reps or so?

Q: if i do ALOT of pushups will i get pecs

Q: Person from 1260 - Well Mike, I didn't go to the doctor because shortly after I posted that question, I threw up. It truns out I had the stomach flu. Thanx for trying to help. Nothing serious. Its been 2 days now and my stomach flu is gone and I feel much better.

A: Glad to hear you're OK! Make sure you're fully recovered and eating normally again before you hit the weights.

Q: I would like ask u some questions:
a)Is it ok to exercise whole body every day?If not how many parts are we allowed to train each day so our weight training will be correct?One only,2,more?
b)Lets say we train 2 parts in each time.How many exercises should we do for each part so as our weight training wont be too long in time?I think 1 hour is the best,right?For example if we make legs and shoulders at the same day is it ok 3 exercises for legs and 3 for shoulders or is it too much for one training?Iam a beginner so i would like hear ur opinion.

Q: Reply to 1262, my goal right now is to lose my manboobs and put on lots of muscle.

A: For that, I'd say stick with your original weights program, don't do any muscle endurance-specific training, and do some cardio or HIIT (check out my answer to http://www.mikesfitness.com/content/cardio-intensity-for-losing-fat for info on HIIT).

Q: how many calories would i burn if i ran up and down 15 steps for an hour. im 5 ft 5 and i weigh 200 pounds. also is this a good exercise.

Q: Is it true that u should only do weight training for 45 mins or 1 hour MAX in order to get good results?Also,it is ok to train 2 body parts each time(different)?Problem is that if i do so i have to spent 1,5 hour or more to do all the exercises needed.If i do one part per day i leave one part of body untrained each week(i need to 5 days this way to do one part every day and i do 4,i have Sunday off and one day in the middle also off in order to rest more cause i tend to train as hard as i can).What is ur suggestion?Iam a little confused how i ll make my program.

Q: reply to 1258, im 15 kinda with manboobs you said dont worry about it though and just try to get much muscle as possible. im the guy a couple days ago that asked about my training routine if its overtraining and you referred me to your 4 day routine

Q: Hey mike....i am the same guy who wrote the question about the veins popping out of my arms, i am just starting to see them(faintly). I was just wondering about a six pack now. Will it be hard from now and how do i do it? Thank you, you have been a great help.

Q: Hey mike, what are some foods rich in BCAA's?
also, if i dont get a muscle burn like immediately after a set, does it mean im not doing the excersise right?

Q: When do u reach a point when u can hardly gain easy kgs anymore with bulkup?I have heard its after a year since u start it and by then u gain first kgs this way very easy and fast.

Q: mike some soccer players have muscle around thier chins and when u look infront of them it looks alittle like a double chin so is that considered a double chin

A: Sorry, honestly not sure what you mean. But in any case, it really doesn't matter I think -- if it looks good to you, then doesn't matter if it's considered double chin or not.

Q: Hey dude, how u going.
I have been working out with heavy weights for 16 weeks and am happy with the improvemts in both my body and its ability. During this time i smoked a lot of pot and would like to know specifically the effect of such pot in my system and on my progress to gettin a great body. I know health wise its a bad idea so i dont need comment on that aspect.
Thank you

Q: Mike, what do you think of a VERY low carb diet? I mean no bread and potatoes for about a month. I am very obese, I am 15, 230 pounds, 5'11. My brother did it and he lost a lot of weight. Do you think I should do that tpo lose weight? I have been struggling to lose weight for about 3 years now...

Q: mike how do u know if someone has a double chin

A: Just by looking head on. Many if not most people have it -- a small deposit of fat right under the chin that hangs down enough that it appears as a 'second chin' when you're looking at the person head on. A 'second chin' is not necessarily an indicator that the person is overweight, though it's certainly a lot more pronounced in overweight people.

Q: how do you get hard muscles, rather than defined muscles?

A: As I said in http://www.mikesfitness.com/content/strong-or-hard-muscles you have no control over the hardness of the actual muscle. By losing the fat the covers the muscles (in other words, by decreasing your body fat levels), you can increase the apparent hardness of the muscle. Aside from that however, the only way you can get harder muscles is by tensing/flexing them.

Q: What is the best way to not only get a defined stomach/abs, not to get abdominal muscles that instead of curving outwards like a beer belly - actually curve inwards so that they are smaller than your hip size. Some advisors say it it about being having very low body fat. I ask this, as the abs seem very tough to train as compared to the muscles in your leg. Do you have to very lean like a youth or do you need to be very muscular to have defined abs?

Q: MIke im the guy from 1234, can you help design me a workout that is just right? not as near to over training as you said it was. i can go to the gym 4-5 days a week and im currently on a bulking diet you and me worked out. On 1234 i forgot to tel you about shoulders. usually i do them on mondays and thursdays, and switch the back days aoruond with tues and fri. anyways, about this new workout plan, please help me. Im getting my rotator cuff healed, and my doctor said i can just bench the bar, for like 20-25 reps.

Q: What happens if u do weight training to failure and u dont overeat(ust eat normally).Does this mean weight training is useless to u this way?I cant eat more that i eat already,i eat 5 times a day nice clear foods but i cant up my kgs anymore.I dont wanna eat more.Does this mean weight training is useless to me anymore?Cant i gain more muscles this way?

Q: Hello Mike,i would like hear ur advice.I do proper nutrition and weight training 5 days a week.But 2 of these days i have to work at night till morning.And the 2 of them are together(Friday and Saturday).That means Friday morning i work at gym and night i work at my job till morning then i sleep in the Saturday morning and after i wake up i go to gym again Saturday afternoon and after at night working again till Sunday morning.As u can imagine it is very hard(also at night as i work i eat every 3-4 hours good foods )so i would like u to tell me ur opinion:Does this work?Does my body have th

Q: Mike, is this schedule 'overtraining?'
Monday: Bench press 4x10 Incline 4x10 flyes 3x5. Pushdowns 4x10 1-hand extensions 4x10. deadlifts 4x10(last=failure) rows 4x10 other back thing forgot what its called 4x10.
Tuesday: Squats 4x10(last set=failure) leg press calf extensions 4x15-20 seated calf raises 4x15-20 Leg extensions 4x10 Rev. leg extensions 4x10 barbell curls 4x10(last set-failure) hammers 4x10(last set -=failure)
wed. rest
thurs-repeat monday
fri.repeat tues.
sat. rest
sun- 15 min. HIIT, 4xmax crunchies.

Q: Person from Q 1228- I'm 15, 225 lbs, male, not too good physical condition, some physical activity (swimming every day of the week Mon- Friday 20 mins a day at school) large dinner, poor eating(nothing to lie about) I hope you can answer my questikon better now :) Thanx

Q: how do i lose weight but also gain muslce because i was told that if i do cardio and weight traing that one is cancelling the other out

A: If you are a beginner, slow weight loss through a healthy balanced diet combined with weight training and little or no cardio will also allow you to build muscle. You can get a complete sample program by filling out the Fitness Guide specifying weight loss or tone as your goal.

Q: (Re: 1222) Mike, thanks for the kind words and advice. My new plan is to not be so uptight about the protein intake but still try to increase it and to add 50 calories per week until I hit 2000. One thing I had noticed was that my strength on the bench press (which is where I gauge my strength) has not improved since I went to 1500 cals about 6 months ago, I had figured that was probably due to my decreased caloric intake. My plan had been to slowly increase my intake once I hit my goal, but I am now going to try it your way. Thanks for the great site. Ramiro

Q: I'm confused, In your diet Myths, it says that it is not true if you eat before you go to bed you will gain weight. I saw Oprah's TV show once and she said one of her secrets to losing weight was not to eat anything(even water) before 7:00 P.M. before she went to bed. Which one am I supposed to listen to??? Thanx for your help. Great Site!

Q: Mike, I recently read your article recommending a 43%: 30%: 27% protein to carb to fat calorie ratio to burn fat and have been (for the past week) attempting to meet this (with some success). Over the past year, I have lost approximately 90 pounds and have gone from 282 pounds to 194 pounds (41-year-old, 5'10' male). I did this by reducing my caloric intake to about 1500 calories per day but determined that my caloric intake was approximately 25%: 45%: 30% protein to carb to fat caloric intake.

Q: Hey mike, im the guy from 591. 15, and puffy nipples thing. I was wondering if your bulking diet you gave me, or a 'Testosterone Boosting' diet would be more ideal for gaining muscle and losing my manboobs. i was reading thru the t-booster article, it said about 30% fat, and carb to protein in a 2:1 ratio, still getting 1g/per lb of weight.

Q: Lets say i eat 2000 calories a day(are these i need each day to keep up my current way)and i want to do some bulk up.If i eat 2500 a day i ll put some weight(muscles) but if i eat lets say 3500 a day i will put more muscles but fat also as well.So,in first case i will obtain muscles but very slowly and in second i will obtain muscles faster but fat as well.Is my sceptical right?

Q: If i take my protein shake alone with nothing else to accompany it will it have the same effect like when i use it together with some carbs?I have heard that it is not consumed if i take it alone.

A: In general, yes, you want to eat complete meals with carbs, protein, and fats. But a protein-only shake will still give you more benefit than no shake at all, so if you absolutely cannot have a complete meal, then a shake is a good option.

Q: reply to 1213, im the guy from 1115 so you know who i am. and also suggestion for your site. i think you should do the thing where you have like the month and day thing listed at the bottom, then u can click on the month and day you want to go back to to find the question or whatever. like, i was trying to go from 1213 back to 1115 like this, and in order to do so you have to keep clicking previous.

Q: Mike, you have helped me work out a bulking diet. I was the guy w/ the manboobs, and u said that they should go away naturally. So, i was wondering how much cardio i should do per day when i workout in order to speed along the process of losing the moobs.

Q: how many calories does playing Paintball burn?

A: I'm not sure exactly how many calories it would burn, but check out http://www.mikesfitness.com/content/is-paintball-good-physical-activity -- if you are on the move of some sort at least half of the time while playing paintball, then it should be a great fat-burner.

Q: I am a 5'8' and 22yr old male.I have been training for around six months. I lift weights four times a week, and run or use the elliptical traing for almost five hours a week. I have a body fat percentage of less than 10% according the caliper measurements, but i can barely see my abs and only when i flex. The outline is very faint. What should i do to bring them out more. I simply can't run or do cardio anymore than I already do. I am sticking to around 2000 calories a days. Should I lower my calories or just weight traing on my abs more?

Q: How many nuts can i eat a day ?They contain healthy fat but i dont wanna eat too much.I use merely butter made on nuts.How much should i eat?I mean in each meal so as not to get too much fat.

Q: a big snow just happened...and i wanted to know if shoveling ALOT is a good workout. Also what is it working out? thanks mike!

A: Actually, yes, shoveling snow is a GREAT whole-body workout! Prepare to be sore the following day :) You will be working out:

• Legs, especially if you bend your knees a bit and then straighten them out when lifting the full shovel.
• Core muscles -- lower back, abs, butt when bending at the waist and then straightening back out. Lower back will get the heaviest workout in exercises like shoveling or picking stuff up.

Q: hi mike im 15 this year and my weight is 58kg and my height is 175++ do you think im fat ? because some of my friends think that im fat because of my face , its not baby fats because when i was a baby i was really small and tiny can you recommend me a way to lose those fats and have a firmer face ?

A: You are absolutely NOT fat! In fact, you're closer to being underweight than to being overweight. So definitely pay no attention to what your friends are saying about that. Do NOT try to lose weight because that may jeopardize your continuing healthy growth.

Q: Mike, I seem 'scared' to lose weight. When I say scared, I mean that: It seems like once you want to try to lose weight, eat better or exercise, it is very strict and very much of a hassle. Its like, eating right and exercising can be very dull and mind boggling. I don't think I can do it.

Q: Mike, i asked this question before, but i coudlnt find it so ill ask it again. when i flex my chest, i have more muscle by my armpit, and it kind of slants down in my upper chest then hills up towards my armpit area. is this from bad bench form?

Q: How do you tone muscles?

A: Muscle toning is a very misleading term. The only thing you can physically do to your muscles is either grow or reduce them in size. You have virtually no control over their shape. What you CAN do is lose the fat that covers up the muscle and expose the defined shape of the muscle to view instead of the shapeless fat. That gives the effect of 'muscle toning', even though it's all about losing the fat rather than anything to do with the muscle. So, to summarize, toning muscles is actually just losing fat!