Its that time again, Time for me to share some true gems of knowledge and some real wieners. It’s never dull when you take answering hundreds of emails and phone calls from people all over the globe.
Subject: Cutting Calories
Question: I am 23 year old and weight 150 pounds, 5'6 tall. I want to lose 1-2 pound daily (specially my belly fat). How many calories should i burn daily and how many calories should I intake daily?
Louis
Answer: Louis - thats very hard to say as everyone if different. No matter which of the hundreds of equations you use to figure it out you will have to adjust for YOU. No cookie cuter math equation is real life.
That said a good starting point for you to adjust from would be 1650 calories of good foods. Couple that with some walking and three sessions of resistance training a week for an hour or so with BIG compound moves out of machines and see what turns out.
The number one thing I would do however, prior to ever having anyone cut calories, would be to just take baby steps and nail a solid diet of real food, protein, fats and carbs from real food. Get going on a solid training schedule they can live with LONG TERM. That alone will have 99% of the world making great progress without having to stoop to the level of stressing over diet and counting calories, and calories burnt. If you don’t have a solid foundation of habits built then putting up walls and hanging picture will just fail and not be long lived as the house itself will fall down.
Phil
Subject: Twitching Muscles
Question: I noticed my muscles (all over) have been very tired with little activity, fatigued and even last few weeks have been twitching alot (not spasm)....in legs ,ribs ,calves,arms etc. I am a vegetarian and rarely eat diary so just about vegan...could you tell me if youve heard of this before and what you think or recommend me getting more of? i try to eat well rounded but im a picky...does this mean im lacking in a specific nutrient? Any advice or help would be most appreciated.
sincerely, Marvin
ANSWER: Marvin-
The first thing I would do is get water in you. You sound possibly dehydrated. Likely very low on sodium and potassium as well. Maybe iron since your not eating one of the most important food groups man evolved to eat and led to us being at the top of the food chain. Things that move make noise and taste good, Meats, fish, poultry, dairy etc.. But if your getting plenty of nuts then you could be getting enough iron and I wouldnt over due it on the iron. You dont want iron in excess. I would however give Large consideration to going BACK to your instincts and being at least a bit carnivorous.
Id look at the water, upping your salt intake and possibly potassium as well. Likely your overall calories are low to leading to your being sore and weak.
Phil
Subject: Getting a 6 Pack
Question: Hello Phil!! OK so here is my story... I am 17 years old 6 foot tall and currently i weight about 162. I was at about 200 pounds but i lost it all in about 3 months... but i lost it a bit too fast because when i lost the weight i lost muscle with it. And I want to know the best direction to get a 6pack!! Everyone says " all you need to do is lose the fat " and well Ive done that... i cant get much skinnier... when i stand up... and try to pinch the fat on my stomach there's virtually none... and maybe some skin i can pinch but that's it. So I was thinking could the reason I don't have a 6pack be due to the fact that i lost muscle during my weight loss? Should i focus on building up muscle in my abs... or focus on what everyone else says " just lose more fat they will show " sorry for the long question, but hopefully you can answer. thanks !!
Carl
ANSWER:
NO!!!!!!!!!! Carl DONT lose more weight! My man your 6 foot tall and a nothing 162lbs. They only thing you have left is some skin bones organs and water, and that’s if your lucky. I’ve been there, you lose more weight you’ll simply be dead, just a skeleton.
You need to get a good relationship with eating more, training hard with BIG compound moves, and add full body muscle to see your abs. Yes you have to have low fat but you need muscle to show before you can, well, show it. Your trying to unveil something you don’t have it’s a common mistake now a days.
Start training under heavy loads, squats, deadlifts, various presses and pulls and eat and gain weight.
Phil
Subject: Toning
Question: Hi Phil,
Hope you don't mind me asking you this question as its on behalf of my girlfriend who is 28, 5ft 5ins and is trying to get fitter. We're going running together as well as going to the gym to do some weights and use the sauna and steam room etc but it was from a weights perspective I wanted to ask a question. Hannah wants to do toning in particular and I've given her exercises to do all with free weight dumb bells as she can do those at home too but if she wants to tone is it more the number you do rather than reps? Like 40 arm curls of the same weight or something instead of different reps of different weights?
Hannah wants to tone more than anything else and in particular wants to get more toned arms as well, what exercises and how many times will she need to do to see a big difference?
Any info you can provide would be greatly appreciated.
Cheers
Tom
Answer: Tom-
There is so much misconception and bad information out there about women and weights. Like doing weights with light weight and high reps to tone etc.. Fact is your girlfriend needs to train like a human, like a man, or any women she sees in great shape. Heavy and hard to get toned. What makes a man Big, makes women hot and toned. Look at various athletic women, women who play beach volleyball, women in the olympics, sprinters, basketball players, figure models.
I’ve trained and trained with many a hard working female athlete and they train HEAVY and hard, with BIG compound moves like squats and deadlifts, bench, and overhead presses, rows and chins. If your girl wants to get toned. Have a nice money maker to shake around and for you to grab hold of she needs to have muscle. Muscle is what creates tone. She wont get HUGE. For one its not in her genetics as a female, generally, and you have to Eat a LOT to get huge. If she aint eating for it she cant possibly get HUGE and blocky even with exogenous hormones introduced.
Get her on a basic plan with free weights and BIG compounds that burn a LOT of energy and use a LOT of muscle like the ones I listed and some others like lunges, cleans, sprints, push ups, box jumps etc etc. The list is endless. Limit the machine work to nothing and the small moves like curls and crunches to 10% or less of the training and she will see results. A good plan is three times a week, work Hard, aim to progress. Make this a lifestyle and stick to it, you cant just get in shape stop and expect to stay that way. Its not like a new paint job on a car that you can get done and polish it real quick every few months. Every week every day you have to want and enjoy working at it. Stick to it forever find an activity you enjoy.
Phil
Subject: Supplementing
Question: Phil,
I'm 19 years old and still fairly new to the gym, my high school P.E. classes didn't frequent the weight room, and I'm not exactly the biggest guy in town.
I have always been on the thin side, but recently I have begun to fill out. I joined the gym, and work out about twice a week. I try to do more, but just can't find the time right now. I circuit train through the equipment and try to work everything in a half hour session or so, spend some time working my abs from several different exercises including the crunch machines, regular crunches, the roman chair leg lifts, and the oblique twist.
I feel and look better than I ever have, but I am still not happy. I read in the magazines about fitness supplements, and enhancers, and I'm confused. I used to buy whey protein powder, but have been told that it really has no effect.
Can you tell me a little bit more about supplements? Do I really need to supplement to look like the magazine guys?
Any advice you can offer would be greatly appreciated
Thank you,
James
Answer: James-
NO, you have no business using any supplement right now aside from a protein powder which is just really easy food, an easy and great way to get your needed protein. What you lack is a good training plan and dedication. You need that for a few years prior to ever thinking about supplements that may give you that last 2% edge.
Get off the machines, try and dedicate three days a week to training hard with free weight exercises, BIG compound moves that will actually build a substantial amount of muscle, strength, flexibility and power. Stick to it for a few years and you will see awesome progress.
Less crunches and more squats and presses = progress
Phil
---------- FOLLOW-UP ----------
I hesitate to do the free weights, like I said, i have been on the thin side, and I do get embarrassed in the gym when I see the guys lifting so much and I struggle with half of that. Trying to build myself up and keeping that mindset is difficult for me too.
Do you have advice for dealing with this? I know it's pretty silly but I am afraid of what the bigger guys think when I walk up and pick up a 20, when they're pumping a 50 like nobody's business
Answer: James-
“The best way to suck at something is never do it” The Wombat circa 2009
My advice for your situation GET OVER IT and get in there NOW. I was the weak guy once and I just jumped in and did it. You will earn the respect of any real lifter not by how much you lift, but by how hard you work. Keep at it, keep trying, and soon any real lifter will be the first person to lend a hand once they see you are committed and deserve spending precious time on.
I am a 700+ pound deadlifter and I train with men and women who cant lift 80 lbs from the floor. I also train with men who can do more then I. Its not what you lift but that you bring the mind set, the dedication and drive.
Phil
Originally Published On StaleyTraining.com
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