Thanks for your emails this week...here are some of your most pressing fat loss, nutrition, abs, and weight loss questions...
Q: For an 8-week intensive fat loss plan, with no time restrictions, would a 3x week full body routine w/3 days of intervals on off days be optimal rather than a 4 day upper-lower split?
Answer:
Yes, I think the 3+3 schedule would be best. Alwyn Cosgrove has hypothesized this might be more effective than doing weights and intervals on the same day.
Q: On the 3x a week strength days, would using bb/db complexes or bw circuits at the end of the workout be too much (coupled w/intervals on the non-strength days)...over training?
Answer:
It could be...depending on past level of fitness and intensity of the complexes. If you use a very light load, you'll prevent muscle soreness.Design the complexes with that in mind and you should get the positives without the negatives. That is a good program - 3 weights plus complexes and 3 intervals.
Q: I'm a 35 year old woman with a bit of a belly pooch left behind after having kids. I've tried some light machine circuits and I do some walking for cardio, but nothing is changing. Do you have any suggestions?
Answer:
If you really want abs, or to get down to under 20% bodyfat, you need a real workout. You need to step outside of your comfort zone with your workouts, and say goodbye to long, slow cardio and light and easy strength training.
Doing one set of pushups is better than doing one set of every triceps kickback exercise and pecdec machine you can find.
Why? Because it trains your entire body. Have you ever seen a woman with flabby arms that can do 15 pushups? I tell ya, they are rare. What about a woman that can do a real chinup?
Aren't those the girls with killer arms and visible abs?
You bet.
So stick with a program of basic total-body strength exercises done in a total body workout 3 times per week. And step up your cardio to include interval training. The change in your program will cause your body to burn a lot more calories after the workout, and that's when you'll start to melt fat and sculpt your body.
Q: What are your maximum duration recommendations for holding planks -- side and reguar both for beginners and then for elite athletes or advanced exercisers
It seems to me that the next step would be a more difficult progression such as loading, or a more difficult exercise altoetgher, like the arms out in front of you "plank" (rather than elbows bent), or something along those lines, rather than continuing to hold for more time.
Some of the authorities like stuart mcgill like the planks as a low back stabilization tool, and Im curious if he or others have done any research on optimal durations for holding these isometric core/stabilization type exercises and if so, is that where you developed your own recommendations?
Answer:
According to McGill, a good plank duration is about 2 minutes. That duration seems to be related to fewer back problems.
For most beginners, 15 seconds is tough (overweight, sedentary individuals), but they will progress quickly. Keep working on this and the side plank exercise. Losing weight will also make this easier.
There's also set times for side planks (90 seconds) and a back extension hold. McGill also ratios between these exercises as guidelines for back health.
But I don't know how much extra protection is offered by the ability to do a plank for more than 3 minutes. I'm not sure if there would be any benefit to the "6-pack" development either.
I haven't trained too many people with an interest in doing a plank for longer than 2 minutes, so I agree with you, that there are other safe, yet more 'interesting' ab exercises to move onto.
In fact, most people would likely benefit from other exercises that force them to maintain spinal stability while incorporating motion at the hip or thoracic spine.
For example: starting in a side plank, slowly rotating to the plank position (without movement in the lumbar spine region), then moving into a side plank on the other side. All while keeping spinal stability.
You can do "fun" exercises for that goal, such as spiderman pushups.
Q: I still need more nutrition help. I'm not sure what to eat for breakfast for fiber (I have the protein part no problem) and I'm doing 2100 calories per day (male, 5'8, 195, high body fat percentage).
Answer:
For breakfast, other good fiber sources are: Grapefruit, an apple, almonds, alternative whole-grains, or an actual fiber supplement
Your calorie intake at 2100 looks pretty good. I would hold that steady for now and improve the quality of your calories. You need to do the old Sunday preparation: purchase, prepare, and pack the vegetables for the rest of the week.
If you truly want to succeed, it will simply take consistent small steps such as cutting up broccoli florets for lunch, preparing spinach salads and chicken breasts to take to work in tupperware, and preparing vegetable-filled omelets in the AM.
I have always recommended, and continue to recommend John Berardi's nutrition information packages...sometimes I find that in this case, me giving nutrition info is like you speaking to your teenage child. In one, out the other. People do what I say in their workouts, and succeed with that, but don't take nutrition seriously until they hear it from John.
It's no matter to me where you take your advice (whether its Dr. B or me), I just want you to follow good advice because it is so important for your success.
Get Precision Nutrition HERE to help you eat better in 2007
Keep up the great work everyone, you are changing your lives for the better,
CB
P.S. New bodyweight program on the way...
It might take another 8 weeks or so, but I plan on putting together another bodyweight program of at least 3 months. hopefully more. Stay tuned. Just another reason to get the TT Membership...
If you haven't already tried it, give the TT Bodyweight Athlete program a go.
Great program ==> 8-week Bodyweight Athlete Program
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