90 minute Q&A - All fitness and weight loss related please

stroutman81

I have about 90 minutes of spare computer time. Last time I hosted one of these, there was a crazy turnout of questions and quality conversation. I figured I'd open up another to see if there's still as much interest. Please feel free to fire away with your questions.

Obviously we can't get into too many specifics, so try to keep your questions more general.

about_time_4_change

Is there any way to tone bat wing arms after weight loss besides surgery?

staroftheeast

Thanks for doing this Steve.

I don't have a question. I just wanted to bump this for you.

lmsky12

I have about 43 more pounds to lose and I'm terrified of having loose skin. I had a baby 1.5 years ago, and my stomach muscles still haven't recovered. Is there anything I can do to prevent or at least lessen the severity of loose skin from weight loss?

stroutman81

Is there any way to tone bat wing arms after weight loss besides surgery?

Depends. Is it skin or is it still an excess of fat in that area?

If it's skin, Tom Venuto wrote an awesome piece you should read here:

http://www.burnthefat.com/loose_skin.html

If it's fat, well, the only thing to do is stay patient and work on losing more than you have already. That's assuming you're not already at a healthy weight / body comp.

When we talk about toning, we often forget that we're really talking about two separate tissues - fat and muscle. We aren't going to convert one into the other so we have to find a way to balance both that leads to the most aesthetically pleasing look for us. In most peoples' minds, this means minimizing fat stores and maximizing muscle mass.

I wouldn't suggest banging out loads of direct tricep resistance training exercises as that's likely to do little for you. But following a structured and progressive resistance training program paired with a reasonable diet that's calorically aligned with fat loss is, simple, yes, but also likely the optimal approach.

Again, that's assuming it's excess fat. If it's skin, refer to that article as I wholeheartedly agree with it.

graysmom2005

You bet. Fitness instructor here. 7-9+ classes a week so I can't switch it up too much as it's a structured work/workout schedule. I can't seem to drop below 148-150 no matter how much I watch diet/calories. If I go up even past 1700 or so I start to gain...considering my workout schedule this seems insane. Any ideas? Hormones fine. Around 22% BF I think. Try and keep things low-ish carb. Most come from veggies.

jacksonpt

Is there anything fundamentally different about what works going from 30% bf to 15% as compared to going from 15% to 8%?

i.e. does the method matter more the leaner you get? Or is it still just about patience, commitment, and consistency?

LarryDUk

At what BF should you stop eating at a deficit if you want to build muscle?

LaurnWhit

Bump to read later!

about_time_4_change

Thanks for the info!

maria_b22

bump

Mslmesq

Does pilates and yoga substitute for weight lifting, or do you recommend both for purposes of maintaining muscle health. Note:I'm over 40 and this is for health reasons and maintaining muscle rather than asthetics.

Thank you.

stroutman81

I have about 43 more pounds to lose and I'm terrified of having loose skin. I had a baby 1.5 years ago, and my stomach muscles still haven't recovered. Is there anything I can do to prevent or at least lessen the severity of loose skin from weight loss?

See the above answer. Unfortunately there's not much you can do... the vast majority of the issue is going to be dictated by your genetics. I've personally seen people lose 30 lbs and have lose skin issues while also seeing people lose 100+ lbs and be perfectly fine. A lot of it is a crapshoot.

I'm not a fan of surgery for aesthetic reasons in most cases, but lose skin is one of those things I make an exception for. You work your butt off to achieve health and a good body... once you get to the point where the only thing that's holding you back is something you likely won't be able to alter... well, surgery's a viable option in my mind.

Granted, I think before opting for that route you need to give it some time once you reach your "goal weight." The rebound of skin can take a while if it's going to happen.

I also think you need to do what you can to optimize body comp. Most people have the nutrition part down, but many aren't doing anything to manage the muscle side of the equation (strength training), and that's a problem.

But if you've got those bases covered and you're still having issues... well, again, surgery is a viable option in my mind.

stroutman81

You bet. Fitness instructor here. 7-9+ classes a week so I can't switch it up too much as it's a structured work/workout schedule. I can't seem to drop below 148-150 no matter how much I watch diet/calories. If I go up even past 1700 or so I start to gain...considering my workout schedule this seems insane. Any ideas? Hormones fine. Around 22% BF I think. Try and keep things low-ish carb. Most come from veggies.

I take it you're leading/participating in the fitness classes, right? So you're working out relatively intensely at least 7-9 times per week. And are you working out on your own outside of these classes?

stroutman81

double post

deninevi

bump!

fjrandol

How can I best integrate a heavy lifting routine into my marathon training schedule without it negatively affecting my runs? Currently looking at 3-4x/week running, and would like to add in 2-3/week lifting. I miss my squat rack!

BarackMeLikeAHurricane

How many calories does it take to build a pound of muscle? I know a pound of fat is 3500 and I know that when broken down, a pound of muscle will be utilized as 600 calories, but I've never found a reliable answer as to how many calories go into building a pound of muscle. If possible, cite sources.

stroutman81

Is there anything fundamentally different about what works going from 30% bf to 15% as compared to going from 15% to 8%?

i.e. does the method matter more the leaner you get? Or is it still just about patience, commitment, and consistency?

Hot damn that's a great question.

Generally not much changes fundamentally. You still need a deficit in order to tap into the fat. You still need a balanced exercise approach to optimize body composition.

However, what does change is your body's sensitivity to stress. Generally speaking, and your mileage may vary, people can handle less volume/intensity as their bodies get leaner. Which is counter-intuitive for a lot of people. They think they should be doing more at this stage, especially seeing as how the rate of progress slows to a crawl for a lot of people... they get impatient and try throwing more at the body.

But the fact is, being lean goes against our body's natural inclination. And because it doesn't necessarily "want to be " lean, it's going to increase sensitivity to stress. Meaning bmr can reduce the most at this stage of the game as your body attempts preservation. More injuries or simple aches and pains can pop up in response to exercise. Desire to train and mental drive can be reduced.

In a nutshell, you simply have to refine your approach as you progress down the latter of leanness. For me, personally, that means focusing on the basics that drive the most benefit and shedding everything else since my body's recovery ability is minimized. After that it's all about patience.

I do tend to get more nitty gritty with the timing of my carb intake at that stage too. I've found it to be beneficial for optimizing partitioning of calories, but at the end of the day, the difference between hitting your daily targets with macros/calories vs. timing carbs around training likely isn't going to be terribly drastic so it really boils down to a matter of preference.

jacksonpt

Is there anything fundamentally different about what works going from 30% bf to 15% as compared to going from 15% to 8%?

i.e. does the method matter more the leaner you get? Or is it still just about patience, commitment, and consistency?

Hot damn that's a great question.

Generally not much changes fundamentally. You still need a deficit in order to tap into the fat. You still need a balanced exercise approach to optimize body composition.

However, what does change is your body's sensitivity to stress. Generally speaking, and your mileage may vary, people can handle less volume/intensity as their bodies get leaner. Which is counter-intuitive for a lot of people. They think they should be doing more at this stage, especially seeing as how the rate of progress slows to a crawl for a lot of people... they get impatient and try throwing more at the body.

But the fact is, being lean goes against our body's natural inclination. And because it doesn't necessarily "want to be " lean, it's going to increase sensitivity to stress. Meaning bmr can reduce the most at this stage of the game as your body attempts preservation. More injuries or simple aches and pains can pop up in response to exercise. Desire to train and mental drive can be reduced.

In a nutshell, you simply have to refine your approach as you progress down the latter of leanness. For me, personally, that means focusing on the basics that drive the most benefit and shedding everything else since my body's recovery ability is minimized. After that it's all about patience.

I do tend to get more nitty gritty with the timing of my carb intake at that stage too. I've found it to be beneficial for optimizing partitioning of calories, but at the end of the day, the difference between hitting your daily targets with macros/calories vs. timing carbs around training likely isn't going to be terribly drastic so it really boils down to a matter of preference.

Cool, thanks.

stroutman81

At what BF should you stop eating at a deficit if you want to build muscle?

That's pretty difficult to answer. If I were to pull a number out and say something like 10%, that might be just right for some people and off base for others. An example of the latter would be a scrawny teenager who never lifted a weight in his life who's sitting at 12-14% bf and 150 lbs. No way am I having that kid diet. I'm going to focus on getting him strong and building up some muscle, which ultimately will improve his body comp in the end anyhow... you either push it down by losing fat or you pull it down by adding muscle, the latter which all in all is a tediously slow process in most cases.

And yeah, adding muscle is typically accompanied by adding some fat, but in some populations it's a necessary evil. And in some populations, like the novice scrawny dude, even though he's sitting sort of high in bf%, focusing on adding muscle can actually lead to concurrent fat loss.

I'll say this. I don't worry about body fat %. I don't track it on myself or with any of my clients. I let the mirror, pictures, and performance determine progress.

Be that as it may, again, if I were forced to pick a number, I'd say 10%. It seems the fatter you start a surplus phase, the more fat you tend to accumulate throughout the process.

sixpacklady

Any tips for losing the last 10? Why is it so difficult?

Any tips for fine tuning of the macros at this point?

stroutman81

Are they ideal? Likely not. I'd prefer to see some form of progressive loading on the body to ensure muscle loss - especially age related muscle loss. You have to remember, it's also the quality of muscle that deteriorates with aging, and traditional, progress strength training is the best option for offsetting such losses.

That being said, resistance training comes in many packages. I mean think in these terms... in research, we'll see where overweight and sedentary test subjects wind up gaining muscle in their legs when they're placed on a walking program. Why's this? Walking isn't resistance training? But it is! You're moving load/resistance (your body weight) repetitively using your leg muscles.

Most around here wouldn't realize that same effect in response to walking and here's why.

Our bodies adapt to an overloading stimulus. If you're overweight in sedentary, walking at volume pushes your muscles over that threshold where they're forced to adapt. Most around here are active enough where they need high threshold stimulus to drive progress. Which is why progressive resistance training with external weights is ideal. You can always stay ahead of that threshold as your body advances/adapts.

Can you preserve the muscle you currently have using simply your body weight? It depends on how much muscle you currently have. If you're a former athlete and/or you've built up a decent base of muscle by way of training, most body weight training strategies isn't going to cut it since you're stimulating your body with a stress that's below what it's accustomed to dealing with (that whole overload thing). If you aren't rocking a significant base of muscle to begin with and your threshold for adaptation isn't very high... sure, things like yoga and pilates can do the trick. Optimally? I wouldn't say so. But if you loathe traditional forms of resistance training, it's likely a decent alternative.

stroutman81

How can I best integrate a heavy lifting routine into my marathon training schedule without it negatively affecting my runs? Currently looking at 3-4x/week running, and would like to add in 2-3/week lifting. I miss my squat rack!

If it were me, I'd boil it down to something very very basic, low volume, high intensity. Training decisions are full of compromises. The moment you decided to focus on endurance competition is the moment, knowingly or not, that you decided to let your muscle mass and strength slide a bit. Mileage varies a bit across endurance athletes, but by and large, the adaptations that are associated with endurance training are in direct contrast to the adaptations associated with strength and muscle hypertrophy.

Which is fine... one is not more right than the other. If you want to be competitive at endurance, those are simply sacrifices you have to make. Form follows function so how you train your body will ultimately dictate how you look within your genetic limits.

Since your body can only handle so much stress, your goal should be to preserve as much muscle/strength as possible while doing the endurance stuff. We know it takes less volume to maintain a quality than it does to build it. And it's the higher intensity stuff (higher loading relative to your maximum ability) that tends to work best to keep muscle around. Which is why I say, something low volume and high intensity is best.

Think about a full body training program a couple of times per week where you hit a squat or hip hinge movement, a push, and a pull for a handful of sets at anything like 4-8 reps per set.

Maybe something like day 1:

Squat - 2-3 x 6-8
Barbell Row - 2-3 x 4-6
Overhead Press - 2-3 x 6-8

Day 2:

Trap Bar Deadlift / Deadlift / Romanian Deadlift / Hip Thrust or whatever - 2-3 x 4-6
Bench Press - 2-3 x 4-6
Pull-ups/Pulldowns/Rack-Chins or whatever - 2-3 x 6-8

graysmom2005

You bet. Fitness instructor here. 7-9+ classes a week so I can't switch it up too much as it's a structured work/workout schedule. I can't seem to drop below 148-150 no matter how much I watch diet/calories. If I go up even past 1700 or so I start to gain...considering my workout schedule this seems insane. Any ideas? Hormones fine. Around 22% BF I think. Try and keep things low-ish carb. Most come from veggies.

I take it you're leading/participating in the fitness classes, right? So you're working out relatively intensely at least 7-9 times per week. And are you working out on your own outside of these classes?

I am doing the workout with them yes (Les Mills) so I'm drenched at the end. Not working out on own since I'm teaching so much. should I be?

stroutman81

How many calories does it take to build a pound of muscle? I know a pound of fat is 3500 and I know that when broken down, a pound of muscle will be utilized as 600 calories, but I've never found a reliable answer as to how many calories go into building a pound of muscle. If possible, cite sources.

Beats the heck out of me. I don't think you'll find any reliable sources that pinpoint that value either. I hope it's just for your own curiosity's sake and nothing more, right? I mean even if we knew, it's like the whole 3500 calories for 1 lb of fat loss dogma. I explained why it's pointless worrying about such drivel in my free nutrition 101 book, which I think everyone around here has read by now.

I remember a thread on Lyle's forum that discussed this... let me see...

Here it is, but not going to get your any definitive values or anything:

http://forums.lylemcdonald.com//showthread.php?t=7427

stroutman81

Any tips for losing the last 10? Why is it so difficult?

Any tips for fine tuning of the macros at this point?

Did you read the lean getting leaner monster thread here?

http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/113609-relatively-light-people-trying-to-get-leaner

stroutman81

You bet. Fitness instructor here. 7-9+ classes a week so I can't switch it up too much as it's a structured work/workout schedule. I can't seem to drop below 148-150 no matter how much I watch diet/calories. If I go up even past 1700 or so I start to gain...considering my workout schedule this seems insane. Any ideas? Hormones fine. Around 22% BF I think. Try and keep things low-ish carb. Most come from veggies.

I take it you're leading/participating in the fitness classes, right? So you're working out relatively intensely at least 7-9 times per week. And are you working out on your own outside of these classes?

I am doing the workout with them yes (Les Mills) so I'm drenched at the end. Not working out on own since I'm teaching so much. should I be?

No, no way. Just trying to get a feel for your workload.

What was the highest your weight's ever been?

When's the last time you took a break from deficit eating and intense exercise?

jacksonpt

Hopefully a quick and dirty one for ya...

I feel like stretching/mobility work doesn't get the attention it deserves from most people. Any links/references to decent routines?

SideSteel

Bumping this so it shows up on my wall.
Thanks for taking your time.

Steve is a great resource, take advantage of this time people.

Angie80281

Bumping to check out some of the links later. Thanks for offering your time to us!