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

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!

rachmaree

Wondering if there are any particular programs you recommend for pregnant women? I'm in my 3rd trimester, and I'm walking more and more, but still trying to do 2-3 weigh sessions per week, although I feel a bit lost about what 'program' to follow.

Nightterror218

Bumping so i can follow

Coconut0406

I know this is probably a silly question but I'm really curious about this.

is there a correlation between a person's age and when DOMS kicks in?

My dad and I started working out together a few weeks ago. We do the same workout and somehow I'm really sore the next day but he doesn't feel anything until maybe the second day. I'm just wondering if it takes older people longer to feel delayed muscle soreness after a hard workout. You know, maybe something to do with recovery speed?

stroutman81

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?

I can't say that I've seen anything worthy in terms of prepackaged products. The problem is, and this transcends stretching/mobility work as it can be applied to any programming in general, any prepackaged program sold to the masses is going to be sub par given that we're all rocking unique bodies, capacities, and issues.

I think about all the people I see in my business and there are definitely some trends. By and large, most people come to be with weak glutes and core and kyphotic thoracic spines (look up upper crossed syndrome and lower cross syndrome)... so in that sense, since it applies to most people, you can put together a corrective exercise program that will help the majority of people who view it. But mostly it's going to come down to the individual needs.

I got a glimpse at a product that Eric Cressey, Mike Robertson, and Bill Hartman put out called Assess and Correct. It can be found here:

http://robertsontrainingsystems.com/assess-and-correct/

It's the best attempt I've seen as personally assessing static posture and prescribing corrective mobility, strengthening, and stretching stuff for the specific postural flaws. But I can't say I'd endorse it as something everyone around here should run out and buy.

There's a real nice product that's more directed at professionals from Charlie Weingroff, but again, this isn't something the everyday consumer is going to pick up and it's definitely not a program:

http://charlieweingroff.com/2010/12/trainingrehab—rehabtraining-dvd-set/

Here's how I handle my own posture/mobility:

I strength train, as that's one of the best forms of mobility out there. Think about what deep squats do for hip range of motion, stability, etc.

I foam roll a lot. While there's not a ton of academic research supporting it, foam rolling works. I roll every single day. Some before I train. Some in between sets. At night while messing around on the floor with the kids.

I do a lot of corrective direct strengthening for areas that tend to get lengthened and/or underactive for me. This tends to be the stabilizers of the shoulder and hip... lots of things like band pullaparts, wall slides, clamshells, x band walks, face pulls, etc.

I stretch as I see fit based on what's feeling tight.

That's pretty much it and I'm sure that's not what you were looking for.

Oh, and I have a good relationship with an amazing ART practitioner here that I'll go to when my issues exceed my own capabilities.

stroutman81

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.

Thanks man... back is looking huge!

stroutman81

Wondering if there are any particular programs you recommend for pregnant women? I'm in my 3rd trimester, and I'm walking more and more, but still trying to do 2-3 weigh sessions per week, although I feel a bit lost about what 'program' to follow.

Definitely not my area of expertise. But I will refer to:

http://www.stumptuous.com/weight-training-during-pregnancy

Jillk1023

bump to read after work hours

jenhen2752

For 9 months, I stuck to pretty rigidly to 1200 calories a day and consistently lost 1lb a week. At almost my target weight, I got a Fitbit which started crediting me with extra calories for all the activity I did during the day (just walking around, housework etc cos, at that point, I wasn't working out) and I stopped losing weight. I've since started working out and am burning about 500 calories a day through activity........so, if I continue to want to lose weight, should I stick to consuming 1200 calories, even if I'm burning an additional 500 calories per day as this gives me a Net Calorie Intake of 700 cals - is this safe? I'm pretty confused - it was easy when I wasn't working out and was completely inactive!!! It has been weeks since I've lost anything, however, this could also be muscle gain, right?

spicy618

If DOMS isn't a sign of a "good" workout, what is?

I'm of the mindset that a good workout will make my muscles sore. However, i've been lifting for about 2.5 months and have only felt it in the first few sessions. I know i'm not that fit. :laugh:

Mia_RagazzaTosta

bumping to follow