Thursday, October 26, 2006

Turbulence Training Workout Q'n'A

More q'n'a this week as I help you refine your program to squeeze every last little bit of fat loss from your efforts. I know how hard you are working in the gym, so you can't let your nutrition mess you up.

Sometimes we cheat too much, and other times we are fooled by what we think is good nutrition. I have an interview with Dr. John Berardi coming soon...

On to your questions...

Q: The people I work with are always giving me a hard time about my healthy lifestyle. We recently had a company function where a drunk senior colleague gave me a really hard time about my healthy eating and my choice to not drink a lot at the event. This guy has a lot of pull at work, and I am worried his attitude is not only going to impact my workout goals, but also my standing in the company.

Answer:
Like everyone, you work with a bunch of idiots.

Seriously, if this is how they treat you because you choose not to get wasted at company parties, or order something healthy at a lunch meeting, then how can you expect them to treat you fairly for your career?

I would start looking for a new job yesterday (secretly, of course) and get out of this company ASAP.

I wouldn't be surprised if you told me the company is not doing as well as it could. Why would it after all, with this type of attitude and those employees running the scene?

I can't stress enough how important social support is in helping you reach your goals. Do the best you can to surround yourself with positive contributors.

Q: I start my day with a shake consisting of fruit juice and milk. Is this a good idea?

Answer:
I could think of a lot worse things to start your day with.

However, I could also think of a lot better things.

This shake has the potential to rapidly increase your blood sugar and then rapidly decrease it as well. That could leave you tired and/or hungry. Exactly the opposite of what we want our meals to do for us.

It is okay for a post-workout meal, but not as a normal breakfast. You should focus on eating fruit, rather than drinking juice, so that you get the benefits of the fruit fiber. I would also choose another protein source besides milk, and leave milk for my post-workout drink. Even yogurt is a better substitution.

Make sure that you get more fiber in early in the day, as this helps to control appetite and blood sugar over the rest of your day.

Q: I am a 50 year male, I work out regularly. I have read that to gain weight/ bulk up I need to do less cardio or NO cardio at all. But I find that I gain too much additional weight in my stomach/mid section. Whats your opinion - in order to gain muscle without ab fat - simply do more ab work? And check my diet?

Answer:
If you are 90% perfect with your diet but still find that you are gaining too much extra fat when gaining muscle, you might consider adding in some bodyweight circuits first. Then consider intervals.

Ab workouts themselves won't do anything for your problem.

The bodyweight circuits are best because they also offer a strength stimulus in addition to a calorie burn stimulus.

This program uses bodyweight circuits in place of intervals

Q: I've got a question about fish oil supplements and have done some research on them. Do you use them and recommend them purely for health benefits or is there something about the fatty acids that helps you shed body fat and increase metabolism, too?

Answer:
I say health only, others (such as Dr. Berardi) think it might help lose body fat. I am far from convinced, but we'll see what Dr. John Berardi has to say in the future interview...

Q: Also, one of my clients lost about 16 inches from her body in 2 months and then told me she has been taking an 'Ultra 90' supplement, which is nothing more than collagen protein and a couple other 'inactive ingredients.' Their website is simply 'Ultra90.com' if you want to check it out? Have you ever heard of it -- do you think there's anything to it?

Answer:
Give yourself more credit and zero credit to the physical properties of the supplement.

Pills don't do anything for fat loss...but the seductive marketing power of "fat loss pills" is amazing, isn't it?

The marketing, and more likely, the fact that its human nature to want to believe in a magic pill, can convince everyone that the magic pills are responsible for the fat loss, and not all the hard work and good eating.

Too many before and afters, and too much marketing money thrown into the magazines. We've all been fooled at one point, I'd bet.

But if you haven't already checked this out, visit this link to see how easy the transformation can be done... and remember that next time you see one in a magazine or on TV.

Q: Your TT programs always have intervals after weights. Isn't it better to do cardio before weights?

Answer:
There's no reason why doing cardio before weights would be better...and honestly, there's really only one reason to do weights before intervals.Fatigue.

Intervals fatigue the leg muscles, leaving them too tired to do the strength training to the best of your ability.

Further, the overall general level of fatigue from intervals might leave someone too tired to do their best on strength training. So strength first, intervals second.

There's no magic increase in fat burning from doing things either way, but if you want to get the most out of your lifting, you should do strength training first.

I don't make the physiology rules, I just follow them,

CB

P.S. Get faster answers to your questions...
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