Some Common Questions and
Myth-understandings
(FAQ)
Number 1 question: How Do I Lose FAT?
to find out
how!
Q: I've been training for a while but haven't seen any results. What's wrong?
A: There can be many reasons for this, here are a few things to think about:
a) Have you been consistent, training at least 3-4 times per week?
b) Have you been training hard, or just going through the motions? See Intensity! section.
c) Have you been using free weights as your mainstay or are you still stuck on machines?
d) Are you eating enough to gain muscle, or cutting back enough to lose fat? See Weight_Gain or Fat Loss.
e) If you're doing any cardio, be sure to do it AFTER the weight workouts or at a different time or different day. Don't do cardio before weight training except as a short warm-up.
"I don't want to put on TOO much muscle"
A: I don't know how many times I've heard this, mostly from women but sometimes from men. If they only knew how hard it is to put on even a bit of muscle, never mind too much. It's muscle, fat, and bone structure that determines a person's body shape and fat doesn't add much shape, not the kind they're after anyway. Bones stay pretty much the same, which leaves muscle as the only means to change the shape of the body. If a person DOES happen to gain too much size in a bodypart, they can simply stop training it and it will slowly shrink back.
"Weight training won't get rid of fat"
A: On the contrary, although it should be combined with some kind of aerobic activity, weight training goes a long way toward burning fat. First, although lifting weights is anaerobic, it steps up the metabolism for several hours after the workout, which burns a significant amount of calories. Second, muscle is active, as opposed to fat (which is inert) and the more muscle you have, the more calories you will burn, even while you do nothing.
"I don't have the genetics to get big"
Everyone can improve no matter what the body type. This statement usually comes from someone who has been training for a year or two and has reached a stale point, or they've gotten lazy to train properly or intensely. The best improvements usually come in the first six months to a year, and slow down after that, but you can still steadily improve whatever your genetics or age. True, they may never become a professional bodybuilder but most people have the capacity to develop a decent physique.
"How long should I train?"
It has been shown that intense workouts for a duration of 45 minutes to an hour is optimal and this should be the norm, although an occasional 1 1/2 or 2 hour workout doesn't hurt either. It depends on your energy levels and the intensity of your workout. My workouts usually last just over an hour.
