Weekly Q&A - 03/06/12 - Responses Pt. 1

This is part one of the responses to the Weekly Q&A post that can be found here. If you’d like to ask a question then please refer back to the original post. 

Thank you and enjoy!

 shawmor answered your question: Weekly Q&A - 03/06/12

I eat roughly 1800 calories a day. If I burn 500 do I still eat 1800 or do I eat 2300?

First, I have no idea if that’s how much you should be eating as I have no information to support the numbers (your height, weight, age, sex, activity, background). Second, if you factored in your calories including an activity level you do not eat back any calories you burn. That’s already factored in.

Furthermore, stop caring about how many calories are burned. There’s no reason to. Just eat an amount, be active and check the results.

 jglock answered your question: Weekly Q&A - 03/06/12

How can I maximize the size of my bicep peak? and how can you get that round shape of your biceps when relaxing.

Much of the way your biceps develop are going to be based on your genetics. In regards to training through there are two heads of the biceps, the brachii and the brachialis. You’ll want to hit both heads of the bicep through a couple of different exercises. The best exercises I could name off the top of my head for full bicep inclusion would be preacher curls, incline curls and concentration curls. Also, your grip width if using a barbell or ez curl bar is going to determine some of the activation of the bicep heads. 

Now, on the other side of this having high peaking biceps mean absolutely nothing in terms of how strong you are. You’ll develop a great amount of strength for your biceps from doing deadlifts, rows, chin-ups and regular ole’ curls if need be.

 heroofthyme answered your question: Weekly Q&A - 03/06/12

Can you recommend a good oly lift based routine that still involves deadlifts?

I would recommend you to follow the principle of specificity and also prioritization of programming. Develop your routine based on your needs and desires. Yes, following pre-made plans such as 5/3/1, StrongLifts, Starting Strength, Westside, etc. are fine and dandy, but when you surpass your newbie gains in strength and size you’ll need to follow more specific programming.

That being said I would urge you to follow your own programming or enlist the assistance of an olympic lifting coach to help create a plan that is made to address your wants and needs.

 everybodykiller answered your question: Weekly Q&A - 03/06/12

How should you lift if you just want to gain strength but not mass? (I’m afraid of getting too bulky)

Some size increase will happen with strength gain. Also, cutting fat will give the visual of more muscle gain. Just lift in the 1-5 rep range and focus on getting strong. Honestly, the only way you’re going to get real “bulky” is if you’re eating to get real big.

 thelovebelow21 answered your question: Weekly Q&A - 03/06/12

i dont currently have access to a gym. whats a good way to workout with(out) one?

Body weight exercises, sledgehammers, hill sprints, sand bags, bar routines (local parks), HIIT, etc. Nothing quite does the job like lifting heavy weights though, at least in my opinion.

 therealbenjohnson answered your question: Weekly Q&A - 03/06/12

can you shed some light on muscle stacks for me? and it would be awesome if you have any sugestions for me to start off with!

Are you asking as in a supplement stack? Protein, creatine, calories.

 doingtheneedful answered your question: Weekly Q&A - 03/06/12

Are discussions of “bulking” and “cutting” useful for people who are not competing in bodybuilding or powerlifting?

Bulking is essentially just a term used for someone that is attempting to gain weight. Cutting is a term used by someone looking to lose fat. They’re usually heard more in the realm of athletics or modeling, but are being heard a bit more by the general population. 

You could simply just say you’re trying to gain muscle/weight (bulking) or that you’re attempting to shed some fat (cutting). Either way it doesn’t really matter as it means the same.

There is a more detailed breakdown of water, sodium, carbohydrate, etc. bulking/cutting, but let’s save that for another time.

 tonymuscoli answered your question: Weekly Q&A - 03/06/12

I am recovering from knee surgery. I want my massif quads back, but Leg Extensions are hard on the knees. What is a good isolation exercise??

Reverse, upside down deadlifts with trap bar that is held vertically with fat gripz.

 liveordiefree answered your question: Weekly Q&A - 03/06/12

What is the best way to heal and recover from a torn or dislocated shoulder in the first month, not sure exactly what it is not rotator cuff

Well, don’t use it and rest it. More important though you should please consult your physician for any matters regarding injuries and rehabbing them. 

 motherhen2 answered your question: Weekly Q&A - 03/06/12

What is the best protein you can recommend for a girl? i just started including protien shakes in my diet, right now i take lean pro matrix

There is no difference in protein for sexes. You can lift in the same way that males do and you can absolutely eat the same things as men. Any protein is fine from meats to dairy to whey protein supplements. As far as specificity for brands goes personal favorite choice for supplementing whey protein is Optimum Nutrition’s 100% Gold Standard Whey.

 jbsmith replied to your post: Weekly Q&A - 03/06/12

I’ve lost 60 lb this year by doing an hour of cardio everyday and a strict diet, but I still need to lose 30 to get a healthy BMI. I’m very busy, so is it worth the time sacrifice of not getting in as much cardio in order to start strength training?

Congratulations on your great results so far. First, I need you to do me a big favor that is going to help you immensely. Throw your cares of BMI standards out the window, please. Go for what will make you feel comfortable and happy. Don’t live your life chasing some meaningless numbers put down in a text book or up on some website.

Okay, now that I got that out of the way I want to clarify that you don’t need to do another minute of your typical cardio training in your life if you really do not want to. Fat (weight) loss is all a matter of calories in versus calories out. As long as your body is outputting more energy than it is intaking you will achieve fat (weight) loss.

To answer your question if it’s worth it to sacrifice cardio for strength training, yes. If you’d like to get into strength training (which I really hope you do because the benefits are incredible) then I urge you to invest in the book Starting Strength by Mark Rippetoe as an introductory to strength training. Lifting (heavy) weights combined with a proper diet will ramp up your metabolism, build strength and develop some awesome lean muscle mass. Just doing 30-45 minutes of heavy lifting in the gym 3-4x a week will do more for your muscles, metabolism and fat loss goals then 6-7 hour long cardio sessions could ever do.

 niptor answered your question: Weekly Q&A - 03/06/12

Are there any books or videos that you found especially helpful for teaching form? Also, just wanted to let you know you’re doing a great job

When it comes to form that is going to be specific for what lift we’re talking about. Mark Rippetoe generally does a good job for teaching beginners the basic lifts on YouTube, but for intermediate and advanced lifters there are other (better) sources.

If the person seeking form advice is a beginner, or in the beginning stages of lifting, then I would highly recommend seeking out the book Starting Strength by Mark Rippetoe and also checking out his instructional videos on YouTube.

 jtabora answered your question: Weekly Q&A - 03/06/12

With all the talk of the pose method for running does it really work?,

I am no longer much of a runner so I’m afraid I won’t be any help in answering this questions. My philosophy with running was always just to find a good pair of shoes and move myself as fast as possible. My philosophy with running was always just to find a RIDICULOUSLY FLASHY pair of shoes and run as fast as possible so I wasn’t the jackass in the flashy shoes that runs slow. True story. (Thanks Stan!)

 sleeplessinokc replied to your post: Weekly Q&A - 03/06/12

How’s your injury been healing? Hope you’re well!!! :)

This all depends on which one we’re talking about! The pulled hamstring doesn’t usually give me much issue, but lately it’s been tightening up again. My shoulders and wrists are completely trashed from doing a cycle of Smolov Jr. All in all I do my best to train around my injuries and keep up the intensity in the gym, so it’s going great! Thanks for asking.

Disclaimer: Daniel Brown and TheSpartanWarrior.com are not a physician or registered dietitian. The contents of this post should not be taken as medical advice. Please consult your doctor or a qualified health professional as needed regarding any matters pertaining to your health.