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Strength & Fitness
With Marty Gallagher
Special to washingtonpost.com
Tuesday, March 18, 2003; Noon ET
Are you trying to lose weight, build muscle, get stronger or excel in a given sport? Maybe you're just hoping to slow the aging process, which exercise and good health habits can surely help accomplish. But male or female, young or old -- where do you start and what do you do? And if you're already an experienced exerciser or athlete, how do you fight your way off a plateau or avoid going stale?
Over the past 20 years, Gallagher has written more than 200 articles for such magazines as "Muscle and Fitness," "Flex" and "Powerlifting USA." He has interviewed hundreds of the world's top athletes, quizzing them on the training tactics they used to succeed.
Gallagher, a World Powerlifting Champion and fitness expert, takes your questions about every fitness topic under the sun.
A transcript follows.
Editor's Note: Washingtonpost.com moderators retain editorial control
over Live Online discussions and choose the most relevant questions for guests and hosts; guests and hosts can decline to answer questions.
Marty Gallagher: Good afternoon,
With the weather finally breaking why not get outside a bit for the cardio portion of the fitness tripod? (progressive resistance, cardio, diet) I have been getting some excellent calorie burn reading on my polar heart rate monitor - today was typical; 45-minutes, 700-calories, 79% blended average. Give nature a cardio test ride - you won't be disappointed. I'm running a little late so let's get started! Now who has a fitness question?
Washington, D.C.:
Re: The advice to excercise X number of times a week. Does it "count" if you work out once in the a.m. and once in the p.m.? Much easier for me to fit in two workouts on a Saturday or Sunday than one on a Thursday.
Marty Gallagher: Two weight workouts in a day?
Top pro bodybuilders from Arnold's era used to do one body part in the morning and another in the evening but these were guys with time on their hands and D-bol under their tongues.
This is called 'double-split' training and is to be done very carefully - if at all. Cardio am, lifting pm? no problem.
Washington, D.C.:
During a lean-out phase, why is it necessary to perform high-rep and relatively lower weight exercises? I've been in a mass gaining mode for about 2 months. I've gained about 10 pounds, some muscle, some fat and I am now 6'2" 210 lbs. I've committed to increasing the cardio and restricting the diet during the lean-out phase. However I'm afraid of losing my strength and muscle gains while on a high-rep lower weight weight training regimen.
Marty Gallagher: Not necessary but complimentary - high reps and lighter poundage go with diet and extra cardio like Fred went with Ginger.
Conversely, low reps, heavy poundage and additional calories build muscle faster than any other fitness system known to man. Ken Patera had a phrase for the mass phase, "more barbell plates and more t-bone steaks."
Damascus, Md.:
Hey Coach,
Mouse here. Hubby and I started lean out this week. We were looking forward to it since we both feel a bit on the smooth side. Have you found a competition for me yet? Any rough idea on time frame? Sunday power lifting routines are going really well. Love the power rack.
Marty Gallagher: Hello young Lady,
Are you going to stay the periodization course but reduce the calories? What's the plan? How are the poundages moving? Upward I hope...technique improving? How long is it taking to get through a workout?
I am tenatively looking to have Hollywood Frank Moran in town for some seminars the last weekend in April, the 26-27th I think - does that work for you and deana?
Washington, D.C.:
I have been working out with a personal trainer for about a year. At the same time, I have been putting on weight. I've probably put on 5-7 pounds. Most of my clothes still fit and people keep telling me that I'm gaining muscle which weighs more than fat. My question is, is that I think I've probably gained muscle but how much weight is typcial for someone to gain after they begin weight training? I'm a female, in my 30s, and I am about 5'2".
Marty Gallagher: Near impossible for me to say - what was the goal?
To lean out? I'd be a little distraught if I'd invested a year and had been dieting and hi-repping and doing extra cardio with an eye to lean out and gained 7-pounds - on the other hand if you are too skinny (some folks are, believe it or not) and I picked up 7-10 lbs. I'd be rather pleased.
Alexandria, Va.:
If I hear someone say one more time "Just because you're not sweating/breathing hard doesn't mean you're not working out hard" I'm going to scream like a little girl.
Where has this come from all of a sudden? People seem to think taking a stroll for 10 minutes is equivalent to a workout? Sure, it's better than sitting on the couch for those 10 minutes, but so is brushing your teeth.
Marty Gallagher: It's a fitness rant!
What's that guy in the movie Network say, "I fed up and I'm not going to take it any more!"
The thing I've noticed about the people who champion sub-maximal less-is-okay training, is that their physiques never change.
To make a noticable change in your physique requires,
1. adding muscle
2. stip off body fat
Sub-maximal training does not trigger muscle hypertrophy and cruising along at 50% of age-related heart rate maximum will hardly burn off enough body fat to make a visible difference.
Washington, D.C.:
Hi Marty,
Not really a question ... just need a serious kick in the b.... Had a TERRIBLE week last week -- received some bad news and hit the fridge. I gained six pounds. I am back to the tripod but feel really sorry for myself. I was down to losing my last 5 lbs. and I gained six more!
Marty Gallagher: As my old football coach used to say, "Throw some duct tape on that injury and get back in there!"
Fitness is a process, not an event - if you're in this for the long haul these little life road bumps are bound to periodically happen and its okay - don't beat yourself up over it - just right the course and get back on track. To paraphrase the Bard, "Things without reform should be without regret; what's past is past."
Arlington, Va.:
My girlfriend is a personal trainer and has a
gentlemen in his 50's as a client. She is stumped regarding exercises for him. He has residual abdominal pain from multiple surgeries and shoulder problems. Any ideas?
Marty Gallagher: I'd probably not take on a client with a SERIOUS medical condition - what if he reinjures himself doing some exercise you advise? He needs to be under the care of medical physical therapists until they give him the all clear sign. I'd be real wary....
Raleigh, N.C.:
A group of fellow lifters and myself have been bulking up for many weeks now and all have put at least 25 lbs. on our bench press in the last three months. We also have gained in size and fat and are ready to start a leaning cycle. Can you recommend how we can start? Should we lift lighter weights (30 to 50 percent) and many more reps or change exercises altogether? Add lotsa cardio now? Any recomendations?
Marty Gallagher: Clean up those diets boys!
To a powerlifter, dieting is ordering "only" two Big Macs and one hot apple pie at McDonalds instead of his usual three and two. Most powerlifters develop phenomenal muscle mass but few are savvy enough to steal, Prometheus-like, diet tactics from bodybuilders. Strip off the fat by slashing the saturated fat, sugar - and beer!
Bethesda, Md.:
Good Day Marty,
Silly question, but does a Smith machine barbell weigh the same as a regular barbell? Just wondering so I can adjust my weights accordingly. Somehow, it just feels lighter.
Thanks!
Marty Gallagher: Each is different according to the maker.
I've lifted on some Smiths that weighed 65-pounds stripped and others that weighed a scant 20-pounds stripped. Ask the gym owner. A box and a digital scale is all that's required to weight the sucker.
Portland, Ore.:
I'm 43, 170 lbs, 5'9", too much fat and too
little muscle. I jog three times per week and
try to do some weight training too.
How often do I need to work out to really
improve? How much of my conditioning is
diet? I figure I work out about one hour
3 or 4 times per week. What amount of
training time is needed for me to get into
good shape?
Marty Gallagher: I used to live in Portland a thousand years ago - right around the corner from Sam Loprinzi's old gym (4011 se clinton st) I like that city a lot.
You need to kick it up a notch - let's get serious about diet and exercise. I need to know your exercise routine: 3-4 hours a week is plenty for a beginner if the time is utilized correctly and you train intense.
Caffeine Nation:
You're dead right about your hero Honoré "de" Balzac -- he drank himself rotten. If you're on a coffee crusade, I'm with you. My workouts are twice as good when I get a good shot of espresso a half hour before. Keep spreading the word ...
Marty Gallagher: His biographer Graham Robb guesstimated he threw down 45,000 cups of triple strength coffee over 30-years. He'd work 18-hours a day and died at 53. Balzac was Charlie Parker: a riff master of language instead of music - or maybe Art Tatum. I use coffee as a pre-workout pick-me-up.
Alexandria, Va.:
Marty -
After years of being overweight and out of shape, I joined a gym and have been going like a fiend! (well, 5 times a week or so).
Anyhow, I've been slowly losing weight and getting some muscle definition back, but one area is resisting ... the old spare tire!
What's the best way to work on this area? (the gut, the love handles, the whole mess)
THANKS!
PS - I'm a 35-year-old male.
Marty Gallagher: Are you lifting weights 2-3 times a week using a sound program?
Are you engaging in serious cardio, 3-5 times a week, elevating the heart on a consistent and pre-determined basis?
Are you eating with precision? Get the saturated fat, sugar and booze down to a minimum.
Washington, D.C.:
I have been trying to loose a spare tire I have around my waist ... I know it is a fat layer ... I do not need to loose weight ... how do I get rid of it? Are there exercises that concentrate on that part of the woman's body? Thank you.
Marty Gallagher: See the previous answer....
New York, N.Y.:
What do you think of the so-called slow burn?
Once/week, 20 seconds per rep, 30 min per week, etc. ... Is this more effetive than other methods to build muscles?
Marty Gallagher: Do you mean 'super-slow?'
I don't hang my hat on any single method and I sure as hell don't build a figurative religion around a system of weight training - as some have and do. SS is another arrow in the fitness training quiver: nothing more, nothing less. No one system of progresive resistance training trumps all others.
Crofton, Md.:
i just got back into the habit of regular exercise, after being an unmotivated desk worker for the better part of a year. I'm 27, female, 5'4" and 135 (up fifteen pounds from when I graduated college -- and walked everywhere I went, on top of thrice weekly gym visits). My goal is to increase overall fitness and to have a nicely toned body. But I want to do it safely. I went from lifting 20 pounds on a bicep machine to 40 and pulled a tendon. Ouch! Don't want to do that again. Do you recommend any books/plans that Ican follow that will help me increase weight/reps safely and achieve the desired results?
Marty Gallagher: You jumped the poundage by 100% - way too much way too fast.
Small, consistent poundage increases spread over long time period are the way to go. Never sacrifice technique for poundage. Most weight training injuries occur when we stray outside the technical bounderies of a lift using too heavy a poundage. Learn how to miss a rep safely.
Fairfax, Va.:
Hi, Marty. I've been reading back and you often refer to a mass gaining phase and a fat losing phase. Is there any way I can do both? I'm not looking to lift my truck, but I do enjoy the benefits of being physically stronger, and I have more than 100 pounds of fat to lose.
Thanks!
Marty Gallagher: You cannot diet 365-days a year. Fat loss via systematic calorie reduction can only go downward for so long before you run out of room. A big person cannot drop below 1500 calories a day without energy and health concerns - so what do you do when you cannot go any lower? You eat more but you eat 'cleaner' and you break your daily calories into smaller meals spread out all during the waking hours: better to eat 500-calories six times a day than 1000 calories three times a day...nes't pas?
Alexandria, Va. (again):
Spare tire guy here -
Yes to the weights, yes to the cardio.
Sort of yes to the food question.
But what type of things should I do to target the gut?
Lots of situps?
Marty Gallagher: The biggest myth in fitness is that you can magically melt off gut-fat by doing hundreds of reps of ab work.
It is an eating issue: you need to exercise but you especially need to clean up your diet.
Mason Neck, Va.:
Hi Marty,
It is impossible for me to work out at the local rec center due to my work and commuting schedule. I have a treadmill at home which I love but have to get up at 4:15 a.m. for my workout. Can you suggest other equipment that can supplement the treadmill?
Marty Gallagher: If you don't lift weights you're not really doing a comprehensive fitness program. Cardio is nice but it is only one-third the fitness tripod. Buy a weight set and an exercise bench; pick both up used for around 50-bucks.
Health anyone?:
I'm sorry -- that caffeine post puts me over the top. Do you have any notion of HEALTH? You drink caffeine so you can lift weights and yo-yo between bulk and lean. You love instant foods -- those protein bar George Jetson things ... what ever happened to vegetables and earnest hard work?
Marty Gallagher: Oh excuse me pure person - is having a cup of coffee before a workout forbidden in your world of immaculate purity? How is the view from the moral and ethical high ground? Thanks for setting me straight.
Atlanta, Ga.:
Hey Coach,
I have been on the aerobic kick for about a year now: running, swimming and Airdyne biking. I do light weights, stretches and calisthenics every other day too. I burn about 4000 kcal per week according to the Polar S610 for all exercise combined. I feel great but the wife, the former Ms Foggy Bottom, says with my white hair if I lose any more weight I am going to look like Q-tip.
Give me a workout to put some big muscle on this 51-year-old body (5'8", 152 lbs.). My weight equipment consists of two sets of adjustable dumbbells total of 80 lbs. I'll never get in the door of a gym, most have "No Mullet signs" up everywhere nowadays.
Thanks,
The Mullet
Marty Gallagher: 5-8 and 152 at 51? Sounds like you're right on track...stick to the basic compound multi-joint barbell and dumbbell exercises and you can't go wrong...
squat, leg curl, calf raise, row, chin, pullups, power cleans, shrugs, bench press, incline bench, flyes, seated overhead presses, lateral raises, curls, nosebreakers....
2-3 sets of 8-10 reps is a great place to start.
Silver Spring, Md.:
Hi Marty,
I've been following your advice for weightlifting with great results. Now I want to alter my cardio program and take advantage of the nice weather. I don't understand how I can walk fast enough, or run slow enough to be "in the zone". This morning I walked as fast as I could and pumped my arm vigorously -- only on the uphills did I manage to hit my zone. Tips? Also, where can I learn more about race walking?
Thanks!
Marty Gallagher: The Zone? Forget the zone - that's a ridiculous bench mark - Establish your own level based on percent of age-related HR max. For example - I might set up a cardio periodization schedule as follows:
week 1 65% of ARHR max
week 2 67.5%
week 3 70%
week 4 72.5%
week 5 75%
thirty minutes per session - the mode is secondary. As Bill Pearl once opined, 'The heart doesn't care how it get's elevated just as long as it gets elevated.'
Marty Gallagher: I need to take off now - I know that I've got a lot of lengthy e-mails left hanging...I will answer them at length so look for the answers at the end of next week's session.
If you had a question from last week check for the answer right now....see you next week!
3-11-03 Questions
Fairfax, Va.: Hi Marty, I am 5'O" and 113 lbs -- not overweight but just out of shape generally. I just started exercising about a month ago -- before that I was very sedentary. My routine thus far is Mon -- cardio 1/2 hr. (I'm trying to up that slowly), Wed -- yoga 1.5 hrs., Fri -- circuit 1 hr. I eat OK, but not great. Is my routine going to get me in shape or do I need to do more?
Marty Gallagher: I’d put this into play for 4-weeks; at that point we can tighten it up further but this is a great start.
Dupont, Washington, D.C.: Hi Marty - I am a 155 lb. 5'9 22-year-old female looking to lose weight and tone up. I've cleaned up the diet (yeah it needs more work -- mostly the alcohol) and I do cardio for 40 minutes everyday. I want to add weight training to my routine. Should I alternate cardio and weight days? Also, today I did 2 x 15 reps (with appropriate difficulty of weight) of leg press, leg curl, leg extension, fly, overhead press, and lat pulldown. Is that totally wrong? Do I need other things? Help!
Marty Gallagher: I like your plan. Alternate cardio and lifting days for 4-weeks, try and keep the eating and drinking under control and after a solid month using this routine, write back.
Fairfax, Va.: Hi Marty -- I'm new to your forum and to weight lifting. I'm trying to shed an inch or two from my waist and hips and, at the same time, to build some definition in my legs, arms and back. What do you think a good balance between lifting and cardio would be? Currently, I take 2 1-hr "Body Pump" classes per week and get in 2-40-min cario workouts per week. I've only been doing this for a few weeks, so I haven't seen any long term results yet. Am I on the right track with my workout routine, or do you recommend any changes?
Marty Gallagher: Calories are key; exercise results are easily negated by sloppy eating. Body pump is NOT progressive resistance training – the poundage is insufficient to trigger hypertrophy. Body Pump is another form of cardio. I would perform a real lifting program for 40-60 minutes twice a week, continue with the cardio and zero in on the diet portion of the fitness equation.
Core conditioning?: There was a big article in the WP Health section today about Pilates "Oldest Living Disciple Of Pilates Tells All," (Post, March 11, 2003)-- how important is it for recreational athletes/weight-lifters to have a rock-solid core (the area from shoulders to hips) like they espouse in Pilates? It seems to concentrate on building strength for functional use, but I wonder about so much super-focus on abs/back muscles Thanks!
Marty Gallagher: Get two years of serious squatting and deadlifting under your belt and you’ll have more core strength than Hercules on a good day.
Arlington, Va.: Hi coach: I've got a disability that prevents me from using free weights, or at least not safely. I decided a while ago, though, that rather than feel sorry for myself, I'm going to do what I can do, and hit the machines hard enough to bend them in half. I'm concerned that I may be missing some muscles or hitting some harder than others. If you could critique my workout schedule, that'd be great.
Monday - Legs/shoulders
Hack squats or leg press
Leg extensions
Leg curls
Standing calf raises
Rotary calf
Overhead shoulder press
Front raises
Wednesday - Chest/tris
Chest press
Incline chest
Cable flyes
Dips
Triceps extensions
Friday - Back/bis
Hyperextensions
Nautilus pullover
lat pulldown
Low row
Bicep curls
1/2 hour of cardio three days a week, and I also walk everywhere (no car.) Thanks for any advice you can give; I appreciate it.
Marty Gallagher: This looks damned-near perfect: is this something you are going to do or something you’ve been doing? No mention of the eating – what’s up with that?
South Riding, Va.: Marty - I was the guy you answered at the end of last week. Looking to lean out. I've dropped 10 pounds in 10 weeks but have hit a plateau and need to lose 5 more. I am eating very clean. Six meals a day, no sugar, no transfats, lots of protein. Workout 3x per week, 2 exercises per muscle group with 4 sets of each exercise (12x, 10x, 8x, 6x). Cardio 2-3 times per week for 30-40 minutes each. You recommended staying in that rep range. I thought during leaning times you said to bump up the reps? Can you clarify? Thanks
Marty Gallagher: Actually, if I were you, after 10-weeks of going in a particular direction, I’d be about sick to death of it and look to head back in the other direction. Are you burnt out? Do you really feel up to continuing in this direction? I think losing 10-pounds in 10-weeks is spectacular and I think that’s great and congratulatory – but unless you are truly fired up to keep going in the same vein, I’d consider going in a new direction. Let me know.
Cleveland Park, Washington, D.C.: I hope you can give me some advice about beginning a weight-training program at home -- which exercises you suggest, how to know what weight to start with, how to gauge how many reps/sets to do, what I need to buy. I'm female, 33 years old, about 5 feet tall. Thanks for your help.
Marty Gallagher: Okay – what kind of budget are we working with? That’s real important. You want to do the 15-core exercises, spread out over a week, using 2-3 sets of 10 reps.
1 squat
2 leg curl
3 calf raise
4 leg extension
5 bench press
6 incline bench press
7 flyes
8 overhead press
9 lateral raise
10 deadlift
11 row
12 chin/pull-up
13 curls
14 tricep extension
15 abdominal work
Columbia, Md.: Marty, I have been reading in the archives about a training program that has a lifting phase and a cardio phase as well as a diet phase. Can you go into more detail about this regimen? Thanks
Marty Gallagher: The Fitness Tripod? Every serious fitness regimen has three irreducible component parts: a progressive resistance component, a cardiovascular component and a nutritional component. We need a game plan in each of the three legs of the fitness tripod. Champion athletes pre-plan their strategy in each of the three components often 12-16 weeks in advance. This is called periodization or cycling and is an art and science in itself.
Washington, D.C.: Hi Marty - My girlfriend has tried very hard to lose that little extra weight that everyone has. She keeps going to they gym two to three times a week (as her work allows her) but she still has no change. Her big worry is her legs, and I was curious if you would direct me in the best way to help her or get help for her. I don't want to go and tell her what she might be doing wrong so that is why I was asking if you knew of plans or trainers who work directly with gym members. Thanks,
Marty Gallagher: Likely the problem is not in the exercise but in the eating. No matter how hard you train, if you overwhelm the body with excess calories body fat will never melt. I know plenty of guys with huge muscles that are still fat. Though a person might be a master of training, if they eat too much they will carry excess adipose tissue. The NFL is loaded with 350-pound fat men who are strong as an ox and possess the cardio of a race horse yet still carry 80-pounds of blubber. Why? Eating to many calories at the dinner table.
Arlington, Va.: Can you explain why doing a Mass gain program/diet then fat loss program/diet over a year is better than trying to do a Mass gain program/diet all year long. What is it about adding that fat loss program/diet that will let you actually gain more muscle over the long run?
Marty Gallagher: Do you really think you can add muscle and lose fat at the same time? It is possible but the degree of precision and dedication necessary make it a virtual impossibility for the normal person with a normal job and real responsibilities. Are you ready to weigh and measure every bite of food you put in your mouth? Are you prepared to live the life of a fitness monk? The reality is most folks make great gains alternating periods of depletion with periods of muscle acquisition.
Fairfax, Va.: Hi Marty! Love the chats, I have learned sooo much! Eating is clean with a high fiber/high protein cereal in the morning; yogurt, soup, or salad for lunch; and usually a stir fry or some other combo of veggies and protein for dinner. Also have some fruit and nutrition bars mixed in for snacks and a low carb/protein smoothie after strength training. We do stretching and flexibility in the mornings and a 20-minute warmup on one of the cardio machines before every strength workout. Here is our current strength routine, we're into week three and looking to shake things up again in another three weeks. I'd like to really make some progress is my strength. I'm female, 5'2", 110 lbs, and my partner is male 6'4", 265 lbs. Any advice? All exercises are three sets of 12.
Day 1
Back and abs
Assisted chin ups
High row
Straight leg deadlifts
Back extensions
Leg raises
Day 2
Chest and shoulders
Flat bench
Incline dumbbell press
Incline flys
Upright row
Dumbbell shoulder press
Day 3
Rest
Day 4
Legs
Squats
Reverse lunges
Leg extensions
Calves
Leg press
Hamstring curls
Day 5
Bis and tris
Standing bicep curls
Reverse tricep pressdown
Assisted Dips
Nose crunches
Incline dumbbell bicep curls
Day 6 and 7
Cardio - Thanks!
Marty Gallagher: Bag the 20-minute warm-up; it’s a complete waste of time. We have warm-up sets in our weight training to warn-up the target muscle. 2-3 warm-up weight sets are light years better than free-hand stretches done on cold muscles. Sounds l;ike you’ve got a nice handle on the eating…
1. replace stiff-leg deadlifts with regular deadlifts: stiffs are dangerous except in the hands of an advanced trainer.
2. If you want a nice contrast, after four weeks of 12-rep sets drop to 6-rep sets for four weeks. This will peak strength. I’d kick the calories up slightly – are you drinking a post-weight workout power-bomb shake? You should be if you’re not.
3. What is a high row? Do you mean an upright row? If you’re doing upright rows – drop them – they’re superfluous and women don’t want or need developed traps.
4. Replace uprights with DB side lateral raises on day II.
5. Drop lunges altogether – redundant and ineffectual – everything else looks OK.
Washington, D.C.: Hi Marty! I'm getting married in four months. Consequently, I've been using the upcoming wedding (and honeymoon, of course) as motivation to make a serious commitment to a regular exercise routine. My original intention was to work with a physical trainer. Unfortunately, being fresh out of college and getting ready to head off to law school, I cannot afford that luxury. So, when I go to the gym, I generally run on the treadmill for 30 minutes and then hit the weights. My very first question for you deals with toning the upper body. I've tried using both the machines and free weights for upper body sculpting; which would you recommend? I'm a 24-year-old, 115 lb. female who is looking for some serious definition in the arms and the shoulders. Thanks so much!
Marty Gallagher: I would point out that ‘definition’ is how distinct the various muscles are one from another and this is related to how much body fat you carry. Body fat blurs muscle distinction. With four months to go I would put diet at the very top of my list. Continue doing cardio and lifting but let’s get cracking on the eating portion – any idea as to how many calories you’re ingesting each day? How much room have we got to work with? As soon as you read this start eliminating the trash foods and replace them with salads, steamed veggies or lean protein. What equipment do you have access to – write back and we’ll devise an upper-body specialization program. We can put you into the finest physical shape of your life with this much time.
Washington, D.C.: Marty - I am a 6'5" 220 pound 26-year-old guy that is having a bit of trouble trying to understand how to strike a balance between losing weight via fat burning and getting stronger via weightlifting. I definitely want to lower body fat and tone up through the combination of cardio, weightlifting and a high fiber protein diet (carbs and protein for breakfast and lunch/ protein and salad for dinner). My question is whether I have to commit to building muscle (through comsuming excess calories) or commit to losing weight (through calorie deficit of course). Can I have both? If I chose to lose weight by cutting calories, what happens to my muscle construction since I want to keep lifting but won't have the calories to build new muscle?
Marty Gallagher: Let’s forget all that stuff and use common sense and get moving ahead.
1. clean up the eating: sugar, fat and refined (man-made)carbs need to be reduced to negligible levels. You can up the protein and fiber intake – just make sure your protein isn’t loaded with saturated fat. If the lean protein intake is maintained you won’t lose muscle mass.
2. Lift hard and heavy. If you get stronger in a rep range (any rep range) you will increase muscle size. Improve your strength and muscle hypertrophy will occur.
3. Cardio is critical for reducing body fat and improving assimilation.
Alexandria, Va.: Marty - Is it possible (or realistic) for a man to lose the love handles and gut? I know that for men, this is the hardest area to "tone up", and I don't want to dedicate my enitre life to this (crazy diets, non-stop work outs, etc.), but I would like to look like I did in high school. I'm not looking for rock hard abs, or a 6 pack, but I'd like to have a flat, flabless stomach. Possible? How? Thanks!
Marty Gallagher: How do you think? Lift weights, perform cardio, watch what you eat. Do you read this column at all? The whole reason for this column is to provide factual information on how to renovate the human body – do you really think its impossible to change? The road map to transformation exists and I can provide the map but you got to actually get in the car and drive the route.
Baltimore, Md.: Hi Marty, Thanks for your chat. Long story short: In my early 20s and fully recovered from a four-year eating disorder. Now I have a fitness regimen I really like: 45 minutes of cardio six days a week and moderate strength training maybe three days a week. Here's my problem, and it's driving me nuts: During the period in which I abused my body, my breasts went from normal-sized and normal-looking to very small and shapeless. Can you recommend an exercise for my chest or shoulders that could salvage my bust, or at least make it look more like it used to? Would any particular back exercises help? I hope you don't think this is an inappropriate question. Thanks for any help.
Marty Gallagher: Bench presses, inclines bench presses, pec dec, dumbbell flyes and cable crossover: 2-3 sets of 10-12 reps per set.
New York, N.Y.: Coach, First, thanks for the column -- the archive is an incredible resource of truth without the biased marketing hype that swirls around like so much useless chaff out there. I'm going to start a periodization for the first time, and I've basically cribbed the table you set up in the Jan. 5, 2001 column and tried to tweak it to my situation. One question about it: the first month uses 15 rep sets, the second 10 and the third 5 and lists weights in weekly increasing increments for four major exercises -- squat, bench, deadlift, overhead dumbbell press. I've tried to tweak the starting weights to match my current strength levels in these exercises, but am wondering about how many sets to do. In my current non-scientific mode, I typically do 3 sets of ten of any given exercise with increasing weight such that the last set is usually tough to finish. In fact, I often end up failing in the last set about mid-way through. For the new periodization, I am thinking of doing three sets at the target rep count -- one warm-up, one at the table's target weight, and the same again (probably to failure). Do these sets make sense? Should I working up to the weight in the table on the last set of the three? I also plan on doing the assistance exercises you outlined, and working the triad. If my specific question is confusing, are there some general principles of rep counts that may help me take some of the guess work out of my lifting routine? I recognize and repeat the mantra of "change is constant," just hoping there was some theory that I could get my head around. Thanks!
Marty Gallagher: This is a little fuzzy – write my e-mail mgso@supernet.com and I’ll give you my phone number. Call me and we’ll discuss this.
Charleston, W. Va.: Please stop the insanity, in the form of fitness roller coasters. What would you consider a minimum standard that would simply keep one in good cardivascular shape, that demphasizes toning and appearance though not totally neglecting toning, etc.?
Marty Gallagher: Totally unclear as what the question is: minimum standard? Cardio, progressive resistance and a realistic diet are my ‘minimums’ – do you have a specific question?
Deerfield Beach, Fla.: Hi Marty - Any chance that your oft-mentioned Ms. Maryland is the former Miss Greenawalt?
Marty Gallagher: No; my wife is Irish (O’Neal)
Washington, D.C.: I'm a 45-year-old female and I do crunches on an incline bench while holding a five-pound weight. The incline bench in on the lowest incline. My question is which gives me the best benefit: incline on lowest incline with a 5-lb. weight or incline on a high incline with no weight? What should I be striving for, while doing these crunches, to keep my abs toned without hurting my lower back?
Marty Gallagher: I’m not a big crunch fan. I like hanging leg raises; leg raises on a flat bench and the little wheel of death. I’ve been getting some excellent ab work using Scott Sonnon’s weighted clubbells.
San Diego, Calif.: Marty - Is there any truth to the rumor that Flex Wheeler died last week after complications with his kindeys?
Marty Gallagher: My sources tell me the Fexible Wheeler is alive and well.
Boston, Mass.: Hey Marty - I want to incorporate deadlifts into my routine. I checked the archives to get the proper way to do it, but I have one question: Do you bring the weight all the way down to the floor after each rep, or do you stop a few inches above? I've seen people do it both ways in the gym. Thanks Marty.
Marty Gallagher: To the floor and no bouncing. The great Ed Coan dead-stops between each and every rep. This makes it much harder – which is exactly why he does them in this fashion.
McLean, Va.: Turn the tables: What are your fitness goals this year?
Marty Gallagher: This year? I’m a shape-shifter. Right now I’m halfway through a ‘lean-out’ and when it runs its course I’ll pick a new direction.
Woodbridge, Va.: Hi, I use "The Firm" (a combination of strength training and cardio) as my main means of exercise and find that while it does give me added muscle conditioning and tone, I am unable to get rid of that extra layer of fat. Can you recommend any exercise(s) that may help me in getting rid of that extra layer? Also, do you think this combination of strength training and cardio is a good way for me to lose weight while adding muscle tone to my body or should I be doing something completely different? Thanks.
Marty Gallagher: What is the eating portion of your fitness effort like? No I don’t think combining cardio and lifting is a good idea – I think it’s the worst of both worlds.
Chantilly, Va.: Marty - Enjoy the chats immensely. Thanks for answering the leftover questions as well. The subject of weight/diet came up between my doctor and I. I mentioned that as a fill-in, I would be having a protein shake between meals, instead of the usual fare. The doc told me "you don't need all those calories." I don't recall these shakes being much over 200 calories each, but he was fairly adamant about his opinion. Your thoughts?
Marty Gallagher: What does your doctor look like? Is he lean and tight with rippling muscles? My protein shake contains 150-calories. Just because you get a medical degree doesn’t mean you are bestowed with Papal infallibility.
Washington, D.C.: Getting snow up there? What's a good strategy for retaining strength as I reduce calories and up cardio? Any particular weightlifting regime better than any other for this?
Marty Gallagher: The best strategy is to kick the reps way up 12-15 and not worry about pure, 1-rep strength so much.
Landover, Md.: Marty! My husband and I are trying to buy an exercise bike for our home. All we can find is bottom-of-the-line stuff that seems like it will soon fall apart or $2,000 Lifecycles. We've been to Fitness Resource and Sports Authority. Do you or any of the participants have any other suggestions for where we can buy a quality stationary bike without breaking the bank?
Marty Gallagher: I own a old school schwin aerodyne. Totally mechcanical. No electronics. Plus it has push and pull handles and never breaks down. Not that I use it much, maybe when it rains. I burn 650-700 calories in my 40-minute walk/jog/sprint daily workouts.
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