37
First, it must be noted that the quantity of protein that is being recommended by the calculator you have found is not supported by science. The literature suggests that optimal recovery occurs with a maximum of about 2 grams per kilogram of (lean) body mass per day (g/kg/d), with most of the world's institutes of sport, for example, recommending between 1.5 ...
28
If you want to gain muscle and strength, then you need to
Eat
Don't buy into the 'hardgainer' non-sense.
Calories In > Calories Expended = Weight Gain
That's the simplest way I can put it. If you eat like a skinny person, you will gain weight like a skinny person (little to none). Proper nutrition is of course next but a little out of scope for this ...
26
A very well thought out question. First, the technical term for holding your breath is called the Valsalva maneuver. In the world of weight lifting it has a distinct purpose: to increase the body's ability to protect the spine under heavy load. The Valsalva maneuver does not work alone. There's a pretty fair treatment of the subject on a Rebock Crossfit ...
26
EDIT: Since "fit" is a very arbitrary term, I should include my definition, since the asker did not.
From the starting point of a 50kg man, I consider fit to include
gaining quite a lot of weight, mostly muscle
correcting most, if not all, posture imperfections and muscular imbalances
learning proper form in all exercises, and learning how to utilize ...
25
If you are heavier you will be stronger wether this is by fat or by muscle I think we can all agree on that.
On what do you base this? Apart from very few lifts where a bit more body weight helps you, I can't see a scenario that shows having extra fat helps you lift weights.
Say there is a version of me of 70kg with 10% body fat and a version of me of ...
24
The article's explanations for why you shouldn't try to squat a deadlift are wrong.
Positioning your hips too low does not put more stress on the lower back, and does not meaningfully shift your centre of gravity. What it does do is position your shoulders behind the bar, meaning to maintain this position as the bar comes off the floor, your anterior ...
21
What is a "good morning"?
Just to add context, a "good morning" is when you're doing a squat, you go down to the lowest point, but then you extend the knees without maintaining an upright back.
This results in the butt being raised up, but not the chest, so you're just bending forward, with a lot of weight on your neck rather than your shoulders. Then you ...
14
I'm afraid that's purely genetic. The only "muscles" in that part of the wrist are the Pronator Quadratus, and they are so small, they'll never get noticably bigger.
If you want thicker wrists, I'm afraid you're going to have to gain a LOT of weight. Fat, specifically.
Also, just to squash your food question; there is no food that is good for growing a ...
14
Bodybuilding is a long term endeavor, two to three weeks is nothing in the world of bodybuilding. If you'd said two to three years, then it would be a different matter.
Whatever you're doing, carry on doing it for at least 6 months, then see where you are with it.
That being said, if you want to gain muscle (which I assume is what you mean by bodybuilding) ...
13
Could be:
1. The weights are actually less
A gym I used to go to had two different kinds of plates: rubber
coated and cast iron. Out of curiosity, some patrons of the gym
brought a scale and compared the weights of all the 45 lb. plates.
The cast iron plates were all about 45 lb. with small variation of
±2 lbs. So some were 43, 44, 46, and 47 but all around ...
12
The most important thing with getting people started lifting is to help them to like lifting. The worst thing you can do is to overwhelm them with details. The dirty little secret for newbies is they can do just about anything and make some relatively quick increases (with few exceptions). That means it matter less what they do and more that they do ...
11
Everything always depends on your goals.
The best exercises are the ones that help you accomplish your goals.
If you are a power lifter, your goals are to get the biggest squat, deadlift, and bench press you can. Obviously, it helps to do those exercises to make them stronger. It does also happen that they are very good exercises for General Physical ...
11
There's actually a number of strength sports, where people who don't compete train similarly to competitors in those sports. A brief understanding of them will help you decide what would be a better match for you:
Bodybuilding is primarily building and shaping your muscle for aesthetics. However, there is a big nutritional component to bodybuilding that's ...
10
Short of getting coached directly, the best tool for the job is taking video. There are a number of digital video recorders that have at least an hour of video available on the device. When you are training by yourself, you want a video recorder that can stable enough for you to stand up and trust that it won't fall over while you are lifting. You may ...
10
I would say it is almost impossible to exactly mantain body size. I would recommend to alternate low workout periods with higher ones (say, 1 month of aerobic and low intensity and low volume weight training and 1 month of higher weight training).
In this way, you would lose a bit of muscle while reducing body fat and re-taking previous muscular condition at ...
10
First of all, know that there is no ONE best way to curl. There are a few factors here to be aware of.
Standing vs. seated
When you curl standing up, it's very important that you try to keep your upper body as static as possible. It's easy to help out with your entire body by swinging the bar, taking focus away from the biceps.
This is, however, its own ...
10
You are not an ectomorph. There is no such thing as an ectomorph, as the concept of somatotypes is a nonsense pseudoscience that was made up in the 1940s and has never been supported by evidence.
What you are, at 5'7" and 55kg, is very skinny. If you eat more without exercising, you'll get fat, and if you eat more and add a sufficient intensity and volume ...
10
It's important to keep one's legs in good working order for anyone who wants to retain the ability to get out of bed, climb stairs, stand up off the toilet, walk around a hilly neighborhood, run away from a fire or other emergency, or sit down to play with a child on the floor. People who are okay not being able to do these things without someone else's help ...
9
My son asked me to take a look at this question. I'm a second-generation phlebologist, myself the son of the man who coined the word "Sclerotherapy" (=injection treatment of varicose veins) in 1939, and who founded the organization currently called the "American College of Phlebology" (it started as the "Phlebology Society of America", which I ran for about ...
9
First, this is not immediate cause for alarm.
It is rather common as far as post-workout complications go, and is not, to my knowledge, an indicator of more serious problems.
Second, the reason for this.
Your skeletal muscles are controlled by motor nerves. Each motor nerve controls a large group of muscle cells. Of importance is that these groups overlap,...
9
Alcohol has many detrimental effects in the body, and you cannot replace carbs with it.
Lowers Growth Hormone and Testosterone
Inhibits recovery
Causes dehydration
Lowers muscle glycogen
Decreases aerobic capacity
It is caloric, but non-nutrient
Alcohol has a catabolic effect on protein synthesis; the result is lower muscle mass/smaller gains, but it also ...
9
Do slow negatives, start at the top and lower yourself slowly, this is the way most people get strong enough to do their first, clean pull/chin-ups. If you have a rubber band to attach to the bar, that can work too.,
8
I'm a bodyweight training addict.
In my point of view doing 1 x 50 is better than doing 10 x 5 because you have the same volume but in less time, you have more intensity.
The first commandments in a post of Paul "Coach" Wade about calisthenics mass is "Embrace Reps" and the 4th is "Limit sets" source : http://pccblog.dragondoor.com/ten-commandments-...
8
1) Will pilates kill my gains? Because I have heard that in your rest
days, you have to sit still. Otherwise, you will kill your gains.
Generally on your rest days you want active rest. As such, pilates will be great.
2) Is Pilates + Weight Training a good idea? My way of thinking behind
this combination is the following: I need to better my posture. ...
8
This sounds like muscle fatigue and is absolutely normal and expected. This happens to every single person who works out.
Your muscles aren't going to be able to curl forever during a workout session. You're breaking down muscle fibers with each repetition. This means the muscle will be temporarily weaker.
Resting and eating repairs muscle fibers, and make ...
8
I have no option beside protein powders. Just, because I cannot eat more than [a piece of chicken, 2 eggs, and a serving fish per day].
Yeah, right. There's no reason not to eat six eggs, double the chicken, and an extra serving of fish except you don't want to put in the effort. Two eggs? Two eggs is how many you eat when you're trying to lose weight! Get ...
7
Is < insert diet choice here > better for XYZ? No. And not so much because I like meat or carbs or bread or whatever the diet says you can't have.
All the studies I've seen come up with one basic fact about diet:
If you eat more than you need, you gain weight
If you eat less than you need, you lose weight
If you eat what you need, you maintain weight
...
7
I haven't been able to find any research specifically targeting a squat routine versus a different muscle group routine either, so some of this will be inference. I'd theorize that squats are designated as prime exercises simply because they are some of the largest, strongest muscles in the body, so they will have the largest overall response. This is in ...
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