Advice from the guys, please

Emma

I have a 17 year-old son who's become interested in health and fitness (he wants to drop a few pounds) but I can't find information for him. Everything seems to be geared toward women or body builders.

I'd appreciate suggestions of material you've found useful.

Thanks!

Emma

OpenFireGlass

sign him up at the local BMX track.... No team/coach pressure...

Confession

Emma,

I've experimented with lots of things in this area: aerobics, bodybuilding, martial arts. I think they're all great, but my personal opinion is that resistance training is probably the best all around fitness activity for most people.

Please understand that "bodybuilding" does not need to refer to the massive, hulking, steroid-popping dudes you may be familiar with. It only refers to adding muscle to your body and removing some fat. These two things work hand-in-hand, since every pound of muscle you add to your body increases the rate at which you will burn fat.

I highly recommend books written by Dr. Ellington Darden. It's common sense stuff about eating, working out with weights--and doing so in such a way as not to injure yourself.

Best,

Confession

jstalin

See if your local community college has a weight training class.

gumby

Everything seems to be geared toward women or body builders.

Tell him to get a hot babe and to start lifting weights!

Just kiddin. Seriously though....joining a fitness center and body building ( not extreme ) ain't a bad move.

Gumby

Nosferatu

This is all he needs, and it worked for me:

Diesel's GUIDE TO CUTTING UP

alright.. I've been putting this off for awhile but here it is.

The Rules:

1. Forget all the bullshyt you read in the magazines.. it's usually wrong and it'll only confuse you.

2. Cutting, like bulking, is simple mathematics.. calories below maintenance = fat loss.

2b. A GOOD CUTTING PROGRAM WILL TAKE AT LEAST 8 WEEKS, MORE IF YOU'RE FATTER. THIS WILL ENSURE THAT YOU WILL RETAIN AS MUCH MASS AS POSSIBLE AND NOT END UP LOOKING LIKE A SKINNY RUNT.

ANY OF YOU NEWBIES THAT THINK CUTTING IS EASY. WAKE THE FUKK UP. BULKING UP IS THE EASY PART.

2c. A CUTTING CYCLE SHOULD LAST NO LONGER THAN 12-16 WEEKS (if you're really fat).. ANYTHING MORE IS TOO MUCH STRESS ON THE BODY.

IT'S BETTER TO UP YOUR CALS GRADUALLY BACK UP TO MAINTENANCE FOR ABOUT A MONTH, TO REPLENISH YOUR BODY, BEFORE ATTEMPTING ANOTHER CUTTING CYCLE.

3. Cardio is overrated.

The only use for cardio for cutting purposes is to insure a negative calorie balance. However, too much cardio eats up all your muscle.

4. NEVER GO BELOW 1600 calories.

That's what cardio is for. Start at your baseline, then progressive cut 200 calories each week til you hit somewhere close to 1600. Once in that 1600 range you start to add cardio.

5. Long, steady-state cardio is bullshyt.

No cardio session should last more than 20 minutes. High intensity cardio of at least 10 but not more than 20 minutes is the key. (by intense I mean, wind sprint level effort). Start at 2 - 3 sessions per week, and continue to add as needed.

6. Low-carb diets are bullshyt, unless you are on the juice (specifically the cutting drugs) .

They leave you flat, and your workouts/strength will suffer... The carbs to avoid like the plague are the starchy carbs like pasta, white rice, and potatoes

7. Most of your carbs should come from fat free dairy, green vegetables and moderate portions of brown rice and potatoes. Only green veggie carbs after 8PM.

8. Suggested macro nutrient ratios:

Carbs: 1-1.2g / # body weight
Protein: 2g./ # body weight
Fat : as little as possible, take one tablespoon of flaxseed oil with protein and no carbs before bed.

most of your daily carbs should come in the three hour window following your weight workout. (see GUIDE TO BULKING for more info)

9. Supplementation

Vitamin C, B, E, CLA, herbal fat burner, creatine, and glutamine (although optional)

10. About training: YOU TRAIN EXACTLY THE SAME AS IF YOU WERE BULKING.

I.E. CONTINUE TO LIFT HEAVY, this stimulation will keep the muscles overloaded and will retain as much mass as possible while the negative calorie balance takes off the fat. Also, it will keep the muscles hard and full..

11. higher reps while cutting is absolute garbage.

The people that advocate that are the jokers in the magazines who are all juiced, so what they do or don't do is irrelevant, the amount of drugs they are on insures success either way.

For the natural lifter, it's a one way ticket to losing big time mass....

To recap: cutting is negative calorie balance while continuing to lift heavy to keep as much of the mass you have on you.

good luck,
D

AK - Jeff

Emma -

Try this; http://www.google.com/search?hl=en&q=teen+health+and+fitness

21,300,000 hits under a search for teen heath fitness.

Jeff

Confession

I can also recommend Krav Maga as a fantastic way for anyone to increase self-esteem, balance and to defend themselves. It's a martial art developed by the Israeli military--but which is growing in popularity here in the U.S. and elsewhere.

The workouts are fantastic and become pretty addictive--which can keep a person coming back. There's no way anyone can engage in these workouts with any degree of regularity and not lose weight and improve their body overall.

www.kravmaga.com

Confession

Nosferatu,

I completely agree with everything this Diesel says! Good stuff, especially this...

3. Cardio is overrated...too much cardio eats up all your muscle.

This tends to be a bit controversial among most fitness enthusiasts today, but the science is there. Long, steady-state cardio exercise wastes muscle--which reduces your body's fat-burning rate--not to mention has negative ramifications on joints, which start to catch up with us as we get older.

merfi

Not a guy, but have 2c on resistance training/weight lifting. I've been doing this off and on for years and think it's one of the greatest things for all-over strength and [for me] esteem, as well as a social thing as there are all levels and personalities at my gym. I started out following [very] loosely the "Body for Life" program about 6 years ago. It's high-protein, medium to low carbs and low fat (the fats are the 'healthy' ones like in nuts, flaxseed oil etc) for the eating end of things. I didn't have the time or right schedule for the weight training or cardio end of it, so would usually just peruse through muscle mags for routines and use them. I'm in the middle of one right now that I found in Muscle & Fitness -- it's a 'beginner/re-beginner' workout that I'm liking fairly well. I've also added in a few supplements, but they aren't necessary; I'm just trying them out to see what happens. :)

The more muscle gained, the higher a person's metabolism = fat loss if the calories are kept somewhat low. The rule of calories in < calories burned is the simplest way to lose weight. Adding resistance training helps immensely as well.

Anyways, just my plug for resistance training. :)

~merfi

Advice from the guys, please

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