Where Fitness is Thirst

Hi, Thanks for the question!

Again, really sorry it’s taken us this long to reply.

I’m assuming you want to maintain muscle mass right? If so, then you want to keep your protein amount the same, cut down on carbs so that you’re only taking ‘just enough’ to fuel your body. So have carbs in the morning, maybe for lunch but taper them off after 3pm so that at 6pm you’re not having any carbs until the next day. Unless you train in the evenings, in that case have a small amount. Fat should be minimal as well. Only good fats should be in your diet. The same goes for carbs actually. Only Low GI carbs!

Calories should be a similar amount to what you’re having now I would say. I’d maybe drop it down to 1800/1900 cals. But I don’t really know how old you are or if you’re male or female so I can’t really say. I’d recommend going to a professional fitness instructor and they’ll be able to tell you what you need to do with your diet exactly in relation to your age etc.

All the best!

-A

Hey thanks for the question! 

Sorry about taking so long to get back to you.

Well creatine would be a little pointless to take before bed because what creatine does best is aid in regeneration of muscle tissue so if anything you’d want to take it during the day when your metabolism is fully awake and just after your workout. Also excessive creatine is thought to have unhealthy effects on the body so you want to make sure you drink a lot of water so that you can metabolise it efficiently and then also make sure you take it at a time when your body will actually be using it. BCAA’s would be a lot better to take.

If you’re unsure about anything just let us know. We’d be more than happy to help!

-A

Whey protein is great for helping your body meet those protein goals for the day. Also whey protein is quickly absorbed by the body, making it a great pre-workout or post-workout meal (never substitute protein for food though). 

The best way to get a six pack is to DIET. You have to create a calorie deficit. This mean that you’re going to have to burn more calories than you consume each day. This means eliminating calorie dense, sugar dense, salt dense, and other unhealthy foods from your diet. You can still have these foods once in a while to keep your sanity, but you really have to cut back. Also, portions. You have to reduce your meal portions. If you feel like something is too much, chances are, it probably is.

For me, I find that eating only when I’m hungry is what’s been helping me the most. I haven’t been counting calories or anything. Drink lots of water, workout almost daily (at least 3 times a week) and cardio cardio cardio! You need cardio if you want to get that six pack. Well….you don’t, but cardio makes it easier. Also, you need more protein in your diet. Don’t go overboard, but almost 1 gram per pound of bodyweight you have each day.

Try to chill out with carbs as well, since 1 carb contains more calories than anything else. Just don’t starve yourself. That’s the completely wrong way to lose weight and get lean.

~C

Well for me, I’d say gripping the bar a little wider then shoulder width is good. The thing with benching is that so many people use other body parts to help them get the weight up. You have to isolate solely your chest when benching to get an optimal workout. This means that you need to keep your feet, lower back, and ESPECIALLY your shoulders in place. You shouldn’t be kicking your feet out, arching your back, or lifting your shoulders up to get the weight up.

All of this aside, you have to remember to breathe. Lower the weight slowly, all the way down to your chest. I like to let the bar touch my chest, and slowly bring it back up. Breathe in when lowering the bar, and breathe out when pushing the bar back up. That’s one rep. Just remember to keep your shoulders on the bench. This actually helps isolate your chest alot.

Finally, for me, I read that pushing your head back into the bench, through physics, helps you push a little harder especially when you’re struggling. And for me, squeezing the bar hard lets me lift a little easier. Hope I helped!

~C

I know exactly what you’re talking about dude. For chest, you have to work every single part of those pecs. This means flat benching (pectorialis major), incline benching (upper pecs), decline benching (lower pecs), and flies (outer pecs). For an even chest, you should also consider doing some wide grip push-ups as well as diamonds (if you can do them).

The thing with your pecs are that you can’t neglect certain parts. On chest days, you need to work the whole thing. Just one workout won’t do it.

~C

Well by light I mean weights that you can comfortably complete every rep with apart from the last set where you struggle to complete it. But make sure you maintain form THROUGHOUT! That’s extremely important. 

For your core:

Crunches, Planks, Hanging leg-raises, windmills are the best things to do.

-A

Thanks for the question!

Well firstly I wouldn’t go too heavy at your age since you’re still growing and maturing physically. I would just do light core stuff (for sports) play a lot of sport and work on cardio. Then do some conditioning too. Do 15-20 reps of light-ish weights 3 sets for each exercise. Work your core every other day. 2 exercises per session 20 reps for 3 sets. If you have any other questions just let us know!

-A

Thanks for the question! No matter what phase you’re in you don’t want to do cardio and weight training on the same day (unless it’s a light warm-up) because it’s counter productive. Bulking I would cut out cardio all together (maybe once a week just to stay fit) then when you’re toning do HIIT training a couple times a week.

As for carbs and protein when bulking you want 1.5-2 grams of protien per kg of bodyweight and double the amount of carbs! As for toning, keep the same protein intake but drop down carbs to the minimal amount just to supply the body with energy and cut out carbs after 6pm (unless you train, in which case you have a little bit after your workout).

-A

Hey, 

Well firstly I wouldn’t take supplements now because at your age there is no need to supplement yet. Wait until you’re 18 and fully developed then you can supplement with a mass gainer to gain muscle mass quickly. But for now lay the foundations for further gym going.

As for ab work. Crunches, planks, hanging leg-raises and windmills are the best thing for you!

-A

~C

Well first thing’s first, this is HIIT.

To lose weight, you have to create a calorie deficit, which means you have to burn more calories than you consume. Today, try to count the calories of every single meal you eat, these are your maintenance (regular) calories that you eat on a normal basis. To lose weight, you’ll have to eat about 300-500 less calories than this. Also, you should be working out regularly cause this will burn alot of calories as well.

You weigh 140, so you need to consume about 1.5 grams of protein per pound of bodyweight that you have if you want to get toned up as well while losing this weight. Protein has to be one of the staples of your diet no matter what. These are for your muscles. When you’re lifting, lift HEAVY. Give your muscles a reason to stay/develop themselves.

Lastly, I’ll be doing this myself starting this week, but you can try out the Spartacus workout. It can be found here. 

Best of luck!

~C

If you goal is fat loss then yes. Do some HIIT 2-3 times a week and one or two regular cardio days and if you want throw in some toning every now and then but cardio and diet is the main thing to do if you want to speed up your fat loss. 

-A

Well, you’re asking about spot reduction, which is trying to lose fat in target areas in the body by doing certain workouts or whatever. I’m gonna tell you now that spot reduction is a myth. If you want to lose fat in your back and upper arms, you’ll have to lose body fat overall. Eventually, you’ll lose the fat in those areas. Just keep at it!

By dieting properly, which means eating more protein, less trans fatty foods, keeping your carbs/fats in check, and working out regularly, you’ll be well on your way. Also, cardio cardio cardio!

~C

I need to focus more on shoulders to be honest but this is what (ideally) I’d do. Bear in mind that my goal is bulk and strength.

5 sets of Arnold Press. 10 reps, 10 reps, 8 reps, 8 reps, 6 reps. Going up in weight as much as I can each time.

5 sets of lateral raises. (Same rep format).

5 sets of frontal raises. (Same rep format).

I do shoulders on the day I do back too so I do 5 sets of rows, 5 sets of pulldowns and 5 sets of wide-grip chin-ups. Back exercises of course work shoulders too and you should always try and fit big movements into your workouts.

-A