Ask Spinach

[Zaraki Kenpachi]

While the site seems to be directed at aspiring bodybuilders I dont see how a lot of the info couldnt be used by us.

Hey Chapel, how long was your last test?

[JackG]

me being young I'm just wondering what are the side affects/problems with doing knuckle push ups ( on 2 punching knuckles) on a hard wood surface. What will happen at a later age?

[super ninja]

Hi Spinach. i have started jogging everyday in a pictch close to where i live. i was wondering if it was ok to jog everyday? I was also adding half a lap every third day. Is this the right way to do it?

Thanks

[Spinach]

Originally Posted by Chapel

Two follow up questions and one new question:

1) What do you mean by "melting muscles"? I know the muscles aren't actually becoming liquid (that would be a much more serious problem), so what actually is happening?

2) You say caffeine is bad, however, a lot of diet pills contain stimulants and they tell you to avoid caffeine while taking them? Are their better kinds of stimulants than caffeine that are being used in these diet pills?

3) In general, what do you think about the advise on this site: TESTOSTERONE NATION

1) Well I was being a bit extreme but at breaking point parts of the muscle will actually melt. It is rare though, but people who run marathons without enough water in the middle of the day in heat waves sometimes overheat to the point where they can die and the many parts of their bodies will die even if they survive. It was worth saying because I know Drallig has an excellent work ethic and might push himself despite the heat.

2) Diet pills are also bad. The reason they say to avoid caffiene is because they contain high doses already so they say to stop to avoid going over the recommended intake of caffeine. This is their way of covering their asses and avoid law suits if people do just that. There have been other substances used in the past, ephidrine for example, but are now illegal. These days it is just caffeine and herbs that will apparently make fat melt off your body... I think the proof is in the pudding. There are more diet pills sold per person in America then any other country yet they still have a massively obese population. They just don't work.

3) I have little to do with it but it is good enough if you want to be a bodybuilder. There is alot of conflicting information though, it is difficult for a beginner to look through their stuff and come out doing something appropriate for their needs. If anyone does want a good site for fitness needs I recommend RossTraining - Bridging The Gap Between Ordinary and Extraordinary The books that he sells are without a doubt the best on the market for people in our field and he packs alot of bang for your buck. If anyone is interested I would recommend the Never Gymless book for equipment-less fitness and a good education in how the body works.

[Spinach]

Originally Posted by JackG

me being young I'm just wondering what are the side affects/problems with doing knuckle push ups ( on 2 punching knuckles) on a hard wood surface. What will happen at a later age?

Its a good question, knuckle pushups are one of the better conditioning methods to use as they strengthen the wrist and bones to an extent without damaging the joint. Things that will happen though, your knuckles will slowly start to be red all the time and it is possible that you will be a touch arthritic in your old age in those knuckles. Its depends on your body though, everyone is different. If it feels ok the chances are it is.

Originally Posted by super ninja

Hi Spinach. i have started jogging everyday in a pictch close to where i live. i was wondering if it was ok to jog everyday? I was also adding half a lap every third day. Is this the right way to do it?

Thanks

It is an excellent way to do it, well done. What you will need to remember is that this is a way to increase your cardio endurance and not something to do for the rest of your life. Do this for one month to two months and you will be at a high level of aerobic fitness, then you can cut it back to two times a week and maintain all those benifits. If you continue to train like that for longer then two months though you will increase your chances of a repetitive strain injury greatly. I would recommend that you do what you are doing for another month, then switch to three times a week for longer sessions for two weeks or a month, then to two or one sessions a week to maintain.

[TKDaddict]

can you please tell me what causes headaches please?

[Spinach]

Originally Posted by TKDaddict

can you please tell me what causes headaches please?

Hahaha, how much time do you think I have??

There are so many causes and forms of what westerners call a headache that I couldn't explain them all here. In chinese medicine what you would call a headache could be one of 34 different patterns, all with unique treatments. Even in allopathic diagnosis it could be one of many different causes.

Differnt western types of headaches would be from the blood vessels in the head dilating to brain tumors causing pressure to having one eye slightly more out of focus then the others. Also excess tension in the neck and face muscles can cause 'headache'.

Have you been suffering from headaches yourself and are wondering whats going on or something like that..?

[TKDaddict]

i sometimes get them and was wondering what causes them could it be from diet? if i told you what the pain was like would it help?

[rodders]

It was my leaving party last night and i got some mega bad hangover Know any cures

[Chapel]

Originally Posted by Spinach

2) Diet pills are also bad. The reason they say to avoid caffiene is because they contain high doses already so they say to stop to avoid going over the recommended intake of caffeine. This is their way of covering their asses and avoid law suits if people do just that. There have been other substances used in the past, ephidrine for example, but are now illegal. These days it is just caffeine and herbs that will apparently make fat melt off your body... I think the proof is in the pudding. There are more diet pills sold per person in America then any other country yet they still have a massively obese population. They just don't work.

The most diet pills are sold in America because so many people are looking for a quick fix. I am speaking more of the diet pills that claim not to deliver otherwise unreachable results, but rather those that will just help you reach your goals faster. I've always put them on the same level as supplements: they can help, but nothing replaces diet and exercise.

3) I have little to do with it but it is good enough if you want to be a bodybuilder. There is alot of conflicting information though, it is difficult for a beginner to look through their stuff and come out doing something appropriate for their needs. If anyone does want a good site for fitness needs I recommend RossTraining - Bridging The Gap Between Ordinary and Extraordinary The books that he sells are without a doubt the best on the market for people in our field and he packs alot of bang for your buck. If anyone is interested I would recommend the Never Gymless book for equipment-less fitness and a good education in how the body works.

The conflicting information was a bit concerning to me. In the time between the original post and this one a friend of mine said that the articles on that site conflict because they are representing different options that you have. For example: one article will say don't eat any carbs and another will say don't eat any fat. Obviously you can't do both those diets, so you have to choose one.

I don't aspire to be a body builder, but strength is probably my weakest point as far as general fitness goes.

Originally Posted by drallig9399

While the site seems to be directed at aspiring bodybuilders I dont see how a lot of the info couldnt be used by us.

Hey Chapel, how long was your last test?

The test I took for 2nd Dan was about an hour give or take. The last test I ran was for yellow highs -> green and it lasted 30 minutes.

[47MartialMan]

Tomatoe/Tomatoe products/juice-good for the prostrate?

[Spinach]

Originally Posted by TKDaddict

i sometimes get them and was wondering what causes them could it be from diet? if i told you what the pain was like would it help?

It will get a bit fiddly doing it here so if you want to talk about this ore PM me.

Originally Posted by rodders

It was my leaving party last night and i got some mega bad hangover Know any cures

Don't drink?

Well, you can drink more. Of course that is a damning path to follow. Throwing up if you feel you have to can help hugely as there is ofen alchohol and by products still in the stomach in those situations, getting rid of it will certainly help if you want to get rid of the syptoms faster. Otherwise I will recommend drinking lots of tea. It is nice and warm on your weakened digestive system, rehydrates and is full of anti oxidants. I think this is the best advice I could ever give to a englishman

Originally Posted by 47MartialMan

Tomatoe/Tomatoe products/juice-good for the prostrate?

I guess you are refering to the research indicating that five to seven servings of tomato based foods a week can lower prostate cancer by a third? I can't say much about it other then it seems like sound advice. Of course if anyone reading can't stomach all that tomato regular sexual activity is also very beneficial. I recommend this treatment at least everyday, doctors orders.

[RiveraRa]

Ive heard that you need to burn about 3,500 calories to lose a pound of fat. So Im guessing it takes 1,750 calories burned to lose 1/2 lb of fat. How does this work in relation to your intake of calories.

Say I eat 2,500 calories a day but I burn 1,750 calories. That is a difference of +750 calories. This means I am gaining weight because calories in > calories burned correct? So If I want to lose 1/2 lb and ate 2,500 calories I would need to burn 4,250 in one day correct?

If I were to do this...would that 1/2 lb be lost immediately that day?

Thanks!

[Spinach]

Originally Posted by RiveraRa

Ive heard that you need to burn about 3,500 calories to lose a pound of fat. So Im guessing it takes 1,750 calories burned to lose 1/2 lb of fat. How does this work in relation to your intake of calories.

Say I eat 2,500 calories a day but I burn 1,750 calories. That is a difference of +750 calories. This means I am gaining weight because calories in > calories burned correct? So If I want to lose 1/2 lb and ate 2,500 calories I would need to burn 4,250 in one day correct?

If I were to do this...would that 1/2 lb be lost immediately that day?

Thanks!

You need to dumb it down a bit. Start like this. The human body needs 2000 calories to function properly. This isn't exact, everyone is different, obviously little lasses need less then a big guy obviously. If you take in your 2000 and don't do any exercise you won't lose or put on weight. If you have 1900 calories your body might use some energy stores to compensate.

So thats how it is, more then 2000 then you might put on weight and less then 2000 and you will lose. However this is assuming you aren't doing anything during the day. You need to take in more calories if you have an active lifestyle. If you have 2000 and exercise you will lose weight. If you are training for improvements though you will need to eat a bit more.

This is the big secret of the zone diet. It is made up of three 500 calorie meals a day, which is only 1500 a day. Which is a starvation diet. You can eat 1500 calories worth of chips and still lose weight.

As for losing more half a lb of fat in one day, it isn't always so simple. When there is a huge deficiency your body will use your stored glycogen for energy, meaning you won't lose as much fat as you think despite feeling like you have been run over by a truck. If you keep going after a few days you will start to lose bodyfat in larger amounts. And then it gets harder, to really lose large amounts of fat yo have to stop glycogen from being stored up in the body so you have to cut your carbs too. This way the body will use fat as an alternitive energy source.


Its the human body doesn't really run on maths unfortunatly.

Is this just a question of interest or are you trying to lose weight? If you are trying to lose weight then we can work on that properly instead.

[Chapel]

Originally Posted by Spinach

Its the human body doesn't really run on maths unfortunatly.

LIES! All lies! I get what you are saying though. The actual calculations are much to complex as there are hundreds of factors involved and in general one doesn't need to be that specific.

As a follow up to the question about calories per day. I have heard that by eating a "Diabetic Diet" which consists of regulating your blood sugar by eating small meals every 3 hours will increase your metabolism. Is this true? Further more, is this increase substantial enough to warrant the attention it requires to eat 5+ balanced meals at 3 hour spacings?