Monavie Health Club

Question: 20 year old male; looking for basic health/fitness advice?

(Posted by: John Doe on 2010-03-08 01:23:46)

- 20 years old - 127- 128 lbs (skinny) - 5'8 " - Non- smoker & non- drinker - Full- time student, part- time job I rarely eat breakfast, in fact I barely eat 2 meals a day...I'm on a tight budget, and on a busy schedule, so I never find the time. However, I've had an overhaul, and I would like some feedback on some basic stuff; I'm not very educated of health and fitness stuff. I have three basic questions: 1] What kind of foods should I be eating to gain a healthy weight? 2] What should me intake be of carbs, proteins, fats, etc. to gain a healthy weight? 3] What would be a good workout plan to tone muscles, shed fat cells, increase testosterone levels, and become more active and fit? I plan on going to the gym about 3 days a week, but I really don't know what I should be working at. Any other information, tips, websites, etc. would be helpful. Thanks :)

Posted by: The Vulgar Existentialist on 2010-03-08, 01:28:25

As far as getting "big " I doubt you're going to get that much bigger. I mean, you may put on 10 - 15 pounds, but genetically, unless you're taking those crazy unhealthy supplements, you won't gain a whole lot. I mean, As far as eating, breakfast is important, and it doesn't have to be insane, if you're looking to gain weight, cereal is awesome, I normally just eat fruit for breakfast... well, that's a lie, I only drink coffee and smoke cigarettes for every meal. Anyways, as far as the gym goes, 3 days a week is perfect. Don't forget cardio, that's the healthiest aspect of... well, being healthy. If you're looking to actually gain weight/ muslce, You'll want to lift, Most people just target the upper body, but make sure you get your legs, too. Granted, at any gym you go to, everyone is usually pretty friendly, and will give you all the advice you need. And more. And then some more. And, wow, don't you really wish those meat heads at the gym would shut up?

Posted by: Watching it all fall!!!! on 2010-03-08, 02:22:15

Well you seem more educated about this stuff than anyone else I see on here. You already know about macornutrients(fats, proteins, and carbohydrates) and know you need a percentage of each based on your calories allowance. So I think you have a good start. Here is what I recommend. First you need to increase your LBM(Lean Body Mass) and that requires a caloric surplus. But the calories need to come from the right percentage macronutrients(proteins, fats, carbohydrates) Remember that: 1g of protein has 4 calories 1g of carbohydrates has 4 calories 1g of fats has 9 calories 1g of alcohol has 7 calories Nutrients(vitamins and minerals) contain no calories. Also alcohol isn't a nutrient but it contains calories so I included it so you can see where all the calories come from in foods. Also you need to understand that concept of "protein sparing ". This basically means eating enough protein in your diet that you spare the loss of protein in your muscles and other tissues(or LBM). Proteins are made up of amino acids and these amino acids are arranged in chains to make "different " types of proteins. The body can take apart amino acids and make other proteins for tissues(like organs) or hormones(like protein from fat cells). That means that the body can become catabolic and break down muscle tissue(contractile tissue) and create other tissues. Also when carbohydrates are not present the body can break down protein for energy(thus the reason it has a caloric value) via a process called gluconeogenesis So with that said you can see the body is basically in a constant state of breaking down and repairing tissues. Thus the need to spare the loss of LBM is needed. This is usually achieved in a couple ways depending on your body type. Both carbohydrates and proteins spare LBM loss in some way. This is what those "mass gainer " products do at GNC. They are basically loaded with carbohydrates and protein. This is one thing I also would recommend you start supplementing with if you want to put on weight. Anyways you asked about the percentage of macronutrients(fats, proteins, and carbs) you need. This is really based on your needs. But the general rule is a percentage based on your calorie allowance. The formula is 40/ 30/ 20 with 10% distributed on any of the three. What that means is 40% of calories should come from protein. 30% from carbohydrates, and 20% from fats(mostly healthy types). The left over 10% can be on any of the three. So if you put 10% on protein it would be 50% protein, 30% carbs, 20% fats. - Remember back up I broke down the caloric values of each macro? This is where you need to know your calorie allowance so you can base the percentages on. Again though I don't like this advice cause it's so standard. Everyone is different and for me I need tons of protein for building muscle. I need carbohydrates for energy and I cycle them around workouts. So you see that advice is just too standard. Now I already told you about proteins so I guess I'll explain the other two macronturients. Carbohydrates - Those are really just sources of energy used by the body. The liver will convert most carbohydrates into glucose an glycogen. When carbohydrates are not present the body will take it from the other two macros(fats and proteins) via gluconeogenesis. Carbohydrates serve no other purpose really other than providing energy. Fats - These are also like proteins as they serve structural purposes too(such as in cell membranes). But if you remember the above caloric values then you see that fats are almost double that of the other two macronutrients(protein and carbs which are 4 calories per a gram). Also fats come in four flavors. Ok so unsaturated fats(monounsaturated and polyunsaturated) are healthy. Just remember that and always try to steer to them. Saturated fats isn't that bad but isn't great either so watch it. If you want fat then try to get it from the unsaturated types. Stay way from trans fats period too many unhealthy things about them. Ok moving on to the workouts. First you don't burn fat cells. Actually you burn the fatty acids inside the fat cell for fuel once you have the cell release the fatty acids they become "free fatty acids " in the blood stream. Hormones attach to the cell and cause it to release the FFA's inside. This will float around until a another cell can use it for energy. Sorry I promise no more physiology. But if yoru interested in fat cells hit me up. As for exercise.. This is another topic I can get into so I promise I'll try to keep it short. However if you have questions you should email me. Building muscle has been studied by scientists. We know what works and what doesn't. Toning muscles(meaning not bulking) is done in rep ranges of 10-15. Sets of 1-2. Muscles need 48 hours rest between workouts to repair the micro tears caused by the truma of exercsing. This allow the muscle to recover and develop to the