Busting A Beginner's Doubts On Weightlifting And Diet

FITNESS AND DIET BASICS THAT YOU NEED TO KNOW

How to develop that awesome V shape body like Brad Pitt in Troy?

Brad Pitt's Troy physique, the so called "Greek God Physique" mainly concentrates on three major muscles: The Chest (Inclined bench press), The Back (Weighted pull up) and The Shoulders (Military press).

You need to go for strength training like Reverse Pyramid Training to attain that look with some Rest Pause Training to get that pumped look!

And coming to the V-taper, you need to follow the Adonis ratio for that !

How can you attain a V-taper? Broad shoulders and small sized waist.

I have written about it here: Shoulder toWaist ratio for The Greek God Look !

If you are interested in my Reverse pyramid training and Rest pause training: ACHILLES WORKOUTPROGRAM! (LEANGAINS AND KINOBODY INSPIRED) 

How exactly does muscles grow when we lift weights?

Muscle gets broken down when you lift weights and when you provide it with enough protein, carbs and fats it rebuilds itself. The amount by which your muscle grows back depends on the calories you give it to rebuild and also on the intensity of your workout i.e. if you lift heavier weights your muscle have to grow to push that much weight. Your body can adapt to anything that you throw at it.

If you don't lift weights for about one month, your body will start burning that muscle off thinking that you no longer need that.

Your body is a fat storing machine not a muscle building machine!

That is the reason why you have to work so hard to build muscle.

What are the best ways to reduce and eliminate belly, abdominal and thigh fat?

Why is your lower back and love handles (side belly) colder than your other body parts ? Most people find it difficult to loose fat from these regions and that is why they are known as stubborn fat.

What happens when you do a bicep curl? You contract the muscles thereby increasing the blood flow to that region.

In the same way what happens when you do ab crunches and side planks? You are forcing blood to those regions, more blood flow to those regions can aid in losing fat.

Still don't believe me? Read this article from T-Nation: Spot Reduction is real

Read my blog where I talk about  “why fat loss is a slow process and how to increase the fat loss process " : FAT LOSSEXPLAINED

And one more important thing: PEOPLE MEASURE FAT LOSS BY LOOKING AT THEIR ABS IN THE MIRROR BUT IT IS THE LAST PLACE FROM WHICH YOUR BODY BURNS FAT ! 

Spot reduction works only if you are under 13 % body fat, that is you are having that last 10 pounds of fat hanging around your belly.

Is it good to hire a gym trainer ?

If you are new to the gym a trainer will teach you proper lifting forms and he will also support you when lifting weights thereby saving you from injury.

On the other hand to get muscular and big you have to eat at a calorific surplus. Go to this website and find out your maintenance calories: Calorie Maintenance Calculator - Daily Calorie Requirements

If you keep on eating at your Maintenance calories every day you will maintain your weight. So your goal is to eat at a caloric surplus that is by increasing 500 calories to your maintenance calories.

Example: If your maintenance calories = 2000.

To gain muscle and weight you must consume = 2500 calories.

To lose weight further you must decrease 500 calories from maintenance = 1500

    IT’S CALORIES IN, CALORIES OUT

What is the difference between whole body workout every day and split body workout?

If you work out all body parts every day, you are not giving it enough time to grow. It is when you rest your body recovers and it starts to rebuild the broken muscle.

For a 3 day split:

You should be doing Chest and Triceps together, Back and Biceps Together and Legs and shoulders.

For a 5 day split:

Monday: Chest.

Tuesday: Back

Wednesday: Biceps and Triceps.

Friday: Shoulders.

Saturday: Legs.

You can do all body parts in one day, but I recommend you to follow the 3 day split or 5 day split for getting stronger and to build muscle.

What is the best way for a vegan to put on muscle mass quickly through whole Foods and exercise  (no supplements, no drugs)?

As a Natural Athlete there is no cheat code in bodybuilding to put on muscle mass very quick and to loose fat very quick. You have to be consistent, disciplined and most of all patient to achieve your goals that is the reason many people quit. It takes time for your body to put on muscle, check the photo i have attached to know how much muscle mass you can put on per month.

Does low weight high reps build muscle ?

Yes they do but they are not superior to the low reps heavy weight workouts. There are two types of muscle fibers in your body so it is recommended that you train both ways.

Try 2 months of high reps (8 to 12) low weight and 1 month of heavy Weight low reps (1 to 4).

How many repetitions should i do for a particular set ?

The different rep ranges are

Rep ranges: 1 to 4 = mainly concentrates on building strength.

Rep ranges: 8 to 12 = mainly concentrates on building muscle.

Rep ranges: 15 and above = mainly concentrates on muscle endurance.

(You are selecting a weight with which you go to complete failure within the given rep range)

Will I get fat overnight ?

No you won’t, try to eat healthy foods for one day and go to the gym and workout; did you wake up with a six pack abs the next day? The same applies to getting fat too.

Should I bulk or cut first ?

If you are really skinny start by eating 500 calories more than your maintenance calories.

If you are really fat start by eating 500 calories less than your maintenance calories.

If you are just in the middle I recommend you to eat at your maintenance calories.

What is the most important supplement required for a bodybuilder?

If you can meet your daily protein needs:

 Strength and recovery

If you cannot meet your daily protein intake:

Best protein supplement

If your aim is gain weight but cannot meet a calorie surplus:

For weight gain

If your aim is to loose fat safely:

Fat burner

Is running the best way to reduce waist size?

No, being in a calorie deficit is the most important thing to loose waist size. 

Diet is 90% and exercise is only 10%.Try to eat 500 less calories than your maintenance and start running daily, you will lose waist size.