The Very Good Question Section

I have a 16 year-old competitive swimmer. He weighs 180 and is 6'1". He has fat in the abdominal area that he wants to lose. What is the best way to lean him up within six weeks? I'd like to have him in the weight room, cardio and a clean diet. Any suggestions on the specifics of the three? Thanks in advance.


First, you need to figure out what his body fat percentage is currently, and then figure out where he would like to be in six weeks. It would be best to use the skinfold method because it is the most reliable (same reading from trial to trail). Then, we can do the math and figure out how many pounds of fat that is, rather than just going off of physical appearance or weight (which we all know can fluctuate by 5 or more pounds in one day, not to mention that he will likely GAIN lean body mass during the program). Then, we design the program that will burn the set amount of body fat, and set a time frame. Remember that there are 3500 calories in a pound of fat. Fat loss at the rate of one pound a week would require a caloric deficit of 500 calories a day. In 6 weeks this will equate to 6 pounds of fat lost. I would focus most of your time in the weight room. Keep your reps around 10, and use shorter rest periods between sets (1 to 1.5 minutes). I would definitely do cardio between three to five times a week, preferably at an intensity of 70 to 85% of max heart rate and duration of around 30 minutes.


There is a lady at my gym that the doctors have said suffers from dystonia. When she exercises she sometimes gets local muscular muscle tension in the right leg or the right arm. I have seen her arm and fingers just tense right up. My question is, how would you go about training someone like that. What should you do and what should you not do.


Dystonia is a disease with no known cause or cure. The main symptoms are random muscle cramping (although the disease is not muscular, it is neurological) that can be quite painful. Surprisingly little is known about it for how many people it affects. To answer your question, I would NOT train this client without learning more about the disease and her specific condition. Unfortunately, I cannot give you the specifics because I just don't have access to the info. The disease is unknown enough that I could find nothing on
exercise programs. I DID read that exercise could help the symptoms, but must be administered by a trained physiotherapist. That should tell you that it is not as simple as just moving some weight around the gym when dealing with this condition. I would contact her doctor, or better yet, her physical therapist (if she has or has had one recently), and get some hard facts on how you should be training her (if at all).


Have a client who runs on average 8-10 miles, 2-3 times a week. Currently running on a treadmill due to winter. She has been experiencing an ache (constant discomfort) in the Achilles tendon. First the right foot, now the left. I recommended new running shoes, and specific stretches for the ankle and calf. No past injuries, strains, nor sprains. Is there something I'm overlooking?


These types of symptoms in this area of the body are commonly caused from tendonitis (an inflammation of the tendon). Indeed, if this were the case, tight calves would probably worsen the situation. The reason is the runner with tight calves spends more time weight bearing on the calf muscles during gait. Over long distances, this adds up. Along the same lines, improper footwear could make the calves (and thus the Achilles tendon) work harder than they need to. You need a shoe that has a flexible toe region. Cross training type shoes rarely have this, and should not be used for running. To check a shoe for this, make sure that it is flexible when applying force to the sole, from the ball of the foot, out to the end of the toe. The bottom of the sole should be "rounded off" from front to back. This is a characteristic of good running shoes, and creates almost a "roll off" effect during running or walking. This lessens the strain on both the calf and the muscles in the front of the leg. If you want a better diagnosis of the problem, please have her see her physician. This is at least a likely scenario, and quite common.


I recently read that androstene products are worthwhile supplements to take and has steroid like effects as far as muscle growth and strength is concerned. I read this on T-Mag, which is a site, I was referred to from an answer I received on here a couple months ago. Is this a worthwhile supplement to take or is it garbage? Thanks!


Every well-designed study I have seen on andro products has found they do NOT work. They do elevate androstene levels in the blood, but this elevation does NOT raise any of the anabolic hormones in the body. In fact, the only hormone that these products have been found to elevate is ESTROGEN. Obviously not a desirable effect in males. Also, (with no surprise) these products will not help you build muscle mass or strength. Like is the story with many of these products, you are best to save your money!