Ask an Exercise Science major anything

[y0lked]

There is currently zero research linking zinc to much of anything directly related to sleep. From a hormonal perspective? Perhaps. But in terms of sleep quality/quantity, there is no evidence to support that.

i beg to differ
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/28019085
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/26184300

[MikeWines]

i beg to differ
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/28019085
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/26184300

Hmmm interesting, haven't seen either of them. Examine.com is very good about compiling all research (especially for popular topics) so typically if I come across a study that's a bit older and they haven't looked into it, there might be confounding variables.

Couple of things I would note, in the first study, they took subjective sleep data from the parents on their 3-5 yr olds. That's going to be tough to quantify, unless they had them hooked up to EEG monitors. Also, they used serum zinc markers instead of RBC values so tough to say how much of that zinc was actually getting to the tissues versus just winding up in the blood.

I'm certainly not saying your wrong as the second study was very interesting, you could indeed be on to something.

[y0lked]

Hmmm interesting, haven't seen either of them. Examine.com is very good about compiling all research (especially for popular topics) so typically if I come across a study that's a bit older and they haven't looked into it, there might be confounding variables.

Couple of things I would note, in the first study, they took subjective sleep data from the parents on their 3-5 yr olds. That's going to be tough to quantify, unless they had them hooked up to EEG monitors. Also, they used serum zinc markers instead of RBC values so tough to say how much of that zinc was actually getting to the tissues versus just winding up in the blood.

I'm certainly not saying your wrong as the second study was very interesting, you could indeed be on to something.

I only bring fourth those studies because I have my own anecdotal evidence. I have cycled on and off Zinc supplementation for years and I have personally noticed more vivid dreams (indicates rem sleep) and other mens health topics we dont need to get into. Im certainly not going to come concrete and say it 100% works for everyone, but I definitely know it works for me. At the very least it helps me eat more dark leafy greens as I know that excess Zinc can inhibit copper absorption.

[FaTheGym]

How do I calculate how many calories i'm burning while I'm weightlifting? I have done some research and found that a heart rate monitor doesn't adequately monitor calories when lifting the way it does when you are doing cardio. I know I am burning calories though because during my workout I lift as heavy as i can to get in high reps and I only rest 30 seconds in between sets. I sweat and my heart rate is raised. Is there an accurate calculation to measure this? Thanks.

[y0lked]

How do I calculate how many calories i'm burning while I'm weightlifting? I have done some research and found that a heart rate monitor doesn't adequately monitor calories when lifting the way it does when you are doing cardio. I know I am burning calories though because during my workout I lift as heavy as i can to get in high reps and I only rest 30 seconds in between sets. I sweat and my heart rate is raised. Is there an accurate calculation to measure this? Thanks.

It would be very hard to calculate exactly how many calories youre burning while weight lifting and also wouldnt be very beneficial. You should track your macros and aim to get in a deficit that way (assuming fat loss).

How are you doing tracking your macros?

[MmmWatermelon]

I only bring fourth those studies because I have my own anecdotal evidence. I have cycled on and off Zinc supplementation for years and I have personally noticed more vivid dreams (indicates rem sleep) and other mens health topics we dont need to get into. Im certainly not going to come concrete and say it 100% works for everyone, but I definitely know it works for me. At the very least it helps me eat more dark leafy greens as I know that excess Zinc can inhibit copper absorption.

I concur w/ y0lked here. 5 nights into zma use here (2 time iv bought myself a month cycle of ZMA) vivid dreams. REM sleep. also doowgninrom be SOLID as ever.

Cant say im bangin out PR's as a result of ZMA supplementation or anything tho.

[markgeorgeevans]

What are the benefits of training in your higher rep ranges first and lower rep range last? Eg: 12, 10, 8. When I train I always do my heavy lifts first when I'm fresh because I can lift more but I notice that most people do it the other way round and I always wondered why.

[RadialDevial]

I want to know what volume to use for exercises that target pretty much the same muscle. For example the goal is to develop maximum strength of the arm. Dumbell rows followed by hammer curls followed by hammer curls with belt over knuckle to strengthen the ulnar deviation. Are the last 2 exercises not to be taken too seriously and just done with light weight or should they also be trained heavy (3x5, 4x6 ) etc

[y0lked]

I concur w/ y0lked here. 5 nights into zma use here (2 time iv bought myself a month cycle of ZMA) vivid dreams. REM sleep. also doowgninrom be SOLID as ever.

Cant say im bangin out PR's as a result of ZMA supplementation or anything tho.

true, like side benefits haha.

What are the benefits of training in your higher rep ranges first and lower rep range last? Eg: 12, 10, 8. When I train I always do my heavy lifts first when I'm fresh because I can lift more but I notice that most people do it the other way round and I always wondered why.

They are simply prioritizing the higher reps over the lower reps where hypertrophy is the target. Personally I would never advocate going from high reps to low reps, however if someone wants to simply add in some more intensity in the lower rep range AFTER the muscle is fatigued there isnt a problem with that. There are multiple studies that show the benefit to prioritizing high rep AND low reps in a training cycle to elicit hypertrophy and strength gains. Therefore I would suggest separating a heavy bench session and a light bench session.

I want to know what volume to use for exercises that target pretty much the same muscle. For example the goal is to develop maximum strength of the arm. Dumbell rows followed by hammer curls followed by hammer curls with belt over knuckle to strengthen the ulnar deviation. Are the last 2 exercises not to be taken too seriously and just done with light weight or should they also be trained heavy (3x5, 4x6 ) etc

If you want to develop strength (1rm) then you should train above 85% 1rm. ie doing 3-5 sets of 3-5 reps at 85% 1rm. If you want to target the biceps then that should be the exercise and set.

Doing triple sets or compound sets simply trains muscular endurance as the reps done between rest easily gets over 15. Not sure if thats what you are looking for as your question wasnt too clear... hopefully I can clear some stuff up if you rephrase your question.

[yertlee]

I'm currently weighing in at 238lbs. Started off at 260lbs. I do cardio for a hour a day 5times a week sometimes 6times. I just have a couple of questions. Should I continue to do cardio as much or should I start to focus on more workouts ? The reason why I am doing cardio is to lose my stomach fat my arms are so scrawny I feel like lol, I have no chest and it makes me look even more fat I think in my personal opinon. So was just wondering what should I do? I understand you burn calories while working out and more muscle burns more calories but should I focus more on the workouts or cardio ?

[y0lked]

I'm currently weighing in at 238lbs. Started off at 260lbs. I do cardio for a hour a day 5times a week sometimes 6times. I just have a couple of questions. Should I continue to do cardio as much or should I start to focus on more workouts ? The reason why I am doing cardio is to lose my stomach fat my arms are so scrawny I feel like lol, I have no chest and it makes me look even more fat I think in my personal opinon. So was just wondering what should I do? I understand you burn calories while working out and more muscle burns more calories but should I focus more on the workouts or cardio ?

you should do both! resistance training helps maintain muscle mass which increases metabolic rate.
Here is how you should structure your workout

15 minute cardio warm up (either fast walking at a 4% incline or run/walk intervals of 30 on 1 off)
45 minutes of resistance training (pick a beginner routine)
15 minutes of cardio (either fast walking at a 4% incline or run/walk intervals of 30 on 1 off)

[spazzaau]

Hi there,

So hate to sound stupid, buy Im wondering if there are any cardio exercises I can do that wont leave my muscles sore? I play soccer twice a week and have found any cardio i do inbetween doesnt give me enough time to recover and results in me being tired when i play. Even a light jog before a workout lingers. Im pretty bad at recovering in general, and just want a way to get my heartbeat up and out of breath without any lingering affects.
Any help much appreciated

[sweetmcghee]

What would be most important for weight loss? Training frequency, intensity or volume?

[GyyzzBrah]

Hey man what kind of ab workouts would you recommend for me? How many times should I do it and what food should I eat to get the Zyzz physique naturally without growth hormones and steroids?

[MikeWines]

Hi there,

So hate to sound stupid, buy Im wondering if there are any cardio exercises I can do that wont leave my muscles sore? I play soccer twice a week and have found any cardio i do inbetween doesnt give me enough time to recover and results in me being tired when i play. Even a light jog before a workout lingers. Im pretty bad at recovering in general, and just want a way to get my heartbeat up and out of breath without any lingering affects.
Any help much appreciated

Utilize choices without an eccentric component:

Sled pushing, uphill walking, walking with a weight vest, perhaps farmers walks as well depending upon how heavily you load them. Sounds like you need to get some lifestyle factors in check in order to support recovery rather than worrying about training more.

What would be most important for weight loss? Training frequency, intensity or volume?

Depends on your goal but calories in < calories out will forever rule weight changes. Always comes down to the nutritional component.

When dieting you'll have a lower propensity to recover from volume so you must approach the situation carefully and higher threshold work can heavily stress the HPA axis so again, it's a balancing act.

Hey man what kind of ab workouts would you recommend for me? How many times should I do it and what food should I eat to get the Zyzz physique naturally without growth hormones and steroids?

It's not just about ab workouts or specifics foods. That takes years to achieve naturally. You're a point in your life where you have the hormonal milieu to accomplish quite alot when it comes to physical development. Don't waste that by comparing yourself to someone else and trying to live their life.

Get on a solid program, train intelligently (aka don't go balls to the wall everyday), eat nutritious whole foods, sleep like your life depends on it, and give it time. Stop trying to rush the process.

[y0lked]

Utilize choices without an eccentric component:

Sled pushing, uphill walking, walking with a weight vest, perhaps farmers walks as well depending upon how heavily you load them. Sounds like you need to get some lifestyle factors in check in order to support recovery rather than worrying about training more.

Mike, uphill walking without having to come back downhill? Also, anterior tib soreness from uphill walking? I would suggest bicycle riding.

[MikeWines]

Mike, uphill walking without having to come back downhill? Also, anterior tib soreness from uphill walking? I would suggest bicycle riding.

Yeah, treadmill would be the best choice. If he's a soccer player, he should have fairly conditioned anterior tibs considering they take much more of a pounding during repeated sprints in games. If he gets sore anterior tibs to the point where it affects his ability to play soccer than we've got bigger fish to fry. haha

Cycling would be a good choice as well.

[spazzaau]

Appeciate the help! Thanks

[Shlump]

I just started lifting recently and I've already hit a wall with my chest. Aside from being weak, my chest has terrible muscle imbalance where my left side will suddenly crap out on me. This happens mid way into the 1st set usually. I'm using light weights and it still happens to where I can't finish a set. Even when I deload to the bar.
I'm really frustrated. feels like I'm making zero progress.

[y0lked]

I just started lifting recently and I've already hit a wall with my chest. Aside from being weak, my chest has terrible muscle imbalance where my left side will suddenly crap out on me. This happens mid way into the 1st set usually. I'm using light weights and it still happens to where I can't finish a set. Even when I deload to the bar.
I'm really frustrated. feels like I'm making zero progress.

Youve probably been going to heavy or using bad form or have some sort of postural issue. What beginner routine are you doing? What are your macros? What are your bench numbers? etc.

[danny602]

As a complete novice my question is when starting to ramp up my squats, is it normal for my lower back muscles to fatigue first or is that a sign of poor form

[MmmWatermelon]

bros. Did DLs today, half way thru my workout I notice bruising on both forearms right in the center of them worse on my left arm, in fact my right arm is all good now. this workout was hours ago. Left arm is still bruised and i can feel a slight weakness in my grip when i make a fist. I am absolutely certain that I did not scrap or bang my forearms on anything today at the gym. Anybody experience this? My only thought of why I developed these bruises is overworking my forearms(grip) whilst performing dead lifts today?

[markgeorgeevans]

When doing 2 exercises per muscle group do you go straight into the second exercise with the same 60-90sec rest period or do you have a longer rest period in between exercises? I was just thinking maybe you might lose the pump if you had a long break in between exercises but if you didn't have a decent break your muscles might be too fatigued to lift very heavy.

What would you do if you were doing two bicep exercises for example?

What would you do if you were doing two back exercises but one was say lat pull downs and the other was rows?

I would think that for biceps you would have minimum rest to keep the pump and for the back you would have a decent 2-3 min break because your targeting two different parts of the back.

What do you think?

Thanks!

[y0lked]

As a complete novice my question is when starting to ramp up my squats, is it normal for my lower back muscles to fatigue first or is that a sign of poor form

You should feel something in your lower back as those muscles are definitely used in the squat to brace the spine and maintain upright posture. However, if you get serious back fatigue your hips are probably shooting up first. Can you post a squat video?

bros. Did DLs today, half way thru my workout I notice bruising on both forearms right in the center of them worse on my left arm, in fact my right arm is all good now. this workout was hours ago. Left arm is still bruised and i can feel a slight weakness in my grip when i make a fist. I am absolutely certain that I did not scrap or bang my forearms on anything today at the gym. Anybody experience this? My only thought of why I developed these bruises is overworking my forearms(grip) whilst performing dead lifts today?

Never ever heard of anyone bruising their forearms from exercise. Thats very weird.

When doing 2 exercises per muscle group do you go straight into the second exercise with the same 60-90sec rest period or do you have a longer rest period in between exercises? I was just thinking maybe you might lose the pump if you had a long break in between exercises but if you didn't have a decent break your muscles might be too fatigued to lift very heavy.

What would you do if you were doing two bicep exercises for example?

What would you do if you were doing two back exercises but one was say lat pull downs and the other was rows?

I would think that for biceps you would have minimum rest to keep the pump and for the back you would have a decent 2-3 min break because your targeting two different parts of the back.

What do you think?

Thanks!

Let me break this down a little bit... these arent hard and fast rules but they will help you understand which rest times to choose

Reps:
Strength: 1-5 reps
Hypertrophy: 6-12 reps
Endurance: 13+ reps

Rest Time:
Strength: >3 minutes
Hypertrophy: 1-3 minutes
Endurance: <1 minute

Dont chase the pump, yes a pump is good but it is NOT an indicator that you are training correctly. For example reffering to your question:
Biceps with short rest: if you did 10 reps and then rested for 30 seconds and did 10 more reps you pretty much just did 20 reps which would be endurance training. Would you get some hypertrophy from that? Yeah maybe a little, but would that be optimum? No
The pump you feel is just muscle tissue causing local vasodilation allowing for more blood to be pumped into the muscle, however there is a limit to how much vasodilation can occur. Therefore it would be suboptimal to aim to try and get an even bigger pump rather than resting a little bit longer and getting more work (weight x reps x sets) in.

[markgeorgeevans]

You should feel something in your lower back as those muscles are definitely used in the squat to brace the spine and maintain upright posture. However, if you get serious back fatigue your hips are probably shooting up first. Can you post a squat video?

Never ever heard of anyone bruising their forearms from exercise. Thats very weird.


Let me break this down a little bit... these arent hard and fast rules but they will help you understand which rest times to choose

Reps:
Strength: 1-5 reps
Hypertrophy: 6-12 reps
Endurance: 13+ reps

Rest Time:
Strength: >3 minutes
Hypertrophy: 1-3 minutes
Endurance: <1 minute

Dont chase the pump, yes a pump is good but it is NOT an indicator that you are training correctly. For example reffering to your question:
Biceps with short rest: if you did 10 reps and then rested for 30 seconds and did 10 more reps you pretty much just did 20 reps which would be endurance training. Would you get some hypertrophy from that? Yeah maybe a little, but would that be optimum? No
The pump you feel is just muscle tissue causing local vasodilation allowing for more blood to be pumped into the muscle, however there is a limit to how much vasodilation can occur. Therefore it would be suboptimal to aim to try and get an even bigger pump rather than resting a little bit longer and getting more work (weight x reps x sets) in.

So I was doing 1 set of barbell curls to failure then going straight onto cable curls and hitting failure again in between sets. Is this training optimally for hypertrophy or not? I thought it would be good to hit failure twice and do like a drop set.

[danfleysher]

Hey, is there any benefit to progressing through a movement very slowly vs exploding?

For example: On bench press, I bring the weight down and shoot it up as quickly as I can. Would it be more beneficial if I brought it down slowly and back up slowly?

[y0lked]

So I was doing 1 set of barbell curls to failure then going straight onto cable curls and hitting failure again in between sets. Is this training optimally for hypertrophy or not? I thought it would be good to hit failure twice and do like a drop set.

Training to failure has more risks than it does rewards. You would probably get better gains doing all the sets of barbell curls with one minute rest in between, and then all of the cable curls with one minute rest between sets. You will be able to do more weight and thus tax the muscle more than doing a compound set.

Hey, is there any benefit to progressing through a movement very slowly vs exploding?

For example: On bench press, I bring the weight down and shoot it up as quickly as I can. Would it be more beneficial if I brought it down slowly and back up slowly?

The more explosively you do the concentric the more muscle fibers you will recruit. The slower you lower the weight the more eccentric strain you put on the muscle (possibly the most taxing thing you can do to a muscle is heavy slow eccentric contractions ie: negatives).

Thus: Slow down and then fast up without bouncing any weight would be ideal.

[y0lked]

bump. here to help

[JackedGeek]

I have some tendinitis in my knees. Result of poor form (from bad advice) and over doing it. I'm using Pennsaid (look it up-it's awesome) to relieve the inflammation, but I'm not sure at what point to go back to squats. How do I gradually get back into it without hurting my knees.

[y0lked]

I have some tendinitis in my knees. Result of poor form (from bad advice) and over doing it. I'm using Pennsaid (look it up-it's awesome) to relieve the inflammation, but I'm not sure at what point to go back to squats. How do I gradually get back into it without hurting my knees.

Do you have inflammation, swelling, regular pain while standing, and limited range of motion? Or do you only feel a burning, stabbing pain locally when doing knee flexion activities?