[08-29-2000] nyckulkrn : I am a teenager who is now starting to go to the gym. I am having fun in working out. I use the machine and sometimes like once a week I go down to the free weights section, but soon I have to quit the gym because my school starts, so I want to know what exercises and please explain what I can do with weights to build up my chest and shoulder muscles. I know what to do for biceps and triceps. but I don't know what I should do with my weights to build up my chest and shoulder muscles....and I don't have a bench press due to lack of space in my room. so please tell me.. thank you for your time!

[08-29-2000] jasonkozma : Chest:
Superset dumbell flyes with dumbell presses on the corner of your bed - 4 sets
Push ups to failure with feet on top of bed: 2 sets to failure
Shoulders
Dumbell overhead press: 2 warm ups, 2 sets of 8
Front lateral raises: 2 sets of 10
Side laterals: 2 sets of 10
Dumbell upright rows: 2 sets of 8

With my new job, I find it best to work out in the early mornings (6-7am) 3 or 4 times a week. My question: What is the best snack or meal to eat before my workout to get the most out of it? I usually only eat a yogurt and some OJ. Afterwards, I eat some scrambled eggs (about 8 egg whites) and some more OJ.

Thanks for your advice!

[08-23-2000] jasonkozma : oatmeal: 1 cup. Best thing before morning workouts.

08-13-2000] JamesRocket :  Is electrical impulse things like GymForm Plus safe? Does it work and make muscle? Does it make muscles lean out of?

[08-14-2000] jasonkozma : Sure It's safe. No it does not build muscle. It contracts the muscles many times, but not in a way that will make you grow. It's better than nothing, but just barely.

[07-16-2000] genius154 : Hello, I've been weight training for about 5 years now. I've seen great results on every part of my body. My inner chest, however, seems to be lagging. While I've been able to make it thicker, I can't get it to grow together and give me that nice little divide. I'd really appreciate any advice you could give me.
Thanks

[07-20-2000] jasonkozma : Add pec deck flyes to the end of your chest workout: 2-3 sets of 10-15.

06-08-2000] mummydearest : I am a 40 yr old female, 180 lb and 5"3'. I want to build BIG muscles. I read all muscle mags and looked at every web site I could, but they all say ladies can't get BIG muscles! So why do I see hundreds of pictures in magazines with female bodybuilders with 19" arms or bigger? How can I look like Timea Majorva (Oxygen magazine), she is also on my Oxygen 2000 calender)? I want her body shape? What can I do to get this look?

[06-08-2000] jasonkozma : If you want to look like Timea, you should be about 115 lbs at 5'3: because those are her stats (approximately)
There are very, very few women with 19' arms. Chyna used to and Karla Nelson may, but you are getting confused by the photos. All these women who look huge are rather short: between 5'0 and 5'4.
Anyway, of course you can get huge. Eat a lot of calories (3000) and train as heavy as possible (for 8-12 reps).
But if you are 5'3 and 180, you will need to peel off at least 50 (more like 60) pounds of body fat, so your muscles will show when you build them up.
For that, you need a low carb diet with one hour of cardio 6 days per week.

[05-16-2000] starprncss :  I am a 19 yr old female who has recently started to intensively work out.  I train with weights on alternate days and do a daily hour of cardio.  I don't want to get big, but I want to lose body fat and get very cut.  I want my legs, arms and abs to be very cut and I am on a low carb diet and taking Xenadrine.  What do you think about taking "cross-pro" whey protein shakes? I heard whey protein isolate is good for the muscle building and toning.  Please let me know of what you think would be best as far as brand and type of supplement.  THANK YOU!!

[05-17-2000] jasonkozma : I think all whey protein is the same, but for your purposes, Isopure is probably your best choice (it is whey isolate). If you want to save a few bucks, make your protein drink with 1 scoop of whey protein and 1 serving of soy protein isolate, and 1 small scoop (about 15-20 grams) of Carboplex. Soy protein isolate helps stimulate thyroid production (good for weight loss).  Ephedrine containing products like Xenadrine may have some of the following side effects: palpitation, profuse sweating, dehydration, dizziness, headaches, nausea, jitteriness, sleeplessness, and other similar side effects.  They work by stimulating the nervous system to work faster (faster heart rate) and induce thermogenesis (increase of body temperature).  This in turn makes the body burn more fat.  While these products are best compared to super-duper coffee, and can make you very uncomfortable, I still use then because they work.  Yes, they are potentially dangerous:  but if you want it to work as promised, you should realize that there will be side effects.
I think the most powerful fat loss agent is your diet. Diet is 80% of the total picture (training and cardio being the other 20%), and supplements are only good for about a 5% boost.

[05-06-2000] mat.rules : Do you know if the ECA stack is unsafe for a 15 year old trying to shift a small amount of bodyfat? (I mean more unsafe that for an adult).
Any response appreciated.
Mat.

[05-11-2000] jasonkozma : It's no more dangerous for you than it is for an adult, but that doesn't mean it's safe: A girl in Florida killed herself with Ripped Fuel about a year ago (she was taking some ridiculous amount and not eating for several days). It's a better idea to do cardio daily and cut out all junk and processed food.  Read the answer above.
 

[04-28-2000] crazyplace : I am a 41 year old female who consistently tests around 19% total bodyfat. My upper body (front and back) and abs are very lean and well-defined. My lower body is well-muscled but I still have cellulite on my thighs and butt. This is very discouraging to me. I want so badly for my lower body to have the same "defined" look as my upper body.
My routine (I do vary my cardio sources regularly as well as fluctuate the calories in my diet) has been 6 days 1-hr cardio (high intensity) and 4 days weight training (focusing especially hard on squats, lunges, deadlifts, back extensions, and ham curls).
It was suggested that I try L-Carnitine to enhance fat burning. (I can't take any of the ECA stacks because they make me fly.) I weigh 150 and I eat a diet high in low fat proteins (usually 120-150 grams per day), clean in carbs, and drink plenty of non-caffeinated fluids.
What to you think of dropping cardio to around 3 times a week (1 hr. or 30 minutes?) and weight train the other 3-4 days (giving priority to the weight training)?
I feel I'm so close to achieving the look that I want, but this cellulite is so stubborn.
What body fat level do you think I will have to reduce myself to in order for the cellulite to go? Please don't give me the line about cellulite being "plain old fat." Men rarely have it, and trust me, if you had it you would NOT consider it "plain old fat." I hope you have some enlightening advice. Thanks for your time and assistance. I look forward to your response.

[04-28-2000] jasonkozma : 1. Keep your carbs below your protein intake, and cut your protein down to 90 grams per day, then add 10 grams per day every week until you get up to 120 grams per day.
2. Do one weight lifting workout for the legs per week, plus one 45-60 minute session of stair climbing (outside skipping a step or on the stepmill) and split these up: For example, do the stepmill on Sunday and do your leg workout on Thursday. Don't overtrain the area, as it will get softer if you overdo it. I think you will see the best results with one workout per bodypart per week, plus the stair climbing day (Day 1: chest/back, Day 2: legs, Day 3: shoulders/arms, Day 4: stair climbing for 1 hour)
3. Keep your 6 days of cardio at 60 minutes, including the step day as one of them.
4. Some other mild fat burners include Yohimbe fuel, Pyruvate, and the aforementioned L-Carnitine: try stacking them together with a cup of coffee pre-workout. (read the label warnings to make sure you know what you are doing).