Cardio During a Muscle Gain Phase

Does this mix with muscle gain?

Question: I am a textbook ectomorph.  I am 6 feet tall and weigh 150lbs. I workout a minimum of 5 days a week. I have been trying desperately to build muscle and definition but have had little success. I have always been a runner but recently started cutting back on cardio and venturing into the weight room. I learned at your workshop on Train Right for Your Body Type that my current routine may be a barrier to me reaching my ultimate goal of building muscle.  I have the 4 day sample training program from your presentation and I started to follow. I was just wondering if you have any recommendations for cardio routines. I am a skinny fat because I do love sugar but after attending your presentation I have been restricting my sugar intake and focusing on eating clean. Any help or direction you can give me would be greatly appreciated. 

Mixed Grip for Deadlifts?

Q: What do you think about the alternate grip for deadlift?

A: Great question! I get this one a lot. As with every good training question, the short answer is, "it depends".  This grip has advantages and disadvantages. Sometimes it is an appropriate choice and other times it is not. Here are some things to consider when making your decision: 

Franco Columbo Pulling Big Weights with a Mixed Grip

Growth Hormone and Fat Loss

Question: I am working with a young, female client.  She is a beginner with no history of resistance or cardiovascular training.  Her goals are to "tone up" and "get ripped".  We are three weeks into a fat loss resistance training program and she recently told me she is going to start taking a growth hormone supplement. What, if anything do you expect these do for her?  She is in her prime as far as naturally producing growth hormones, correct?  Are there any risks?

Q & A: 20g of Protein Per Meal Rule?

Q: I have heard the saying many times before "the body can only absorb or metabolize 20 grams of protein in one sitting".  Have you heard this?  What does that mean?  Am I only capable of absorbing the same amount of protein as a 55kg women?

 

Q & A: Hotel Training

I am going to be traveling for a little bit this month. We will be staying in a hotel and I was wondering if you had any suggestions regarding this?

Q & A: Late Night Snacking Solution

Q: I do great during the day, but at night when I’m working late, I really struggle with snacking on junk and it is killing my progress, what should I do?

Q & A: Resistance Training for Distance Runners

"Andrew, I am a distnace runner and have a long and lean frame. I want to build muscle or at least have more muscle definition but don't want to cut down my milage. Do you have any suggestions for building muscle for a distance runner?"

Q & A: Minimal amount of weight for hypertrophy

Q: I was wondering if there is a minimum amount of resistance you have to lift to stimulate growth? When I was performing incline bicep curls going slowly on the eccentric and holding at the top at the end of my workout and in order to get higher reps (10-12ish) with the objective of stimulating hypertrophy I would have to drop the weight very low in the 3rd and 4th sets (10 lbs.). Is this still enough resistance to cause the muscles to adapt or will this only cause a good pump?

Q & A: Pre Workout Drinks

Q: I was wondering what your thoughts are on pre workout drinks. I am looking to get some and was wondering if you could make any recommendations? 

Q&A: Bodypart Splits for Athletes Part 2

Last time I started answering this question:

Q: All the big guys at the gym say you should train only one body part per day. What do you think about that for me as an athlete?

I mentioned that I do not use if for athletes for the following reasons:
Personal experience - it made me less athletic
It is more advanced than what most people need
Too much training time - athletes need that extra time for practicing their sport
Low frequency for each muscle group - sometimes not as ideal for performance training
Local muscle fatigue and excessive muscle soreness - not good when you need your body for your sport
Systematic fatigue - again, not good when training for performance.

Now, here are a few more things to consider...

Q&A: Body Part Splits for Athletes Part 1

Q: All the big guys at the gym say you should train only one body part per day. What do you think about that for me as an athlete?