L-glutamine Cycling

Question: Is it best to load and cycle glutamine the same way as creatine?

Justin Leonard: Not necessarily. What I can say is that both creatine and L-glutamine do not need to be cycled in order to be effective. You'll feel the same difference with or without the loading or cycling of creatine and L-glutamine. The recommendations on the backs of containers are for "best results." That doesn't necessarily mean it won't work if you try taking it in different quantities.

Justin Leonard: Running on a treadmill is perfectly fine if your body is equipped for it. There are two reasons I traditionally don't recommend running:

1. Not everyone's heart is ready to handle the oxygen capacity or VO2 max required for running.

2. Riding a stationary bike or walking on a treadmill speeds up the metabolism and burns as much fat as running does.

These two exercises are also easier on the joints. There is no significant added benefit to running instead of walking.

As far as incline or no incline, it really depends on your personal preference . . . just remember to use a gradual increase in speed or resistance. It's the safest and best way to strengthen your heart.

Justin Leonard: VERY DANGEROUS if you're talking about pharmaceutical grade (injectable) hGH! If you're talking about a natural "imitation" supplement, that's different. Natural hGH supplements are perfectly safe.

What makes pharmaceutical grade hGH so dangerous is its ability to make "everything" in your body grow at the same time. For example, not only muscle will grow, but lets' say you were to somehow develop cancer, the hGH would actually speed up the process and make it spread quicker than it normally would. A healthy and safe alternative to hGH is whey protein and L-glutamine.

Justin Leonard: The decline bench press works the entire chest, but puts emphasis on the lower pectoral (chest) region. The flat bench press also works the entire pectoral region, but puts most of the emphasis on the middle portion of the pecs. If you're on an incline bench, you're putting emphasis on the upper chest.

Justin Leonard: The main positive with the Bowflex and other machines of its type is obviously convenience. The Bowflex offers a bigger variety of exercises that you can do as opposed to that of a traditional plastic weight set. Another plus would be the small amount of space it utilizes. Other than that, resistance is resistance. The form it comes in doesn't matter. Muscles respond to any type of resistance.

I'm not sure what the negatives are with the Bowflex, but what you have to consider is the durability/sturdiness of the machine, the amount of time it takes to switch from exercise to exercise, the price for what it does, and other factors. For example, is a screw driver going to be required to switch out different pieces of equipment or is it snap and lock?

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Justin Leonard: For some it will and for others it won't. In my case, squats actually add more mass and I can tell a big difference in the size of my legs after performing squats. Others may not notice this size difference.

I normally don't recommend squatting because of the dangers involved. Your mechanics must be correct throughout the entire range of motion. If your form is incorrect, you can hurt your lower back or overstress the knees. I personally use squats as a finishing movement/exercise when my legs are already warmed up from previous exercises.

Justin Leonard: HIIT training involves performing a combination of slow- and high-paced aerobics within a 15-minute [or less] timeframe. Yes, it can be effective, but I don't recommend anything that involves taking your heart rate on a roller coaster ride, especially if (1) you normally don't workout and you've just decided to begin a training regiment or (2) you haven't worked out in a while.

For some people it's okay, but for others it can be unsafe because their heart may not be able to handle the cardiovascular workload. The chances are minimal, but this could result in having a heart attack for someone who attempts this style of training with an already weak heart. It's safest to gradually work your way up to a comfortable level of speed or resistance instead of jumping around from high-paced aerobics, then back to moderate or slow aerobics. Your body still burns as much fat by using a gradual speed or resistance increase.

Justin Leonard: Six days? Yikes! You should have noticed some type of improvement by now. If you were to go to a doctor, they would prescribe a pain medication and have you ice the area at least 3 times per day. If the groin area has turned into a bruised darkish-blue color, you would probably need to go get it checked out by a doctor. It could have been a muscle tear or a major strain which requires additional treatment.

If you don't notice a change in the level of pain within the next week, go see a doc. But in the meantime, alternate with hot (tub) and cold (ice) treatment along with pain medication. Some creams may help, but doctors typically won't prescribe them, although they would prescribe a pain medication. Good luck!

Justin Leonard: Yes, you're correct! Muscle does burn fat, but weight training isn't needed. The amount of fat you burn with weight training isn't necessarily more than you would performing cardiovascular activity.

Bottom line: You're using muscle to burn fat even when performing cardiovascular activity.

To answer your second question, the body will burn what's more abundant (i.e. carbs, then fat). The average person has too much fat on their body for it to burn muscle instead. Even before fat, the body will look to burn carbohydrates as a source of fuel. Most will have plenty of ready-to-use energy (carbs) before any fat is burned. The chances of you burning muscle is minimal unless you have extremely low bodyfat levels. For example, competitive bodybuilders must watch out for muscle catabolism as a result of extremely low bodyfat levels.

Justin Leonard: Fat burners aren't really needed, even for contest preparation! They can significantly help, but the majority of the fat you lose will be as a result of dieting.

Your other option is to increase cardiovascular activity. Riding a stationary bike and walking on treadmill are ideal. Not sure how much you're doing now or have done in the past, but it really depends on your metabolism.

Justin Leonard: Delayed onset muscle soreness (DOMS) is nothing to worry about if you do not experience it the day of, or the day following a workout. Some people get very sore and some do not. In my opinion, there are 4 possible reasons you wouldn't experience muscle soreness following a workout: (1) not putting the muscle through enough resistance, (2) young age (high testosterone), (3) steroids, (4) or stress. Each of these factors can put your muscles in a state to where they will not feel sore after a workout.

Justin Leonard: It's not recommended to train legs twice in 1 week if you're trying to build mass, unless you train hams one day, then quads and calves another day. If your legs aren't growing as you want them to, you probably need to eat more calories. You're probably burning too many calories for your legs to grow.

Are you noticing more leg definition instead of mass? If so, you may be overtraining your legs and may need to only train them once every week and a half or every 2 weeks. You may not realize it, but the amount of workouts per week for your body type may be too many. This may not be the case with you. It varies from person to person.

Protein ratios aren't needed. They're just a typical number (1.5 - 2.0 grams per pound of body weight). Many who workout [not just bodybuilders] fulfill their requirement of protein per day. Instead, you should focus more on carbohydrates, and the time of day you consume each nutrient.

Justin Leonard: The method for improving bat speed is a little different than many may think. For best results, you want to focus on increasing "total body" power (legs included). In particular, you should target areas such as forearms, biceps, shoulders, triceps, chest, and abdominals. These are the primary muscles used in the mechanics of a bat swing.

The secret to improving bat speed is using a weight you can perform with "explosive" and quick movements, primarily with your arms. For example, dumbbell or barbell curls for biceps, lateral raises for shoulders, and dips on the edge of a bench or close grip bench presses for triceps.

Begin with a fairly long warm up session . . . about 20 minutes in length. Perform each exercise movement controlled, but faster than normal. Keep a constant, speedy repetition pace. The poundage used should be medium. Do not exceed 12 reps. Your workout should take less than an hour to complete. It's all quick power movements!

This style of training gets your muscles used to the "fast twitch." This type of muscle is used when your body requires a quick reaction to something. For example, sprinting involves fast twitch muscle fibers. The only way to build fast twitch muscle fiber is to train the muscles with speed and power.

Justin Leonard: This is an easy one, since I have first-hand knowledge of what they require of you in basic military training. To be honest, weights are helpful but aren't needed. Instead, you want to focus on three main areas: abdominal strength, pectoral (chest) strength, and endurance.

When you arrive to basic training, you will do other exercises such as jumping jacks and pull-ups, but your requirement to graduate will be a set number of sit-ups and push-ups (knees on ground for females), and a 2-mile run.

Sit-Ups

If you normally don't workout, start with crunches. Get comfortable with crunches, then work your way up to sit-ups. You may even want to get a partner to help you hold your feet down on the ground, for that's what they require in basic. Once you get to the point that you can perform sit-ups, begin with only 10 - 15 repetitions. Perform the same quantity everyday for about 1 week, then increase your repetitions by 5 so that you are doing about 20 reps. The idea is to build your way up to where you need to be on all exercises. Don't try to go straight there. Most people will be out of shape the day they arrive at basic without a clue of what will be required of them. I'm not sure what the requirement for females is. For males, it was 40 sit-ups to graduate. For females, it was probably 20 - 30.

Push-Ups

With push-ups you want to use the same technique. Begin with about 8 - 10 reps. Perform for 1 week, then increase by 5 reps every week thereafter.

Endurance

In basic, you will definitely be conditioned enough to meet your 2-mile run requirement by the time you graduate. You need to practice almost daily, for in basic you will practice almost daily. To get in shape, start with "walking" on a treadmill at a fast pace for about 10 minutes. This will help to get your heart rate where it needs to be. Every week, increase your total minutes by 5 - 8, until you're ultimately able to do about 25 - 30 minutes comfortably. Eventually, you'll find that it's easier to breath when performing conditioning exercises. This means your endurance level is going up.

Please don't let any of these exercise numbers scare you. I'm sure almost 99% of basic trainees can meet the requirement. It may sound difficult, but you'll be doing what everyone else is doing. You're friends will be right there to push you through it, or you may be the one pushing them.

It's good you're getting a head start! Good luck!

Justin Leonard: Wow, we don't get many questions on butts. It sounds as if you have the right idea in mind for glute (butt) targeting exercises. Squats and lunges definitely help. You may also want to consider stiff-legged deadlifts. To be honest, as long as your weight is down, your butt will be down. You may be able to target the glutes, but it will never get to where it was as long as you workout and eat right.

The trimming effect takes place all over your body, not just in one spot. You definitely don't want to go back to eating fat (considering you may have been overweight). The main thing is to remember to squeeze the glutes during each exercise movement, and in between exercises while you rest. If you squat, use a wide stance and really concentrate on squeezing the glutes on the squat finishing movement. Lunges and stiff-legged deadlifts naturally target the glutes and hamstrings. You'll definitely feel the burn!

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