FAQ
Below you'll find a selection of questions that are frequently asked by visitors of The Weight Loss Digest. I've tried to answer them as short and concise as possible - you can find more information in articles on The Weight Loss Digest.
Q: What is the normal amount of calories you burn without any food?
A: That’s called your BMR or Basal Metabolic Rate. It is based on the amount of lean body mass you’re carrying on your body and can be calculated through formulas.
Q: How long does it take to change a lb of fat to muscle?
A: You cannot change fat to muscle, because they are two different things your body is composed of. However, you can lose body fat and gain muscle through diet and training. The amount of time it takes to lose body fat depends on how well you manage your daily calorie intake through diet and exercise. You can to create a calorie deficit to lose weight. The amount of time it takes to gain muscle depends on your weight training program, your diet (it should not restrict calories and be relatively high in protein), and genetics.
Q: I want to lose 30 pounds; how much calories do I have to cut?
A: To lose 1 pound of weight, you need to cut approximately 3,500 calories. This weight will be most likely a combination of body fat and muscle. So if you want to lose 30 pounds, you’d have to cut 105,000 calories. You could do this by modifying your diet, by swapping foods, and/or by exercising.
Q: What other exercise should I combine with shoulder training?
A: You can combine shoulders with chest or back, depending on what you want to achieve. The frontal delts are best trained together with chest. The rear delts are best trained together with back. If you’re trying to totally isolate the shoulders, for example to increase strength, you could also train them with a muscle group that is nowhere near them, such as for example your abs, quads, hamstrings, or calves.
Q: Do your biceps get a workout from heavy bench presses?
A: No. The main muscles worked during bench presses are chest, delts, and triceps. Your biceps and abs may act as secondary stabilizing muscles, but will not get a good workout from heavy benches.
Q: How many days a week should you run to get in shape?
A: It all depends on what your definition is of "to get in shape". Do you want to lower your heart rate? Do you want to lose body fat? Do you want to run faster? You need to be specific when setting goals. In general terms, you can get in shape by running 3 days a week for at least 20 minutes each workout session with a 10-minute warm-up and 10 minute cool-down period.
Q: Should I work legs first and then smaller muscle groups?
A: Yes. It is best to work large muscles such as your legs first before tackling smaller ones, because most of the time smaller muscles provide a supportive function to the larger muscles. They may be used for stabilizing a movement and/or assist larger muscle to do the work. Read more on how to group muscles for an effective workout.
Q: Can chin up bar exercises strengthen my heart?
A: Not generally, unless you make your chin-ups more of an aerobic workout. The heart typically gets stronger by working it harder. And the way to work your heart harder is through cardio exercise. While weight training will have an effect on your heart (the blood flow to muscles is stopped momentarily every time you perform a rep, and then flushed when the rep is over), I wouldn’t rely on weight training to strengthen the heart. This is also why top endurance athletes have lower resting heart rates than top bodybuilders. A low resting heart rate in a healthy person is generally an indication of a very strong heart.