Friday, March 25, 2005

Too Much Water?

...You recommend drinking a lot of water but I have read where people can get too much water and get real sick? (from Traci)


The condition you refer to is water intoxication or hyponatremia. It is a relatively rare condition. So rare that when it does happen, it does make the news and frightens a lot of people.

It happens when water consumption is so great that the blood-sodium levels become dangerously low. This can result in water entering the blood and fluid build-up on the brain.

On a mass gain program, or in normal conditions, it is extremely unlikely to occur. It would be fairly difficult to create this condition even if you tried to do it. However, if you are concerned that you may be drinking too much water, consult your doctor.

As this is a concern I have heard before, I have updated the site's water page, Drink Water, to include some information on the condition.

Some more resources on the subject include:

Fizzy Water (last paragraph)

Water Intoxication

You can drink too much water

JP Clifford

Tuesday, March 22, 2005

Setting Up Mass Gain Routines

...You and another coach have told me that do 2 or three exercises for every (major muscle group). But you did not tell me that how many sets I should do? (from Z.K.)


That's a great question and it's true that you often see people giving out a list of exercises but never addressing the reps and sets that should be done.

The short answer to your question is that there is no one answer to your question.

There are many theories and recommendations on the exact amount of sets and reps one trying to gain mass should do. Usually, 1-4 sets and 1-12 reps.

Two things to keep in mind is that your routines should be changing every 4-8 weeks and that the actual "best" set and rep scheme for you will be very individualistic (based on your muscle distribution, genetics).

So, fretting and worrying about whether or not you should be doing 2 sets or 3 sets, 5 reps or 10 reps, isn't really going to be productive time spent. More important is that you are working heavy and intense. Your first heavy work set will be the most important set you do. If you make an effort to track your weight gain program then you will someday have a better idea of what best makes you grow.

One thing that is an important consideration when deciding your reps and sets is the length of your workout. With the knowledge that studies have shown that an intense weight training workout exceeding an hour can be counterproductive for most (protein loss in the muscles), time becomes an over-riding factor in determining the amount of reps and sets to be done.

A great way to determine how many sets and reps to do is by using the method below to design your routines...

Let's say you have decided to do a routine that is split into three weekly workouts. You are going to work each major muscle group once per week, focus on compound exercises and training heavy (as you should be doing for mass gain).

On paper, plan your workout to the second. For example, on Monday you are due to work your chest, arms and abs. So, write out your mass gain routine as follows...

Chest
ExerciseSet/RestRepsTempoTime (secs
Bench Presswarm-up101/0/120
rest--60
warm-up101/0/120
rest--60
work104/0/260
rest--180
work74/0/242
rest--180
work44/0/224
rest--180
Dumbbell Flyeswarm-up101/0/120
rest--60
work104/0/260
rest--180
work104/0/260
rest--180


Total time = 23 minutes, 10 seconds (1386 secs/60)

So now you know the precise amount of time it will take to work your chest, and therefore the amount of time you have to spend on your arms and abs.

In the above chest workout, you could make changes to tempo, work sets, reps, and rest between sets to incorporate more exercises. Or you could lessen the amount of time you spend on your chest to allow more time spent on your arms/abs. You can also change your splits. Etc., etc. (see Changing Weight Training Routines).

Go here for more on Designing Mass Gain Weight Training Programs.

JP Clifford

Thursday, March 10, 2005

Appetite in the Hot Weather

...I have put on some weight in the last 5 weeks but I am concerned about the weather turning hot. I always seem to lose a little of what I gained during the winter when summer comes. Is there anything I can do to stop this from happening? (from Jeremy)


When the weather turns hot, appetites tend to decrease. Obviously, this is not good news to those trying to gain and maintain weight.

Appetite decreases with heat partly because the body is trying to keep cool. All of the body's functions, including digestion, create heat within the body. A body working hard to keep cool will suppress appetite in an attempt to lessen it's work load.

Additionally, with heat comes perspiration. You not only lose water when you perspire, you lose vitamins and minerals. The loss of vitamins and minerals can contribute to chemical imbalances within the body that can suppress appetite.

It becomes doubly important to do two things in the summer that you should always be doing anyway. The first is taking a multi-vitamin daily. This will help insure that the body has the micronutrients it needs to support all of its functions. Small deficiencies can have major effects.

The second thing you should place extra emphasis on in hot weather is water intake. Most people walk around in some state of dehydration all the time and these numbers increase in the summer. Keeping yourself properly hydrated will help the body keep cool, help with the transportation of micronutrients throughout the body and aid in digestion.

Doing these things in addition to making sure you are consuming enough calories to gain or maintain weight will help keep you moving towards your goals.

Jump-Start Your Appetite from Chinadaily.com

More on Vitamins and Minerals

JP Clifford