Fitness FAQs

Why should we workout? What's the difference between fat loss and weight loss? Where does the fat disappear after fat loss? Is running really bad for your knees? What is the best diet available for fat loss? Is weight training good for ladies? How much of what to eat? What is metabolism and how does it matter? If you've similar doubts and questions hovering over your mind, read more and get them answered right here. Please ask your questions in the comment section.

Here's the first round of the FAQ series, each post of which should have a set of 5 to 6 most frequently asked questions, answered in brief. To gain a better understanding on something or in case something remains unclear, it is always advisable to use the comment section. 

• How important is meal timing?

• First things first, it's important to secure your overall caloric target of the day before going to bed. Be it fat loss or simply weight management, no plan could succeed if one fails to do so. Only when you know you could sustain the commitment, the question of meal timing should be of any importance. Meal timings should matter more and should be kept in mind under some special circumstances. It's advisable to have your post workout meal within a stipulated time post your workout session, if you are engaged into any. It should also be noted that when following a specific program it's highly important to stick to the delineated meal timings. This should not mean that if by any chance you fail to grab a meal, you can't have it later. Daily diet goals should still be on the top of your list. 

• Is it mandatory to take Multivitamins?

• The word 'Mandatory' is a strong one. Nothing is mandatory unless it's a rule of the state. Multivitamins are simply the fillers which fill in the deficiency of vitamins and minerals in your daily diet. It is difficult to acquire all the vitamins and minerals as per the recommended dosage through restricted meals. Even though it is difficult yet if you manage to hit the recommended dosage you won't require a multivitamin pill. Please ensure that you take these if you know you can't get enough of vitamins and minerals through your diet. This is equally applicable to people on caloric deficit programs.

• Full body training vs Splits

• Factually there's no critical difference as the body responds better when things are switched every now and then but to answer the question, let's address even the slightest of the difference that exists. If you count the major muscle groups (i.e. the back, chest, legs, shoulders, arms, abdominal), you know for a full body training routine every muscle would be recruited 5 to 6 times a week. That means little or no rest at all. This would fetch decent results for the beginners when the intensity of training is comparatively lower. Split training were designed for the professionals or those who were already experienced in the sport and took more damage for their muscle groups by lifting comparatively heavier in the gym. Such people need to provide the muscles some time to recover from the stress thereby training each body part once or twice a week.  

• What should be done before? : Cardio vs Weight training

• There's no book of rules that could answer this question. Such things depend on the choice of the individual and his/her goals more than anything else. Depending on your goal, you should choose to perform one before another. Note that the one you perform first would leave you with lesser energy to invest in the one performed later in the workout session. In cases where an individual uses heavy weights for training coupled with some cardio, weight training should be given a priority in order and should be performed with higher levels of energy. Trying to lift heavy weights with low levels of energy may result in bad postures or in some cases unwanted injuries.

• Does weight training make you monstrously big?

• This could come as a silly argument to most of us but trust me a part of the population still treats such notion with skepticism. It's not that uncommon to see ladies fearing away from lifting weights in the gym. Why? because they believe it could swell up their muscles and make them look stiff and buff like bodybuilders. Anyway, that's not going to happen unless the ladies inject some form of testosterone artificially into their bodies. Even for the men who don't want to look like bodybuilders, weight training won't do such a thing. Take it for granted that the amount of  effort that has to be put into it is not everyone's cup of tea. This has to do more with diet than with weight training. Weight training alone cannot bring such a change. Even when coupled with enough calories on a daily basis the process is tiring and time taking.

By this, we come to the end of the post. Next five questions shall follow in the next post of the FAQ series. Keep reading to learn more. As always use the comment section to address concerns if any.