I'm lucky to work with over one hundred people each and every week. You ask a lot of good questions. Here are some of the questions that you ask most often:
Q: What's the best time of day to workout?
A: There are 3 schools of thought on this issue. First, there's the camp that believes that morning exercise is best. Their argument is that the burdens of the day haven't hit you yet. Also, some of the stress hormones (cortisol in particular) peak early in the day. The early birds also believe that by exercising in the morning, the metabolic carry-over effect lasts all day long.
The second school of thought is the one that says you should exercise in the evening. Your highest resting body temperature occurs in the early evening, so the idea is that you're naturally warmed up, blood is flowing, and you'll perform better.
The third school of thought, the one that I agree with is the "whatever works for you" group. Everyone is different, and individuals have different daily rhythms. Personally, I'm wiped out at the end of the day, so I like to exercise in the morning before work. But I have a full gym in my basement, so it's easy. My wife likes to exercise in the late afternoon, after work. If you have a strong preference, go with it. It's probably the best time for you. What really matters is that you exercise, not when.
Q: How much sleep should I get each night?
A: There's a detailed article on sleep by me on this site, but the short answer is somewhere between 7 and 9 hours. I've heard 8:15 minutes mentioned as the optimal time for sleeping, but I don't know where that number came from.
The truth is that almost everyone I work with in the StrongerLeanerBetter programs suffers from inadequate sleep. Some of the symptoms are high caffeine consumption (or other stimulants like ephedra), fatigue, poor sports performance and irritability.
If you are active, if you have a stressful job, if you have family trouble, and so on, you probably need at least 8 hours of sleep a night. This is when your body regenerates itself. If you can wake up later, try getting to bed earlier.
Q: Which is better: training with free weights (barbells, dumbbells, kettlebells) or using machines?
A: Without hesitation, I can say with 100% certainty that training with free weights is better than using machines, even if the weights are really light.
Free weights, particularly kettlebells, allow your body to move more naturally. They also require you to stabilize yourself, thus developing a body better able to handle physical challenges, like sports or carrying things. Machines artificially stabilize you and also force you into abnormal ranges of motion. Unless you're in the early stages of rehabilitating a serious injury, this is bad.
If you don't know what do with free weights, hire a trainer to teach you. Consider learning to use kettlebells. I'm a certified instructor, and more can be found at dragondoor.com.
Q: Which cardio training is the best?
A: Usually this question is referring to treadmill vs. stationary bike vs. elliptical vs. whatever. The truth is, that the best cardio is interval training. That means brief periods of intense effort followed by less intense recovery periods.
If you're someone who's active but doesn't compete in events, doing your cardio work on machines is fine. But don't run at the same speed for 45 minutes. Try doing 25 minutes of interval training instead.
Of course, doing your cardio work outside is better. Running on the ground, unless you have an injury, is better than running on the treadmill. Riding a real bike is better than one that's bolted to the floor. Exercising outdoors is probably better, but the indoor stuff will train your heart and burn fat. It will boost your metabolism.
Having said that, I run on a treadmill. I don't race, don't really like running, and I have a treadmill. I usually do 25-minute interval sessions. I'll warm up for a few minutes jogging at about 4-5 mph. Then for 30 seconds I'll run at 7 mph, sprint for the next 30 seconds at 9-10 mph, and then drop back to 5 mph for a minute. Then repeat those intervals until time's up.
Q: Should I avoid carbs?
A: Oy. That damn Atkins diet. Look, if you go on the Atkins diet, you'll lose a bunch of weight through starvation, but eventually your body will revolt. You'll uncontrollably crave carbs and start wolfing them down. And the weight will come back. Trust me, I've seen it hundreds of times. Low carb diets are bad for your health.
The truth is that carbs are not the boogie man. Eating way too many carbs will fatten you up, and eating sugary simple carbs (sodas, desserts, white bread, etc) will definitely fatten you up. But that doesn't mean you need to avoid healthy whole grains, like whole wheat breads and pastas (unless you're gluten intolerant, which is a whole different issue).
So don't be afraid of the bun on your burger, and don't worry about the toast that you like with your eggs. But stop eating bags of tortilla chips and take it easy on the alcohol. Get some protein with every meal and start eating more veggies.
Q: Which protein powder is the best?
A: They all are crap. Most protein powders are industrial by-products from the production of other food. They are marketed with all kinds of slick claims and fancy packaging, but the truth is most of them are crap. Little of what you're consuming in the protein shake is absorbed (I don't care what the label says) and you're displacing real food from your diet.
Eat food, not powder. Unless you're chowing down at fast food joints, you'll get much more quality protein out of food than you will form powder. Trust me. Ditch the powder and spend a few extra minutes making some real food for yourself.
Q: I drink a lot of coffee. Is that bad?
A: Probably. Having a couple of cups of coffee in the morning is no big deal. But if you feel like you need coffee all day long, you've got a problem.
I work with lots of people who drink a lot of coffee. It's not the primary reason that they come to me, but it's a common finding. Usually this goes hand-in-hand with burned out adrenal glands. Your adrenal glands make some of the hormones that give you energy throughout the day, like adrenaline and cortisol.
When you're under a lot of stress, exercise too much, and / or don't get enough sleep, your adrenal glands can start to burn out. Your natural energy levels can't keep up with you're daily life. So you look for a boost. For most people, it's coffee. They drink it in the morning, and the drink it after lunch. And sometimes they have more in the late afternoon.
If you're drinking more than a couple of cups a day, or using other stimulants like caffeine pills, diet pills, guarana, ephedra, or something else, I strongly urge to taper off and get your adrenals tested. Most of the times, you can heal your adrenals and kick the all-day coffee habit.
Q: What's the best kind of stretching?
A: I usually suggest yoga. I've told a lot of you to get the DVD "Yoga for Athletes" by Rodney Yee to meet your stretching needs. Many others of you go to yoga classes.
For most people, this is the best way to get into a comprehensive stretching routine. And the key word here is routine. The best stretching is the stretching that you'll do regularly. Few people will do a bunch of static stretches consistently over time.
The older you get, the more limber you ain't. Do yourself a favor and check out the aforementioned yoga DVD, or go take a class and see what you think. In my opinion this is the best kind of stretching.
Q: How often should I workout?
A: Unless you're a pro athlete, or training for a specific event, working out 3 days a week is plenty. It's interesting, but most people fall into one of two categories: either they exercise too little, or they exercise too much.
When I work with clients, most of them fall into the second category: they exercise too much. Most of them workout 4-5 times a week, and are busy with outdoor stuff on the weekends. And a lot of them are sleeping poorly, fighting nagging injuries, and generally falling apart.
Recovering is just as important as exercising. For most of us with busy lives, this means three days of working out is fine. Any more than four is definitely overdoing it. Try backing off a little and see how much better you feel. Most clients are surprised when they try it.
Q: If I'm really hungry, only have a few minutes to eat, and have decided to eat fast food, what's my best option?
A: Well, if you're hell bent on eating fast food, I guess something from Chipotle or Good Times is acceptable as an occasional meal. But skip the soda and drink water. And plan ahead next time.
The information contained in this article is for educational purposes only. Do not use this information for self-diagnosis or self-treatment. Have any symptoms evaluated by a licensed doctor in your state. Never start this or any other exercise, nutrition, supplementation, or stress-management program without consulting a licensed medical doctor. Working out can cause injury and / or death. The author is in no way trying to do anything other than share information with you. He accepts absolutely no liability for any damages you may incur in relationship to anything you read or saw on this website.
Copyright © Dr. Glenn, Inc. All rights reserved.
Dr. Glenn Hyman, D.C.
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