Diet/Exercise/Weight Loss Questions

[Lucki_Chaarms]

A few questions for those who would know such things:

1. Is “binge exercising” less good for you, bad for you, what? I mean like not exercising for a week and then putting in 3 hours of hard work at the gym. I’m sure that putting in 30 minutes a day all week would be healthier, but is there a danger in the above scenario?

2. How long should skin take to adjust itself to the right size on an 18-year-old male? I’ve lost 40 pounds or so in the last 3 months, and I’ve got a minor case of unjustified man-boobs going on, as in I have some sort of loose, flabby skin there. I assume that I’m still young enough that it should sort of snap back, but I wonder how long I’ll have to deal with this.

3. For things like the above, what is the best way to go, i.e. toning up your flabby spots? Is it better to do a bunch of cardio to try and burn fat and thus reveal a slimmer you, or to do resistance training on the area, to try and tone it. Basically, for a tight, attractive chest, should I be doing bench presses or running? I’m already doing both, but I mean which direction should I focus in for improvement?

LC

P.S. - That was my 1,000th post. About time, no?

[John_Mace]

1. Increases the chances of injury.

2. Dunno.

3. Both. You gotta get rid of the fat to reveal the rippling muscles. You don’t get rid of fat by “spot training”. The best blend depends on the individual. Do a reasonable amount of both. If you still don’t look ripped, it’s probably the cardio that has to be increased. A lot of your phsysique is genetic, so don’t get discouraged. There’s only so much you can do with what nature deals you, even if you’ve sluffed off the “unnatural” fat. For some people, it’s almost impossible to get that ripped look.

[Mr.Miskatonic]

*Originally posted by Lucki Chaarms *
A few questions for those who would know such things:

1. Is “binge exercising” less good for you, bad for you, what? I mean like not exercising for a week and then putting in 3 hours of hard work at the gym. I’m sure that putting in 30 minutes a day all week would be healthier, but is there a danger in the above scenario?

It likely won’t kill you, but its a lot less efffective than maintaining a constant level of exercise on a daily basis. I think you’re more likely to strain something too.

2. How long should skin take to adjust itself to the right size on an 18-year-old male? I’ve lost 40 pounds or so in the last 3 months, and I’ve got a minor case of unjustified man-boobs going on, as in I have some sort of loose, flabby skin there. I assume that I’m still young enough that it should sort of snap back, but I wonder how long I’ll have to deal with this.

I admit I have no knowledge here that can help you.

3. For things like the above, what is the best way to go, i.e. toning up your flabby spots? Is it better to do a bunch of cardio to try and burn fat and thus reveal a slimmer you, or to do resistance training on the area, to try and tone it. Basically, for a tight, attractive chest, should I be doing bench presses or running? I’m already doing both, but I mean which direction should I focus in for improvement?

Always go for the overall burn to get rid of flab. Spot exercising does not work: i.e. sit-ups will not get rid of a beer gut unless you do enough of them to burn the fat away.

However, if fat is not the problem, you can work to ‘sculpt’ areas and build the muscle in them. Just don’t expect the fat to leave first.