Questions? Look below. If yours is not listed then ask away!
*Note* The info below is not the be-all-end-all of fitness info. Second opinions are recommended.
Q: Why am I not seeing results?
A: One of the largest reasons that people stop going to the gym is that they are not seeing results. First things first: muscle growth is incremental (you won't become the hulk in 2 weeks) and you will not notice it yourself, since by looking at yourself in the mirror everyday you will grow used to the microscopic daily changes. Someone who does not see you everyday though will notice a difference. You yourself should be noticing differences in strength, energy level, and mood. I promise you 100% that by exercising you are becoming a better person, even if you do not notice it. If that doesn't satisfy your question remember to eat healthier and get plenty of sleep. I CANNOT REPEAT MYSELF ENOUGH WHEN IT COMES TO DIET AND SLEEP!!!!
Q: What is better; walking or running?
A: If you are training for a specific running event, obviously you want to be running. In turns of fat/calorie burning: If you operate within the light exercise zone (105-120 heart BPM) you will proportionately burn more calories from fat and need less time to recover. If you are running, your metabolism will be stimulated to burn fat quicker, but you will tire quickly and have a respectable recovery time. It's all up to what you want to accomplish, honestly.
Q: How long should I rest after workouts (lifting weights, bodyweight etc)?
A: This depends on how conditioned your body already is. If you are an avid fit-person, you can train as often as you see fit. If you are just getting into exercise however, it is recommended to do full body workouts to get your body used to the stress, followed by rest periods of 48 hours.
Q: What is the best diet to follow?
A: NONE! Diets plain suck, man. They are temporary and shitty. If you want to eat healthy it is pretty simple; consult a food guide and eat your recommended dosage of each food group (more or less depending on what you are trying to do with your weight) while avoiding excessive consumption of oily foods and refined sugars. You can create your own food plan quite easily. IMPORTANT: Once you have balanced your eating and found out what your body requires, THEN you can consider restrictive eating programs if you so wish. FOR ANOTHER OPINION ON DIETS, YOU CAN READ AIELYN'S INFORMATIVE POST HERE.
Q: Will I gain weight after I stop working out?
A: If you continue to consume the same calories that you were while working out, your body fat will increase. What happens when you stop lifting and you reduce your food intake accordingly, is your muscles will lose bulk, but your fat percentage will remain the same.
Q: How important is sleep?
A: Extremely important! Fitness isn't just working out; you need to eat right and get plenty of sleep if you want the best results you can get.
Q: I'm completely lost! What is the right weighlifting program for me?
A: First of all, what are you trying to accomplish? Are you trying to lose weight? Add muscle? Bulk up or lean up? Get a six pack, or maybe some big biceps? I'd suggest writing down what your goals are first before trying to pick a workout. Once that is accomplished, I would recommend checking out this website (http://www.bodybuilding.com/fun/bbmaintrain.htm) or speaking to a personal trainer to pinpoint what exact exercises to do.
Q: What's the deal with supplements? Pre-Workout, Whey Protein, Creatine, wtf?
A: Think of supplements as DLC for your workout game. You don't need them to get fit (and in fact eating right replaces 90% of the supplements out there) but some supplements do help you get more out of your workout. For instance, pre-workout will give you high energy and higher muscle-pumps, and Creatine will add water weight to your muscle. IMPORTANT: The majority of supplements on the market are useless and 95% filler, and filled with big names they don't need in order to give you a placebo effect. The worst offenders are cheap protein powders. Most of the things they say they do can be acheived by altering your diet. Creatine for example becomes useless after 6 weeks, which is why you should use it in 6 week increments if you so wish. If you do want to use supplements, MAKE SURE YOU RESEARCH WHAT YOU ARE BUYING!
Q: Leg workouts suck! Do I have to do them?
A: YES! Legs are very important (second most next to core, I'd say). Your lower body contains the largest muscles in your body so make them useful! You wouldn't build a house from the top down, would you?
Q: ROM? Form? What do those words mean?
A: I am glad you asked. When you add an exercise to your weightlifting routine, these two things are what you should consider before really trying to push yourself with that exercise. ROM - or range of motion - is the fancy acronym that describes the full movement of the exercise, which you need to follow through on to see accurate and preferable results. For example, squatting to a 90 degree bent-knee angle. Form on the other hand is the correct position of your body in reference to the weight you are lifting. This is important for accurate results and for injury prevention. Incorrect form can be catastrophic. Not getting full range of motion will limit your muscle gain, and incorrect form can sideline you immediately or in the future. The consequences may be small - such as incorrect bench press form building up your anterior deltoids more than your pectorals - or they can be big - a disc in your back going out of place from bad deadlift form, for example. It's important to nail the correct form before increasing weight too much. Having a gym buddy to help spot you on heavier lifts can help guarantee that you have the full ROM and correct form when going heavy on a lift. Although it is not necessary to have a spotter I would personally recommend it for those heavy lifts.
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