Tony's Workouts

Question:

What’s your favorite workout and why?

Which work out do you hate doing and have to force yourself to do?

ANSWER: 



My single favorite lift is the deadlift because i can lift more weight doing it than anything else.  i also like it because it incorporates many different muscles and therefore burns a lot of calories.  it is also great for building strength in the legs, lower back, and abdomen.

I absolutely hate doing squats (back and front squats).  I hate them because they hurt so much while doing them and especially when i grind out the last 1-3 reps.  However, i do them because they are the ultimate exercise for building big strong legs and also for developing the entire body.  there is also no better lift to burn a massive amount of calories because the muscles that make up your quads are the biggest in body next to the lats.

Tony isn't a licensed nutritionist yet, so he can't give anyone advice on what  to do.  Please consult your doctor for his professional opinion on a diet/nutrition program that will work for you.

Tony's blog is a journal of his experiences and what has worked for him.   He lists general guidelines and suggestions only.  He is NOT a professional.

Sodium Intake

QUESTION:

What is the recommended amount of sodium to consume in one day?

ANSWER:

This depends on your current health as far as blood pressure, heart condition, and kidney condition.  The FDA recommends 2400 mg a day max but I personally probably consume around 7000-8000 mg of sodium per day.  I don't see this as a problem for me given that i have normal blood pressure and a healthy heart/kidneys.  I drink around 2.5-3 gallons of water per day in order to stay healthy in general but also to ensure that my kidneys are flushing the extra sodium out of my body.  



But as always, and especially with this topic, consult a physician before altering your diet.

Tony isn't a licensed nutritionist yet, so he can't give anyone advice on what  to do.  Please consult your doctor for his professional opinion on a diet/nutrition program that will work for you.

Tony's blog is a journal of his experiences and what has worked for him.   He lists general guidelines and suggestions only.  He is NOT a professional.

Computer vs. Working Out

QUESTION:

Hey Tony, gotta start off by saying that your "work" is amazing, great motivation.

Well, to the thing. I'm a 16 years old guy from Sweden, right now I'm at 187lbs. In May I started doing some boxingtraining and went from 211lbs to 185lbs in around 1½ month, after that we went on holiday to another country for 3 weeks which made me gain 9lbs but now I'm kinda back on track again. Anyways, the problem I got is the computer, when I'm not training or hanging out with friends (which kinda sucks atm as it's pretty cold outside now) I'm at the computer, even if I'm bored out of my mind while sitting there, I still stay, browsing the internet for an hour or 2, or 3.

Luckily, school will start in a few days which will give me less time for the computer due to training and such. I don't really eat healthy, I try to avoid candy, soda and those things but I still eat the same, a bit less perhaps (instead of taking 2 portions, I go for 1 even if the food is really delicious).
So my question for you is, what can I do to get away from the computer more? I've been trying to do more stuff but I always end up behind the computers screen, which I don't really want to do but it's like I automaticly go there.

ANSWER: 

Hello, if you are weight training then you do need rest time in order to recover and allow your muscles to heal.  If you are trying to lose weight then i don't see a problem with doing additional cardio instead of going on the computer as long as you are eating enough protein so your body does not metabolize your muscle for energy.  If you are healthy and seeing the results you are looking for then i don't see a problem being in front of the computer.  However, if you want to accelerate your weight loss then i don't see a problem with doing some addition cardio during your down time.

If you want to optimize your computer time then i suggest researching training methods which could benefit you or looking up information about nutrition in order to further aid you muscle gain and weight loss journey.

Here's another tip to help you.  Tell yourself that for every 45 minutes you spend on the computer, you have to spend 15 minutes doing some form of exercise.  Go for a walk, a run, do sit ups, push ups, deep knee bends, something.  SO if you spend 3 hours on the computer, you will have spent 45 minutes of it working out.  Split it up like this - work out 15 min, 45 min on the computer, work out again for 15 min. 45 minutes on the computer, etc.  If you do that, you will get 45 minutes a day of exercise.  Doesn't that sound easy?

Tony isn't a licensed nutritionist yet, so he can't give anyone advice on what  to do.  Please consult your doctor for his professional opinion on a diet/nutrition program that will work for you.

Tony's blog is a journal of his experiences and what has worked for him.   He lists general guidelines and suggestions only.  He is NOT a professional.

 

Food Chart

QUESTION:

What would be a basic food chart to follow to lose 1-2 pounds per week?  

ANSWER: 

A good basic food chart would be a 500-1000 (being the very most) calorie deficit with 35-45% of calories coming from protein, 20-30% of your calories coming from fat, and then 45-25% of your calories coming from carbs. 



So if i were to have a 500 calorie deficit with a 2000 calorie diet at a 35p/20f/45c split i would eat 175g protein {2000 calories x 35%=700 calories/4 calories(4 calories per 1g of protein) = 175g protein}, 45g of fat {2000 calories x 20%=400 calories/9 calories ( 9 calories per 1g of fat)= 45g of fat} and 225g of carbs ( follow the same equation as we did for protein except use 45%)

Tony isn't a licensed nutritionist yet, so he can't give anyone advice on what  to do.  Please consult your doctor for his professional opinion on a diet/nutrition program that will work for you.

Tony's blog is a journal of his experiences and what has worked for him.   He lists general guidelines and suggestions only.  He is NOT a professional.

Cardio to Burn Fat

QUESTION:

You've really inspired me to start losing weight with your youtube videos. I am your age and it is great to have someone young on youtube that's such an inspiration. I had a question about cardio. I am 6'8" and started the summer at 290lbs and am currently at 265lbs. I have been running the last couple months usually every other day about 2 miles. I lost alot of weight by running but I've always worried if it burned muscle. As i've been researching online I read alot of articles that say running and other high intensity cardio makes your body use energy from everywhere: fat, carbs, and muscle. 

Here's an interesting article on it:http://www.bodybuilding.com/fun/bobchic3.htm. It seems the best cardio to burn fat and conserve muscle is to go on a piece of cardio equipment at a moderate pace for 20-40 minutes. I personally go on the treadmill 3.0 mph at a 7.5 incline for 25 minutes after lifting. 

I wanted to get your opinion on it and what your advice would be. I want to get down to about 240 lbs and not lose any muscle in the process.

ANSWER: 

In my opinion and in the opinion of many others only low intensity cardio should be done after weight training because it has been shown in some studies that it preserves muscle mass and is more likely to burn calories from fat.  Other studies have shown that jogging is not good while looking to lose weight because it can burn muscle for energy which is why i personally do not jog.  Instead of jogging i like to do high intensity interval training (hiit) because it has been shown to burn calories from carbohydrates and not muscle tissue.  

The best hiit program i have found would be something like sprinting for 30-60 seconds then walking for 45-90 seconds and repeating the process for about 15-20 minutes.  No matter what you do however you will lose some muscle mass in the process of losing weight.  However, there are a few ways to decrease the amount of muscle mass lost during a cutting phase.  These include eating a large amount of protein(1-1.5g per lb of bodyweight) so your body always has an ample amount of amino acids (building blocks of protein and muscle tissue) to feed your muscles.  

Another way is to lift weights because this sends the signal to the brain that your muscles are being used frequently so it would be detrimental to break it down because it would make you weaker.  The final way would be to supplement with branch chain amino acids (bcaa’s) during lifting and cardio sessions because these have shown to decrease muscle catabolism.

Tony isn't a licensed nutritionist yet, so he can't give anyone advice on what  to do.  Please consult your doctor for his professional opinion on a diet/nutrition program that will work for you.

Tony's blog is a journal of his experiences and what has worked for him.   He lists general guidelines and suggestions only.  He is NOT a professional.

When to Work Out

Question:

Aye Tony  I have a question ..after eating all that good nutrients and stuff..is it bad to workout at night? Cause I workout from 6:30-8pm..



Answer:

Workout time really comes down to personal preference and there isn't a real difference in what time you work out.  I personally like to work out in the morning and here are a few reasons why i prefer it over working out at night.

- I have more energy in the morning
- Working out boosts metabolic rate so i get that advantage for more of the day.
- Working out at night can leave you jittery and can cause difficulty falling asleep or staying asleep.

There is honestly not much of a difference between working out at night or in the morning - it all comes down to preference.  Ideally however, i believe that it is beneficial to workout after eating at least one meal so your body has a source of energy for the workout which can lead to greater workout performance and more calories burned.

Tony isn't a licensed nutritionist yet, so he can't give anyone advice on what  to do.  Please consult your doctor for his professional opinion on a diet/nutrition program that will work for you.

Tony's blog is a journal of his experiences and what has worked for him.   He lists general guidelines and suggestions only.  He is NOT a professional.

What Type of Workout is Best?

Hi Tony!
So I was cruising on YouTube looking at before and afters of people losing weight and I came across your video. It was truly inspirational and I have to say that what you accomplished was amazing! And I think that what your doing now with helping others reach their goals (like myself) is very noble and I hope you continue this!

Well, to cut to the chase- my question is: Is it more beneficial to have a short like 20 minute workout that's super intense, rather than spend like 2 hours at the gym with less intensity?

See, you know the phrase "quality verses quantity" and I think- that if you get your heart rate up and you're sweating really hard and all that good hard core stuff that you're ultimately burning more than if you spent a long time in the gym just leisurely walking on the treadmill or something.

So correct me if I'm wrong on the above paragraph- I've been working out ever since I was 13 and now I'm 16. In the past I've had a personal trainer and i do crossfit. Over the years i've acquired a lot more nutritional information- but- just recently did I find out that the work outs that I do by myself maybe aren't as beneficial as they could be!

Please clarify! What did you strategize for your workouts??

P.S. sorry if I wrote too much!! But thanks for taking time to read and possibly write back :)


Answer: I personally believe that shorter much more intense workouts are better for fat loss and overall athletic ability.  Working out for up to an hour with very high intensity will elevate your heart rate to a substantial degree which will burn a ton of calories during the workout.  Also, increasing your heart rate this much burns far more calories for hours after the workout than lower intensity workouts.  



So, exercising with high intensity burns more calories in a shorter amount of time and burns more calories for a longer period of time once you've completed the workout. Studies have shown that exercising with high intensity for longer than 1 hour can be detrimental  as your body produces stress hormones that break down muscle tissue so for this reason i would suggest keeping high intensity workouts to under 1 hour.  It may also be a good idea to eat a source of protein along with a complex carb before the workout in order to fuel your body.

Tony isn't a licensed nutritionist yet, so he can't give anyone advice on what  to do.  Please consult your doctor for his professional opinion on a diet/nutrition program that will work for you.

Tony's blog is a journal of his experiences and what has worked for him.   He lists general guidelines and suggestions only.  He is NOT a professional.

Intensity and Load for Workout

QUESTION:
What is the intensity and the load used during your workouts to burn a lot of calories and body fat?

Answer- When i workout, specifically with weights, I will lift an amount of weight that i can get 8-12 reps with. I will usually do 4 sets of each exercise and only take 1 minute rest periods between sets in order to keep my heart rate elevated which will burn more calories.  Also, if you are interested in lifting weights in hopes to burn bodyfat i highly suggest always using compound lifts which are the deadlift, bent over rows, squat, bench press, overhead press, and pull ups.  I suggest these because they utilize many muscles which burns a large amount of calories.  A good way to set up your routine would be to have a 4 day split like this:

Monday- back- deadlift, pull ups, bent over rows, accessory work.
Tuesday- shoulders- overhead press, accessory work.
Wednesday- off or cardio.
Thursday- legs- squat, accessory work.
Friday-chest- bench press, accessory work.

accessory work is smaller lifts that you will use in order to stimulate the muscles and burn calories.  For examples of this please go to my other posts, specifically “chest and back routine to burn fat.”

Tony isn't a licensed nutritionist yet, so he can't give anyone advice on what  to do.  Please consult your doctor for his professional opinion on a diet/nutrition program that will work for you.

Tony's blog is a journal of his experiences and what has worked for him.   He lists general guidelines and suggestions only.  He is NOT a professional.

P90X or Insanity?

QUESTION:
Which would be better P90X or Insanity. Someone said P90X because you lose weight but also gain muscle mass. I want lose weight, but I don't want to gain that much muscle. Side note. What type of Vitamin E lotion should I use and how did you lose your stretch marks?

I just want to thank you for all the hard work your doing. I think you are an inspiration, because you overcame something that was hard. Your Awesome Bro!

Answer- 

P90x and Insanity will both be good exercise routines to lose bodyfat.  I don't believe either program will allow you to build any amount of muscle that is beyond barely noticeable.  But that's just my opinion.

It is very important that you use lotion while you are losing weight so that it can aid your skin in returning to a normal unstretched state.  I never did this and because of this i still have my stretch marks.  Any vitamin E lotion or medical lotion geared toward stretch mark removal should work well.  Also remember to only lose 1-2lbs a week to allow your skin to properly adjust to the weight loss and become saggy.

Tony isn't a licensed nutritionist yet, so he can't give anyone advice on what  to do.  Please consult your doctor for his professional opinion on a diet/nutrition program that will work for you.

Tony's blog is a journal of his experiences and what has worked for him.   He lists general guidelines and suggestions only.  He is NOT a professional.

How to Measure Body Fat

I was recently asked how to measure body fat.  

The two easiest ways to estimate bf% is to use a manual caliper which you can buy from most fineness shops or even Walmart.  Or you can use an electronic bf% caliper which will be more expensive and less accurate than the manual. Both of these will give you a rough estimate of where you are at. 

Tony isn't a licensed nutritionist yet, so he can't give anyone advice on what  to do.  Please consult your doctor for his professional opinion on a diet/nutrition program that will work for you.

Tony's blog is a journal of his experiences and what has worked for him.   He lists general guidelines and suggestions only.  He is NOT a professional.