Rice Fitness Center Archive

Welcome to the Rice Fitness Center and Fit Tips Archive, Fitness Programs' home base for quick and informative reads on fitness information.

Archive:

Fitness FAQs

Simple answers to common questions:

Is it better to increase resistance or repetitions during weight training?

• Regardless of the program being implemented, one of the key tenets in strength training is that of progressive overload. In short, muscles must experience a workload that is increased steadily and systematically throughout the course of a strength-training program. The workload can be increased either by using more resistance or performing more reps. The main idea behind overload is "loading" the muscles with more work, "over" and beyond what they have grown used to. If you're not sweating, then you probably aren't overloading your muscles! Keep in mind that the number of repetitions performed with a given weight can be increased as long as the duration of the set is kept within an anaerobic window of time (less than two minutes).

Does a person start using fat as an energy source after 20 minutes of exercise?

• The main source of energy used during an activity depends on the level of effort, not the time of the effort. At rest, the body primarily uses fat as an energy source. As the level of effort increases, there is a greater reliance on carbohydrates to provide the needed energy. So, an individual does not have to exercise for 20 minutes before using fat as a source of energy. In fact, as you read this, your body is primarily using fat for energy. Besides, it's ridiculous to think that the body has a timer set to automatically switch to fat for energy at the 20- minute mark!

Does whey protein increase muscle mass more than other proteins?

• According to the supplement industry, whey protein promotes greater increases in muscle mass compared to other proteins. As support for this contention, it has referenced a study in which the subjects significantly increased their body weight. What the promoters failed to mention was that the subjects in this study were starved rats. In the study, rats that were fed a whey protein formula re-gained their lost weight faster than other rats that were fed a free amino acid mixture. Obviously, it's difficult to extrapolate the influence of whey protein on starved rat to that of healthy humans. From a different perspective, whey protein is low fat or fat free (depending on the brand). So, increasing your protein intake by means of whey protein will be a healthier alternative to building muscle mass than overloading your diet with animal products that are laden with saturated fat.