More Q&A

Q: How important is warm-up, really? I know I'm supposed to do at least 5 minutes on the bike before I hit the weights, but I have very little time...

A: Let me put it this way: If you can "afford" 5 minutes more of watching TV, or 5 minutes of dozing after lunch, or whatever, you'd be better off spending those 5 minutes on a warm-up. Not only do you get your body going so that it utilizes fat for fuel better, it also drastically decreases your risk of injury - especially if you're planning on lifting big. There's no justification for skipping something that can do so much for your health and safety, unless you're a top-level executive who sleeps 3 hours per night and makes 15-minute appointments to play with your kids on the weekends. If you're a mere mortal like the rest of us, who spends a few hours in front of the tube now and then, you're making an active choice to watch TV instead of looking out for yourself. And by the way, don't you think a single torn muscle, with all the handicaps and rehab it involves, makes up for the time you'd save by skipping the warm-up during your entire life? Play it safe - always warm up.

Q: How come the people in Before and After-pictures in the ads always look so much better than I do, no matter how hard I work out, diet, and take the supplements they push?

A: ...And drinking certain brands of soda doesn't make you an extreme-sporting megahunk either, even if their ad implies so. Read the fine print. There's always a puny little disclaimer saying something to the effect of: "Mr. Ripped on the picture experienced exceptional results. The typical user may not expect similar results." In plain English, that means they all but admit that while the dude on a picture is a nice fairy tale, the Muscle Fairy will most likely visit not YOU. The sad truth is that there are no shortcuts. When an ad claims that their product is 3,463% better than the competition, it does NOT mean you'll gain muscle 3,463% faster. In fact, most scientific claims I've seen are taken out of concept. Sure, a certain ingredient in product X may do a lot of good for a 80-year old female diabetic, or help an obese lab rat, but to expect even remotely the same results in a 230 lb, 25-year old male bodybuilder is ridiculous. Yet, they can quote the scientific study and advertise it to create the illusion that the 80-year old woman figures somehow applies to you. It's dirty, but it works. Otherwise they wouldn't keep doing it. Of course, there ARE honest facts in ads, and there ARE reputable companies who don't try to scam you with inflated claims, but it's generally easy to spot the difference. Remember: If something sounds too good to be true, it usually is.

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