Question: I’ve read that stretching before your workout lowers your power for about
15mins after the stretch, which is the bulk of the lifting session. Is that
true? If so, should I be stretching at all before my workouts? Thanks!
-SSgt Carol L. Miller Jr.
Answer: Carol, it is debatable how long this negative effect lasts. I don’t recommend stretching statically before training unless you absolutely need to in order for you to get into certain positions. This means that if you have chronically tight hips and can’t squat properly without hitting a few static stretches before then by all means do so.
If you do this, try not to hold the stretches for longer than ten seconds and then repeat as many times as needed. Also, after holding the static stretch be sure to briefly contract the muscle for a second or two. Doing this seems to prevent some of the negative effects. A better option would be dynamic or PNF stretching where you stretch the muscle against resistance. PNF stretching is also known as the contract/relax method.
If you don’t need to stretch before training then definitely don’t. It does nothing to improve performance or prevent injury.
Question: i have been onto a lot of sites and now receive a lot of emails from people telling me tips and pointers.
Firstly i must say ur the most helpful, but i have read something you said am not exactly sure what to beleive.
You said that all supplements are a waste of money and that they dont work,
But there is the guy i still know to this day i went to school with him he is using a supplement im not exactly sure what brand but i think it is creatine when we went to school together he was tiny and i havent seen him for a while but we have the same friends, also i have seen photos.
He is now bench pressing 140 kg he is dedicated but he says that the product he uses works , just wanting to no what you think also i would like to read anything that you could send me that could help me THANKS ALOT
P.s this guy is HUge
Kade Allen
Answer: Kade, just because a guy built a significant amount of muscle in the years since you have seen him doesn’t meant that creatine is solely responsible for his progress. He could have been training hard and eating right and made great gains from doing that.
Having said that, I will say that creatine is one of the few decent supplements out there but it is not the miracle pill people expect. If you have trained properly with a great nutrition and recovery program for at least two years, then by all means give creatine a shot. Just don’t expect mind blowing results.
Question:
I had no idea that plastics had such big an impact on the estrogen levels on its own. While I avoid plastic bottled water, I still eat out of Tupperware container (doing it right now in fact. I know. Bad weightlifter!). But I was wondering if it matters, if the content of the Tupperware container is heated or not. Do the plastics damage the food, even though you don’t heat the food? If yes, is the food significantly less damaged or is all the same?
Second question, regarding column #2…
Does this mean, that the more chewing motions you make during and AFTER a meal, even though you are DONE chewing the food, the better the nutrient absorption and thermic effect of the meal?
Thanks for your time, in advance.
Jeppe Jakobsen
Answer: Jeppe, yes, eating out of tupperware or any kind of plastic containers does have a negative effect on estrogen levels, whether it is heated or not. Now, how great is this effect? I don’t know for sure. I also know that it is difficult or nearly impossible to avoid plastics completely but I do think that it’s a good idea to avoid any increases in estrogen as much as possible, no matter how small it may be.
I wouldn’t get overly concerned about the chewing afterwards but just try to be conscious of chewing your food as much and as well as possible. It has been suggested that 50 chews per mouthful of food should be the number to shoot for.
JF
