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I just read Body prime and have the following questions I hope you can answer for me:
1) This fitness and diet consists of only 3 workouts per week, and absolutely NO cardio. With such little training, as compared per se to doing 5 days of cardio of 1 hour each, you're saying the Body Prime way will allow be to burn a lot more fat with less work?
2) For Stage 1 and Stage 2 workouts, should all sets for a single exercise be completed in succession, or do you go from one exercise to another and then come back to do the 2nd set after you have completed 1 set of everything else?
3) You mention doing for example: 3 sets of 6 to 8 reps of an exercise. How much weight should I be using? Should I barely be able to get the 8th rep up by myself, or do I picker a lower level of effort to complete each set?
4) What happens if on the 2nd and 3rd set of an exercise, the reps fall way below the rep level of the 1st set, and they are below what you recommend?
5) The dieting portion was confusing to me because I normally see diets that have food plans laid out. For example, what percentage of calories should come from fats vs protien vs carbohydrates on each of the given days? Is it an exact science, or do we just wing it? You did mention 1 pound of lean protein for every pound of body weight, so that is a starting point, but how much of the carbs and fat?
6) And what about people who might be quite overweight? For example, if I am a woman that is 5'5 and I weigh 200 pounds, shoudl I still be eating 200 grams of protein each day?
7) You had a section on Omega 3's and Omega 6's, but I didn't see any mention of how much to take once we buy these supplements?
8) There was no mention of vitamins or minerals. Should we be supplementing with these or is it not important?
9) Where does non fat milk fall into the meal equation?
10) You mentioned grabbing a handful of food for a portion size for any one of the 6 daily meals should be adequate. I have pretty big hands for my size I have always counted calories. Should I be taking a certain amount of calories and dividing that over the 6 meals?
Thanks, and I hope this isn't too overwhelming. I want to make sure I get this right.
Wow! Many questions, I will try and take each in turn...however, bear with me that I may only get to one or so each day. Your first question is presented in the following manner...
1) This fitness and diet consists of only 3 workouts per week, and absolutely NO cardio. With such little training, as compared per se to doing 5 days of cardio of 1 hour each, you're saying the Body Prime way will allow be to burn a lot more fat with less work?
Keep in mind that not all activity is created equal for basic physiologic reasons. ALL fat loss is attributed to a little bitty part within the cell known as the mitochondria and the misnomer by many industry "experts" (Dr. Houser despises this term by the way) suggests that because there are different muscle fiber types and most of the mitochondria are found within the type of fibers stimulated by endurance training, that you will get the body of your dreams following this prescription.
Hmmmm...tell that to the pleasantly plump who continues on what I have been known to reference the "HAMPSTER WHEEL" in my writing for the last decade; cardiovascular training. Essentially running to go nowhere and turning around and still looking terrible naked. The reason: simple...the types of muscle fibers stimulated (even though there are more mitochondria present) are subject to VERY little growth and as a result will only alter outward appearance by a very small offering. Another type of muscle fiber as stimulated by anaerobic training like weight-lifting or even sprinting contribute to
your relative cause (i.e. - change of body comp) a lot more readily because you are subject to growing muscle belly size in a much more pronounced fashion due to the way the muscles are stimulated.
Don't believe me? Compare a sprinter to a long-distance runner. Who is it you'd rather look like?
I just read Body prime and have the following questions I hope you can answer for me:
1) This fitness and diet consists of only 3 workouts per week, and absolutely NO cardio. With such little training, as compared per se to doing 5 days of cardio of 1 hour each, you're saying the Body Prime way will allow be to burn a lot more fat with less work?
2) For Stage 1 and Stage 2 workouts, should all sets for a single exercise be completed in succession, or do you go from one exercise to another and then come back to do the 2nd set after you have completed 1 set of everything else?
3) You mention doing for example: 3 sets of 6 to 8 reps of an exercise. How much weight should I be using? Should I barely be able to get the 8th rep up by myself, or do I picker a lower level of effort to complete each set?
4) What happens if on the 2nd and 3rd set of an exercise, the reps fall way below the rep level of the 1st set, and they are below what you recommend?
5) The dieting portion was confusing to me because I normally see diets that have food plans laid out. For example, what percentage of calories should come from fats vs protien vs carbohydrates on each of the given days? Is it an exact science, or do we just wing it? You did mention 1 pound of lean protein for every pound of body weight, so that is a starting point, but how much of the carbs and fat?
6) And what about people who might be quite overweight? For example, if I am a woman that is 5'5 and I weigh 200 pounds, shoudl I still be eating 200 grams of protein each day?
7) You had a section on Omega 3's and Omega 6's, but I didn't see any mention of how much to take once we buy these supplements?
8) There was no mention of vitamins or minerals. Should we be supplementing with these or is it not important?
9) Where does non fat milk fall into the meal equation?
10) You mentioned grabbing a handful of food for a portion size for any one of the 6 daily meals should be adequate. I have pretty big hands for my size I have always counted calories. Should I be taking a certain amount of calories and dividing that over the 6 meals?
Thanks, and I hope this isn't too overwhelming. I want to make sure I get this right.
Those are some good questions. Here is what I entepreted them as:
1) Dr Houser Answered
2) Yes, do them in susccession and then move on to the next exercise group.
3) I was going to use a weight that only allowed me to do 6 to 8 reps, whereas the last rep would be a struggle to complete, yet not so much that it would compromise my form. And this is for the heavy lifting portion of the program. Not sure if this is right or not.
4) I hadn't thought about that. With me, my total reps decrease with each set if I am using the same weight. Try to pick a weight that you can do 8 reps for your first set, and then the subsequent sets don't fall below the 6 rep range. If you can only do 4 or 5, oh well. Dr. houser?
5) I am interested to know this as well.
6) I wouldn't think so. Does body prime mean 1 gram of protein per pound of lean body mass? That would make more sense, no? For example, a woman weighing 200 pounds wouldn't take 200 grams of protein whereas a woman who is the same height but only weighs 160 pounds would take 160 grams of protein? We need clarification here. Good question.
7) I ws going to follow bottle recommendations, but it would be good for Dr. Houser to clarify the exact dosing throughout the day.
8) I take one every day. I just assumed if it doesnt mention something, it doesnt mean you cant do it. With reduced intake of food, I feel it is important to get the extra vitamins through a vitamin pill.
9) Look at the ingredients. It has a lot of sugar. The program outlines where this should go.
10) I was going to start out with small handfuls like Dr. Houser mentioned. he mentioned unless you want to be a body builder or fitness queen, that measuring to the final calorie wasn't needed.
Dr. Houser, I have my own questions:
1) Do you think most people will feel hungry while on this diet?
2) If so, should an appetite suppressent be used? I find that when I work out, my hunger levels increase.
2) For Stage 1 and Stage 2 workouts, should all sets for a single exercise be completed in succession, or do you go from one exercise to another and then come back to do the 2nd set after you have completed 1 set of everything else?
Either way will actually be ok. One of the key points that I pointed out at the beginning of the e-book was that ALL diets "work" - this is just the fastest way from Point A (your current body status) to Point B (the body you desire to have). That said, this holds true for the exercise parameters as well.
One of the things people have trouble with is reserving machines and so forth if they opt to do Stage II in the gym, which is completely understandable. I don't want people to get caught up with that actually. The idea of the diet and exercise components is not extreme complexity, but moreso extreme effectiveness.
So, if you progress through the exercises in either way (may be more at ease to go through all exercises in Stage I in succession as it doesn't really require a gym membership at all, but a set of dumbbells and that alone); the remainder you can get creative with - even the "pressing" movements can be done on a bench or on the beach (doing presses from the ground still works quite effectively).
The thing that must be considered is relative progression. So, if you accomplish 3 sets during week 1, your goal may be 4 sets come week 2. If you accomplish 3 sets with 5 pounds during week 1, your goal may be to add to the weight and accomplish the same feat with 8-10 pounds during week 2. However, the weight is the key...if you don't lift heavier at each session, you are not allowing the workouts to get more "intense."
Intensity is defined differently in cardiovascular work and weight-lifting, but they do end up meeting at a happy medium in circuit series'. For instance a heavier weight is defined as more intense in weight-lifting; moving faster is defined as more intense in cardiovascular (aerobic) training. Now, you could do both, but you will sacrifice weight in lifting quick for successive sets, which is why I now accomplish discussion of your next two questions in succession...
3) You mention doing for example: 3 sets of 6 to 8 reps of an exercise. How much weight should I be using? Should I barely be able to get the 8th rep up by myself, or do I picker a lower level of effort to complete each set?
Weight will be dictated by the opening set with a pre-determined rest interval already suggested. This is one of the key things missed in other popular programs out there. You go quickly (sometimes too quickly) from set 1 to 2 and as a result sacrifice weight. At that point, you may as well merely hop on a treadmill - that is not the point to resistance training and/or influence on type II or fast twitch fibers (as described) and why the other programs will likely lead to a quick weight re-gain upon cessation of the program.
4) What happens if on the 2nd and 3rd set of an exercise, the reps fall way below the rep level of the 1st set, and they are below what you recommend?
Lengthen the rest interval between sets before sacrificing weight, though this is unlikely to occur the way it is written. With opening sets, you are actually setting up the neuromuscular connection (in other words, the nerves of your body and the way they communicate with the muscles is VERY important and in the first set or two they actually get primed - I suppose that word is a relative theme of the entire program in that sense).
If you do overestimate it and the reps end up falling below the pre-determined level...merely set the weight down for a moment and pick it up as soon as you are ready. This is kind of a variation on a theme in exercise science known as rest-pause sets, but it accomplishes the same amount of work.
Keep in mind for anyone in basic physics classes - work = force times distance. So, the amount of work has NOTHING to do with the amount of time you spend doing that work, just the force used (resistance to gravity drawing the weight downward) and distance (the length that you stretch the muscles or your range of motion). We are ONLY concerned in BodyPRIME with the amount of relative work you do.
If you increase the weights, you increase the resistance - you increase the work done.
If you increase the ROM or increase the number of overall sets - you increase the work done.
5) The dieting portion was confusing to me because I normally see diets that have food plans laid out. For example, what percentage of calories should come from fats vs protien vs carbohydrates on each of the given days? Is it an exact science, or do we just wing it? You did mention 1 pound of lean protein for every pound of body weight, so that is a starting point, but how much of the carbs and fat?
The reason food plans are NOT, in fact, laid out is because as we have already seen in the infancy of this subforum - NOT everyone has the same taste sensations, though samples were provided.
Percentage of fats vs. protein vs. carbohydrates is actually defined on the diet with different ratios coming on the weekend and different on the weekdays that mimick other percentages I have suggested in the past.
Weekdays: Low-->No carb (probably about 60-70% fat)
Weekends: Low-->No fat (probably about 50-60% carbohydrate)
But it comes down to food couplet pairings which will dictate success rates.
As far as exact science; NAH! Who enjoys weighing out everything here? I sure don't. You can find other plans that I have written if interested that may be more appropriate for the scientifically-inclined (read: more neurotic or anal) but they are not necessarily the "best" way as subsequent calorie offerings will be predominantly dictated by your starting point.
6) And what about people who might be quite overweight? For example, if I am a woman that is 5'5 and I weigh 200 pounds, shoudl I still be eating 200 grams of protein each day?
Likely...yes.
Protein is your baseline. At 4 calories per gram, that only accounts for 800 calories. You must be most familiar with starvation diets, which DO NOT work as you don't account for endocrine changes. Of course, as you change weight...your requirements will change also.
Protein increases how many calories you burn simply by eating it. That is the concept discussed in the book of diet-induced thermogenesis or thermic effect of food (though the latter term is more archaic).
When you cut calories drastically, your thyroid gland is thrown off. That said, your dropping weight on many diets will come to an eventual standstill. This is not a good concept at all and spells dietary disaster for many.
7) You had a section on Omega 3's and Omega 6's, but I didn't see any mention of how much to take once we buy these supplements?
If you are scientific as such, I have written extensively on this subject across the web - sometimes under the moniker "dinoiii." Otherwise, the ver basics are as follows:
- Omega-6s usually account for themselves even if you don't watch for them adamantly.
- Omega-3 requirements usually fall between 2 and 4 grams for most for adequate cardiovascular and neurologic benefit.
- If getting over-concerned because you want a number between the two, this holds less pertinence in the world of low-carb dieting (during the week) and on the weekends, you would need to only concern yourself with baseline Omega-3 supplementation. Outside of that, the way I developed the diet is that your needs would be accomplished by sticking to my lists overall and then the consumption of other foods that happen to have a little fat (i.e. - chicken, fish, beef, etc...)
- don't overcomplicate it as it was not meant to be that complicated, follow the diet accordingly and most of your ratios are accounted for.
8) There was no mention of vitamins or minerals. Should we be supplementing with these or is it not important?
To be honest, there is NOTHING currently on the market in the multi-vitamin category that impresses me at all. This will be changing by year's end, but really - the only thing multi-vitamins do in many instance is display how haphazed people are with development of them.
The issue with them tend to fall in the interaction department. With the diet, you are fortunate to have much of this accounted for.
Many may ask, well what about the absence of fruits during the week? HA! I laugh as farmers struggle to make ends meet in today's tough market that the nutrient-deprived soil is not being repleted, I assure you. The "whole-hearted" attempts to consider them the foods they may have once been is a literal farse.
Now - this is not to say you can't benefit from the use of some B vitamins and what I note as ACES (Vitamin A, C, E, and selenium) - but finding good products in even those basic categories is hugely an issue in this day and age.
9) Where does non fat milk fall into the meal equation?
Is this something you crave? See the part about "cheating" in the book. Otherwise; "non-fat" literally translates in the food industry as "MORE CARBS."
Its a dieting mistake and actually not the most ideal thing to eat in the first place. Some milk-fat on the low-carb days would actually be better (like in the fattier cheeses on occasion). I don't kid with this either!
And for those that think they are getting a lot of bang for the calcium buck in their milk products, leave this disillusion away from the concept. You really aren't - especially with those nonsensical see-through container gallon jugs ... as the light hits them, all the Vitamin D fortification and calcium existence is robbed from the product anyway. We are literally the ONLY species that consumes another animal's milk beyond infancy. What the hell are we thinking?
At best, on the weekends (when carbs are more favorable), perhaps invest in some Hood Calorie Countdown (formerly Carb Countdown when low-carb was "cool"). Its not carb free though and should be restricted to the weekend's at best.
10) You mentioned grabbing a handful of food for a portion size for any one of the 6 daily meals should be adequate. I have pretty big hands for my size I have always counted calories. Should I be taking a certain amount of calories and dividing that over the 6 meals?
Use judgement and adjust accordingly. Your hands can't be that big!
I have always counted calories. Should I be taking a certain amount of calories and dividing that over the 6 meals?
You can find other plans that I have written if interested that may be more appropriate for the scientifically-inclined (read: more neurotic or anal) 
but they are not necessarily the "best" way as subsequent calorie offerings will be predominantly dictated by your starting point.