Dairy free or lactose free?

How worried should I be if my knees feel a little bit sore/tender the next day after doing heavy squats?

Right now I'm doing 5x5 Squats 3 times a week and squatting heavy. It's never pain, more of a soreness or they feel a little bit tender. My form is pretty good, I've had friends with lifting experience watch and critique. Always room for improvement though.

hey raynor i had a question about cardio, will doing cardio every day along with your 5x5 workout help me achieve my goal faster of obtaining a 6pack as oppose to no cardio?

Raynor, I just attended a seminar that claims that 20 g of protein is the optimal amount for absorption by the body per meal. Anymore than that, then one is wasting their money. What do you think of this claim?

And what is the optimal amount of protein per day 1.5x (g/kg of body mass) or is it 2x?

1) It's bullshit.
2) ideal is 1.7 or so

or is it based on pounds?

using [Horizon Fitness EX-59 Elliptical Trainer]
at what resistance should i run it?

1.7 per 1 kg

5x5 three times a week is VERY hard on the knees. You are not getting enough rest to prevent injury. My advice would be to drop down to 1x or 2x per week maximum. Take Universal Animal Flex, plenty of Omega 3, drink lots of water, and rest sufficiently and you should be fine.

In general, higher activity level means greater fat loss. You can choose to do whatever activity you desire, and as long as your abs are strong enough, when you lose enough fat, they will be visible.

So technically, cardio is helpful if you need additional calories burned.