From a medical / health POV... any difference health wise / life expenctancy wise... between 8% BF and like 14% BF?

Other than aesthetics?

Say the 14% bf person, still exercises daily, eats healthy etc.. he will be just as healthy right?

What's your take on using dumbells for bench (both incline and normal) instead of a barbell? Any pros and cons?

This has everything to do with body mechanics and lifting form.

Try to adjust the way you hold the bar (farther out or closer in). Also try to tuck your elbows in and expand your lats during each rep. Keep a good arch in your back and make sure to bring the bar down to nipple-line or slightly above/below depending on comfort.

If the problem persists, you can either train shoulders harder to bring them up, or switch to dumbbells instead of a barbell.

All of them are great, however black beans offer the most fiber/protein of the 3, per ounce. Nutrient wise, they are very equally balanced. Why not mix all 3?

Always wash the beans from in the can (rinse with water in a strainer)

Are these exercises good?

Squats 5 rep
Deadlift 5 rep
Lunges 10 rep
Bench press 5 rep
Military press 8 rep
Chins 10 rep
Bent Rows 10 rep
Biceps Curl 10 rep
Dips 10 rep
Core Rotations 10 rep

How many sets should i have each exercise?

Yo just saw this the other day:

http://www.health.harvard.edu/blog/fish-oil-friend-or-foe-201307126467

Any opinion on it?

I personally think the benefits of fishoil far outweigh any possible risks, just wanted to know your take on it

This post was edited by lopelurag on Jul 23 2013 05:56pm

For hypertrophy...

http://forums.d2jsp.org/topic.php?t=21269614&f=60&p=345358141
Hypertrophy Plan 3-on-1-off (regular)

For strength:

http://forums.d2jsp.org/topic.php?t=21269614&f=60&p=345300636
5x5 plan

This is a VERY broad and detailed topic. Without going on and on and posting studies and various research findings, perhaps we should narrow it down first.

Could you give me a more specific question/hypothesis that you would like to address? I think you touched on it when you said "Also how can i balance them out to get the most out of muscle growth."


Would it be fair to assume that you are interested in ways to modify your CNS and SNS to make muscle growth most efficient? Because if that's the question, it falls under the category of finite things that are governed specifically by lifestyle adaptations and changes. insofar as a supplement, exercise, diet, etc. that will specifically alter your nervous system to yield muscle gains - such a thing does not presently exist. If it did...we would see super-humans being developed.

Statistically, anyone under 12% actually has a reduced life expectancy the same way that anyone over 20% has a reduced life expectancy. Part of the reason is that fat provides energy, insulation, and shock absorption. Without a certain amount of body fat, the body is more susceptible to injury at older age.

So to answer your question, the 14% person would actually be "healthier" in terms of long term health.

I personally have grown to prefer dumbbells over a barbell after multiple shoulder injuries from barbell.

The human body tends to have a neutral grip that keeps your wirsts on an angle, rather than straight across. Therefore, using a bar defies out natural body mechanics. Certain bodies are able to deal with it better, while others are not.

However, dumbbells are able to be placed in ANY grip and thus maximize supporting muscle engagement and reduce injury and pre-fatigue.

Barbells have their place though, as you can NOT replicate power in the same manner with dumbbells.