Get this Week’s Episode:

MP3 Download/iTunes/RSS/Odeo

Hosts:

Kevin Larrabee (Twitter), Dr. Jonathan Fass,

and Leigh Peele

FitCast News

• BBE FitCast Promo
• Eric Cressey coming on the show Send questions through the contact page
• Leigh’s Body Bugg Article

Mailbag

• Hi Kevin and crew!
  This question is for Jon.  After two months of physical therapy, a cortison shot, and finally an MRI arthrogram I’ve been diagnosed with a laberal tear in my right hip.  (Mid anterior laberal tear with some associated labral fraying.  Mid superior laberal enlargement with intrasubstance degenerative signal.  Posterior superior labral fraying with labral acetabular cleft.  Lateral superior predominant femoral head and marginal acetabular chondrosis.)  Good luck reading that on the air!  I’m heading to see a surgeon to discuss a possible hip arthroscopy.  I’ve been doing a ton of plank work and mostly upper body lifts for the last couple of months as even something as simple as incline walking causes me pain.  Is there anything that I can be doing 1. to prepare myself better for the surgery and 2. are there any weighted lower body movements that won’t cause me more pain?  I miss my squats!
  Thanks for your help!
  Terri
• Hey guys –

  First off – I LOVED Episode 150.  It was fun to listen to all the clips and recaps on my commutes to and from work!

  My question is about working out in the morning.  I have always been more of a “night person,” and typically had jobs that allowed me to work later in the day.  That always worked well for me – I could get up when I felt rested, grab some breakfast, and do my training before heading to work.  My work schedule has been changing, though, and I’ve had to be creative around some long work days (usually around 10-11 hours plus an hour commute each way).  I find that I get my best workouts in the afternoon and evening (up until around 10 p.m.).  For awhile, I was able to get to the gym just before closing time, but that just isn’t realistic for me right now.  I’ve been getting up early to do my training before work, but find that my workouts are not as successful – I generally feel rundown, weak, and even get a bit of nausea if I push things too hard.  I have to drop the weight significantly to get all my reps in for my lifts.  It’s frustrating!  I hesitate to drink coffee before my workouts because I’m worried it would really dehydrate me when I’m already feeling a bit dehydrated in the mornings.  What do you recommend?  Will my body eventually adjust to this or should I make some dietary changes early in the day?  I am having a protein shake to get me going, so I’m not working out on an empty stomach.  I’ll really appreciate any advice you can offer!

  Thanks! -Bonnie

• Just had to write and share… After attempting to give my commercial gym one more chance, I am greeted with a PT standing in front of a client that is balancing on a foam roller while working with a medicine ball?

  I quit going to this gym a couple months ago because watching the PTs there drive me crazy. And, I can’t help but see them as they like to get your attention by blocking equipment (not using but BLOCKING) while working with clients. Did I mention that one PT is so old that he sits while he trains people; and another is very, very preggo. And, this is a multi-state commercial gym.

  Quality!

  Enjoy the podcast. Thanks for all you do!

  Jeannie

• Hi guys, this question is for Leigh,
  I have recently completed a nutrition course as part of my personal trainer certificate in the U.K. and was told that doing cardio first thing in the morning on an empty stomach was a waste of time as fat can only be burned in the presence of glucose, so if you do fasted cardio you are only burning muscle tissue!
  I have also just purchased Tom Venuto burn the fat e book and he says that fasted cardio is extremely effective as there is nothing but fat to burn first thing in the morning!
  I am a 37 year old male and around 18%body fat with a decent amount of muscle and would like to get to around 10% bf.
  I find this confusing, should i do fasted cardio or not, and if so should i take a shot of expresso and some amminos first to protect my muscle?
  Thanks for any info guys, love the podcast!!!-Allan
• Dear Fitcast,
  I have uneven glutes (the right one is slightly bigger, and I think more stronger and stable). It’s not obvious to everyone else except for my chiropractor (which at first we thought was just swollen) and my suit pants (the right pocket gaps more than the left) and I believe it’s part of the cause of the lower back pain on my left side that I’ve been slowly healing from in the last two years finally along with the stabbing pain that I’ll randomly get on my right hip when I’m climbing stairs (only when I’m trying to skip a step, so lunging upwards gives me pain). I don’t have a desk job, I stand and walk all day for my job. I do squat, deadlift, and lunge with no problems, but I have to warm up and do dynamic stretching. Can you tell me what the consequences could be if I don’t even things out and how do I go about correcting this.
  P.S I know it might be a funny question, but I’ve been a listener since episode “one” so I won’t be offended of any obvious “sir mix-a lot” jokes 🙂 -Pedro
• Hi Kevin, Leigh, Dr. Fass,

  My squat range of motion is in serious need of improvement. I can bodyweight squat all the way to the floor while holding onto something for balance. But I can’t barbell squat past 90 degrees of knee bend without my heels raising or my body bending excessively forward at the waist.

  I did some research on T-Nation and found an article by Cosgrove that says my lack of range of motion is likely caused by muscle imbalances and stability issues around the pelvic/lumbosacral region and not knee or ankle issues.

  Any comments or suggestions?

  Thanks for the help,

  Brent
  Ottawa, Ontario, Canada

• Hello Kevin and company,
  I’m a new listener of the Fitcast, I read Kevin’s articles on T-nation and decided to give your show a try. I checked it out and was really impressed with the informative and entertaining content you guys have on here. There are so many interesting interviews with the majority of the biggest names in fitness and nutrition. That’s really cool guys, so thanks for the awesome show. I have already subscribed and listened to probably about twenty episodes and am working on more. I don’t know if you guys have addressed this before, but what are you opinions on fasting? I’ve read a lot about it growing within the weight lifting community and was wondering if any of you think it is beneficial and worth giving a try?

  I noticed that Leigh Peele had an interview with Martin Berkhan of Leangains.com. So I thought she might have some good insight on it. That guy seems to be getting some amazing results with the clients on his website, you should consider doing an interview with him for the show.

  Thanks for taking the time to read my email and please keep up the good work, you’ve gotten a new listener and I plan on sticking around.

  Best Regards,
  Johnny Masis

• I am from England and love your show. Listening to actual discussion about fitness related topics sure beats reading 2 page blurbs in magazines. I have recently started the Fat Loss program in Lou and Alwyn’s New Rules of Lifting and am seeing good results. I have no plans to deviate from the program anytime in the near future but am curious about Turbulence Training. Alwyn is quoted on Craig’s site as saying it is “The single most effective fat loss training system in the world today”. Is Alwyn’s Fat Loss program in New Rules of Lifting the same program or second best? PS. I am not from England. I just wanted to hear your English accent.

  Doug
  Surrey, BC
  Canada

• Hey Guys! Happy October 🙂

  For the past few months I’ve had some moderate discomfort while performing squats but only on the right leg. I think it’s my hip flexors that are affected (top of the quad, feels like its in the front) and I was wondering if there is a specific movement or stretch you would recommend I incorporate into my regular routine to as to avoid this. I have done some foam rolling and dynamic stretching prior to hitting the weights which has helped quite a bit, but I’m curious as to why the tightness has persisted so long. Is this just one of those things whereby I can always expect this and just need to be pro-active in my stretching? Or could I be aggravating it by continuing to squat? I thought maybe I just needed to rest a bit, so I scaled back on my workouts, but the pain is always there, and it’s starting to get really annoying. Is this just because I’m getting older?

  FYI: I’m female, 33, and have been lifting for about 2 years. Please let me know if you need additional info in order to answer this question!

  Thanks much,

  Lynda