Well.
Here goes mine one, and probably hilarious question. Asked you to be just absolutely sure. answer it my friend @Hitman
Is it a madness to take 240 grams protein per day?? All from vegetarian sources :- low fat milk, curd, pulses, lentils, cheese, paneer, ....
No medicine, no enhancements, no physical problem...
Age 31, body weight 77-79 kgs, height 188 Cms
4 hours in gym every morning, 3 hours of sport every evening, 6 hours of sleep, 8 hours of work.....
What's say bro!!
Are you being serious? 4 hours gym and 3 hours sports time every day? Only 6 hours of sleep? Be careful your body needs time to recuperate.Well.
Here goes mine one, and probably hilarious question. Asked you to be just absolutely sure. answer it my friend @Hitman
Is it a madness to take 240 grams protein per day?? All from vegetarian sources :- low fat milk, curd, pulses, lentils, cheese, paneer, ....
No medicine, no enhancements, no physical problem...
Age 31, body weight 77-79 kgs, height 188 Cms
4 hours in gym every morning, 3 hours of sport every evening, 6 hours of sleep, 8 hours of work.....
What's say bro!!
The answer is simple...it depends on your specific nutritional requirements that not only allow you to stay in your current shape, but allow you to recover from training. If what you are taking is not causing you digestive stress, no stress on your kidney filtration, and no overall negative impacts on your well being, but in fact is allowing you to do the sports you engage in while also being able to live a normal life, then it is quite clear it works for your specific body.
Are you being serious? 4 hours gym and 3 hours sports time every day? Only 6 hours of sleep? Be careful your body needs time to recuperate.
@Hitman
You answered this before in my previous question about whether a caloric deficit would still allow you to get stronger, but would a caloric deficit also allow you to look bigger too after working out?
Also, for someone wanting to add mass (preferably muscle mass as I'm skinny but not anorexic), any type of fasting should be out the window right? I read up about the benefits of intermittent fasting as well as your post on it in this thread and I'm guessing fasting isn't the way to go for someone to add on muscle mass due to such a low calorie intake? (Guess I'm just wondering whether working out while doing intermittent fasting will slow down/prevent the progress of gaining lean muscle mass)
Thanks a lot always!
I never knew about the maintenance phase. Makes so much sense. No wonder people usually lose a lot of muscle when go straight to a cut.Muscle building takes places when you have a caloric surplus, because the first thing your body is going to do is make sure your baseline expenditure is met to keep you functioning in the physical state you are, that includes keep you at your current weight. Understand that if you are working out, you are in fact adding to your daily expenditure, so if you goal is to put on some good muscle, I would recommend not training more than three times a week, but keeping your calorie consumption in a surplus on all seven days.
Now, you have a couple of ways of bulking up, the dirty bulk - which is just eat anything you want, you will get bigger, put on some muscle, but you will also put on some body fat, this method is quicker. Now, while it may look bad, it is OK to use for a couple weeks each year just to put on size, that you can then use your diet and cardio to help preserve the muscle but have more leaner looking shape to your body.
You can do the clean bulk, this is basically over eating only on clean food sources, this can also provide the effects describe above, but they take slightly longer for someone who is an ectomorph, as you describe yourself to be.
My suggestion is to have fully structured mass phase, maintenance phase, cutting phase, maintenance phase cycle as your goal here. This is something I do all the time so I don't lose too much size from being overly ripped for most of the year.
Have a period of bulking, this could be two or three months, depending on your nutritional choices and your genetics. During this time, focus on a lot of compound movements that target specific muscles, like bent over bar bell rows to widen and thicken those lats. Get plenty more rest, so three workouts, allowing yourself to grow. Then have a period of maintenance where you stop getting bigger and try to hold that new shape, basically adjusting your set point, so your body gets used to this new size.
Once you able to hold it, start your cut, to bring out the ripped defined muscles that are hiding under the fat which you are removing. Finally, when you are at the right size and lean enough, go back into maintenance, stop dropping body fat and again allow your body to readjust it's set point. You will be amazed at how much easier it will be for you to hold and retain muscle this way.
I never knew about the maintenance phase. Makes so much sense. No wonder people usually lose a lot of muscle when go straight to a cut.
How long should a maintenance phase last usually.
Muscle building takes places when you have a caloric surplus, because the first thing your body is going to do is make sure your baseline expenditure is met to keep you functioning in the physical state you are, that includes keep you at your current weight. Understand that if you are working out, you are in fact adding to your daily expenditure, so if you goal is to put on some good muscle, I would recommend not training more than three times a week, but keeping your calorie consumption in a surplus on all seven days.
Now, you have a couple of ways of bulking up, the dirty bulk - which is just eat anything you want, you will get bigger, put on some muscle, but you will also put on some body fat, this method is quicker. Now, while it may look bad, it is OK to use for a couple weeks each year just to put on size, that you can then use your diet and cardio to help preserve the muscle but have more leaner looking shape to your body.
You can do the clean bulk, this is basically over eating only on clean food sources, this can also provide the effects describe above, but they take slightly longer for someone who is an ectomorph, as you describe yourself to be.
My suggestion is to have fully structured mass phase, maintenance phase, cutting phase, maintenance phase cycle as your goal here. This is something I do all the time so I don't lose too much size from being overly ripped for most of the year.
Have a period of bulking, this could be two or three months, depending on your nutritional choices and your genetics. During this time, focus on a lot of compound movements that target specific muscles, like bent over bar bell rows to widen and thicken those lats. Get plenty more rest, so three workouts, allowing yourself to grow. Then have a period of maintenance where you stop getting bigger and try to hold that new shape, basically adjusting your set point, so your body gets used to this new size.
Once you able to hold it, start your cut, to bring out the ripped defined muscles that are hiding under the fat which you are removing. Finally, when you are at the right size and lean enough, go back into maintenance, stop dropping body fat and again allow your body to readjust it's set point. You will be amazed at how much easier it will be for you to hold and retain muscle this way.
If you look for that look, then chest, shoulders, back and then arms in that sequence. Never neglect what the impact of what good shoulders can do for you, they frame your body, create that wide strong look and help make your waist look smaller in T-shirts.
In regards to what exercises you should do, that really depends on how your body responds. You may be a mesomorph with great genetics who only needs to throw in a few pull ups and pushups and looks good, or you may be an ectomorph and be a hard gainer, struggling to put on muscle. Keep in mind also, everyone responds differently, and while there is an overall baseline, your chest may develop better than mine doing push ups, but my anterior deltoids might develop better than yours doing the same thing.
Keeping a decent diet is important also, and also knowing that body very quickly adapts. So, for instance, you may need to go from standard push ups for a week, to decline push ups for the next week, just to get that stimulus. Training is always about changing the variables, intensity, and execution of the workout, even if all you want to do is impress people in your T-shirt.
Is there an equally effective way to stretch out the muscles and tendons to do the splits? An equivalent PNF stretch for it?I would like you to start doing something known as Proprioceptive Neuromuscular Facilitation or PNF stretching, this type of stretching is far more effective than static stretching in opening up the muscle and tendons. I would recommend that you do PNF stretching for both the hamstring and the quadriceps three times a week, and the remaininglIf you are unable to get a partner to help with PNF stretching then you can do it by yourself, by lying with the back on the floor and legs stretched out. Then use a resistance band, or a towel which you hold in both hands, with it going around the sole of your foot, and lift the leg up towards a 90 degrees angle, and then continue to stretch it towards your chest. Hold each position for about 12 seconds, lower back to original position, and then do it again.
I would suggest that you keep to about 10 minutes each session.
Many people lose a lot of muscle on a cut because they put too much focus on toning (not lifting heavy enough) and/or poor nutrition (insufficient protein and/or too big of a calorie deficit).No wonder people usually lose a lot of muscle when go straight to a cut.
Hey Hitman,
I know nothing about fitness or working out -- I wouldn't even know how to start, and have never been to the gym in my life... I know that it's really important for me if I want to become a better tennis player.
I have a hard time putting on weight -- despite eating a lot (although inconsistent). I am 6'6-7" and fluctuate between 170 and 180 lbs.
I'm not so much into the idea of being able to lift massive weights or getting massive biceps. I just want to get all around stronger, get in better shape, and put on some weight.
Thanks
Yea, I'm an ectomorph.
If all I have is dumbbells and only have 7kg and 10kg dumbbells (dont have access to a gym, financial reasons and time), and one of those pull up bars you stick to the door frame, that's all that is necessary to work out and get in shape right?
(Is it better to go higher reps and less weight (7kg in my case), or lower reps and higher weight (10kg) for size for ectomorphs?)
I do:
dumbbell shoulder presses
dumbell chest flies (the one with a vertical grip on the dumbbells, starting from the floor with arms stretched out, and bringing them together)
dumbbell back row (bent-over one arm dumbbell row)
(12x4) for each exercise, 1 minute rest between sets
*I have done pull-ups and push-ups but I struggle to do more than 10 at a time with proper form (due to fatigue, not laziness) for both exercises after doing one set.
I'm aware that there are plenty more dumbbell exercises for other muscles, but wonder if these specific ones are sufficient enough for the shoulders, chest, and back?
Or should I substitute these completely, and use compound movements more often like push-ups and pull-ups as you suggested in one of your earlier responses to me?
With the second quote that I grabbed from your reply to my previous question on the previous page of this thread (the Muhammid Ali picture), is it safe to say that as an ectomorph who struggles to put on muscle as easily as a mesomorph would have a much harder time to get that look, or is a djokovic-like body more likely to be achieved for an ectomorph?
Lastly, how much time does it take for you to notice an increase in size for your average client of an ectomorph body type, assuming proper, consistent workout routines and proper nutrition intake?
EDIT: Oh yeah, am I delusional in thinking that I feel less quick and/or agile on the tennis court, or feel slightly less coordinated in my movement after stretching out my hamstrings and quads? For example uhhh...feeling like i have less strength in my legs to push off the ground when chasing for a drop shot, as opposed to not stretching i feel like I can run significantly faster (I do static stretches, i'm also trying to achieve the level of flexibility to be able to have my palms touch the floor standing up without having my knees bent with ease, as well as being able to do the splits like djokovic)
But i feel like it's detrimental to my movement and i have to wait a couple days at most to feel (in my mind anyway) my strength in my legs again after stretching them out to the farthest they can go before feeling too much discomfort. (and pain?) I am assuming the body just needs to get used to it, and the legs will feel the strength they had before the stretching happened.
Thank you!
Is there an equally effective way to stretch out the muscles and tendons to do the splits? An equivalent PNF stretch for it?
@Hitman Any pointers on how I can lose visceral fat? Being a vegetarian am looking for diet and lifestyle changes. Much appreciated.
@Hitman , I have stayed on the workout routine you gave me.
I have progressed on the walking single leg lunges to the point where my grip strength is beginning to be the limiting factor.
On the working set to failure I used two 30kg dumbells today (one in each hand; 66 lbs per dumbelll)
My legs were almost at failure on the 18th lunge (9 each leg) but my left hand grip gave out just before my legs.
Any suggestions?
Also, should I stay on the same routine or change anything? Progress has slowed a bit for some exercises.
Thanks a lot for such a tailored response and to such a long question! Appreciate it.How about trying to lift the heavier weight for more reps. This way you are not only increase muscle endurance, but strength also, by doing something that is known as volumeization training, gorging the muscle with blood but causing micro trauma to actin and myosin contractile proteins that make up your muscle fibres. Try not to think that the lighter the weight the more you reps you need, and the heavier the weight the less reps you need, because that is not true. What is true is that you should not do a lot of rep if you are implementing progressive overload with each working set, in other words, if you are continuously lifting more weight with each subsequent set, then be careful not to fatigue the muscle with lactic acid and deplete it of muscle glycogen before the bigger lifts.
If all you are lifting is 10 kg, you are not subjected to this. What you need to do is be creative with what you do. For instance, lets say you with those 10 kg dumbbells you do seated alternative dumbbell curls until failure, immediately after that you stand up and do standing dumbbell curls. Since the standing variation is easier than the seated version, you will get further reps in. Now lets say you focus on negative training....you curl the weight up in one second, pause and then take three seconds to lower the weight, now you are using the time under tension training philosophy which will increase heat shock proteins in your cells to burn intramyocellular lipids and increase protein synthesis. Finally, use the drop set principle of training, reach failure with the 10kg, then immediately do the same exercise with the 7kg without rest, combining negative training into that.
You can see just how creative training can be if you stop for a minute and think about how you can stimulate the muscle fibres with only what you have. My suggestion is to stop counting reps, because it will only hinder you. Go on instinct and push to failure.
As for your push ups, I would suggest working on increasing the muscle endurance in your triceps by doing dips, use a chair, place your arms to either side, and start the movement.
As stated above, firstly get the most out of them, which I don't think you are doing, there are many variations you can do, of course correct me if I am wrong on that. But, yes, I fully recommend doing compound training, because there is no better way to bring about faster positive changes in your body than that. I am only taking into consideration that it appears you are somewhat limited by what you can and cannot do due to external factors.
Do not let your genetics be the be all, end all here of what you can and can't do. Yes, mesomorphs have a higher ceiling when it comes to muscle building potential than ectomorphs, but training intensity, frequency, rest and most important of all, your nutrition all also play a massive role in what you end up as. For instance, a mesomorph, with the correct training can become slim, and an ecto can put on some good muscle. Djokovic has the body he has not only because of his genetic make up, but because it is the ideal body for him to play elite level tennis at. If Djokovic wanted to get bigger, and focused solely on building muscle, he can put on some serious muscle. So try not to let that limit your thought process on what you can and cannot do.
The question really here is, how often are you stretching? Is it just before your tennis matches, or do you take time to stretch every day? Ideally you should strength on days you are not playing tennis, and follow it up immediately with explosive body movements that involve transfer of massive amounts of kinetic energy. For instance, deep squat into a high star jump, or box jumps. If you are not having periods like this, it is difficult to have a good mind and muscle connection when you start to feel in a physical state that you are not normally use to. I would suggest to start such a routine, to help better build that connection between mind and muscle.
PNF for splits? The best ones are doing the side splits and also the lunges. You will want to stand up straight and try touching your toes also, since that opens up the hamstrings and glutes for more flexibility.
Thanks a lot for such a tailored response and to such a long question! Appreciate it.
Will try to refrain from asking further questions until I make progress in regards to this topic as it appears to be quite time consuming to answer questions from everyone including myself, especially when they all seem so specific to the questions being asked.
: D
Do you have the "sports hernia" or the one with piece popping through, visible?Also...I have been diagnosed with a hernia. Should I be worried about muscle loss post-surgery since I wouldn't be able to strain my muscles for a month minimum? Surgery may happen within the next 6 months depending on the waiting period. Do you think I should avoid working out or straining the affected part?
My doctor said my hernia is a result of weak abdomen. I'm guessing working out and strengthening my abs is one way to lower than chance of it happening again?
The one that bulges through, visible.Do you have the "sports hernia" or the one with piece popping through, visible?
I had the sports one for several months, felt like the bottom of my abs were detachedThe one that bulges through, visible.
The 4 hours in gym sounds terrible enough itself. Either you don't train intensively enough or you are massively overtrained.Well.
4 hours in gym every morning, 3 hours of sport every evening, 6 hours of sleep, 8 hours of work.....
What's say bro!!
Well, I'd provide the data here...The 4 hours in gym sounds terrible enough itself. Either you don't train intensively enough or you are massively overtrained.
I've had this theory for a while about myself being fit and would love your opinion @Hitman
So I'm 6"1 and I range between 215-225lbs. I feel if I'm able to do the following in a concentrated time-period (30 min) then I'm at a good level:
35-35-30 set of 100 push-ups done with bars.
10 neutral-grip pull-ups in 1 go.
20x3 hammer curls with 25lb dumbbells
Before I blew out my knee I would run a 1km in under 4min daily as well. Now I track a 2km walk in 25 min.
There's obviously a lot of other things to do but sometimes when I felt out of shape I'd track myself with that in like I said under 30 min. If I was way under I'd really focus on getting back to.
@Hitman
Is canned fish that bad for you? I remember my high school teachers telling me I shouldn't be eating it too much because it's processed.
I eat canned fish up to 3-4x a week regularly with rice and soysauce.
The "bad" stuff I've read about canned fish is usually stuff about trans fats, sodium content, and preservatives.
Is canned fish really that bad for you in your expert opinion?
(If this part helps, I purposely pick canned fish with 0grams of trans fat, and a low sodium content to avoid the "bad" stuff as much as possible (the cheapest ones you find in grocery stores, since the branded/well known ones all tend to have a significantly higher sodium content and have 0.1-0.4 grams of trans fat content, but these also do have a higher monosaturated, polyunsaturated content and protein compared to the cheaper ones)
Also...I have been diagnosed with a hernia. Should I be worried about muscle loss post-surgery since I wouldn't be able to strain my muscles for a month minimum? Surgery may happen within the next 6 months depending on the waiting period. Do you think I should avoid working out or straining the affected part?
My doctor said my hernia is a result of weak abdomen. I'm guessing working out and strengthening my abs is one way to lower than chance of it happening again?
Hello again @Hitman
Turns out I have delayed this plan of mine again due to some little annoying health problems I had over the past three months but I will be going to the gym after all, which is a much better option than the previous one I was considering back when asking you the first time. I will start later this week most likely, going with my friend who already has some experience, but I figured I can still ask you before I start...
The plan itself sounds simple. Improving the back, chest, arms, shoulders, stomach... Basically all upper body parts, mostly arms. Keep in mind I am a thin, weaker guy and the closest thing to a beginner you can find, no prior experience. Obviously I would like to know which exercises would be the best for each part. But also apart from that, what's the best order (I heard once that the largest muscles should be worked on first during the workout and then proceeding in the descending order), how long should each workout last, as well as how many should I have during the week. I wouldn't want to overtrain and cause any harm, because I already said, I am a beginner. I am also curious on how long would it usually take to notice results if the proper program is obeyed consistently, though this is also partly my impatience so if you feel like it's right you should just ignore this last part.
If you can, I would like to hear your thoughts.
Edit: nevermind I figured it out
I guess if that is your absolute baseline test, it is fine. However, you should be continually striving to increase your baseline test. So where you are doing those 100 push ups over three sets, do them in one. Or time test it. See how many of those push ups you can do inside of a minute, this will test your ballistic strength, as well as the fast twitch fibres and anaerobic pathways.
The body is very powerful at adapting, there was a time when I was teenager, and I couldn't do more than 10 push ups. Now, if I don't pump out 100 inside of a minute on my knuckles without breaking a sweat, I don't think I am at a good level.
Your body is a constant state of motion, you are either going forward, or you are going backwards, but you never stay the same. If your body has adapted to that baseline level, then it is no longer a challenge to it. Now, of course, I am not saying you need to go do a Rocky IV workout to see if you are a good level, but you need to change it up just enough that your baseline level comes up.
How about adding in squats into vertical leaps? Or burpees? or even chirpees (a burpee combined with a pull up).
Ey yo @Hitman , nice of you to share your experience.
I am in this particular pickle: My back squat is less than impressive and I want to join the ranks of respectable lifting society. Help a brother out.
It's simply not a lift that comes terribly easily to me, and I seem to progress less well in it than a hip-dominant lift such as the deadlift, but also other types of leg exercises such as the leg press or split squats. My self-diagnosis is that my build is less than ideal for squatting – for one, I feel like I'm not able to stay as upright the guys who seem to really master the squat. Might be down to poor ankle mobility or long femurs, not sure. I like what Bret Contreras writes about how anatomy affects squat form here, but I digress...
Anyways, does the Hitman have any tips or hacks on how a non-natural squatter can make the most of his potential? (For context, I currently do squats on day A in an ABA program. Typically 3 working sets of 6 reps (to hit a kind of middle-ground between strength and hypertrophy). Usually complement it with leg presses, leg curls, and calf work. I deadlift on day B.)
iirc @Daniel-San seems to have good physio knowledge, so if you too have any input, it's welcomed.
I assume you have long femurs? Never mind, just re-read the post and saw that you addressed that. Hitman can point you more into a strength training/bodybuilding direction, and @RogueFLIP is the best to about anatomy/physiology. I am but a student at this point
T1000 may also be a good source because iirc he has a similar body type and is a power lifter
What I can suggest is this: there are ways to assess and improve your ankle mobility. What kind of shoes are you wearing? If you elevate your heels slightly, do you feel like you’re staying more upright?
It’s also important to note that there’s no such thing as perfect form, contrary to popular belief. It’s dictated by your anatomy, which you but cannot alter. I think there’s also research out there showing that an emphasis on picture perfect form is not really necessary, and that doing something with ‘sub-optimal’ form is not inherently dangerous.
Bret Contreras is a big advocate of hip thrusts, correct? You could augment your routine with those. I personally would not recommend hamstring curls and would prefer a closed chain alternative like a single leg deadlift or valslide leg curl. You can always add weight to that, too
I have long limbs, and when I used to do barbell squats, I found front squats to feel much better, so that’s also a possibility.
Thanks @Hitman.
I can do 50 pushups in 1 set. I haven't timed myself in a looong time. I do pushups in a slow manner as it causes more strain and I find has helped maintain my triceps.
Squats because of my knee I do without weight. I just do 20 with a stand still at the bend.
What's your advice on abs? I use the ball and just do crunches till I can't and do 5 sets.
Almost every single person that I have met has some excuse (knee, back, not going to parallel on reps done with bodyweight...) to not squat.
But how many hours do you guys that do barbell compound movements/full body exercises sleep everyday? Anything less than 6 and I feel like crap.
@Hitman
When cycling, is it better to build up leg muscles through weight exercises like lunges for example, or to build up leg muscles through cycling at a resistance high enough to work the leg muscles as it's more specific and builds muscular endurance (as you are specifically targetting the muscles you are using when cycling?)
Also, my legs give out before my lungs when I use my stationary bike. Does this mean I should focus on building strength in my legs completely or will simply cycling on my stationary bike at a resistance high enough to have them "burn" be enough? (They probably wouldn't be burning anywhere near as much as proper leg work out, but I'm trying to add in extra information but I don't know how to be articulate enough here.)
When it comes to eating carbs like rice (white or brown) or pasta, is eating cereal as a source of energy to replace rice or pasta good? I'm a really picky eater (shame on me) and have been substituting cereal for my white rice quite often but not sure if this is a good thing. I know most cereals are full of sugar, so I pick out the cereals with minimal amounts of sugar. Is it the milk that I have to watch out for as well if I eat cereal as a major substitute for rice/pasta everyday (as I use full cream milk)?
Cereal 1 nutritional label:
Cereal 2 Nutrional Label:
Thanks as always
Ey yo @Hitman , nice of you to share your experience.
I am in this particular pickle: My back squat is less than impressive and I want to join the ranks of respectable lifting society. Help a brother out.
It's simply not a lift that comes terribly easily to me, and I seem to progress less well in it than a hip-dominant lift such as the deadlift, but also other types of leg exercises such as the leg press or split squats. My self-diagnosis is that my build is less than ideal for squatting – for one, I feel like I'm not able to stay as upright the guys who seem to really master the squat. Might be down to poor ankle mobility or long femurs, not sure. I like what Bret Contreras writes about how anatomy affects squat form here, but I digress...
Anyways, does the Hitman have any tips or hacks on how a non-natural squatter can make the most of his potential? (For context, I currently do squats on day A in an ABA program. Typically 3 working sets of 6 reps (to hit a kind of middle-ground between strength and hypertrophy). Usually complement it with leg presses, leg curls, and calf work. I deadlift on day B.)
iirc @Daniel-San seems to have good physio knowledge, so if you too have any input, it's welcomed.
Thank you again Hitman!OK, so this is a two part question, so lets break this down to answer it.
When cycling, is it better to build up leg muscles through weight exercises like lunges for example, or to build up leg muscles through cycling at a resistance high enough to work the leg muscles as it's more specific and builds muscular endurance (as you are specifically targetting the muscles you are using when cycling?)
Also, my legs give out before my lungs when I use my stationary bike. Does this mean I should focus on building strength in my legs completely or will simply cycling on my stationary bike at a resistance high enough to have them "burn" be enough? (They probably wouldn't be burning anywhere near as much as proper leg work out, but I'm trying to add in extra information but I don't know how to be articulate enough here.)
When looking at muscles fibers, no matter which part of your body they come from, it is important to understand that you have basically two types that respond in two completely different ways. The first is your slow twitch fibres, or your oxidative, red fibers, which are responsible for providing you with endurance. These fibres play an important part in development of new capillaries and enhance better blood flow to all the muscle tissue. These fibres however are not primarily for strength or explosive movement, while they do share some of these traits with their counterparts that I will mention, there main objective is to help increase endurance and stamina through effective blood flow, effective exchange of oxygen and carbon dioxide, and effective removal of lactic acid by the process of aerobic respiration. The other type is your fast twitch, white fibers, these fibers are primarily responsible for increasing your strength, as well as the size of the muscle, so they are the ones that make bigger stronger muscles. This is done through both sacromere expansion, which is the bascially the expansion of your actin and myosin contractile proteins, as well as sarcoplasmic expansion, this is increasing the overall volume within the muscle cell. They work in the absence of oxygen, producing lactic acid, but are they are what are responsible for those explosive movements, including when you really go for it on the bike.
As you can see from what I have described above, it is important that you train both fibers, but keep in mind, your genetics decide what percentage of each you have. If your legs are giving out too quickly, your fast twitch fibres need more work, because your slow twitch shouldn't be the ones responsible for providing the majority of the power, their main job is to effectively increase the blood flow, to increase stamina, and endurance, but they need the fast twitch to off load the work. My suggestion is that you start getting squats and even some vertical box jumps into your training, as well as sprinting up a flight of stairs to activate those fibers more, if genetically you don't have as much fast twitch, then you will need to focus even harder to get the most of what you have. Give it a go.
When it comes to eating carbs like rice (white or brown) or pasta, is eating cereal as a source of energy to replace rice or pasta good? I'm a really picky eater (shame on me) and have been substituting cereal for my white rice quite often but not sure if this is a good thing. I know most cereals are full of sugar, so I pick out the cereals with minimal amounts of sugar. Is it the milk that I have to watch out for as well if I eat cereal as a major substitute for rice/pasta everyday (as I use full cream milk)?
If you are going to consume cereal then make sure they are as close to single ingredient as possible. I know of people who have had cereals as part of their diets, but made sure there was zero sugar and salt in them. With milk, things can get blurry, most of the milk we have is not ideal for us, due to the process of getting that milk onto the supermarket shelves, I personally will keep consuming milk to a minimum, yes I do have it here and there, but this is more of a treat, that something that makes up my staple diet. At the time of writing this, I have not had any milk in two weeks. Now, I am not saying you shouldn't have milk, but there are better alternatives, try almond milk for instance, but avoid soy milk due to the estrogenic properties of soy.