Is There A Point In Working Out Today

At what point is working out detrimental?

Coming from the perspective of a former long-distance marathon runner, any cardio that goes over an hour is usually more detrimental to your body than does it good. That’s not to say that if you love it then don’t do it. Because for a period of time in my life I needed running, it was a way I managed my very stressful career.However, speaking in terms of health, a mixture of both cardio and weight lifting is always best. Like others have mentioned, obviously if there is an underlying issue (stress fracture) then putting any more stress on that injury is definitely detrimental. But for the rest of society that isn’t injured or carrying a chronic disease then the best rule of thumb for working out is to keep workouts EFFICIENT. Go for quality workouts instead of quantity. Sure you can go on the elliptical for an hour but you could burn far more calories if you did interval training (going hard for a few minutes with a short rest) for just 30 minutes.

Is there any point to working out if you're fasting that day?

When you work out hungry, you increase the burning of body fat for energy (it has to come from someplace if you do not have enough glucose (fuel) in you). The downside is you risk hypoglycemia so you have to be aware of getting woozy etc. I always work out hungry because I want fat burning to be maximized, as opposed to muscle building. You have to get an OK from your MD and be aware that you do not want to lower your blood sugar (by using it as energy as you exercise) too much. When I feel like I am bordering on woozyish, I stop and let my body release more glucose into my bloodstream (from body fat which is a glucose storage system, not a fat storage system) and then return to my exercise. I also keep a roll of candy on me in case I feel I have overdone it and I let trainers around me know what I am doing so that they can also keep an eye on me. If you have blood sugar stability issues, this obviously is not for you. Again, get an ok from your MD first.

What is the point of working out if a calorie deficit is the only way to lose weight?

Nice question, The calorie deficit that you are talking about can be achieved in multiple ways. Based on your BMR, let's say you burn 1000 calories with out doing any physical activity in 24 hours time frame. And your activities through out your day burn an other 500 calories. And you are eating less than 1500 calories, let's say 1200 calories. the remaining 300 calories is your fat burning.Required calories = 1500Consumed calories = 1200Fat burn = 300 caloriesYou started working out. It increases the calorie burn due to extra physical activity, let's say by an extra 300 calories. when you do the strength training it requires extra calories to repair your muscles.Required calories = 1500 + 300(bcoz of workout) + extra calories for muscle repair.Consumed calories = 1200Fat burn = 600 calories +As you gain more muscles, the 1000 calories that you burn not doing anything will also increase gradually.So coming to your question, can you burn fat with just calorie deficit diet, of course yes. But if you want to have, better results and if you want to be in a good shape for a long time. You have to do calorie deficit diet + strength training. Hope this answers your question.

Is working out pointless if you eat poorly? Can I still enjoy crappy food and get results at the gym?

Let’s say you go to the gym and do an extensive workout focusing on biceps and back muscle groups for the day. Your arms are sore, your back hurts (healthily), and you’re exhausted. You’ve literally just shredded your muscle tissue with hopes that it will regrow bigger and stronger than it was before.When you get home, you sit down on the couch with a bowl of ice cream.Do you think it’s reasonable to expect your body to rebuild itself without giving it the proper tools?Crappy food isn’t really all the great for your health to begin with. You get lots of calories with little nutritional value. You don’t get the vitamins and minerals that your body needs to maintain the ongoing chemical processes in your body.There’s nothing wrong with some crappy food every once in a while, everybody has their cheat days, but it’s not realistic to expect to be able to do it regularly.

Is there a point to having a "leg day" and an "ab day" at the gym?

Absolutely you should have a “leg day”.Ab day is a little more dependent on contextLeg day is important for a number of reasons (none of which involve directly shrinking adipocytes on your legs).Your legs are the largest muscle group on your body, working them takes more energy, energy that needs to be replaced, possibly from your fat stores from somewhere on your bodyYour legs are the the main power generator when you are doing anything in your life. When you lift bags, when you lift boxes, when you carry things, when you walk, most of the power comes from your legs. Your upper body exerts static effort to hold something, but actually moving things comes from your legs.Aesthetics. If your upper body is huge and ripped and your lower body is not developed at all, it looks silly. You can’t control where you lose fat, but you can control what develops.Abs are a little different.You use abs in nearly everything you do, walking, running, swimming, even sitting, nearly any lift uses your abs for stability. Bench press, squats, dead lifts, shoulder raises, even bicep curls use abs.For general appearance purposes most people in the gym work their abs enough without directly working them.However, abs can be a limiting factor in your lifts. If your core isn’t strong, you might not be able to lift as much weight safely. Weightlifting belts can take the pressure off your core, allowing you to lift more.Doing safe ab, oblique, and lower back exercises can strengthen your core, again, enabling them to do heavier lifts and aid you functionally.I find specifying a specific day for abs specifically to be a bit silly, you can usually incorporate ab workouts into any workout.