So I'm trying to start getting in better shape, but I really don't know much of anything about fitness and I've heard some things from people that I was a little confused about.

For instance, I have heard many times to build muscle, you must eat a surplus of protein / calories so your body can build muscle - so I am wondering, does that mean that most people gain some fat along with muscle mass? And what would happen with weight training if you do not eat a caloric surplus?

In which case, does that also mean that to reduce body fat most people also lose some muscle mass? And is it impossible to gain muscle and lose fat from the same workout over the same period of time, sort of a general fitness improvement? (I have read that weight training can lead to less fat in the area, something to do with metabolism, but I don't really know)

Oh, and one more question. I've also heard people say getting protein within, say, 30 minutes after a workout helps build muscle. Does this sound accurate, and would the exercise still be effective without this?

I know these questions are very basic and probably should be obvious, but I would appreciate some help. Thanks.

I was looking at pablo's fangraphs page recently and found some of the numbers pretty interesting. I thought I'd try to see how the league has adjusted to him since last year. Of course, the 2008 sample size isn't ideal, but it's not terribly small either. Here are some of the more interesting things I found.

Continue reading this post »