4

You love your site and we love your site, but there is a whole world of people out there who might not even know it exists. When they do find it, their first impression will either scare them away or keep them around. Given this, let's take a hard look at the questions and answers here and make sure newcomers see the site at its best!

Below you'll find ten questions randomly selected from this site. What do you think about each of them and their answers? Are they the best they can be or can they be improved? Would they look interesting and inviting to an outsider or are they a little embarrassing?

Upvote the corresponding post here on meta when we're awesome. Downvote when our content just isn't quite up to par.

Oh, and do comment to let everyone know your thoughts and take part in this conversation. :)


Our feedback:

We thought the question and answer quality was by and large pretty good, but we wanted to give you all more time to adjust to the name change and further tighten up your scope. You already made significant progress in that regard, and with the name of the site out of the way, you should be in a good position to take it a step further.

You also seem to be lagging behind a little on the number of avid users for a site your age. While the stat page lists your numbers as "excellent", if we take into account that the site is over a year old, they seem low.

So my advice at this point is to keep doing what you're doing - focus on content and scope, see about attracting more users, and vote appropriately to award reputation where it's due.

Overall, the level of participation in this evaluation was encouraging. Keep that up. Thank you, everyone who contributed. :) Barring anything going wrong on our end, we'll do this again in a few months.

4
  • I know you guys pick questions at random, but I sure hope this sample isn't representative of our average quality
    – Ivo Flipse
    Jun 18, 2012 at 22:03
  • @IvoFlipse I think this was a good batch...much better than the last one. Jun 19, 2012 at 2:53
  • 1
    Interesting, by highlighting questions like this, I saw some great activity on some of them. I wish there was a way to create such a spur more often
    – Ivo Flipse
    Jun 20, 2012 at 12:00
  • 1
    Seems there's a good reason that this is no longer Fitness and Nutrition, based on the questions that got upvotes and downvotes.
    – Robin Ashe
    Jun 25, 2012 at 20:09

10 Answers 10

7

Low weight exercises in between sets

What do you think about this question and its answers? Vote and comment to let everyone know.

1
  • 2
    I don't think we've yet answered the question as stated. Nor is either answer really definitive or "expert". Still, it's...okay? Good Is stretching it but +1 anyway. Jun 19, 2012 at 2:49
6

Good form with little weight or bad form with a lot of weight?

What do you think about this question and its answers? Vote and comment to let everyone know.

1
  • 2
    This is quite important to hammer down, and I think we did a good enough job. +1
    – VPeric
    Jun 19, 2012 at 9:08
5

Should I do my deadlifts on leg day or on back day?

What do you think about this question and its answers? Vote and comment to let everyone know.

2
  • We had a good back-and forth on this one IMO. Jun 19, 2012 at 2:43
  • 1
    Nice answer; would be a little better if it had linked to an expert in agreement.
    – michael
    Jun 19, 2012 at 13:58
5

Right knee hurts on squat

What do you think about this question and its answers? Vote and comment to let everyone know.

2
  • 2
    The answer here covers the most important points so +1 for me
    – Ivo Flipse
    Jun 18, 2012 at 21:46
  • 2
    I think this was a low-effort question saved by a home run from @mike (and an excellent array of good answers from the rest of the field too!). Jun 19, 2012 at 2:47
5

How to gain weight without supplements and non veg

What do you think about this question and its answers? Vote and comment to let everyone know.

3
  • "I want to gain weight but am not working out and refuse to eat anything but what I eat now." I think we answered it as well as possible considering the OP's restrictions. Jun 19, 2012 at 2:41
  • 3
    Great new answer by @Stephanie!
    – Ivo Flipse
    Jun 20, 2012 at 11:55
  • I'm iffy on the question, on the one hand, sometimes the answer isn't something the person wants to hear, on the other hand the restriction means you have to think harder about the issues to find an answer to it.
    – Robin Ashe
    Jun 25, 2012 at 19:45
4

When fat is burnt, where is it taken from?

What do you think about this question and its answers? Vote and comment to let everyone know.

11
  • 1
    Though there aren't that many answers there, I believe this question can be a good source of information if more people answered it.
    – user241
    Jun 18, 2012 at 23:58
  • Good question, needs authoritative answer, but the OP seems very happy with the layman's answer. Jun 19, 2012 at 2:41
  • -1 The accepted answer is suspect, and there are no sources to back up what is written. It's just "I'm a software developer and what I say about fat loss is true because I say so."
    – michael
    Jun 19, 2012 at 13:51
  • Friends, am the one who answered that question. I answered based on what "@Svish" asked, he said: "...but just looking for some general surface lines ..." . And then it got accepted and upvoted so it seemed that it was enough as an answer for what was asked. @michael , i am not a childish cocky person so that i'd approach questions with that attitude. What i wrote in my answer, is not something i invented, and most of all it is something i personally experienced when i had to make myself loose 66 pounds long time ago(which i did). @ daveliepmann offered a bounty, so let's wait and see.
    – ccot
    Jun 20, 2012 at 3:00
  • 2
    @shadesco I was not intending to call you out specifically, it's just that this question got listed. We're almost all developers on this website, and there is rarely anything sourced to support what is written. The "I" in my quote refers to nearly everyone who writes and answer here. When we don't have experts, and testing what is suggested can take months or years, there ought to be more than opinion in the answers. Personal experience is great, but that should be specified. Research has shown that personal success can rarely be generalized to the public.
    – michael
    Jun 20, 2012 at 3:28
  • This forum is different than overflow, in that there are no experts, and it is different than the cooking site, for example, because you won't have multiple people going home and testing the suggestion for dinner. Implementing a bad suggestion regarding weight gain on this site can waste months of someone's time and make them sick. But, we treat it as if there are experts and suggestions can be realistically evaluated by the reader. Both the answers and the voting on the answers, are pretty much based on speculation, with a little bit of non-duplicatable personal experience thrown in.
    – michael
    Jun 20, 2012 at 3:32
  • @michael no worries buddy. Yeah i know this site is not like stack overflow; in software you have rules and guidelines that are accurate and global. However in the fitness and nutrition fields, everyday a new research is published that contradicts the ones before. This is why , even if you would hire experts to answer on this site, they might not share the same ideas. I'd never give a bad suggestion to others, since i know how much time it requires to reach their goals.
    – ccot
    Jun 20, 2012 at 3:59
  • 1
    @michael Serious question--where's the research that shows that personal success can rarely be generalized? Jun 20, 2012 at 13:27
  • 1
    @DaveLiepmann I see that I did not specify, but I was referring to weight/fat loss, which is what this question in particular was about. We all know people who have lost weight and kept it off. However, there is no long term clinical trial which shows statistically significant weight loss can be maintained. In fact, they mostly show just the opposite (see the ATOZ study). If we are talking about some of the other questions on this site, like how to gain strength, my overly broad statement does not apply.
    – michael
    Jun 20, 2012 at 15:00
  • @michael Thanks. I always thought that those studies failed to control for adherence. The point is still valid, though. Jun 20, 2012 at 15:10
  • 1
    And again, perhaps thanks to @DaveLiepmann's bounty, the answers have been dramatically improved. Good job!
    – Ivo Flipse
    Jun 21, 2012 at 7:15
3

What rotational-strength exercise should I incorporate into my training?

What do you think about this question and its answers? Vote and comment to let everyone know.

8
  • 1
    Good question, but the answer doesn't really justify why these exercises are good choices
    – Ivo Flipse
    Jun 18, 2012 at 21:58
  • It's not bad and has a lot of potential, but the question is a little too general in my opinion.
    – user241
    Jun 18, 2012 at 23:55
  • @MattChan Obviously I'm interested :) How so? I'm shooting for "Assume I have all other S&C bases covered; what's the most efficient way to cover rotational strength for general purposes?" Jun 19, 2012 at 2:31
  • @IvoFlipse You're right, I'll try to add some detail. Jun 19, 2012 at 2:31
  • 4
    It just needs more answers (like a lot of things on this site). Unless people suggest different exercises and other people vote on them as they fit, so that the "best" answers gets to the top, that question is not StackExchange - it's just a blog. Still, +1 - it's a good question and the answers gives more information than a random web search.
    – VPeric
    Jun 19, 2012 at 9:13
  • 1
    I did not vote + or - for this one. I like the question, but the answer, while well written and interesting, addresses core strength more than rotational strength. They probably won't add power to you tennis swing for example. My guess is that is why there were no up votes.
    – michael
    Jun 19, 2012 at 13:56
  • @michael I only answered myself because I was getting zero activity--I'm still searching for an answer to this one. Jun 19, 2012 at 16:46
  • After Dave's edit this question definitely warrants a +1
    – Ivo Flipse
    Jun 20, 2012 at 11:51
-2

Caffeine, weight loss, muscle gain & stretch marks

What do you think about this question and its answers? Vote and comment to let everyone know.

5
  • 1
    This question is just plain awkward
    – Ivo Flipse
    Jun 18, 2012 at 22:01
  • I think the multiple, related questions in that one hurt it more than help it.
    – user241
    Jun 19, 2012 at 0:06
  • I think it's a fine question and we just don't currently have someone with the expertise to answer it sufficiently. Jun 19, 2012 at 2:28
  • 1
    -1 For the lack of answers, except one bad response. Though this is an interesting question I don't think anyone can answer this question. Maybe someone in the world could interpret some blood tests and give reasonable advice, but I doubt it would be valid.
    – michael
    Jun 19, 2012 at 14:05
  • @michael if there's no way to answer this question, I think that would warrant closing it. Besides it was just a drive-by question from the OP
    – Ivo Flipse
    Jun 20, 2012 at 11:58
-3

Is supplementation counter productive when your goal is getting a six pack/lean mass?

What do you think about this question and its answers? Vote and comment to let everyone know.

2
  • I don't think we've yet answered this question well. I think that's because it doesn't interest the current flock of users. What happened to all the bodybuilders? Jun 19, 2012 at 2:39
  • 1
    Decent question, lousy answers; downvoted.
    – VPeric
    Jun 19, 2012 at 9:20
-5

Putting raw rolled oats in a protein shake?

What do you think about this question and its answers? Vote and comment to let everyone know.

5
  • I'm okay with the question, but not really a fan of the current answers.
    – user241
    Jun 19, 2012 at 0:04
  • It's off-topic, for one. That said, if it were on-topic it would be pretty good. Jun 19, 2012 at 2:29
  • I agree with @Dave, even voted to close; especially as the other breakfast question is closed as off-topic and I personally think it's within the scope (it's about how to get enough protein -> need protein for exercise -> nutrition as related to exercise).
    – VPeric
    Jun 19, 2012 at 9:19
  • Boom headshot! [closed as off-topic]
    – Ivo Flipse
    Jun 19, 2012 at 9:33
  • Now that we closed it, shouldn't we convert the downvotes to upvotes? :) Jun 19, 2012 at 17:36

Not the answer you're looking for? Browse other questions tagged .