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Ok.. Stupid NEWB Question. RE: Muscle buildup, but want to lose fat too
Cliff Notes:
- I'm 5'8:, weigh 152 lbs.
- I used to weigh 200 lbs, so I still have a .5" layer of fat around my belly and pecks that I can't get rid of.
- I've been working out for about 8-9 months now, and have definitly noticed more muslce mass.
Questions:
- I realize I need to eat alot more in order to bulk up a bit. But I find if I eat more, then i get fat. Meaning that .5" layer of fat around my belly grows and I look even more flabby.
- So i've been eating less and running more so I get rid of that flab, but then my muscles don't grow, and I look waaaay too skinny.
- So.. wtf? What am I supposed to do? I guess I can't lose flab, and gain muscle at the same time???
I guess my goal isn't to bulk up and look huge. I guess I just want to looked toned, and cut. So I guess I'll continue to eat less, and loose the weight around my stomach so my muscle show through more??
You may be an endomoprh. Eg, it's in you genes to get big and gain fat in the process. You'll gain muscle at the same time, but you will have to burn that fat to see your gains. What you should do while you're doing cardio (or whatever it is you do to lose weight) is hit the weights extremely hard. Build for strength/mass and try to increase your weights in exercises while cutting. This will at least ensure that muscle loss is minimal.
Quote:
The Endomorph Body Type
The Endomorph is physically quite ‘round’, and is typified as the ‘barrel of fun’ person. They tend to have:
* Wide hips and narrow shoulders, which makes them rather pear-shaped.
* Quite a lot of fat spread across the body, including upper arms and thighs.
* They have quite slim ankles and wrists, which only serves to accentuate the fatter other parts.
* Wide bone structure.
* Slower metabolism.
* Weight gain is easy, though fat loss is difficult.
* Tends to store fat, which hides muscle gains.
Training for the Endomorph:
Frequency/Periodisation:
* Needs more frequent workouts, especially aerobic conditioning.
* Develop a pool of 3-5 effective exercises for each bodypart and from those select 2-3 exercises for each bodypart.
* Train abdominals at the beginning of your workout.
* Do whole body workouts for the first months of training; later try a split type of routine.
* Training goal is to speed up the metabolism, minimise bodyfat.
* Change the training program every second or third workout.
* Don’t be afraid to experiment in your training; frequently try something new and different.
Sets and Reps:
* Each workout must be high intensity, sacrifice poundage’s for minimal rest between sets.
* Do no more than eight sets per body part.
* Use moderate poundage’s. Avoid training with heavy weights and low reps.
* Keep your rep range in the 9-12 range for upper body and 12-25 rep range for legs and calves.
Intensity:
* Keep intensity high and rest between sets to a minimum – no more than 60 seconds.
* Use high-intensity training principles such as burns, iso-tension, continuous tension, supersets, tri-sets, and giant sets principles to help bring out maximum muscle shape and definition.
* Descending sets (where you drop the resistance after you’ve reached muscle failure) also add intensity; use this approach on the last set for a bodypart exercise.
Recuperation:
* Train more frequently, but rest at least 48 hours between workouts for same body part.
* With slower metabolism you won’t need as much sleep. Try to get 7.5 hours of sleep per night.
Aerobics:
* Aerobic conditioning is a key component to looking good.
* Use low or non-impact aerobics such as brisk walking, stationary cycle, and treadmill or stair climber to avoid stress to joints.
* Do a cardio workout a minimum of three ties per week, preferably five for 20 minutes in the target heart rate zone, with a five minute warm up and five minute cool down.
Nutrient Considerations:
* Keep fat intake low.
* Eat a variety of lean protein in moderation
* Consume dairy products that are nonfat.
* Avoid late night snacking; if you must, have healthy, low fat foods on hand.
* Eating smaller, frequent meals keeps the blood sugar level and metabolism up, and controls the appetite
* Count your daily calories.
* Skip the second helpings; eat slowly.
* Walk away from each meal feeling slightly hungry.
* Eliminate drinking soft drinks and alcohol.
Lifestyle:
* Participate in a variety of fun aerobic activities to keep the metabolism revved, such as hiking, walking, biking, swimming, racket sports and martial arts.
* Plan on participating in some aerobic activity daily. Make time for rest and relaxation.
* Drink water and lots of it, at least 2.5 liters (80 oz) daily.
Basically, if that is your body type, then you are going to have a rough time gaining muscle while losing fat. Just go steal some of blasian's genes though and you'll be set.
honestly, it might be in your best interest to hire a trainer. Most people who are just starting to lift have absolutely no idea how to properly lift weights. Hire a trainer or research online proper form.
Also, CARDIO CARDIO CARDIO. Get on the stair stepper for 30 minutes a day. Later in the day, get on the elliptical for 30 minutes a day. And i personally guarentee you that you will start losing fat.
one more thing, DIET. your diet is the most imprortant thing in your training. Cut as much fat and sugars as you can. Cut carbs too. Eat protein. Eat lots of veggies.
If you want like actual detailed info about diet, research body building websites. There are lots of pre-planned low carb high protein diets.
good luck.
(you can also add supplements to give you the edge. but that comes after finalizing your work outs.)
Man this thread is basically what i needed to read. I had an issue where I was 190 lbs, but i am a short 5'5" stocky person. I started working out maybe 2 years ago and cut down to 183 , but my mid region is still thick with fat. Everywhere else i am toned if not muscular. I have what looks like skinny wrist/ankles which do make the fat on me more present in sight. However I have incorporated jiu jitsu in training with my weight lifting and cardio and now i am down to 178.
I try to watch what i eat as i gain weight fairly quickly. My workout is consist of:
Mon - Gym 1 hour, full body workout including wind sprints and easy Cardio on the treadmill. HIIT workouts. IN the evening I go on a bike ride.
Tues - 1 1/2 hours of Gi BJJ Training - Will incorporate Swimming in the evenings next week since my son is in Baby Aquatics so I will probably get in a couple of laps while i am the pool.
Wed - Gym 1 hour, full body workout including wind sprints and easy Cardio on the treadmill. HIIT workouts.
Thurs - 1 1/2 hours No Gi Submission BJJ - Swimming in the evening.
Fri - 1 1/2 hours Gi Training BJJ.
Sat/Sun Rest/ or go for a small bike ride.
I am hoping this will help keep my weight down and help me get down to my appropriate weight.
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Yeah Him... That Guy/09 Audi A4 TQ 2.0 IBIS WHITE, 04 GMC Yukon
i've read that it's still possible to put on muscle and lose fat but u're gonna have a tougher time like captain said. really watch what you eat, cutting down on the starchy carbs and increasing protein, and good fat intake. you can pretty much replace all the starchy carbs with veggies. just eat a lot of it because u'll be hungry.
OR
just accept the increase in fat and switch between bulking and cutting phases every 3-4 months. just don't let the fat you gain during bulk get too out of hand.
I've been doing some research lately. I've decided to FOCUS on fat loss, while maintaining my muscle mass by lifting weights. I realize I won't gain anymore muscle at this point. Once I get down to ~10% body fat, I will switch my focus to muscle building, then go back to fat loss, etc, etc.
I've been doing some research lately. I've decided to FOCUS on fat loss, while maintaining my muscle mass by lifting weights. I realize I won't gain anymore muscle at this point. Once I get down to ~10% body fat, I will switch my focus to muscle building, then go back to fat loss, etc, etc.
very good way to look at it. Its very hard to loose fat while running a very hard training schedule. If you focus on losing fat first, you will be a ble to do both a lot easier.
Basically, if that is your body type, then you are going to have a rough time gaining muscle while losing fat. Just go steal some of blasian's genes though and you'll be set.
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gatti-man "I never claimed to have any skill"
I came across this thread and thought I would update my results. So far I am down to 164 lbs from my 183lbs. I still have a bit of fat still around my belly but not as much as before. My goal is to get to 150-155 lbs
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Yeah Him... That Guy/09 Audi A4 TQ 2.0 IBIS WHITE, 04 GMC Yukon
Understand Cardio and fat burn are different. Your heart rate will be higher when doing cardio and lower when doing fat burn. If your trying to build Muscle while burning fat try to keep the heart rate lower...
Sure doing cardio will burn a lot more fat but but will also probably eat more muscle too
Ok.. Stupid NEWB Question. RE: Muscle buildup, but want to lose fat too
