...Does anyone know if running gets you a shiny set of abs?
The shiny set of abs come from good muscle tone and low bodyfat. The former is much easier to achieve than the latter. In conjunction with a good diet, running helps with both.
Well, I am (I think) eating better than I was and am much much more active than I ever way before. I'm looking a whole lot better, my neck, legs and arms have thinned out and have built muscle on them. but I still have fat over my stomach area that I can't seem to get rid of.
Yeah thats like the first place it gets put on and the last place it comes off, FILO.
And evidently my carpet is generous towards weight and thus body fat%....used it in the hard flooring of my bathroom and I am 157-158 with 14% body fat....was like wtf...I gained 3 pounds from sleeping? Not exactly how the body fat went up so much though but the %TBM dropped below 60% now after the sleep and peeing. Hm....according to Wiki it should be around 72% for males on good shape.
Well, I'm still stuck at 153-154ish too. But I've started running with my german shepherd around my addition, which is about 3/4 of a mile. So hopefully if I do that at least 3 times a week I will drop some more weight as well as get in better shape. Because right now I can not run for any kind of distance. It kills me. Does anyone know if running gets you a shiny set of abs?
Running makes you 'skinny fat', and is the most counter-productive way to get 'abs.' A six pack comes first and foremost from what you eat, secondly from low body fat (see what you eat) based on your genetical build, and third a more developed chest.
Body fat within the 8% to 10% range is when you should see your abdominal muscles. For other people (Like me) it's lower than that even. A larger chest will help stretch the skin to counter that though.
It's amazing. I can already see a difference. My t-shirt isn't as tight against my stomach. My face seems slimmer too. Seeing progress makes me even more motivated!
:wow: Way to go Kwitco
primesuspect
Having tried this before, I know it's much easier when you have other people to jeer and cheer you on, and other people to share progress and goals with.
Ok guys where's the pics (Kwitko excused ) you've been on this challenge now for at least a month, we want to see the changes. :smiles:
Running makes you 'skinny fat', and is the most counter-productive way to get 'abs.' A six pack comes first and foremost from what you eat, secondly from low body fat (see what you eat) based on your genetical build, and third a more developed chest.
Body fat within the 8% to 10% range is when you should see your abdominal muscles. For other people (Like me) it's lower than that even. A larger chest will help stretch the skin to counter that though.
I will agree with you that eating right is probably the single most important aspect of making your abs show through.
Right now my body fat fluctuates from around ~13.5-14.5%. I use to have it down to about ~11% but I have never been able to get it back down that low.
Everything I read stresses cardio. Cardio seems to be the number one way to take you bf % down (assuming you are eating right too). I have always been told to do your cardio first thing in the morning as it said to be up to 300% more affective. You need to do whatever you are doing (running, jogging, efx machine, etc) for at least 35 mins because your body doesn't start burning away any of the fat until about 20-25 min into the workout.
As Nomad said, lifting weights complements all the other work as well.
AnnesTripped Up by Libidos and HubrisAlexandria, VAIcrontian
edited March 2007
Holy balls!!! How did I miss this post!?!? I'm SO IN. But you guys don't get to know the actual numbers, you'll just hear gains/losses.
I'm down 5.6lb since Feb. 28th but ate like a brontosaurus over the past weekend. I personally blame Keebler for it . Trying to get back on track.
Are you guys actually checking each other's FitDay pages?
I'm also have a bit of trouble eating healthy on a budget, but I'm trying to make it work. On my plate right now it 2oz. spinach whole wheat pasta with red onion, zucchini, ham slice and asparagus, prepared with 1 tsp. olive oil and some herbs. Tasty.
Holy balls!!! How did I miss this post!?!? I'm SO IN. But you guys don't get to know the actual numbers, you'll just hear gains/losses.
I'm down 5.6lb since Feb. 28th but ate like a brontosaurus over the past weekend. I personally blame Keebler for it . Trying to get back on track.
Are you guys actually checking each other's FitDay pages?
I'm also have a bit of trouble eating healthy on a budget, but I'm trying to make it work. On my plate right now it 2oz. spinach whole wheat pasta with red onion, zucchini, ham slice and asparagus, prepared with 1 tsp. olive oil and some herbs. Tasty.
I had my Body Fat measured about a month ago and iirc it was around 14%, or was it 16%? I'm not sure.
You look to be more like 19%>x>25%, a lot of the hand held tests underestimate by six points or more. It wasn't until I did caliper tests that I was able to get an accurate measurement. Last summer all the hand tests I took said I was 3.7%, which wasn't possible It was closer to eight, maybe a bit more.
I will agree with you that eating right is probably the single most important aspect of making your abs show through.
Right now my body fat fluctuates from around ~13.5-14.5%. I use to have it down to about ~11% but I have never been able to get it back down that low.
Everything I read stresses cardio. Cardio seems to be the number one way to take you bf % down (assuming you are eating right too). I have always been told to do your cardio first thing in the morning as it said to be up to 300% more affective. You need to do whatever you are doing (running, jogging, efx machine, etc) for at least 35 mins because your body doesn't start burning away any of the fat until about 20-25 min into the workout.
As Nomad said, lifting weights complements all the other work as well.
Cardio is a key component to getting abs too, but doing it intelligently. If you look at runners, long distance runners are small, doughy, and unmuscular in terms of size, whereas sprinters tend to be much larger relatively. High intensity for short periods of time builds muscle and burns fat better than anything.
The notion that you have to run upwards of 20 minutes is a misnomer. Try looking up something called HIIT (High Intensity Interval Training). It's something that at its maximum takes less than twenty minutes. It consists of 30 seconds of running as fast as possible, 30 seconds of walking quickly. In a three month study, users of HIIT gained more muscle and burned more body fat than those who ran for 60 minutes a day.
You should keep your cardio as far away from your workout as you can, if you can't though it should be done afterwards. Running in the morning will burn more fat because there is no glycogen present, and your body turns directly to fat for energy.
Calipers. Last time I was tested though I did a standing test that utilized electricity, it came in at around 8%, but I think it was closer to 13% or 14%. Right now I'm somewhere around 10%.
Updated pictures go from July (140 lbs), early December (138 lbs), to early March (153 lbs)
Yeah I had the hand held thing done too done in like my sophmore year. I got an error cause it said I was under 4%....dont think so. I wasnt even the most cut either.
Cardio afterwards? Do it FIRST! Go run, doest have to be long, even a 5 min job on a treadmill to get the workout started. Get the blood flowing, get warmed up, then do the lifting and such. Less likely to have an injury that way. Stretch, jog, lift.
I am getting the BF% from the scale I just got.
%TBW = total body water.
Either way you do it to get abs, you have to burn the calories! Something has to get the fat off pretty much everywhere else. For most people it will be the last and hardest thing to get off. Think about it, have you ever seen someone with a 6-8 pack with flab elsewhere? I doubt it. Me its being the first place that is getting the extra inches. Arms/Legs are still good, no extra baggage there even though I havent done anything to work them out yet. First place will be the mid section, then come the flabby arms, big butts and such. I esp see it in men. Men can have this huge gut but still have fairly thin legs for their weight.
If you havent done it already and want to work on the abs quickly and safely, scroll up and find the link to the 8 Minute Abs video.
0
KwitkoSheriff of Banning (Retired)By the thing near the stuffIcrontian
edited March 2007
My new routine:
Stretch, jumping jacks, SWAT workout.
0
AnnesTripped Up by Libidos and HubrisAlexandria, VAIcrontian
I was 12-15% everywhere they measured until they got to my stomach area. Then it got a lot higher.
Maybe they weren't averaging it properly? If it was "a lot higher" on your stomach then the average would be over eighteen or more probably. Accurate body fat measurements are really difficult attain.
Cardio afterwards? Do it FIRST! Go run, doest have to be long, even a 5 min job on a treadmill to get the workout started. Get the blood flowing, get warmed up, then do the lifting and such. Less likely to have an injury that way. Stretch, jog, lift.
I'm not talking about a light warm up jog, I'm talking about trying to do intensive cardio before lifting. It hurts your work out (You'll be able to do less) and cardio hinders muscle gain. The hinderance can be minimalized by where you time your cardio.
0
AnnesTripped Up by Libidos and HubrisAlexandria, VAIcrontian
edited March 2007
Like Kwitko, I'm doing the Weight Watchers thing. Had my 3rd meeting yesterday and I'm down 5.8 lbs since Feb.28th. The last two weeks have been terrible for my weight loss but I did lose 4.4lbs the first week. Going to visit college friends Friday-Sun and Thurs-Sun two weeks in a row kills my will power, but this week will be better!
I've been eating tons more fruits, veggies, and fiber and trying my best to cook at home and keep pretty good track of my intake. I guess I should utilize my FitDay account, also.
I've been doing cardio 3 or more days a week and spend my "commute" walking the mile to and from work and around town for various other errands. I would really like to do some of the free weight stuff Nomad keeps talking about (although I'm scared of not knowing what I'm doing at the gym...those guys are so serious I bet they would laugh at me) or some exercises using my own body weight as resistance. I think I'll give the SWAT workout a try.
Prime, don't fret so much about no weight loss. I promise you that your body is better for your new diet whether it's showing it's appreciation or not.
And grats, Kwitko!
PS- if I can figure out what to wear in the pics I'll post some if you guys won't dig into me like the bastards I know you all are at heart
...I would really like to do some of the free weight stuff Nomad keeps talking about (although I'm scared of not knowing what I'm doing at the gym...those guys are so serious I bet they would laugh at me)...
Based on personal experience, I can assure you that any female who enters a gym full of guys and wants a little help getting started will have no shortage of friendly advice. (Note to pervs: I'm referring to getting started with weightlifting.) People who are serious about working out almost invariably have a deep respect for someone who is not in top shape but wants to be.
Plus, you will probably find it quite entertaining to watch the muscleheads push and shove to be first in line to mentor you.
Like Kwitko, I'm doing the Weight Watchers thing. Had my 3rd meeting yesterday and I'm down 5.8 lbs since Feb.28th. The last two weeks have been terrible for my weight loss but I did lose 4.4lbs the first week. Going to visit college friends Friday-Sun and Thurs-Sun two weeks in a row kills my will power, but this week will be better!
I've been eating tons more fruits, veggies, and fiber and trying my best to cook at home and keep pretty good track of my intake. I guess I should utilize my FitDay account, also.
I've been doing cardio 3 or more days a week and spend my "commute" walking the mile to and from work and around town for various other errands. I would really like to do some of the free weight stuff Nomad keeps talking about (although I'm scared of not knowing what I'm doing at the gym...those guys are so serious I bet they would laugh at me) or some exercises using my own body weight as resistance. I think I'll give the SWAT workout a try.
Prime, don't fret so much about no weight loss. I promise you that your body is better for your new diet whether it's showing it's appreciation or not.
And grats, Kwitko!
PS- if I can figure out what to wear in the pics I'll post some if you guys won't dig into me like the bastards I know you all are at heart
You'd be surprised. Most guys at the gym care about one thing, themselves. Don't be intimidated by other people because they aren't looking at you or scoffing at how much you do. Numbers are junk, don't be intimidated by that. You're going to see people who look great, but they've also been working on their body for years.
I know I am late but I want to jump onto this thirty pound thing. In high school I played defensive line, so it was cool to weigh 340 pounds. Now that I am 19 and only 6'1 coaches like my speed for my size and strength but not the 340+ pounds. I am not at an NCAA school now so I am not losing eligibility but a coach told me that if by 2008 i am down in the 225-250 range I could have a shot. So I am in this thing. And I am calling 40 pounds for myself.
...Most guys at the gym care about one thing, themselves. Don't be intimidated by other people because they aren't looking at you or scoffing at how much you do...
I'm sure Nomad will correct me if I'm wrong, but the way I take that is that most people are so wrapped up in their own workout that they're not going to be paying much attention to anyone else. That doesn't mean that they won't take a few minutes to show you how to do something, though. It's better to approach them when they are moving from one piece of equipment to another, so you don't interrupt them between sets of the same exercise.
Another idea would be to get a personal trainer for a session or two. It'll probably cost about $40 an hour, but if you're just getting started it can help you avoid mistakes which might lead to a lot of wasted effort or even an injury.
I'm sure Nomad will correct me if I'm wrong, but the way I take that is that most people are so wrapped up in their own workout that they're not going to be paying much attention to anyone else. That doesn't mean that they won't take a few minutes to show you how to do something, though. It's better to approach them when they are moving from one piece of equipment to another, so you don't interrupt them between sets of the same exercise.
Another idea would be to get a personal trainer for a session or two. It'll probably cost about $40 an hour, but if you're just getting started it can help you avoid mistakes which might lead to a lot of wasted effort or even an injury.
Yeah, that's exactly what I meant, just don't interrupt them directly in the middle of their excercise for advice.
Ok so i'm gonna jump on this bandwagon as well. Seems like a good on to be on
I've always been a bit insecure about being underweight, but since moving to singapore, where the food is cheap and tasty, I've put on about a stone and a half! So I've decided to do something with it and turn it into lean muscle - as far as possible. I'm about 6'2" and currently weigh in at ~83 kilos (about 182lb for those of us who haven't quite caught up with the metric system yet . My aim is to reach 90.7Kg (200lb) by september this year, without putting on a pile of fat. I've been making tentative inroads into gym work for about a month and half, but just started on a regimented workout regime this week. The gym in my condo is pretty limited in terms of free weights, so it's a dumbbell only routine -
Monday:
Dumbbell bench press
Warm up 1 x 15 reps
3 sets of 8 reps
Incline dumbbell press
3 sets of 8 reps
Dumbbell squats
4 sets of 10 reps
Alternate dumbbell curls
3 sets of 12 reps
Dumbbell Pullover
3 sets of 12 reps
Ab Crunches
4 sets of 15
Wednesday:
Arnold press
Warm up 1 x 15 reps
3 sets of 10 reps
Alternate front dumbbell raises
3 sets of 12 reps
Dumbbell rows
3 sets of 10 reps
Dumbbell stiff legged deadlifts
3 sets of 12 reps
Ab Crunches
4 sets of 15
Friday:
Dumbbell deadlifts
4 sets of 12 reps
Incline dumbbell press
3 sets of 10 reps
Dumbbell Lunges
3 sets of 12
Alternate dumbbell curls
3 sets of 12 reps
One arm dumbbell extensions
3 sets of 12 reps
Ab Crunches
4 sets of 15
I'm planning to do about 20 minutes of cardio on my rest days, but so far haven't got round to it as I am a lazy bar-steward.
I started one of those FitDay accounts too - today was my first day filling it in. I've been eating like an absolute monster for a while now (at least by my standards) to try and give myself the necessary fuel to build muscle. Here's a link to today's munchies: http://www.fitday.com/WebFit/PublicJournals.html?Owner=lewicron
Looking to our residence bodybuilding guru - Nomad - for his thoughts.....
No barbells at your gym? If there are, I'd suggest BB deadlfits (sumos, stifflegged, etc.,) and BB rows. Right now you're back is only getting one exercise, where your lower back is getting like three and your chest is getting for or five. You need to make sure your composition of exercises is balanced.
Also, 18 pounds of muscle by September will be difficult. You can only add about .25 to .5 pounds of dry muscle a week under the most ideal circumstances--although those muscles can store more water weight too. But also, while you may not hit 200 pounds if you eat cleanly your body fat will drop at the same time, so you'll look better than if you hit 200.
Edit:
After reading your fitday, try dumping the egg salad because it's high in fat content. Also, unroasted nuts are better. Almonds are probably the best in terms of fat-carb-protein ratio.
Some questions for Nomad (or anyone.. he just seems to be very helpful/knowledgable )
#1 and most important.... I am not having a go at you...just curious.
Where did you get most of your information - Personal experience, research on the net/other resources, trusted advice from local gym/trainer?
Is there a specific time of day that is best to work out? or is it more dependent on the individual and their daily routine? (I haven't been able to keep track of this whole thread all the time, sorry if its been answered)
In all honesty, weight does not concern me, I mean weight is relative to gravity. I can go to the moon and weigh 1/6 of what I am here...would that make me content? Hell no. I have always maintained that weight is irrelevant.
In your opinion...what type of excercise/diet is best at burning fat..regardless if I build muscle or not?
Some questions for Nomad (or anyone.. he just seems to be very helpful/knowledgable )
#1 and most important.... I am not having a go at you...just curious.
Where did you get most of your information - Personal experience, research on the net/other resources, trusted advice from local gym/trainer?
Is there a specific time of day that is best to work out? or is it more dependent on the individual and their daily routine? (I haven't been able to keep track of this whole thread all the time, sorry if its been answered)
In all honesty, weight does not concern me, I mean weight is relative to gravity. I can go to the moon and weigh 1/6 of what I am here...would that make me content? Hell no. I have always maintained that weight is irrelevant.
In your opinion...what type of excercise/diet is best at burning fat..regardless if I build muscle or not?
Most of my knowledge comes from losing a lot of weight, and then trying to regain that weight in muscle over the course of about two years now. Other things, particular exercises and workout routines, have come probably from the best source: people who are huge and know what they are doing. Some of the people that frequent your gym with can be far more valuable than any 22 year old pimply personal trainer with his kinesiology degree and Cracker Jack certification.
A lot of nutrition in terms of positive weight gain (e.g., muscle) and fat loss has come from things that worked with me and kinesiology/medical journals (I work in the library so I check them out bi-weekly.)
Everyone's body is different, some people respond to 2000 calories, others to 3000, but general guidelines of what to eat can be really helpful, and it took me a long time to figure that out. Nutrition is probably the most important part of what you do with your body.
You are correct that weight itself is rather irrelevant. Having someone who looks 160 pounds, but doughy and fat, is much different from having someone who is 160 and looks built like a silverback gorilla. The mirror is the best gauge of how you want to look. If you don't like your gut, but weigh 130, then you're going to have to gain or lose weight, even if you're happy with being 130.
To lose fat directly, I'd say the best thing you could do is cardio 3x a week with a rest day in between, and eat about 2200 calories. Kind of generic, but do whatever exercise that is healthy for your heart and makes you happy (Be it rollerblading, biking, running), and pick your foods carefully. Don't eat prepackaged foods (Lots of bad trans-fats, even in things that say low-fat sometimes they actually take out the good fat), keep up your fruits and veggies.
In terms of what time to work out, your muscles use glycogen from a process of glycosis for energy. Lots of people say, the best time for cardio is in the morning before you eat when your glycogen is depleted, because your body will use fat for energy instead. The studies on this are kind of hazy though, when I was losing weight I would always exercise before I ate, and always in the morning. So from personal experience I'd suggest that. I think the most important thing, especially as you get older, is simply finding the time.
Comments
And evidently my carpet is generous towards weight and thus body fat%....used it in the hard flooring of my bathroom and I am 157-158 with 14% body fat....was like wtf...I gained 3 pounds from sleeping? Not exactly how the body fat went up so much though but the %TBM dropped below 60% now after the sleep and peeing. Hm....according to Wiki it should be around 72% for males on good shape.
Running makes you 'skinny fat', and is the most counter-productive way to get 'abs.' A six pack comes first and foremost from what you eat, secondly from low body fat (see what you eat) based on your genetical build, and third a more developed chest.
Body fat within the 8% to 10% range is when you should see your abdominal muscles. For other people (Like me) it's lower than that even. A larger chest will help stretch the skin to counter that though.
Kwitko :wow: Way to go Kwitco
primesuspect
Ok guys
I will agree with you that eating right is probably the single most important aspect of making your abs show through.
Right now my body fat fluctuates from around ~13.5-14.5%. I use to have it down to about ~11% but I have never been able to get it back down that low.
Everything I read stresses cardio. Cardio seems to be the number one way to take you bf % down (assuming you are eating right too). I have always been told to do your cardio first thing in the morning as it said to be up to 300% more affective. You need to do whatever you are doing (running, jogging, efx machine, etc) for at least 35 mins because your body doesn't start burning away any of the fat until about 20-25 min into the workout.
As Nomad said, lifting weights complements all the other work as well.
I'm down 5.6lb since Feb. 28th but ate like a brontosaurus over the past weekend. I personally blame Keebler for it
Are you guys actually checking each other's FitDay pages?
I'm also have a bit of trouble eating healthy on a budget, but I'm trying to make it work. On my plate right now it 2oz. spinach whole wheat pasta with red onion, zucchini, ham slice and asparagus, prepared with 1 tsp. olive oil and some herbs. Tasty.
Where be the pics? Kthx.
You look to be more like 19%>x>25%, a lot of the hand held tests underestimate by six points or more. It wasn't until I did caliper tests that I was able to get an accurate measurement. Last summer all the hand tests I took said I was 3.7%, which wasn't possible It was closer to eight, maybe a bit more.
Cardio is a key component to getting abs too, but doing it intelligently. If you look at runners, long distance runners are small, doughy, and unmuscular in terms of size, whereas sprinters tend to be much larger relatively. High intensity for short periods of time builds muscle and burns fat better than anything.
The notion that you have to run upwards of 20 minutes is a misnomer. Try looking up something called HIIT (High Intensity Interval Training). It's something that at its maximum takes less than twenty minutes. It consists of 30 seconds of running as fast as possible, 30 seconds of walking quickly. In a three month study, users of HIIT gained more muscle and burned more body fat than those who ran for 60 minutes a day.
You should keep your cardio as far away from your workout as you can, if you can't though it should be done afterwards. Running in the morning will burn more fat because there is no glycogen present, and your body turns directly to fat for energy.
Calipers. Last time I was tested though I did a standing test that utilized electricity, it came in at around 8%, but I think it was closer to 13% or 14%. Right now I'm somewhere around 10%.
Updated pictures go from July (140 lbs), early December (138 lbs), to early March (153 lbs)
My goal is somewhere around 160 for this summer.
I was 12-15% everywhere they measured until they got to my stomach area. Then it got a lot higher.
Cardio afterwards? Do it FIRST! Go run, doest have to be long, even a 5 min job on a treadmill to get the workout started. Get the blood flowing, get warmed up, then do the lifting and such. Less likely to have an injury that way. Stretch, jog, lift.
I am getting the BF% from the scale I just got.
%TBW = total body water.
Either way you do it to get abs, you have to burn the calories! Something has to get the fat off pretty much everywhere else. For most people it will be the last and hardest thing to get off. Think about it, have you ever seen someone with a 6-8 pack with flab elsewhere? I doubt it. Me its being the first place that is getting the extra inches. Arms/Legs are still good, no extra baggage there even though I havent done anything to work them out yet. First place will be the mid section, then come the flabby arms, big butts and such. I esp see it in men. Men can have this huge gut but still have fairly thin legs for their weight.
If you havent done it already and want to work on the abs quickly and safely, scroll up and find the link to the 8 Minute Abs video.
Stretch, jumping jacks, SWAT workout.
Boo to you. No one wants to see pics of fat chicks (and no, I don't want your sympathy, I'll kill you).
Maybe they weren't averaging it properly? If it was "a lot higher" on your stomach then the average would be over eighteen or more probably. Accurate body fat measurements are really difficult attain.
I'm not talking about a light warm up jog, I'm talking about trying to do intensive cardio before lifting. It hurts your work out (You'll be able to do less) and cardio hinders muscle gain. The hinderance can be minimalized by where you time your cardio.
I've been eating tons more fruits, veggies, and fiber and trying my best to cook at home and keep pretty good track of my intake. I guess I should utilize my FitDay account, also.
I've been doing cardio 3 or more days a week and spend my "commute" walking the mile to and from work and around town for various other errands. I would really like to do some of the free weight stuff Nomad keeps talking about (although I'm scared of not knowing what I'm doing at the gym...those guys are so serious I bet they would laugh at me) or some exercises using my own body weight as resistance. I think I'll give the SWAT workout a try.
Prime, don't fret so much about no weight loss. I promise you that your body is better for your new diet whether it's showing it's appreciation or not.
And grats, Kwitko!
PS- if I can figure out what to wear in the pics I'll post some if you guys won't dig into me like the bastards I know you all are at heart
Bastards? Maybe, but if we are we're awfully friendly bastards.
Plus, you will probably find it quite entertaining to watch the muscleheads push and shove to be first in line to mentor you.
You'd be surprised. Most guys at the gym care about one thing, themselves. Don't be intimidated by other people because they aren't looking at you or scoffing at how much you do. Numbers are junk, don't be intimidated by that. You're going to see people who look great, but they've also been working on their body for years.
Another idea would be to get a personal trainer for a session or two. It'll probably cost about $40 an hour, but if you're just getting started it can help you avoid mistakes which might lead to a lot of wasted effort or even an injury.
Yeah, that's exactly what I meant, just don't interrupt them directly in the middle of their excercise for advice.
I've always been a bit insecure about being underweight, but since moving to singapore, where the food is cheap and tasty, I've put on about a stone and a half! So I've decided to do something with it and turn it into lean muscle - as far as possible. I'm about 6'2" and currently weigh in at ~83 kilos (about 182lb for those of us who haven't quite caught up with the metric system yet
Monday:
Dumbbell bench press
Warm up 1 x 15 reps
3 sets of 8 reps
Incline dumbbell press
3 sets of 8 reps
Dumbbell squats
4 sets of 10 reps
Alternate dumbbell curls
3 sets of 12 reps
Dumbbell Pullover
3 sets of 12 reps
Ab Crunches
4 sets of 15
Wednesday:
Arnold press
Warm up 1 x 15 reps
3 sets of 10 reps
Alternate front dumbbell raises
3 sets of 12 reps
Dumbbell rows
3 sets of 10 reps
Dumbbell stiff legged deadlifts
3 sets of 12 reps
Ab Crunches
4 sets of 15
Friday:
Dumbbell deadlifts
4 sets of 12 reps
Incline dumbbell press
3 sets of 10 reps
Dumbbell Lunges
3 sets of 12
Alternate dumbbell curls
3 sets of 12 reps
One arm dumbbell extensions
3 sets of 12 reps
Ab Crunches
4 sets of 15
I'm planning to do about 20 minutes of cardio on my rest days, but so far haven't got round to it as I am a lazy bar-steward.
I started one of those FitDay accounts too - today was my first day filling it in. I've been eating like an absolute monster for a while now (at least by my standards) to try and give myself the necessary fuel to build muscle. Here's a link to today's munchies:
http://www.fitday.com/WebFit/PublicJournals.html?Owner=lewicron
Looking to our residence bodybuilding guru - Nomad - for his thoughts.....
Also, 18 pounds of muscle by September will be difficult. You can only add about .25 to .5 pounds of dry muscle a week under the most ideal circumstances--although those muscles can store more water weight too. But also, while you may not hit 200 pounds if you eat cleanly your body fat will drop at the same time, so you'll look better than if you hit 200.
Edit:
After reading your fitday, try dumping the egg salad because it's high in fat content. Also, unroasted nuts are better. Almonds are probably the best in terms of fat-carb-protein ratio.
Cheers for the other advice - I guess my original target is a bit ambitious, so I'll shall revise it to something a bit more attainable.
Oh, and the nuts were actually raw and unsalted, I just couldn't find raw nuts on fitday.
#1 and most important.... I am not having a go at you...just curious.
Where did you get most of your information - Personal experience, research on the net/other resources, trusted advice from local gym/trainer?
Is there a specific time of day that is best to work out? or is it more dependent on the individual and their daily routine? (I haven't been able to keep track of this whole thread all the time, sorry if its been answered)
In all honesty, weight does not concern me, I mean weight is relative to gravity. I can go to the moon and weigh 1/6 of what I am here...would that make me content? Hell no. I have always maintained that weight is irrelevant.
In your opinion...what type of excercise/diet is best at burning fat..regardless if I build muscle or not?
Most of my knowledge comes from losing a lot of weight, and then trying to regain that weight in muscle over the course of about two years now. Other things, particular exercises and workout routines, have come probably from the best source: people who are huge and know what they are doing. Some of the people that frequent your gym with can be far more valuable than any 22 year old pimply personal trainer with his kinesiology degree and Cracker Jack certification.
A lot of nutrition in terms of positive weight gain (e.g., muscle) and fat loss has come from things that worked with me and kinesiology/medical journals (I work in the library so I check them out bi-weekly.)
Everyone's body is different, some people respond to 2000 calories, others to 3000, but general guidelines of what to eat can be really helpful, and it took me a long time to figure that out. Nutrition is probably the most important part of what you do with your body.
You are correct that weight itself is rather irrelevant. Having someone who looks 160 pounds, but doughy and fat, is much different from having someone who is 160 and looks built like a silverback gorilla. The mirror is the best gauge of how you want to look. If you don't like your gut, but weigh 130, then you're going to have to gain or lose weight, even if you're happy with being 130.
To lose fat directly, I'd say the best thing you could do is cardio 3x a week with a rest day in between, and eat about 2200 calories. Kind of generic, but do whatever exercise that is healthy for your heart and makes you happy (Be it rollerblading, biking, running), and pick your foods carefully. Don't eat prepackaged foods (Lots of bad trans-fats, even in things that say low-fat sometimes they actually take out the good fat), keep up your fruits and veggies.
In terms of what time to work out, your muscles use glycogen from a process of glycosis for energy. Lots of people say, the best time for cardio is in the morning before you eat when your glycogen is depleted, because your body will use fat for energy instead. The studies on this are kind of hazy though, when I was losing weight I would always exercise before I ate, and always in the morning. So from personal experience I'd suggest that. I think the most important thing, especially as you get older, is simply finding the time.