Firming up and not getting fat

mattyj1085

mattyj1085

mattyj1085

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How do i firm up my chest and arms without making them that much bigger?

Over the past couple of weeks i have been eating the same and doing around 200 pressups a day and bicep curls every 2 or 3 days. However my chest seems to be getting bigger along with my waist, sort of like muscle on top of fat.

I do no other exercise as i work all day and just want to relax when i get home. I eat the following -

Breakfast - Alpen with semi skimmed milk and some dried fruit
Lunch - Jacket potato with salad and tuna/cottage cheese
Dinner - varies but usually pasta and mince meat/chicken and some veg

Do i need to get myself doing a run every other day to see any weight loss? Im tempted to just stop the pressups and curls so i dont pile on the weight (even though im eating no more than normal)
 
The flab (for lack of a better word) on your chest and arms is fat. You can't firm it up. What you're trying to do is burn fat and replace it with muscle which is nigh on impossible. You have to lose the overall fat from your body and then if you want to go back to your original shape but firm, you'll have to replace it with muscle.

To reduce fat you have to change your diet and increase your exercise, specifically cardio as that's pretty good at burning fat. You can't get rid of fat on specific parts of your body, it's an all over thing.

I am still a beginner at this though so I am sure someone else will chip in with more useful information.
 
Thanks, good start

I bet lipo could remove a nice portion from my stomach!

Im size 32 waist but just want to firm up my chest and 'harden' my stomach flab and arms

Edit - Would i be ok continuing with the pressups and going for a few runs to burn off the fat. Or should i stop the pressups, burn fat then go back to trying to build muscle?

I really dont want to be left with a layer of muscle on top of fat that i cannot rid!

cheers
 
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It's never bad to build muscle imo, keep at it. As time passes by and the muscle builds up the fat will also reduce so you'd get the impression of the fat turning into muscle. Sorry if I made it seem like it's not best to build muscle and lose fat at the same time. The muscle would grow underneath the fat as the muscle is close to your bone whereas fat is just underneath the skin. What you really want to do is just live a more healthy and active lifestyle whilst at the same time watching what you eat. This will inevitably lead to fat loss and muscle gain.
 
mattyj1085 said:
I really dont want to be left with a layer of muscle on top of fat that i cannot rid!

cheers
Click to expand...

muscle is under fat...

i highly doubt you will build any muscle doing 200 pressups a day and bicep curls every 2 days

i suggest you do some more research, starting with reading the sticky and various other threads on the bodybuilding subject before setting realistic targets
 
Nash said:
What you really want to do is just live a more healthy and active lifestyle whilst at the same time watching what you eat. This will inevitably lead to fat loss and muscle gain.
Click to expand...

This is hard as i sit at a desk for 9 hours a day (as do most people) Suppose i will have to try and run at night


A2Z said:
muscle is under fat...

i highly doubt you will build any muscle doing 200 pressups a day and bicep curls every 2 days
Click to expand...

I will do some more reading into fat loss and muscle gain.

Strange, im eating exactly the same as 2 weeks ago but my arms are tighter in the tshirt I am wearing now and my chest looks bigger
 
i sit behind a desk aswell thats not an excuse to be honest i was 15 unhealthy stone before deciding to join the army, now i'm training to get my fitness up so i can apply i've drop a stone .i'm now 13.12 (1st thing in morning
) and that because i'm focused and work hard every evening in the gym and pool .
 
mattyj1085 said:
This is hard as i sit at a desk for 9 hours a day (as do most people)
Click to expand...

If you want to make a difference to your life then you need to work at it. working a 45 hour week is nothing and should nto stop you reaching your goals.
 
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