more exercise advice needed please
- Thread starter wijcc
- Start date
i am playing field hockey and doing some cardio at the gym too (treadmill)...
I am trying to bulk a bit as i am pretty skinny.. but the weight is seeming to go around my tummy and hip areas.
My chest, arms and legs are pretty toned and muscular.. its just my said tummy and hip area that is the problem.
I am trying to bulk a bit as i am pretty skinny.. but the weight is seeming to go around my tummy and hip areas.
My chest, arms and legs are pretty toned and muscular.. its just my said tummy and hip area that is the problem.
Last edited:
If you specifically find you store fat there, take a good, hard look at your diet. It suggests a production of too much insulin, ergo, you're eating crap 
Avoid foods with a high sugar content, refined carbohydrates and liquid calories. Examples of this is white breads and pasta, pastries, chocolate, crisps, cereal and cereal bars, sweets, sauces, fruit juice, pops (even diet isn't great in quantity), ALCOHOL, and very large portions.
You can't "specifically target these areas" but addressing your diet will make shifting it a hell of a lot easier.
Avoid foods with a high sugar content, refined carbohydrates and liquid calories. Examples of this is white breads and pasta, pastries, chocolate, crisps, cereal and cereal bars, sweets, sauces, fruit juice, pops (even diet isn't great in quantity), ALCOHOL, and very large portions.
You can't "specifically target these areas" but addressing your diet will make shifting it a hell of a lot easier.
i am going to the gym every week depending on work etc. either 2, 3 or 4 times a week and doing weights inorder to get more muscular bulk. I am also doing either 4 to 5 kms on the treadmill once or twice a week too. I am playing hockey every saturday too.
I have quite a good physique (good definition) everywhere other than my tummy and upper hip area (love handles).
I am about 174cm/5'8" tall and weigh about 60kg
I have quite a good physique (good definition) everywhere other than my tummy and upper hip area (love handles).
I am about 174cm/5'8" tall and weigh about 60kg
Last edited:
What is your diet like, as the hint at nutrition further up is very relevant.
You could be doing all the right exercises, but if your diet is rubbish, then it's not going to get you where you want to be.
Post your diet, and then the forum can help you more effectively.
As already posted, targetting areas for fat loss is a myth purported by exercise video/equipment adverts
You could be doing all the right exercises, but if your diet is rubbish, then it's not going to get you where you want to be.
Post your diet, and then the forum can help you more effectively.
As already posted, targetting areas for fat loss is a myth purported by exercise video/equipment adverts
This, pretty much. It may seem like it disappears from those areas but you'll find it's just more obvious in those areas. A thin layer of fat around the stomach is far more obvious than the arms.
Associate
- Joined
- 1 May 2010
- Posts
- 666
Post up your entire gym routine. Im sure there will be some beneficial critique to be had. Do you squat or deadlift at all ?
Soldato
- Joined
- 18 Oct 2002
- Posts
- 6,672
Protein up.
Calories down.
Weights heavy.
Cardio if you enjoy it, but in my opinion you run the risk of overexercising and/or increasing hunger.
Nutrition is 80% of the work - make sure you're getting plenty of vegetables and lean protein - fish, lean beef etc.
Calories down.
Weights heavy.
Cardio if you enjoy it, but in my opinion you run the risk of overexercising and/or increasing hunger.
Nutrition is 80% of the work - make sure you're getting plenty of vegetables and lean protein - fish, lean beef etc.
I am the same height as you and weight 78kg I woldd be surprised if you have love handles to worry about.(check the pics thread you will see I am not exactly overweight)
If you want to build muscle you need to be training consistently and eating correctly.
Rough figures (based on me but skightly reduced due to your lower weight) if you go to the gym 3 days you will probably require around 2.5k cals a day as a good start point to help you bulk up about 175g protein 200-250g carbs 75-100g of fats, the larger % of that being good fats the better.
You need to make sure you are doing solid work outs with the big compound exercises done over the week, check out this sticky for a solid 3 day split beginners routine this is what I used to start with.
http://forums.overclockers.co.uk/showthread.php?t=17401146
Then stick to it for about 12 weeks and let us know your progress
so which is the better training regime for me given that i want to get bigger (muscle) but lose my tummy & love handles exercise-wise?
Regime 1
---------
Monday – Chest/Shoulders/Triceps
Wednesday – Back/Biceps
Friday – Legs/Abs
or
Regime 2
---------
Mehdi's 5x5 program
Workout A
5 x 5 Squat
5 x 5 Shoulder Press
5 x 1 Deadlift
Workout B
5 x 5 Squat
5 x 5 Benchpress
5 x 5 Bendover row.
With both regimes i would do about 20 to 30 mins cardio (treadmill or cycle) each training day - looking to workout 3 days a week?
Thanks guys for your advice & help
Regime 1
---------
Monday – Chest/Shoulders/Triceps
Wednesday – Back/Biceps
Friday – Legs/Abs
or
Regime 2
---------
Mehdi's 5x5 program
Workout A
5 x 5 Squat
5 x 5 Shoulder Press
5 x 1 Deadlift
Workout B
5 x 5 Squat
5 x 5 Benchpress
5 x 5 Bendover row.
With both regimes i would do about 20 to 30 mins cardio (treadmill or cycle) each training day - looking to workout 3 days a week?
Thanks guys for your advice & help
Last edited:
I think either regime should be fine (aside from the fact that I think Mehdi's 5x5 is 5x5 and not 3x5, but hey) for a general workout, but if you want bigger with flab loss, I'd ditch the cardio and spend the extra time on the weights.
Getting bigger means lifting bigger - the 5x5 routine is acknowledged as being a great basis for this, but you'll have to concentrate on your lifts and the weight you're shifting (needs to be close to your maximum).
Cardio for flab loss is great, but 20-30 minutes each session won't work magic in a hurry, subject to your particular workout when on the treadmill/cycle machine.
All of this is pretty irrelevant, however, if you won't let us look at your diet: you can do all the lifting/cardio in the world, but if you're eating either rubbish or the wrong balance/quantities of food, then you won't cut your bodyfat and you won't make the size gains you're after.
Your actions: take a step back, post your diet, take any advice on board, stick to it, then start your workout routine (once we've fixed that, too).
Getting bigger means lifting bigger - the 5x5 routine is acknowledged as being a great basis for this, but you'll have to concentrate on your lifts and the weight you're shifting (needs to be close to your maximum).
Cardio for flab loss is great, but 20-30 minutes each session won't work magic in a hurry, subject to your particular workout when on the treadmill/cycle machine.
All of this is pretty irrelevant, however, if you won't let us look at your diet: you can do all the lifting/cardio in the world, but if you're eating either rubbish or the wrong balance/quantities of food, then you won't cut your bodyfat and you won't make the size gains you're after.
Your actions: take a step back, post your diet, take any advice on board, stick to it, then start your workout routine (once we've fixed that, too).
If you haven't lifted before its 80% diet 20% training. (rough figures
) Though even if you don't want to change your diet you will still notice a difference, just take longer. I do 20-30 minutes of cardio after most sessions, and do more on my off session. Have a look at doing complexes etc rather than running or cycling and the rowing machine is your friend
I am in the process of changing my diet, trying to eat more lean meats/fish and cutout fried foods. I am also trying to cut down on the amount of coke i am drinking too.
I am doing 5x5 btw the i forgot to edit the doc as I copied and pasted from someone's earlier post about stronglifts 5x5
what i am currently doing is alternating between
Workout A
5 x 5 Squat
5 x 5 Shoulder Press
5 x 3 Deadlift
5 x 5 bicep curls with barbell
5 x 5 overhead tricep or tricep extensions
Workout B
5 x 5 Squat
5 x 5 Benchpress
5 x 5 Bendover row.
5 x 5 bicep curls with barbell
5 x 5 overhead tricep or tricep extensions
I do 20-30 mins on the treadmills.. which usually equates to 2.5 to 4.5 KM depending on the the length of time i am on the treadmill and how long i have been at the gym. I will continue to do the cardio as it is helping me in playing hockey (fitness)
