Being "skinny fat"

mikemac

I know the regulars here get lots of questions but I didn't see any similar threads in a search and any advice even it's harsh is appreciated.:)

Fella, mid-twenties, 11st (70kg), 5ft 9", Body fat 19%:eek:
Weight have yo-yo'ed between 10st-11st and 14%bf to 20% in last 2-3 years.

I'd consider myself fit. I can do 15 mile runs at weekends at a good pace and 10km run 2-3 times a week. I also do 50km cycles.

Despite all this, I still consider myself in poor shape. I carry a lot of bodyfat and I look out of shape in T-shirts or any sort of tight clothing.

I carry very little muscle from a combination of never doing weights and usually never going over 1200-1500 calories per day. So I'd be very weak.
I know myself that my metobalism must be at a crawl as any late meal or booze means guranteed extra weight. Very rarely drink alcohol though.

A mate told me I'm trying get in shape like a typical dieter and most women. Low calories and only cardio, and that I should be eating more meals regularly and hitting the weights hard.

If I was a lazy slob and out of shape I'd blame myself but I feel I'm out of shape from a lack of knowledge (doing the wrong things) more than a lack of effort.(as I exercise regularly)

So I suppose I know what to do but if you have anything extra to add, I'd like to hear it.

Typical Day:
8:00am Porridge and Whey Shake (only new to protein supplements)
12:30am Mixed salad & fish or Carvary meal 2-3 times per week
15:30 2 X Fruit
18:30 Mixed Salad
21:00 Whey shake and 1 natural yoghurt.

g'em

what a wonderfully honest post!!!

micmclo wrote:

A mate told me I'm trying get in shape like a typical dieter and most women

I lol'd but it's actually quite true. Your diet isn't actually that bad, but make sure that your lunch and dinner get a good eharty serving of protein in them, and some good fats too - include avocado or seeds in them. The fruit snack in the afternoon could also do with some protein - a handful of nuts will give you protein and good fats. Try not to get overly dependant on whey shakes, some milk or cottage cheese, or peanut butter or some lean meats right before bed will do the same job.

But really you've answered your own question - if you're skinny-fat and you take away the fat, what's left?? Doing weights will help increase your muscle mass and shed fat, and combined with a solid diet you lean out but get a better shape remarkably fast.

tribulus

Workout how much calories you need for your goals, I'm assuming it's to drop bodyfat, you're eating too little but you know this already.

Read the stickies and actually read them! Most people say they do but one glance at the rubbish they come out with makes you realise they haven't!

Get lots of protein, with every meal, take it easy on the carbs and eat plenty of good fat (read the stickies if you're not following me).

Lift weights, proper exercises, squats, deadlifts, bench, chins, overhead presses etc. Don't come up with excuses just find a way to get the work done.

You're no stranger to putting in the effort so this shouldn't be too hard.
Again, read the stickies and come back with anything you're not sure of.

Gaz

I dont think your BF% deserves a :eek: , at 19% your still in the healthy range.

I would suggest getting stuck into the weights, being weak is not an excuse. If you lift the heavist you can thats the same as someome strong lifting much heavier. Push it to your limit , heavy as you can , 6-8 rep range with lots of compound lifting. You will get stronger , you will get bigger.

Colm_OReilly

micmclo,

To be blunt, you're not fit. You have endurance, but as you've pointed out, you're weak.

Long distance aerobic work diminishes your anaerobic capacity - which put simply is the ability to do intense, short work such as lifting a weight/sprinting a short distance, gymnastics/bodyweight work.

Conversely, increasing your anaerobic capacity increases your aerobic capacity.

Put simply: get stronger and work on all the other aspects of fitness you've been neglecting.

A good Starting Strength routine based around squatting, deadlifting, bench press, standing presses would be ideal if you wanted to see increases in strength/muscle. Supplementing this with pull ups, press ups, dips, and other bodyweight/gymnastic style movements would also help.

Now, if you're primarily concerned with strength (and these aren't clear cut, mutually exclusive concerns) you should concentrate on weights that you can only lift 3-5 times for 5-7 sets. Rest will be about 2 minutes between exercises.

For hypertrophy (growth) they've found a correlation between rest around 45 seconds and growth- this is a correlation mind, not a causation. Reps should be approaching 8 per set.

I'd advice a strength approach, for various reasons. One is you'll have hypertrophy as well. Another is increased strength has knock on benefits to other areas of fitness. I'm not saying you won't have strength benefits doing higher reps - you will. We're just talking in terms of priorities and focus is all.

Hope this helps. If you've any questions on specifics please fire away!

In health,
Colm

Sangre

Darth Homer wrote:

I dont think your BF% deserves a :eek: , at 19% your still in the healthy range.

Thats why its not particularly useful to look at stats in isolation. To have 20% bodyfat at his height and weight would require be very low lean body mass (and probably a slender frame). Its not unhealthy but as the OP has stated he is quite weak.

My own simple advice would be, hit the compound weights hard e.g. squat and deadlift and eat well and often. Worry about any potential extra bodyfat after you've added some muscle mass, it will be easier to lose then.