what do i need to do?

jph100

hi

sorry if these questions have been answered a million times before but im new to this forum and i think all cases are different.id really appreciate help.

background:
im almost 20 years old, about 5 and a half feet tall and 11 stone.so ive a fairly small frame.my diet isnt great.i wouldnt be the healthiest eater but i dont eat too much junk food.but i need to get an exercise programme sorted out first and then ill worry about the diet.

aim:
im hoping to build up muscle.i want to focus on my upper body first and then maybe my legs especially the calves.although ive a small frame,i have a fair bit of fat.my cheeks have gotten a bit fatter,and so has my belly and hips.this is due to me in the past of mistaking putting on fat with muscle.i used eat loads trying to bulk up but it turned out eventually to just make my face look fatter and my upper body to be a bit fatty.

i just got a set of dumbells so i can regularly use them at home.i go to the gym twice a week and i only use the bike and cross trainer.i cant use the treadmill cos ive a bad lower back but im fine on the bike and crosstrainer.i can then use the dumbells at home.

so...
anyone got any advice?
wud i be correct in thinking that i need to concentrate on cardio exercise to get rid of the excess fat while keeping a low calorie intake?
and when ive gotten rid of the fat, to increase food intake while doing a weights programme?

i also play golf and swim once a week if that makes any difference

thanks a lot in advance for any help

Colm_OReilly

Hi jph,

As a beginner, hopefully you'll accept that a lot of what you know about "fitness" is based on common knowledge, which unfortunately is horribly misguided.

For any program to work it has to be intense, and compound movements help with this. So you should not concentrate on any one body part, instead work gross movements.

A great beginners routine which uses predominantly body weight as resistance can be found on www.simplefit.org. A beginners weights only routine can be found on www.startingstrength.net/workouts. For an absolute plethora of fitness knowledge, visit www.crossfit.com - all the workouts posted there can be scaled down to manageable levels.

Since you have a bad back I'd highly recommend deadlifting, but please spend a good deal of time practicing this with manageable weights so you can get your form down. Go to http://www.crossfit.com/cf-info/excercise.html#Power for a number of videos on the alignment of a DL.

For your cardio, if you insist on segmenting cardio and weights please keep it short and intense. This will produce far greater results in a shorter time with less negative consequences that drawn out, steady state cardio. Rowing is the machine in the gym I'd recommend.

Now, you mentioned sorting out exercise first then diet. If you're diet is sub optimal (and everybody always says their diet is "okay" when it's far from it) this will affect your performance in the gym big time. So please look to sort both out at the same time.

Look up both the Zone diet and Paleo diet for advice on this.

If you've any specific questions please ask,
Col

jph100

thanks col.i still have just a couple of questions.

is cardio the best way to lose the excess fat? and is it best to try and lose that first and then work on putting on the muscles or is it possible to do both at once?

thanks

Colm_OReilly

"cardio" as it's commonly understood is probably the least efficient way to lose weight. I've posted more in depth about it here.

It is very much possible to lose fat and gain muscle at the same time. In fact, it's quicker, more rewarding, and healthier to build muscle as a means of getting in shape.

jph100

thats interesting.

so to recap,its possible to combine weight loss and gaining muscle by doin common exercises such as the ones u have linked? along with a good diet of course.

also does sweating have anything todo with weight loss?

thanks for all the help so far

Colm_OReilly

Yes, a solid exercise prescription coupled with diet

Sweat is largely water loss. You'll put that weight back on when you take a drink.

Brand X even do the job of scaling the CrossFit workouts for you to suit your level.

jph100

thanks lot.i think i just have 2 final questions!

so is cardio not necessary and if i was to do cardio aswell as weights wud it hinder my progress?

and diet,will a diet suitable for building muscle not be less than ideal for weight loss?

Colm_OReilly

I'm tired now and going to bed but I'll say this.

Perform "Cindy", "Fran", or "Tabata Something Else" and tell me afterwards if you need to do any monostructural training.

As to a diet for weight loss (which, I'll presume you mean fat loss) as opposed to muscle building ideally should be the same. 40/30/30 carbs/protein/fat.

I'll more lucidly explain "cardio" in the morrow.

Colm
-Awaits your next two questions