advice on toning up in the gym and diet changes

conor052001

apologies first of all for yet another thread on this topic, i have been through many posts but none seemed to include similar diets or objectives.

im basically looking for advice on just basic toning up stomach and arms wise. i would like to lose a bit of weight and work twords toning up my abs. i have recently joined a gym but up until now have just been doing threadmill, cycling and rowing machine to get used to them but with no real knowledge of what it was acomplishing. anyway, im about 14st, 20yr old 6foot tall and my diet would consist of a bagel (usually with salmon and cream cheese or ham and cheese) for breakfast, chicken sandwich/roll for lunch and then whatever we have in the house for dinner (lasagne, pasta, fish....whatever). im also a big milk drinker if that helps!

anyway if anyone could give any advice on what i should be doing in the gym, or what changes i could make to my diet that would be great. thanks in advance.

EileenG

The main thing to do in the gym is to lift weights. Get an instructor to show you the right way to do things like squat, deadlift, bench press, stiffleg deadlift, lunges, pull-ups, dips, barbell row, barbell curl, close grip bench press, military press, crunch etc. Once you are certain you are doing them right, start increasing the weight until you are giving it 100% to finish ten reps. That's the sort of level that will produce visible improvements in your arms, legs, stomach and the rest.

You can't spot reduce, you need to work the whole lot. Don't worry, you'll look great. If you concentrate on the big lifts like squats and deadlifts, it may feel like you are only working legs and back, but almost every muscle in your body will feel it, including your abs.

Cardio is great, but lifting is essential. Either do your cardio after lifting, or on a different day.

Your diet doesn't look bad, but maybe a bit too heavy on wheat (bagal, bread, pasta). Try sometimes replacing the bread or pasta with a big salad or a huge helping of green vegetables. Don't be afraid of fat, as long as it's not transfats (found in processed food and margarines). Red meat is a classic for a reason. Whole eggs are great too.

conor052001

thanks

Transform

Post up your weight program

freddie

Hi EileenG great reply

Just wondering what your reason for suggesting cardio after weights or on a different day? I like to do as much Cardio as possibe as I have a bit of excess to shift. would cardio not be a good way of warming up for weights?

many thanks
Freddie

EileenG

Some cardio before weights is a good warm up, but too much can use up the glycogen and energy you need to lift hard. You'll get the most benefit from lifting hard and heavy so that you are pretty shattered, and then doing cardio afterwards to use up any remaining bits of energy.

Also, if you've used up lots of glycogen (carbs stored in your muscles) lifting, you'll start to burn fat quicker when you go onto cardio. Your body won't burn fat while there is still glycogen available. For that reason, don't take any sugary drinks while doing your cardio, stick to water and then have a whey shake afterwards.

Of course, if you always do that, your cardio will suffer as you'll always be tired when you start, so it's a good idea to have a cardio only day, where you start fresh and push yourself a bit harder than you've done before.

freddie

wow thats the sort of straight forward answer I like! Great info that I was never told. Any other good tips like that are greatly appreciated!

conor052001

ok have been doing the following program for about two months now;

10min treadmill
2x12 wide grip pulldown 42kg
2x12 chest press 40kg
2x12 shoulder press 20kg
2x12 leg press 50kg
15min bike
25min crosstrainer

3/4 times a week, burning 7/750 calories each time
my diet has remained roughly the same, bagel for breakfast, bagette for lunch and a dinner of lasagne/fish/fajitas etc..

any comments/recommendations? have yet to notice any difference weight wise anyway but ill stick at it

EileenG

Lifting weights won't make much of a difference to your scale weight, but it could do a lot of recomposition, so that you lose fat and gain muscle, and drop a couple of sizes in your jeans. That's what counts. No-one buy you sees the number on the scales, everyone sees how your arse looks in jeans.

You've only got 8 sets of weights in there, which is definitely on the low side. I would be inclined to aim for around 20 sets, and throw in more compound lifts. Include a couple of sets of squats, deadlifts, stiffleg deadlifts, bentover rows, dips, crunches and hyper-extensions as well. I'm a little surprized by your leg press. 50kg is a respectable squat weight for someone who benches 40kg, but I'd expect leg press to be higher. Is there a reason for that?

corkcomp

sorry to be blunt, but your diet looks fairly crap. try porridge, veg, fruit, wholegrain bread (in small ammounts), eggs, lean chicken, beef, ham etc, if your having bread switch to wholegrain if you cant reduce ..