Exercise Advice

Baralis1

Hi All. I was just wondering if anyone could give me any advice on toneing up the upper body.
I've been following a weight loss diet for the last 5 months and have managed to lose four and a half stone. I have been going to the gym for the last 6 weeks aswell. I find it very hard to shift the remaining fat on my upper body, especially the belly and chest area.

My gym routine is:
25min on treadmill running and walking.
10min rowing machine
10min cycling machine
Weights:
Chest press
Shoulder press
Leg press
Calf press
Lats
biceps, triceps and side of arms on pulley machine.
I go to the gym 2 or 3 times a week.
I was wondering is there any particular exercise or sport I could do to help?

Thanks

InKonspikuou2

If you have managed to lose 4.5 stone in the past 5 months you are obviously doing something right. Don't be disheartened that you still have some fat left on your belly as that is one of the last areas to lose weight from due to it being largely immoble compared to other body parts. You can't spot reduce fat so you are following the same process as everyone else up till now. Just give it more time.

But if you feel you can step it up just take another look at your diet and see if you can tidy it up a bit more. Totally eliminate anything that is considered junk food, increase veg and fruit, drink lots of water and be tedious about counting your calories.

You posted up your workout but i don't know how you split it throughout the week or whether you include it as a full body workout. And if you do that amount of cardio before weights you should consider switching it around. Do the weights first followed by the cardio. You will use most of your energy on the weights and in turn burn a lot of calories. Then you go into the cardio with the blood flowing. Ideally you should do the cardio on non weights days. Not easy if you don't have the time but if you do it's a good idea.

By chest press and shoulder press i'm guessing you maybe use the machines. If so try switching to dumbells or barbells. Much more beneficial in my opinion. Instead of the leg press and calve press machines try doing squats or barbell/dumbell lunges. No real need to directly work the calves if losing weight is a goal. Squating or lunges should work them enough. I'll also guess by lats you mean the pulldown machine. Instead switch to rows or try pull ups. I don't get the side of arms of pulley exercise. Sounds more like a shoulder movement if what i'm thinking is correct. If so you could cease that since you are working the shoulders with the press already. For triceps try dips. Really good exercise for the tri's. For biceps stick to some sort of curls and don't work them with too many exercises. Biceps get hit a lot on other movements.

In terms of sports anything from soccer to gaelic football and boxing to basketball would be good. I don't play basketball but i once trained with a team just for the fitness and flexibility training. If you don't want to get involved competitively some coaches or teams will allow you to just take part in the training.

BossArky

Baralis1 wrote: »

I find it very hard to shift the remaining fat on my upper body, especially the belly and chest area.

What are you eating and drinking?

e.g.
8am porridge
10am apple
noon ham sandwich on brown bread
etc....

Baralis1

Thanks for you're replys, particulary your detailed and v helpful response InKonspikuou. You're assumptions about my gym routine were spot on. The side of arm exercise as I thought is where you pull a weight using a pulley at chest height towards your chest with both hands. Its quite possible and very likely I'm doing it wrong!! I think I saw it on a diagram on a pulley machine I used one time.
I do both cardio and weights on the same day, 3 days a week every second day.

As for my diet. I'm actually following a weight loss diet prescribed by a certain well known organisation. I won't name them as I'm a new poster and may be accused of advertising them. My typical diet is:

07.30 scrambled egg or light cheese on 2 slices light bread.
small orange
tea with skimmed milk

09.30 protein supplement

12.30 chicken or ham on 2 slices light bread. (no butter)
pear

16.30 protein supplement

20.30 Chicken/red meat/fish
Root veg
Green veg
Desert = 2 kiwis

22.00 Protein supplement
tea with skimed milk.

I also drink over 8 pints of water a day.

When I say typical I mean most of the time. I am tempted the odd time still with fatty foods and usually have a good few pints on the Sat nite.

Transform

you just need a better program - more basic movements like squats,lunges, pulls ups, press ups etc

Your program has run its course - move on