Looking for some tips.

m5ex9oqjawdg2i

Hi people. I have looked back to the past 7 or 8 threads to get some advice, but I think each person is differant. (Please excuse me as I am not that great with gym termonology, despite going for the past 10 years on and off)

This time last year I weighed a good 96KG, I got no, and I mean absolutely no exercise and my diet, although not being extremely bad, was all over the place. Not eating in the morning, over eating at dinner and having very late night snacks. I also didn't sleep very well at all, it would not be unusual for me to get only 3 nights sleep out of 7.

Today I am a good 10KG lighter, my diet has improved quite a lot and I get a nice amount of physical exercise. I cycle most places I need to go and attend the gym 3 - 4 nights a week, I have also swapped out most drinks for water, I rarely drink alcohol, once a month tops.

While I notice my body changing for the better, very lean forearms and legs, shoulders and neck, I also notice that my stomach hardly changes. I don't want a washboard belly, that is not my aim, although if that is the end result then so be it. I do want a slimmer stomach.

I do some abs exercises but not too many. I mainly do two exercises, as I only started on my abs recently and don't want to over do it too soon.

I would like to know what is the best exercises to get rid of the excess fat around the stomach and chest area.

I normally do a good 20 - 30 minutes on the bike at a steady pace of 90 rpm, peaking at 100 rpm from time to time. I do 10 minutes on the stepper too, not sure of the stats on that one though. I then go to the free weight area and work on my upper body and biceps. I am very happy with my legs so I don't do any weight training on them. I don't use huge weights, 9KG for biceps, and same for chest press (9KG dumbells in each arm, lying on a bench)

I tend the gym for about an hour or 90 minutes each night, depending how I feel. I can stay there longer if needs be, I used to attend the gym for up to 3 hours back in the day

My exercises are dominated on how my stomach is feeling (History of stomach problems), I get a lot of hearburn and discomfort from the likes of jogging or rowing, so I tend to avoid those machines. When I am feeling ok I can go on the treadmill for a mild jog for about 10 minutes or that. The fitter I become the better my stomach is and the longer I can use the treadmill.

What I want to know is how can I effectively lose that extra unwanted weight around my tummy and chest? Should I do more ab and chest exercises? Should I use heavier or lighter weights? Should I do an extra cardio session?

My diet now is normally, eggs and brennans multigrain bread for breakfast, if I have breakfast.

Breakfast
Sometimes I only have a slice of toast and some honey or some porridge and a large spoon of honey.


Dinner
I tend to have chicken or beef or breaded fish (cheaper), Some potatoes or rice or pasta (I try to eat wholegrain rice and pasta). Plenty of vegtables. Lastnight I didn't have any meat, just vegtables. Sweetcorn (tinned), brocali, one small potatoe, small onion, 4 mushrooms, 1 large carrot, one tomatoe and one stick of celery. From time to time I will have pizza or other naughty foods, yea I know this is not a good thing.

I would also get steak mince and eat a dish with sauces, another thing that is not very healthy but I don't think it's that bad.


I eat very little sweets, chocolate and chrisps and have stopped drinking tea (I normaly have milky tea and 2 spoons of sugar).

I have started drinking lots of water and drinking water, eating fruit or a yogurt whenever I feel a bit pekish.

I set a goal for myself for yesterday to be 85KG, I was just over that mark so I am quite happy with that progress, but I would prefer if my appearance changed moreso than the scales

Thanks in advance for any advice you guys have, and thanks for reading. If you have any questions, please ask.


EDIT - One last thing, I meant to ask about shakes, I never took any shakes while at the gym and normally I get to where I want to be without them. Would drinking a protein shake benifit me at all? Would it help in losing weight? Do you drink this instead of a meal? Are there any places I can get these cheap? I have very very little disposable income Thanks again.

InKonspikuou2

Kameron Unkempt Ballot wrote: »

I normally do a good 20 - 30 minutes on the bike at a steady pace of 90 rpm, peaking at 100 rpm from time to time. I do 10 minutes on the stepper too, not sure of the stats on that one though. I then go to the free weight area and work on my upper body and biceps. I am very happy with my legs so I don't do any weight training on them. I don't use huge weights, 9KG for biceps, and same for chest press (9KG dumbells in each arm, lying on a bench)

What I want to know is how can I effectively lose that extra unwanted weight around my tummy and chest? Should I do more ab and chest exercises? Should I use heavier or lighter weights? Should I do an extra cardio session?

EDIT - One last thing, I meant to ask about shakes, I never took any shakes while at the gym and normally I get to where I want to be without them. Would drinking a protein shake benifit me at all? Would it help in losing weight? Do you drink this instead of a meal? Are there any places I can get these cheap? I have very very little disposable income Thanks again.

First off i should highlight one common misconception. You can't spot reduce fat. So there are no magic exercises that will reduce fat from the stomach or chest better or quicker. The stomach is usually one of the last places to lost weight from. So if you are losing fat from elsewhere just give it more time.

Secondly, you would make better use of your free weights if you performed them without all that cardio first. Some stretching or maybe light walking on the threadmill followed by the weights and then the cardio would be better.

Also you should try add structure to your weight sessions instead of performing the same chest and bicep ones each time. Such as splitting it into push & pull exercises or dividing up into muscle groups. Also i know you said you don't want to work your legs but some of the leg movements are great overall exercises. For example the squat looks just like a leg exercise but is much much more. It is something you should learn to do and include in your exercise routine. It is great for your core and shoulders.

Regarding the lighter of heavier weights. It all depends on how you want to train. The idea of aiming for heavier weights is to increase weight over time. Which results in increase strength and mass. Especially when performed at lower reps. Lighter weights for a higher number of reps is more about increasing endurance and is often perceived as a way to tone up. A line often used by personal trainers. I put more faith in lower reps with heavier weight for muscle building. Not saying you should be lifting weight that you are struggling to move. But a weight that is manageable and allows you to perform the exercise with good form. Burning the fat will be done through cardio and your success from that will be decided in the kitchen. I find that a lot of people post up their diet but what they really post up is the diet the want to stick to. They never include the snacks and sweets and junk food. If you want to lose the belly fat you need to be strict and practically flawless in your diet. 5-6 Smaller meals are better than a breakfast, lunch and then a dinner. They keep you full throughout the day, your body has a constant income of nutrients and it cuts down on snacking. Also don't neglect fat. Try to get a daily intake of essential fatty acids.

Protein shakes are very popular with gym goers and for good reason. They are a high source of protein and can be delivered to your body quickly. Such as waking up in the morning when your body is in near a catabolic state. Also after a gym session they can quickly put depleted nutrients back into your body. And before bed when mixed with milk it can provide a slow release source of protein. Protein is needed to maintain and implement muscle growth. They can be used as a replacement for a meal but if you can eat you should choose that over a shake. Most people use them as a meal replacement in environments such as work where it may be difficult to eat when it's not a lunch hour. A cheap place to get whey is from www.myprotein.co.uk. There is also a thread sticky-ed in here that lists other places. From myprotein you would be looking at around 35-40+ Euro for a 5 kilo bag.

Ciaran500

Kameron Unkempt Ballot wrote: »

My exercises are dominated on how my stomach is feeling (History of stomach problems), I get a lot of hearburn and discomfort from the likes of jogging or rowing, so I tend to avoid those machines. When I am feeling ok I can go on the treadmill for a mild jog for about 10 minutes or that. The fitter I become the better my stomach is and the longer I can use the treadmill.

Have you been to a doctor over this? Sounds like a possible hiatus hernia, which is easily treated.

m5ex9oqjawdg2i

Ciaran500 wrote: »

Have you been to a doctor over this? Sounds like a possible hiatus hernia, which is easily treated.

Yea, I have been to the doctor about it, and hospital I had stomach ulcers and I have some other thing I take medication for it. It's controlable but some days it can be bad and I try keep on top of it as best as I can, hence the no jogging.



InKonspikuou2, thanks for the comment.

The diet I posted would definately be a desired diet but one I try to stick to, there are days when that diet is completely differant. Today and yesterday for example.

Does the protein help reduce fat? What protein shake would you recommend?

I will start doing leg exercises, but I think I will be mainly on the machines.

What are the benifits of doing the free weights first and then the cardio? I didn't know there was a difference.

Thanks.

m5ex9oqjawdg2i

Anybody have any answers to these few questions? Thanks.

DL Saint

Kameron Unkempt Ballot wrote: »

Yea, I have been to the doctor about it, and hospital I had stomach ulcers and I have some other thing I take medication for it. It's controlable but some days it can be bad and I try keep on top of it as best as I can, hence the no jogging.



InKonspikuou2, thanks for the comment.

The diet I posted would definately be a desired diet but one I try to stick to, there are days when that diet is completely differant. Today and yesterday for example.

Does the protein help reduce fat? What protein shake would you recommend?

I will start doing leg exercises, but I think I will be mainly on the machines.

What are the benifits of doing the free weights first and then the cardio? I didn't know there was a difference.

Thanks.

It realy depends on your body type,are you ectomorph(naturaly skinny nd lean),mesomorph(naturaly muscular and fairly lean) or endomorph(naturaly big and hold onto fat)???

If you are either of the 1st two or a mix between the 2nd and 3rd then protein can help reduce fat,but should be used in combination with a well structured diet!

make sure you get a protein with lipo-proteins,as these help boost your metabolism and help you stay lean.

some good proteins are myofusion,syntha 6 or ON 100% gold standard!
These proteins also taste unreal with my favourite being the syntha 6:D

cmyk

Kameron Unkempt Ballot wrote: »

Yea, I have been to the doctor about it, and hospital I had stomach ulcers and I have some other thing I take medication for it. It's controlable but some days it can be bad and I try keep on top of it as best as I can, hence the no jogging.



InKonspikuou2, thanks for the comment.

The diet I posted would definately be a desired diet but one I try to stick to, there are days when that diet is completely differant. Today and yesterday for example.

Does the protein help reduce fat? What protein shake would you recommend?

I will start doing leg exercises, but I think I will be mainly on the machines.

What are the benifits of doing the free weights first and then the cardio? I didn't know there was a difference.

Thanks.

InKonspikuou2 has good advice there. I'd add to that regarding diet, try avoiding processed foods, including breaded fish. Cook yourself from scratch as often as possible. Avoid bread and white flour products too, and stick to wholegrain pasta instead. Try to get protein in every meal too.