few gym questions

irishrob49

hows things,
Im new to the forum and also new to the body building scene.
I just have a few questions any help at all would be great.

Joined a gym in jan and ive lost near 2 stone , done allot of cardio work HIIT mostly started this around june. found this training the best way to lose weight.

I am 6 foot tall and weigh 13stone 2lb.
I am looking to get my body fat % down to around 8% so i think i will need to lose at least another 6lb.

i am looking to get more lean while losing the pounds , am i going the right way about this . see my routine below

I go the gym 4 times a week

i do HIIT on the treadmill for around 10 - 15 mins (this is the fat burner)

Then i do around 30 mins of weights ( only starting out)
30kg bench press 3 x 10
Bumbell work 17.5kg each, around 3 diff routines 3 x 10
shoulder lift 20.kg each dumb bell
I do ab crunches pull down weights 140kg 20 of these x3
also roman chair knees up to chest 20 times x 3


I take mulitivitamins with cod liver ol
USN 40g protein shake
And i just bought Optimum Nutrition Micronized Creatine Powder

another question

What's your question?

thegreatiam

irishrob49 wrote: »

hows things,

i am looking to get more lean while losing the pounds , am i going the right way about this . see my routine below

this is the question.

the answer is eat less calories than you use.


the routine looks ok to me, but without proper diet it means nothing in terms of weight loss

irishrob49

cheers ,

My diet is pretty good, the GF is in slimming world so my breakfast,lunch and dinner is all slimming world friendly and i try eat as much protein rich food as i can like egg whites, tuna , chicken and fish.

thegreatiam

check the stickies for some information on your diet, what you need to be eating.

then download the app myfitnesspal, or go the the website myfitnesspal.com and keep track of everything you ingest. this will help you determine if you are at a calorie defecit. If youre not then you wont lose weight.

irishrob49

cheers pal

another question

if your looking to get 'more lean' as opposed to bulking up I would definitely use lighter weights....your weightlifting seems to be very quick and heavy....this is perfect for bodybuilders who want to tear down muscle quickly and then rebuild it with lots of good protein...to get lean you would want to do many more sets than your doing with higher reps and with lighter weights...not light that you won't feel it...but maybe just loose a few kilos on bicep curls and shoulders...these exercises have alot to do with core stability...so if your looking for a 6 pack...good waist definition etc...you need a good core...and if the weight is too heavy for multiple reps and sets your going to start pushing out...and thats very hard to undo...

On the food front...your always going to plateau on a high protein diet which that looks like..to get lean you need to burn lots of fat this is very hard to do if your body does utilise the correct nutrients and have the required energy...make sure before you work out that you eat some good quality carbs like wholegrains, oats, brown rice etc...nothing bloaty like bread or potatoes...and yes protein with every meal but focus on having the largest amount of protein after your training...

Also make sure you do the 2 day on 1 day off for the weight training...

Water is another great tip for getting lean...2 cold glasses first thing in the morning is a great metabolism booster...fires it up for the day...and keep drinking throughout the day...google fat burning foods too...eating a good combo of these throughout the day keeps your body burning fat even when your not working out...things like grapefruits and jalapeno peppers...theres endless lists of them out there...

another question

and another thing with regards to the weightlifting would be to focus more on training the BIG muscles instead of the little ones...quads, glutes, delts...these burn fat alot longer than continuous training of biceps, triceps etc...there is quicker lactic acid build up in these muscles because they are shorter and take longer to 'heal'

Chancer3001

i dont like the ideas of "fat burning foods". Just eat less than you need and youll lose weight.

Id also be almost certain you can lift heavier than 30kg on the bench press (inuries aside). heavier is better imo.

another question

@chancer3001 why don't you like the idea of fat burning foods...all of them are natural foods, full of vitamins and minerals and naturally raise the metabolism in the body? And lifting heavy is going to bulk him up, which I don't think is what he wants

MikeC101

another question wrote: »

And lifting heavy is going to bulk him up, which I don't think is what he wants

He's not going to "bulk up" on a calorie deficit - and someone more knowledgeable than me on the subject will be better able to answer this, but my understanding is lower reps with heavier weights leads more to strength gains than hypertrophy, while higher reps (within reason, after a certain point if you can lift too many reps you're focusing more on endurance) leads to more hypertrophy.

There's obviously crossover between the two, but there's surely a reason why powerlifters tend to go for lower reps and higher weights, while bodybuilders will do higher reps at less weight?

Anyone with the knowledge tell me if I'm in the right ballpark there?

Edit: (Although obviously you have to be eating above maintenance to gain any real muscle regardless of reps and weight)

Chancer3001

AQ, most of those "foods that boost your metabolism" have long been debunked.

Most recent studies show what you eat has little effect on your metabolism.

Fat burning foods would make the tiniest of difference imo.

Ray Mond

Where do u get those bumbells:)

Hanley

Chancer3001 wrote: »

AQ, most of those "foods that boost your metabolism" have long been debunked.

Most recent studies show what you eat has little effect on your metabolism.

Fat burning foods would make the tiniest of difference imo.

You know what the best metabolism "boosting" food is? Protein. And lots of it.

kevpants

another question wrote: »

if your looking to get 'more lean' as opposed to bulking up I would definitely use lighter weights....your weightlifting seems to be very quick and heavy....this is perfect for bodybuilders who want to tear down muscle quickly and then rebuild it with lots of good protein...to get lean you would want to do many more sets than your doing with higher reps and with lighter weights...not light that you won't feel it...but maybe just loose a few kilos on bicep curls and shoulders...these exercises have alot to do with core stability...so if your looking for a 6 pack...good waist definition etc...you need a good core...and if the weight is too heavy for multiple reps and sets your going to start pushing out...and thats very hard to undo...

To balance out smartarsedness, OP your post about getting lean doesn't mention diet. Get lean that way. Weights for muscles, all weights.

irishrob49

cheers for all the advice ,
i will take it all on board.

one more question i have is this.
if i want to get good definition/tone do i need to get below the 10% body fat mark ?

Hanley

irishrob49 wrote: »

if i want to get good definition/tone do i need to get below the 10% body fat mark ?

maybe

depends on your definitions of the above words, how the BF% is measured, the amount of muscle mass you're already carrying and a tone of other stuff.

thegreatiam

Hanley wrote: »

maybe

depends on your definitions of the above words, how the BF% is measured, the amount of muscle mass you're already carrying and a tone of other stuff.

I got that ;-)


op:-
lifting heavy weights wont 'bulk' you up either, unless you are on a calorie surplus. bulking up is increasing the mass of the muscle, that needs fuel to do. a calorie deficit is decreasing the available so it wont increase the muscle size.

If you want to improve the 'look' of your muscle tone then you can always eat a surplus and lift heavy for a few months, build up the muscles and then switch to a calorie deficit and cut the BF% down to give the desired look.