Fitter but not really toning

astonaidan

Ok not sure if this is the right place for this.
So Well my story is Ive had asthma for 17 years and only 6 months ago my doctor realised I was on the wrong inhalers have gone from beclazone 50 to 250.
So I basically struggled for years not being able to run more than 3 mins and now Im doing an hour, the problem Im having is im not toning up at all.
Ive lost some weight maybe 1 stone.
My training is basically
Monday- Run for 30mins at intervals of 4 mins 8km 1 min 10km, then work on gym machinery.
Wendsdays- Five aside soccer for an hour and half
Friday- Five aside again.
I used to play Rugby on sundays but seasons finished.

Thing is I want to get six back and Bigger arms, so not really sure how to do this.
Like I can lift more and run longer but on outside alot doesnt seem to have changed
Im upped the running today to 4min 8km 1min 16km for 30min took alot more out of me, but trying to make progress
Any advice appreciated

GreeBo

astonaidan wrote: »

Ok not sure if this is the right place for this.
So Well my story is Ive had asthma for 17 years and only 6 months ago my doctor realised I was on the wrong inhalers have gone from beclazone 50 to 250.
So I basically struggled for years not being able to run more than 3 mins and now Im doing an hour, the problem Im having is im not toning up at all.
Ive lost some weight maybe 1 stone.
My training is basically
Monday- Run for 30mins at intervals of 4 mins 8km 1 min 10km, then work on gym machinery.
Wendsdays- Five aside soccer for an hour and half
Friday- Five aside again.
I used to play Rugby on sundays but seasons finished.

Thing is I want to get six back and Bigger arms, so not really sure how to do this.
Like I can lift more and run longer but on outside alot doesnt seem to have changed
Im upped the running today to 4min 8km 1min 16km for 30min took alot more out of me, but trying to make progress
Any advice appreciated

what weight, height, bmi are you now?
You wont tone while you are still over weight. (you will get more muscle but no one will see it as it is buried under the fat)

Going from nothing to visible 6 pack is going to take time...a lot of time and a lot of effort, you need to accept that and maybe drop it as a goal, at least as a near term goal.

Big Logger

I agree with poster above, they say that 80% is diet and 20% exercise.
You will only only see the results if you cut down on some of the crap you eat or go see a dietitian if you plan on lifting often to get an idea of the ratio of Protein, carbs etc you should be comsuming in your diet.
The only other way you'll notice results on your current diet would be to increase effort.

astonaidan

Ah yes, I knew I forgot something:o
Im 5.10
11 Stone
My BMI is calculated at 22.1

As for diet, Ive given up sweets, fizzy drinks etc since the start of lent Feb 13th so 14 weeks today

I hadnt really time to do more in the gym due to training and college so will be able to go more often now, all that was confusing me was getting fitter/stronger and it not showing

Big Logger

astonaidan wrote: »

Ah yes, I knew I forgot something:o
Im 5.10
11 Stone
My BMI is calculated at 22.1

As for diet, Ive given up sweets, fizzy drinks etc since the start of lent Feb 13th so 14 weeks today

I hadnt really time to do more in the gym due to training and college so will be able to go more often now, all that was confusing me was getting fitter/stronger and it not showing

Your BMI is normal, 11 stone is not bad at all. Well done with the sweeties. Sounds like all you need to do is increase the training a bit. The weights are the best for toning the body.

macinalli

I suspect that this is in the wrong forum - fitness maybe?

Regardless, one point that stands out is the number & type of training sessions each week: 1 run and 2 games of 5-a-side. If you want to be generally fit, then that may be enough. However if you're training for a specific purpose (improved running times or big arms w/ 6-pack), then you need to do (i) specific training for that and (ii) train more than 3 times per week.

CWF

If you want to gain weight (i.e. get bigger arms) then you will also have to eat more kcals. Consume approx. 400kcals above maintainance and keep up the resistance training. This should consist of Mobility (stretching/warming up), Squat variation, Deadlift variation, Bench variation, Pull Ups, Push Ups, Assistance work and Dynamic and Static core work.

ecoli

Mod: Moved to Health and Fitness

LuckyLloyd

astonaidan wrote: »

Ah yes, I knew I forgot something:o
Im 5.10
11 Stone
My BMI is calculated at 22.1

As for diet, Ive given up sweets, fizzy drinks etc since the start of lent Feb 13th so 14 weeks today

I hadnt really time to do more in the gym due to training and college so will be able to go more often now, all that was confusing me was getting fitter/stronger and it not showing

Could you post up an example of your diet? It sounds like you're in good shape and have a good height to weight range so fair play on what you've achieved thus far. Probably need to adjust the type of training you do; up your protein intake and eat at a small caloric surplus to achieve some of the goals you have. Bigger arms and chest won't happen from lots of cardio plus some weight machines; and a six pack won't be achieved unless your diet is consistently spot on over an extended period.

TheBza

LuckyLloyd wrote: »

Could you post up an example of your diet? It sounds like you're in good shape and have a good height to weight range so fair play on what you've achieved thus far. Probably need to adjust the type of training you do; up your protein intake and eat at a small caloric surplus to achieve some of the goals you have. Bigger arms and chest won't happen from lots of cardio plus some weight machines; and a six pack won't be achieved unless your diet is consistently spot on over an extended period.

Don't suppose you can recommend a diet?

Hanley

TheBza wrote: »

Don't suppose you can recommend a diet?

I heard the real food diet is amazing.

astonaidan

LuckyLloyd wrote: »

Could you post up an example of your diet? It sounds like you're in good shape and have a good height to weight range so fair play on what you've achieved thus far. Probably need to adjust the type of training you do; up your protein intake and eat at a small caloric surplus to achieve some of the goals you have. Bigger arms and chest won't happen from lots of cardio plus some weight machines; and a six pack won't be achieved unless your diet is consistently spot on over an extended period.

Well to be honest I dont really have a training diet, just an average one.
mostly roast chicken, occasional pizza, sausage sandwiches.
Ive actually been told by someone to start taking complan

LuckyLloyd

astonaidan wrote: »

Well to be honest I dont really have a training diet, just an average one.
mostly roast chicken, occasional pizza, sausage sandwiches.
Ive actually been told by someone to start taking complan

Most people have an average diet. And a lot of young men in this country eat kind of poorly (if not to excess) and their training is limited to football a couple of times a week or machines down the gym - i.e. cardio. And as a result they don't have big arms or chests or six packs etc. As I said yesterday, you seem to have a healthy height to weight ratio and are decently active. You have to decide whether you really want to make a bigger physical change or not. Doing what you've been doing will get you the results you've got - i.e. increased cardio fitness and health but not much in the way of a significant body composition change.

I am far and away from a nutrition expert, and there is a wealth of good information in the stickies on this forum and in previous threads on this forum (google can help you out there). What I can guess from what you've said thus far is that - while you've cut down or out on junk food and sugar - you eat poor in a standard way. What I mean by that is ingesting a poor ratio of protein : carbs : fats consistently. Things that many people do foodwise that is bad:

- too much grains and bread
- not taking protein with every meal
- not eating enough vegetables
- eating too much sugar
- eating too little in the way of healthy fats
- drinking too much alcohol
- not drinking anywhere near enough water
- having 'just the two' takeaways a week

And another big thing that some people do that will really hurt attaining physical goals:

- not sleeping anywhere near enough

Maybe some or none of the above apply to you and if so, I apologise. But if you have specific goals then you'll need to have a more tailored and specific training plan and diet to allow you a shot at achieveing them.

So, for training consider weight training:

- barbell / dumbell bench press
- barbell / dumbell rows
- barbell / dumbell overhead press
- Pull Ups / Chin Ups
- Squats
- Deadlifts

And for diet consider the fact that you can afford to GAIN SOME WEIGHT and thus want to eat at a small caloric surplus with a higher ratio of protein and fats in your diet.

Supplementation is nice and things like a good Omega 3 or Vitamin D supplement can be a good thing to take in this country no matter what your diet looks like, but a multivitamin supplement isn't going to change your body I'm afraid.

====================

Now, a lot of this is easier said or done. When you live in a shared environment with a general weekly shop done it is difficult to tailor your diet the whole way. When you are limited to a local leisure center that doesn't have the full range of weight equipment it can be difficult to do all the standard exercises that get recommended.

So, get specific about what you want and your situation and if your goals are important to you then start thinking about actual changes you can make to start properly working towards them.

From my own experience, I only started progressing once I got serious about my diet and training and stopped making excuses.

Best of luck!

astonaidan

LuckyLloyd wrote: »

Most people have an average diet. And a lot of young men in this country eat kind of poorly (if not to excess) and their training is limited to football a couple of times a week or machines down the gym - i.e. cardio. And as a result they don't have big arms or chests or six packs etc. As I said yesterday, you seem to have a healthy height to weight ratio and are decently active. You have to decide whether you really want to make a bigger physical change or not. Doing what you've been doing will get you the results you've got - i.e. increased cardio fitness and health but not much in the way of a significant body composition change. As Ive said before asthma held me back for years, so its only been in well the last 6 months Ive been as active as I am now

I am far and away from a nutrition expert, and there is a wealth of good information in the stickies on this forum and in previous threads on this forum (google can help you out there). What I can guess from what you've said thus far is that - while you've cut down or out on junk food and sugar - you eat poor in a standard way. What I mean by that is ingesting a poor ratio of protein : carbs : fats consistently. Things that many people do foodwise that is bad:

- too much grains and bread I love bread and alot of my meals are sandwiches, Im going to change to brown which I heard is better
- not taking protein with every meal I dont really eat alot of red meat so I think this is a problem for me
- not eating enough vegetables besides Potatoes this aswell a problem
- eating too much sugar This Im not sure of, I only have sugar really in tea, dont think outside of that theres alot of sugar but could be wrong
- eating too little in the way of healthy fats Not 100% sure what healthy fats are
- drinking too much alcohol Not a problemo, once every couple of months, even then not alot couple of vodkas
- not drinking anywhere near enough water Same as above
- having 'just the two' takeaways as Ive said a pizza would be it, dont eat takeaways at all


And another big thing that some people do that will really hurt attaining physical goals:

- not sleeping anywhere near enough this could be a problem, didnt know it would hold me back

Maybe some or none of the above apply to you and if so, I apologise. But if you have specific goals then you'll need to have a more tailored and specific training plan and diet to allow you a shot at achieveing them.

So, for training consider weight training:

- barbell / dumbell bench press
- barbell / dumbell rows
- barbell / dumbell overhead press
- Pull Ups / Chin Ups
- Squats
- Deadlifts

And for diet consider the fact that you can afford to GAIN SOME WEIGHT and thus want to eat at a small caloric surplus with a higher ratio of protein and fats in your diet.

Supplementation is nice and things like a good Omega 3 or Vitamin D supplement can be a good thing to take in this country no matter what your diet looks like, but a multivitamin supplement isn't going to change your body I'm afraid.

====================

Now, a lot of this is easier said or done. When you live in a shared environment with a general weekly shop done it is difficult to tailor your diet the whole way. When you are limited to a local leisure center that doesn't have the full range of weight equipment it can be difficult to do all the standard exercises that get recommended. Cant really use the facilities as an excuse tbh, my brothers in shape and has pretty much the same routine

So, get specific about what you want and your situation and if your goals are important to you then start thinking about actual changes you can make to start properly working towards them.

From my own experience, I only started progressing once I got serious about my diet and training and stopped making excuses.

Best of luck!

Well my goal was to be in shape for bikini season :pac:, guess itll have to be start of next season

LuckyLloyd

So if you don't eat much meat or vegetables what do you eat? :P

Sleep has massive effects on recovery and body composition. If you're not allowing yourself 7 quality hours every night at a minimum it's going to be tough (ideally more).

SunnyDub1

agree with everything LuckyLlyod - great advice.

Just to clear up a few points in quoted last post op.

"I love bread and alot of my meals are sandwiches, I'm going to change to brown which I heard is better"

If you want results I'd cut bread completely. I use to think that brown bread was the "healthier lower fat/calorie" option - in reality most brands are just dyed white bread :rolleyes: Bread is bread with very little nutrition IMO.

I dint really eat alot of red meat so I think this is a problem for me

Protein isn't just found in red meat. You can get a good amount of protein from eggs, fish, chicken, turkey etc.

besides Potatoes this aswell a problem

Potatoes isn't a vegetable. Why don't you eat veg?

sugar This I'm not sure of, I only have sugar really in tea, dont think outside of that theres alot of sugar but could be wrong

I think Luckylloyd was referring to sugar from foods - High % of sugar found in most processed foods.
Sugar is in all most everything. You need to start reading labels of the foods you are buying as I'm sure you would be shocked to discover the actual amount of sugar you are consuming daily.

as Ive said a pizza would be it, don't eat takeaways at all

A pizza is still a pizza whether it's from a takeaway or not it's still crap food.
A treat once a week never harmed anyone but if you are serious about wanting to lose weight and "tone" up, cut the pizza out, espically if you are having twice a week.


I suggest you have a good read at the stickies OP. Best of luck.