Advice Needed: Goal is to reduce spare tyre, improve size of arms.

[jcdenton]

First and foremost. I discovered this forum when searching for tips on reducing my flab. I like how the people here are so far.

Going thru the stickys, I do have one question:

A person should consume 1gm of protein for every lb of body weight. The problem is where I am currently living (a forsaken place in the Middle East) I cannot find protein supplements and its far too difficult to import them into the country. The only way to do this is naturally. Is that even possible? As I have no clue on how much protein does, lets say 1lb of chicken breast contains.

Now, I'm about 5'5 and weight 175 pounds. I am getting a nice round gut and a big spare tyre and my arms are real thin. My legs are in decent shape as I cycle often and rollerblade too.

What I want to do is to bulk up those arms, reduce the spare type and the exploding gut.

I have no clue as to what routine should I begin with.

Should I start jogging? Weightlifting? Alternate between the two?
What kind of weightlifting?

I generally have 2 hours free every alternate day.

As you can see im really clueless on fitness since all I've done my life is cycle or rollerblade. Can anyone help me get into a structured routine?

[threenorns]

alternate cardio and weight-lifting, leave one day off for rest and recuperation.

use a site like www.calorieking.com or (my favourite) www.fitday.com to determine your intake.

pick a system, any system. you could try the MaxOT system (www.ast-ss.com), Jaster's routine, or one of cursor's.

point to note: you do NOT want to be doing reps and reps and reps if your goal is bulking. to get big arms, you want to do big back and chest workouts - heavy weight, lots of rest and recovery time between sets and between subsequent workouts. on cardio days, scale back the carbs so your body is forced to burn more fat for fuel, but on workout days, EAT because your muscles will need fuel.

throw the scales out the window and invest in a nice pair of pants that's just a weeeeee bit too tight to do up - like an inch or two at the most to do up the button. stick to your diet and workout plans, then try the pants on in a month. alternatively, take pictures and measurements and redo every six or eight weeks.