Got a couple questions, need help!

[oznathan]

Ive been reading through this board quite a bit and its a well of useful information, but it does get quite confusing.
I did a "Search" on certain questions I wanted answering, and I found some information, but alot of it was hard to understand.
So i'll just ask my questions in here.

First, Im a 21 yr old male, 5'6 and I weighed about 184 pounds,
I have a fair amount of body fat I want to get rid of.
My main focus is cutting my body fat down to at least 9% aswell as toning up my muscles.
Ive been a bit lazy over the past 4 weeks, with the holiday season up and all, so im trying to get back on track.

What would be the FASTEST/BEST possible way to cut down the fat,
I know walking is a great burner, but how often should I walk, and should I jog in between?
Any other exercises that help burn fat quicker?
Ive read when jogging it gets your heart-rate up to a certain point that helps fitness more than soley burning fat?
Do "Sups" help at all? will it aid in cutting fat down?
I do situps/crunches regularly and lightweights 3 times a week, aswell as a long walk once-twice a week.
My new yrs goal is to shed excess fat so I can see muscle growth etc.

Im sure its been asked before, but thing is, I read how a couple of people did that ''protein-sparing modified fast'' to cut fat real fast, and it seemed to work really well for them, is there rebound effects with this type of method?

If theres an eating diet I could do (with no rebound effects), along side a nice workout plan, what would you suggest?
(Im a very healthy eater, I usually try eat 4-5 meals a day, and I dont eat any junk foods)

I appreciate all comments,
I apologise for the length of this post, and @ the monotonous questions, I just need some definitive answers.

-Nathan.

[hou059]

Good Morning Nathan and welcome to discussfitness.com Well I feel your pain bro. I used to be in your shoes and didn't quite know where to begin. First let me tell you that although lifting weight does burn calories and helps with muscle toning that lifting weight well not shed the fat. But you should try to work it into your schedule for now about twice a week but Cardio and Cardio and more Cardio is what you need and I am not referring to the walking you mentioned. High Impact cardio, finding your target hr and staying within your target hr Nathan. Try this. Subtract your age from 220. That will give you your Maximum HR, next subtract your Resting Heart Rate (heart rate at rest), now multiply your Intensity Level (55%-85%) a goodplace to start would be around 60%, now add your resting heart rate back in there. Example: 220-24=196-66=130x.75=97.5+66=163.5 Got it? Find your Target Heart Rate and your off to a good start and well ahead of a lot of people who spend hours and hours on the treadmill.

[Lady C]

Originally Posted by hou059

First let me tell you that although lifting weight does burn calories and helps with muscle toning that lifting weight well not shed the fat. .

I disagree with this. Building muscle helps increase the metabolism which will help shed fat. I would use a routine that contains BOTH weight lifting and cardio.

Go look at the sticky at the top of the nutrition forum by Jakanden. It will answer most of your questions.

[cursor]

What would be the FASTEST/BEST possible way to cut down the fat?

Now THAT's a contradiction!

Sorry, but fat simply doesn't disappear quickly (at least not without simply starving yourself -- in which case you'll lose valuable lean body mass). Just get into a rhythm of a lifting+aerobics program. Start slowly, pick up the pace, then increase focus and intensity as you develop enthusiasm. To achieve the highest level of success, you'll need to make sure that you include these three components in your plan:

• intentional, nutritional control
• resistance training (weightlifting, usually)
• aerobic conditioning.

You may find it worth your while to read through the following:

Creating a plan: workout & nutrition
Slimming Down

[hou059]

Originally Posted by Lady C

I disagree with this. Building muscle helps increase the metabolism which will help shed fat. I would use a routine that contains BOTH weight lifting and cardio.

Go look at the sticky at the top of the nutrition forum by Jakanden. It will answer most of your questions.

Hey Lady C I didn't rule out lifting totally but some begginers are under the impression that lifting weight and doing sit-ups will burn the tummy fat and get them a six-pack or help them lose weight and lifting alone won't do that. I did suggest that Nathan work two days of lifting into his schedule. But cardio is going to be what helps him the most.

[oznathan]

thanks alot hou059, lady C and cursor,
I'll definitely do what you have mentioned,

Curious though, if I did guerrilla cardio in the morning and max-OT weight training at night, would this be a nice combination, with of course a good eating habit?

I was considering it, if guerrilla cardio is really as good as its supposed to be.

[cursor]

Sounds like a reasonable plan. If you're considering adopting the Max-OT method of training, you should be aware that they have their own prescription for both aerobic work and nutrition. It's all intended to work as a sum package.

[oznathan]

ah ok I didnt know about this, thanks cursor!

I downloaded the 161 page guide to Max-OT so I shall give it a read when I get the chance.

I appreciate the help, thanks alot!