Cutting advice...

[kielbasa]

serious help wanted here... good advice...

ive been on and off in bodybuilding for 3 years now, i just finished school a month ago and im ready to get into it properly and start taking supps, etc

im 17, currently 80kg (176lbs), i was 85kg (187lbs) a month ago but ive started cutting, doing something like 1kg or 2.2 pounds a week..

at the start of the year i was 72kg (158lbs) but i just put the weight on from sitting on my arse while "studying" in my final year...

any who, i was originally planning to cut until the end of janurary to get down to a nice bf%, but i wana reduce that to maybe end of december, figure il just do 2-3hours of cardio a day, etc etc... and do 4-6pounds a week?

ive done cutting before just on pure exercise so i know the low down on it, but i wana do it properly this time, last time i did it i fell to around 70kg (154lbs) and still had fat on my stomach and chest... like rolls... no abs showing, but my face was serioulsy thin and cheek bones showing; thus making me look annorexic... this problem im not sure how to overcome, so if anyone has advice.. tell me?

i wana do it more "professionally" this time, so if anyone can post me a list.. or provide a URL with the low down on it... such as how much callories i should take in a day, how to count them (i know how to count protein intake etc.. i have tables.. but callories and carbs i dont), also, what heart rate i should be aiming for to get maximum fat burning, and for how long... im thinking of buying a watch which measures my pulse so i can measure that way

also, any (not very hardcore) supps or pills u could recommend me? ive been told of stuff like "hydroxycut", or carb blockers... fat blockers.. etc?

i wana cut down nicely this time in shortest period of time, preferably gain some abs and lose the fat on the torso without looking annorexic on my face...

help will be greatly appreciated

[Lady C]

Originally Posted by kielbasa

figure il just do 2-3hours of cardio a day, etc etc... and do 4-6pounds a week?

By doing tons of cardio you will burn more calories but just make you a smaller version of what you look like today. It is not realistic to lose 4-6 pounds per week and keep it off long term.

Originally Posted by kielbasa

ive done cutting before just on pure exercise so i know the low down on it, but i wana do it properly this time, last time i did it i fell to around 70kg (154lbs) and still had fat on my stomach and chest... like rolls... no abs showing, but my face was serioulsy thin and cheek bones showing; thus making me look annorexic... this problem im not sure how to overcome, so if anyone has advice.. tell me?

You MUST add weight resistance training in order to add more muscle. By just doing aerobics you are losing muscle as well as fat. That is why you were thin and still had fat on your stomach and chest. The more muscle you can carry, the more toned the body will look, if your bodyfat is below 10%.

[kielbasa]

so what ur saying is its impractible to lose the fat and look like ur regular skinny guy with no muscle? im thinking now just to lose 5kg more to where i was half a year ago.. which is 11pounds... over the next 4 weeks or so... then il hit the gym 3-4 times a week and imbetween do cardio?

[Cort]

Your goals should probably be more in sync with your body fat, rather than any set weight. You don't compete in wrestling or the like, do you? If not it just doesn't matter.

Start lifting, and if you have to in order to get a day off once or twice a week, get a few of your cardio sessions in after your lifting. Those can be a little shorter than usual for obvious reasons.

Definitely pay attention to what you're taking in, your diet can have a big impact on whether or not you are successful in burning fat. As far as calories and carbs go, that's the easy part. It is usually listed on nutrition labels, and if it isn't you can always look it up at the various websites that list nutrition facts (you can find links in the diet section here.)

[alucard]

basically dude you gotta just lower ur caloric intake. mostly by carbs and fat.

so you're diet will be lower carbs, high protein and low fat.


you want to weight train to burn calories and retain as much muscle as possible (this is the point of the high protein aspect of ur diet as well)

also - notice i said lower carb and NOT "no carb" . You want some carbs in you're diet. Mostly in the morning and before/after workout as this is when you'll need it the most. try to avoid carbs at night (unless thats when you workout)

sooo.... the carbs you do eat should be : in the morning and before/after you're workout sessions as this is when you'll need them the most.

at night , eat mostly protein and healthy fats(nuts, salmon, nat peanut butter, etc..)

2 lbs a week should be you're ideal losing rate.

1. diet

2. weights

3. cardio

do all of those correctly and you should be lean and fit looking.

[kielbasa]

thanks guys.. il wait another 2-4 weeks maximum before i head into it, il drop another few pounds till im at 75kg / 165lbs then il start weight lifting probably 4x a week and cardio for 40-60mins on the other days inbetween.

weight lifting days il take protein shakes... (duno whether i should take whey proteins at night on those days too?), on the cardio days.. maybe 1-2 protein shakes a day, or just healthy fruits, healthy carbs in morning, dont get bloated up and a satisfactory amount of meat...

il prob be spending intesne sessions while weight lifting trying to kill my muscle groups anyway so thats some callorie burn there, hopefully 4days a week isnt overtraining, il try and spread out my time table evenly so each muscle group has enough time...

so far ive got something along these lines..

Day 1: Chest, Biceps, Thighs, Abs
Day 2: Cardio
Day 3: Triceps, Calves, Forearms
Day 4: Abs and cardio
Day 5: Back, Shoulders, Thighs, Biceps
Day 6: rest or cardio
Day 7: rest or cardio

if u know of better routines tell me... maybe mixing in an extra muscle group each every other day so i get another cardio/rest day or a bigger gap between one of my days? example.. im kinda worried that on day 1 i do chest and biceps... which can secondarily fatigue my triceps.. but they should after 2 days be clear for a pure tricep workout?

[Lady C]

Originally Posted by kielbasa

Day 1: Chest, Biceps, Thighs, Abs
Day 2: Cardio
Day 3: Triceps, Calves, Forearms
Day 4: Abs and cardio
Day 5: Back, Shoulders, Thighs, Biceps
Day 6: rest or cardio
Day 7: rest or cardio

I would move your legs to a day all by themselves like this;
Day 1: Chest, Biceps, Abs
Day 2: Cardio
Day 3: Triceps, Calves, Forearms
Day 4: Abs and cardio
Day 5: Back, Shoulders, Biceps
Day 6: Thighs
Day 7: rest

You missed my point. My point was you will drop fat faster with increaseing your muscle mass. Why wait to add in weight training? Do both now. Losing more muscle and fat with lots of cardio is counterproductive. Why? You just have to add the muscle back on later. Repeat, why wait to add in weight training?

[kielbasa]

ok i understand u

il start next coz im busy this week

why would u prefere moving a leg workout day the way u did?

i rather keep it where it is, that way i only go to the gym 3x a week, not 4, and a leg workout after all that other stuff on that day wont be that hard because everything else is just a arm/back/shoulder workout so they'll be fresh

[Lady C]

Originally Posted by kielbasa

i only go to the gym 3x a week

Then switch to a three day routine like this
Legs are intense and hard to do on separate days. I would split your arms or shoulders before I would split my legs into two days.

[kielbasa]

thanks

that time table there looks more convenient... i just always find it a bitch to write one up because a week is only 7 days and its an odd number, if only it was 8 days... would be easier to write something up

[LiftGirl]

Originally Posted by kielbasa

thanks

that time table there looks more convenient... i just always find it a bitch to write one up because a week is only 7 days and its an odd number, if only it was 8 days... would be easier to write something up

That's very true. That's why my split doesn't have specific days of the week in it. I do a 4-day split and just cycle through the 4 days without regard to what day of the week it is.