Skinny fat

[Van Norden]

Hi there.

 

I know it's a common problem, but yet a bitch to get rid off. My case is that of a skinny body with some belly fat from years of use and abuse of alcohol and unhealthy food. Nothing alarming, though, yet something that hinders my progresses at the gym.

 

I've been discarding cardio, since I guess it may decrease my hard-earned muscles. But without cardio I dunno what can I do in order to reduce that unaesthetic body fat.

 

I've thought of isometric planks, hipopressives (do they really work?), but all in all it just seems to strengthen the area rather than reducing. And knowing that there is no thing like spot reduction, I wonder how should I proceed in order to get my desired flat belly.

 

Shall I walk fast with maximum inclination? Running? Cycling? Less time between reps? Please give me tips.

 

Oh, by the way. My diet is high on protein in order to bulk, high on carbs to fuel, but controlled at the same time and I've almost reduced to zero my alcohol consumption. Will I see progresses gradually or is it something that cannpt be fixed without specific actions?

Edited March 6, 2015 by Van Norden

[badpenny]

Swimming did it for me.

And I don't mean a tentative few widths and a bit of paddling around... I mean lengths.

Start low and work up.

[Van Norden]

Thanks for the advice, I'll go swimming for an hour today after job even though my tecnique sucks big time. By the way, I have access to sauna in my gym, will it do any good or is it more myth than anything in terms of burning fat through sweat?

[endlessabyss]

If you're bulking, doing cardio a couple times of week will not result in a loss of muscle gain.

 

 

Cardio is actually recommended, moderately, during a bulk.

 

 

 

 

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[SycamoreCircle]

I would recommend treadmill or other cardio before every lifting session. Not only will it burn fat, it will raise your heart rate and prep you for the big stuff.

 

I would also recommend cutting back on the carbs. You will see some bulk loss. But I consider that illusory anyway. Real muscle and size takes time and maturity.

[Van Norden]

I used to do about 15 mins of fast walking with maximum elevation after workout, is this moderate cardio or what else would you recommend?

[badpenny]

Thanks for the advice, I'll go swimming for an hour today after job even though my tecnique sucks big time. By the way, I have access to sauna in my gym, will it do any good or is it more myth than anything in terms of burning fat through sweat?

 

Total myth. it just makes you sweat, thereby losing water. And it makes you thristy, so the moment you have a refreshing drink, you just take it all back in again.

 

you know what they say "Can only help with weight loss as part of a calorie-controlled diet"... and even then, other things are better for you than that....

[endlessabyss]

For me, I would run a few miles per week.

 

 

Running doesn't burn that many calories, to be honest. It really comes down to personal preference, and what works best for your body.

 

 

If 15 mins on the treadmill, inclined, feels like it works for you, keep doing it. If you feel like it isn't working, experiment with something else.

[Emilia]

You are right OP, NOT cardio.

 

You need to grow your muscles and reduce bodyfat: heavy weights plus a protein rich diet where your carbs are cycled in a way that you mainly eat them to aid your weight training.

 

Cardio induces calorie deficit which only results in loss of muscle since it's more expensive for the body to run than retaining body fat (hence the skinny fat look so many runners have). Sprinting or any form of HIIT is good for fat loss.

 

However, diet is your main thing for losing fat and I'd imagine you want to build muscle rather than just get smaller.

[Van Norden]

Wow, mixed opinions then. I'll let the experts argue.

 

Today I did like 60-70 lengths swimming. I guess swimming does not affect on muscle loss, since those muscles are being exercised as well, however I don't really have a clue. If I'm right, I wouldn't care swimming 3+ days of the week, even after work out.

 

BTW, I'm already into heavy lifting, low reps (6-8) and minimum recovery time (30-60''). As for my calorie intake for building muscle, I weight about 65 kg and I eat circa 200 gr of protein and 300 gr of carbs (don't know about fats but I just eat "healthy" ones). Am I out of control?

[rocketman122]

Wow, mixed opinions then. I'll let the experts argue.

 

Today I did like 60-70 lengths swimming. I guess swimming does not affect on muscle loss, since those muscles are being exercised as well, however I don't really have a clue. If I'm right, I wouldn't care swimming 3+ days of the week, even after work out.

 

BTW, I'm already into heavy lifting, low reps (6-8) and minimum recovery time (30-60''). As for my calorie intake for building muscle, I weight about 65 kg and I eat circa 200 gr of protein and 300 gr of carbs (don't know about fats but I just eat "healthy" ones). Am I out of control?

 

not going to get into the cardio or training. I dont agree with whats said here. you have to find out what works for you. as a hardcore bodybuilder for 3 years nonstop and weighing every single meal I will say do not do your cardio before your heavy weights. your weight workout is priority, food is whats used to tweak your results. btw, more muscles easier fat burning without even doing anything. work on the weights. dont overtrain. heavy weights impacts the nervous system extremely hard. cardio is not really necessary for now and if you do decide to do a bit because you feel you want to, do walking. screw running. walking is more efficient for fat burning. target your heart rate at 60-70%

 

always go in to the gym after at least 1-2 meals with carbs in your body. you need the glycogen energy for pushing heavy weights. after youve done weights and depleted that reserve, then you get the benefit of doing aerobics and using fat reserves for burning.

 

but from the 65kg and 200grams protein, thats too much. just because you started training doesnt mean your body will accept or use that much protein. skinny fat takes a long time to build a nice body. youre basically starting with a deficit of muscle compared to the average.

 

work on legs just as hard as you work upper body. a nice body is also symmetry. and having nice legs is as important as upper body. youd be surprised how free squats inlcine leg press and deadlifts affects u and will morph your upper body. fek lunges. nothing will morph your body faster than sticking with the basic compound movements and going heavy. its the fastest way to change your body composition. people are lazy aholes and looking to reinventing the wheel. look around and see people who look like shet but can give advice to others. I say practice what you preach. theres nothing new in bodybuilding (dont think of mass monsters, think of morphing your body and getting to your goal as fast as possible) workouts have been proven for years. stick with the basics.

[Van Norden]

Thanks for your advice as well. Thing is that I've been lifting for almost a year and a half (even though I kinda stopped going because of girlfriend, who finally dumped me and made me get again in shape with even more force). So yeah, I've been lifting from February, aprox. Didn't really see any result the year before, but I blame food for this. While I ate dense and didn't miss my 4-5 meals a day with pasta, rice, chicken breast and the sorts, I'd say I didn't get enough protein, hence I'm now focusing on this department. I see 200 may be a lot, but I guess I'll just relax a bit and go around that mark.

 

How much should I go walking uphill with that 60-70% heart rate?

 

By the way, I try to go 5-6 days a week. Chest-biceps, legs, shoulders-traps-calves, triceps-back. I intend a swimming day and once again, with Sunday for rest. Does that routine make sense? As you can see, I also put a lot of effort doing incline presses and squats, since I have some real thin legs which I'd like to see grow bigger too.

 

Oh, and another update on my work out sessions: I keep track of my marks. Didn't notice anyone doing that in my gym, but I guess progressive overload is what I was lacking before and don't want to lose time again.

Edited March 7, 2015 by Van Norden

[SomeDude16]

Thanks for your advice as well. Thing is that I've been lifting for almost a year and a half (even though I kinda stopped going because of girlfriend, who finally dumped me and made me get again in shape with even more force). So yeah, I've been lifting from February, aprox. Didn't really see any result the year before, but I blame food for this. While I ate dense and didn't miss my 4-5 meals a day with pasta, rice, chicken breast and the sorts, I'd say I didn't get enough protein, hence I'm now focusing on this department. I see 200 may be a lot, but I guess I'll just relax a bit and go around that mark.

 

How much should I go walking uphill with that 60-70% heart rate?

 

By the way, I try to go 5-6 days a week. Chest-biceps, legs, shoulders-traps-calves, triceps-back. I intend a swimming day and once again, with Sunday for rest. Does that routine make sense? As you can see, I also put a lot of effort doing incline presses and squats, since I have some real thin legs which I'd like to see grow bigger too.

 

Oh, and another update on my work out sessions: I keep track of my marks. Didn't notice anyone doing that in my gym, but I guess progressive overload is what I was lacking before and don't want to lose time again.

 

Really depends on your end goal and the type of fitness level you're looking for. Personally I prefer functional fitness (strength over size, endurance over explosiveness) thus I hit tri's on chest day and arms on back day. It's more practical and pushes your body more which I love.

 

As for cardio, mix in different types of work. Swimming one day, rowing one day, treadmill one day, elliptical one day. Correlate your cardio choice with the muscle group you're hitting that day for maximum results. FYI, theres nothing wrong with decreasing your rest time between sets, you're going to burn more calories using weights then any direct cardio work.

 

Again, your choice depends on your personal goals (functionally fit, bodybuilder type, etc.) If you could specify more what your goals are I could give a more specific answer...

[Van Norden]

Really depends on your end goal and the type of fitness level you're looking for. Personally I prefer functional fitness (strength over size, endurance over explosiveness) thus I hit tri's on chest day and arms on back day. It's more practical and pushes your body more which I love.

 

As for cardio, mix in different types of work. Swimming one day, rowing one day, treadmill one day, elliptical one day. Correlate your cardio choice with the muscle group you're hitting that day for maximum results. FYI, theres nothing wrong with decreasing your rest time between sets, you're going to burn more calories using weights then any direct cardio work.

 

Again, your choice depends on your personal goals (functionally fit, bodybuilder type, etc.) If you could specify more what your goals are I could give a more specific answer...

Actually I want to build bigger muscle but also looking to get rid of that unaesthetic belly fat of my young ex-hard drinker self. Not that alarming, though, but definitely worth getting rid of. Thought that doing chest one day and tri's after two days I'd be reinforcing its training, since some compounds imply both muscles, but I'm afraid 48 hours are not enough for the muscle to fully recover - are my fears infunded or real?

 

Man, I hate rowing! I could easily walk fast uphill at maximum inclination for 15-20 minutes after work out each day, but then again I'm afraid I'm losing those hard-earned muscles. Also, I guess swimming won't affect negatively to my muscle building, right? If so, I could definitely swim more often and for more time.

 

By the way, I take some light meals (bananas, chocolate+oat bars) before and after each work out session.

[runredlights]

You are right OP, NOT cardio.

 

You need to grow your muscles and reduce bodyfat: heavy weights plus a protein rich diet where your carbs are cycled in a way that you mainly eat them to aid your weight training.

 

Cardio induces calorie deficit which only results in loss of muscle since it's more expensive for the body to run than retaining body fat (hence the skinny fat look so many runners have). Sprinting or any form of HIIT is good for fat loss.

 

However, diet is your main thing for losing fat and I'd imagine you want to build muscle rather than just get smaller.

 

Do you not do any cardio at all? Assuming someone isn't running 10ks throughout the week I think just running say 7-8 miles a week can't be that detrimental to mass gains assuming you're getting enough protein and calories.

[SomeDude16]

Actually I want to build bigger muscle but also looking to get rid of that unaesthetic belly fat of my young ex-hard drinker self. Not that alarming, though, but definitely worth getting rid of. Thought that doing chest one day and tri's after two days I'd be reinforcing its training, since some compounds imply both muscles, but I'm afraid 48 hours are not enough for the muscle to fully recover - are my fears infunded or real?

 

Man, I hate rowing! I could easily walk fast uphill at maximum inclination for 15-20 minutes after work out each day, but then again I'm afraid I'm losing those hard-earned muscles. Also, I guess swimming won't affect negatively to my muscle building, right? If so, I could definitely swim more often and for more time.

 

By the way, I take some light meals (bananas, chocolate+oat bars) before and after each work out session.

 

You're not going to lose muscle by doing any of those exercises if you keep a steady and healthy protein rich diet. You may lose MASS you perceive as muscle because you will be decreasing bodyfat but true muscle will not be lost.

 

48hrs should be plenty of time, especially with your split. I'm assuming that the order you posted is also your workout split correct? If so, do you take a rest day after tricep and back day?

[Van Norden]

You're not going to lose muscle by doing any of those exercises if you keep a steady and healthy protein rich diet. You may lose MASS you perceive as muscle because you will be decreasing bodyfat but true muscle will not be lost.

Great to read that. Everyone used to told me that muscle got burnt as well, but now I'll surely do 15 mins of treadmill some 2-3 times a week.

 

I rest on the 7th day (Sunday). After back-tri's I intend to go swimming, and then start again the routine. I'll keep you all posted on my progress and, once again, thanks for the input. You guys rule.