I need to kno if im on the rite track

[t20]

hi i like to know im im on the right track on tryin to get a flat stomach. today i had a protein milkshake and egg and i ran on the tread mill and i had one of the sand weigh stuff and put it around ma leg i ran for 15 minutes and then i did crunches on the exercise ball. i like to kno do i workout after i eat or do i wait 2 hours after i eat and then workout??

 

another other suggestions on what workouts i should do to gain weight on ma legs as i have a fast metabolism so i dont really gain weight easily.

 

thanks

[gridiron]

I would recommend the protein shake after your workout. If you are getting tired during your workout, then eat a banana shortly before you go workout.

 

If you are trying to build your legs and lower body, you'll want to do weight training for your legs too - squats are good, as are several other exercises, depending on the specific area of your legs you want to build up.

[t20]

thanks. i also like to know when should i do crunches and rin on the tread mill after i eat or before i eat?

[gridiron]

If you do not have a flat stomach right now, that means there is some fat covering your stomach. There is no magical way, that I have found to be legitimate, to concentrate the burning of fat in a specific area, such as your abs. Crunches build your abs, but do not do anything to burn the stomach fat, so after a long time, you may have a six pack that is just hidden under a layer of fat. The best thing to do to burn the fat is just aerobic exercise that burns fat in general, all over your body, which will of course include your stomach.

 

I've heard top experts in fitness training give different advice on meal timing. Most of these are based on muscle building effectiveness though and not weight loss.

 

From a muscle building perspective, most trainers recommend protein after the workout, as amino acids in protein is used to build muscle and many trainers believe that feeding your body with protein within two hours after a workout will be more effective for muscle gain. Those who advocate eating before the workout do so because they believe that the carbs in a pre-workout meal will give you more stamina to complete all of your reps in good form, instead of tiring out earlier because you are starving.

 

From purely a weight loss perspective, there would be more support for meals before your workout because you may be able to burn the calories from your meal more effectively during aerobic exercise. And once again, if the meal gives you enough of a boost to do 30 minutes on the treadmill before tiring, vs. 20 minutes on an empty stomach, you are gaining 10 minutes of extra calorie burning.

 

There's really not a consensus on this, but the above are general theories I have read and heard. It's good to eat smaller meals with greater frequency anyway, so you could just cover your bases both ways by eating primarily fruit, maybe with some toast too, before your workout, and then a protein shake or meats/foods high in protein after. Don't obsess over meal timing, just stick with whatever workout/meal schedule is convenient and one you can stick with, and you should start seeing results in due time.