suggestions for cutting body fat and keeping muscle..?

qtiekiki

Carb cycling is excellent, especially on workout vs non workout days. keep your protein high and, even though I'll probably be vilified here for saying this, you might want to check out intermittent fasting. I know there;s much pearl clutching on the topic... but Look at the before and after pictures here http://www.leangains.com/search/label/Client results, and then tell me if I made a point (I am in cutting mode on IF and it shows).

I dunno why anyone would villify someone for mentionging IF. It is a perfectly fine method to employ if someone chooses.

that is interesting..everything i have always read says that you should do the six meals a day thing because it keeps your metabolism going...from what I have read fasing is bad becuase your body goes into starvation mode and slows down metabolism...I will check the site/article out...

I don't think you are fasting for a long enough period of time to get to starvation mode when you are doing IF. My husband got really good results with IFing, and it hasn't affect his metabolism. Anyways, do your research and decide if it's for you.

ndj1979

Carb cycling is excellent, especially on workout vs non workout days. keep your protein high and, even though I'll probably be vilified here for saying this, you might want to check out intermittent fasting. I know there;s much pearl clutching on the topic... but Look at the before and after pictures here http://www.leangains.com/search/label/Client results, and then tell me if I made a point (I am in cutting mode on IF and it shows).

I dunno why anyone would villify someone for mentionging IF. It is a perfectly fine method to employ if someone chooses.

that is interesting..everything i have always read says that you should do the six meals a day thing because it keeps your metabolism going...from what I have read fasing is bad becuase your body goes into starvation mode and slows down metabolism...I will check the site/article out...

I don't think you are fasting for a long enough period of time to get to starvation mode when you are doing IF. My husband got really good results with IFing, and it hasn't affect his metabolism. Anyways, do your research and decide if it's for you.
[/quote

I actually did a lot of reading up on it hte past several days and decided to give it a shot, as the methods/research behind it made sense to me. Decided to start off with skipping breakfast this AM and thendoing normal lunch snac post work out etc...The one today was a 17hr fast..Dinner 7pm then lunch at 12Pm...next week I might try a 24 hr one...Shockingly, or maybe not so shocking, I actually feel pretty good right now ad I am on hour 16 with no eating...

Plates559

I lost 3 kilos of fat and gained .2 kilos of muscle in two weeks by doing circuit training and interval running. My bodyfat % is down 4.1%. I am also on a low carb diet. I only do 4 exercises in the weight room. Chest press, Seated Row, Leg Press, and Abs. I aim to do 15-20 reps on each machine and I do not rest in between each exercise I just go from one machine to the next.

Circuit training is the best way to burn fat and maintain muscle mass. It's time efficient. Instead of standing around while your muscle rests you do a different exercise. Your chest muscles get a rest while your doing the row. This keeps your heart rate up allowing you to burn more calories which means you burn more fat. I do circuit training 3 times a week. And I do 20-30 minutes of interval running 6 days a week. I also do other aerobic activities such as Zumba, belly dance, and step aerobics. You can probably only do 3-4 days of circuit training a week, but do as much aerobic activity as you want/can stand.

If you are interested in bulking up you can still Circuit training just do 8-12 reps instead of 15-20 reps.

Chest press, seated row, and leg press are the best exercises you can do if you want to lose bodyfat because they are complex exercises you are working multiple muscles at once which means you're burning more calories. Also your quads, lats and pecs are the biggest muscles in your body so that means they burn more calories. You've gotta include your abs for vanity you want the muscles to show through once you lose the belly fat You can do other isolation exercises too their also great, but focus on doing the complex exercises first.

There are so many problems with this I don't even want to start.

Plates559

Circuit training is the best way to burn fat

Wrong its diet

This keeps your heart rate up allowing you to burn more calories which means you burn more fat.

With weight lifting your heart rate isn't a direct indicator of calorie burn.

I also do other aerobic activities such as Zumba, belly dance, and step aerobics.

Zumba, not even once.

If you are interested in bulking up you can still Circuit training just do 8-12 reps instead of 15-20 reps.

Rep ranges all wrong, and if you are interesting in bulking eat everything in sight.

Chest press, seated row, and leg press are the best exercises you can do if you want to lose bodyfat because they are complex exercises you are working multiple muscles at once which means you're burning more calories.

COMPOUND exercises.... You also forgot squats, deadlifts, lunges, pull ups, dips, cleans, presses, snatches. Your 4 machine exercises are crap compared to free weight lifting.

You've gotta include your abs for vanity you want the muscles to show through once you lose the belly fat You can do other isolation exercises too their also great, but focus on doing the complex exercises first.

You don't have to do any direct ab work, heavy compounds like squats and deads will hit your abs more than enough.

Huffdogg

thanks Huff...I dd the circuit training/cardio combo thing four or five years ago when I first started working out becuase I wanted to lose weiht and it really helped get me from abut 21-0 (out of shape) to wehre I am now. Now I just want to keep my muscle and get my body fat down. So 3 to 6 sessions of interval running is not going to work for me, although I do appreciate the posters thoughts:)...I have doing some reading on IF an find it interesing. I actually decided to give it a try today and do a 17 hour fast. I did not eat breakfast and I actually feel fine! In addition to that I am cycling carbs and keeping my workout regimen the same as in previous posts. What kind of work out regimen do you find ideal?

My situation is not the same as many, as my job CAN BE very physically demanding, but isn't always so. My programming has to reflect the reality of my career, so as soon as I started to plateau my newb gainz with Stronglifts (wish I'd done SS instead, but that's another story), I went into a Big 3 RPT routine similar to the one Andy Morgan talks about on his (LG clone) website. I spent probably 4-5 months doing constant max effort stuff (top set 90+% 1RM) and going into a split routine once the demands got too high. Just recently, based on a Layne Norton series I've read comparing several very established, successful systems, I decided to take the intensity down a notch. I'm still playing with the system right now, but it's basically a modified SS.

https://docs.google.com/spreadsheet/ccc?key=0Aj4NOMDss6S9dDExVzVNRVVlTXZnbTFEbTJHbm9LT2c#gid=0

FWIW, if your diet is controlled well, I think RPT is an excellent way to train. It allows your program to be dictated by your ability on a day-by-day basis with excellent intensity/volume mix.

rkr22401

Are you sure you are 17% BF? What method are you using to measure? That puts your LBM at 138 lbs. Hard to tell from the profile picture alone, but from your arms, shoulders, weight, and height, I would guess your LBM to be greater than 138 lbs.

Recommend getting a set of calipers if you are currently basing your goals off an online calculator or BF scale.

Topsking2010

Bump

ndj1979

Are you sure you are 17% BF? What method are you using to measure? That puts your LBM at 138 lbs. Hard to tell from the profile picture alone, but from your arms, shoulders, weight, and height, I would guess your LBM to be greater than 138 lbs.

Recommend getting a set of calipers if you are currently basing your goals off an online calculator or BF scale.

That is what my scale says and it measures weight, body fat% and water level....However, I know that those scales are not that accurate so I could be +/- 2% off on the reading?

Anyone know an accrae set of scales that does body weight and body fat % or should I just get calipers?

Huffdogg

The Withings scales are the only ones I've heard of that are purported to be very accurate at all, and they are omfgwtfbbq expensive. I'd go with calipers IF you have someone to help you take your measurements. If not, I'd just not worry so much about the actual number and pay more attention to whether it's going up or down so you know you're on the right track.

chrishgt4

Sounds like you're doing it right; just tweak cals until you start a steady loss and there you go.

I'm no expert really, but just from the photo i would say that 15-17% bf doesn't sound out of the way.

DeeDeeLHF

In terms of exercising in a fasted state vs a carb state...I am doing a nutrition class and the doctor who is lecturing said that there are pros and cons to each and what you want to do depends on your goals. He claims that eating a carb something before exercising will increase your performance but that although limited, there is hopeful evidence that shows that exercising in a fasted state helps when you want to specifically cut fat. (along with a host of other things that have been mentioned here.)...

So, what do you think???

Also, not trying to hijack but have a question concerning free weights vs the machines.

In February I sustained a stress fracture to my foot and healing has been slow. (I am old, post-menopausal, and still have a bit more to lose.) Because of this I have some exercise restrictions and one of them is lunges or anything that causes me to "pound" on my foot. I had been doing free weights but not I find that the machines allow me to continue lifting but without the risk of injuring my foot.... Common sense tells me that even if the machines are not as good as doing free weights, they are still better than doing nothing. Thoughts???

Thanks in advance. I admire all of you!

Donna

medoria

Maybe try intermittent fasting, lean gains method? There is a group here on MFP with FAQ and sticky, check it out. Search for Intermittent fasting.

ndj1979

In terms of exercising in a fasted state vs a carb state...I am doing a nutrition class and the doctor who is lecturing said that there are pros and cons to each and what you want to do depends on your goals. He claims that eating a carb something before exercising will increase your performance but that although limited, there is hopeful evidence that shows that exercising in a fasted state helps when you want to specifically cut fat. (along with a host of other things that have been mentioned here.)...

So, what do you think???

Also, not trying to hijack but have a question concerning free weights vs the machines.

In February I sustained a stress fracture to my foot and healing has been slow. (I am old, post-menopausal, and still have a bit more to lose.) Because of this I have some exercise restrictions and one of them is lunges or anything that causes me to "pound" on my foot. I had been doing free weights but not I find that the machines allow me to continue lifting but without the risk of injuring my foot.... Common sense tells me that even if the machines are not as good as doing free weights, they are still better than doing nothing. Thoughts???

Thanks in advance. I admire all of you!

Donna

After doing some research on intermittent fsting, I have been experimenting with IF this week. I did two 16 hour fasts- no dinner at 7pm and then broke it at 12pm he next day; I was actualy surprisd that i was rally not that hungry without breakfast adn I did quite well with it. Yesterday, I did my leg workout in a fasted states - took 8 grams BCAA prior to workout & spped on 8 grams BCAA during - and I actually felt great! Worked out for an hour and ten minutes and I felt like I could of went longer. I think I am going to incorporate IF into my regiment and see how it goes...

I prefer free weights over machines. When you do lunges you "pound on your foot"? When I do them I usually just step forward it does not feel like pounding...but then again I have not had a stress fracture....You could do barbell split squats...or you could just do dumbbell squats...anyone elsehave any thoughts on this? But, yes, machines are better than doing NOTHING and you do not want to re injur yourself.so maybe use the machines until your foot is healed and then go back to free weights...

Feel free to add me if you want to track my IF progress...

rkr22401

Try the accumeasure caliper. They have a slider the "locks in" the measurement when the preset tension is reached. This allows you to measure your own BF%. You can use their single site method or the Jackson-Polock 4 site method without an assistant.

As someone else said, the conversion to BF% is less important than actual skin fold thickness and the trend.

Huffdogg

I have some exercise restrictions and one of them is lunges or anything that causes me to "pound" on my foot. I had been doing free weights but not I find that the machines allow me to continue lifting but without the risk of injuring my foot.... Common sense tells me that even if the machines are not as good as doing free weights, they are still better than doing nothing. Thoughts???

My first thought is that a lunge is about the only movement that I can think of that would make you place the type of stress you are mentioning on that foot. Maybe cleans. I dont' see much reason for you not to continue using free weights, personally.

ndj1979

I have some exercise restrictions and one of them is lunges or anything that causes me to "pound" on my foot. I had been doing free weights but not I find that the machines allow me to continue lifting but without the risk of injuring my foot.... Common sense tells me that even if the machines are not as good as doing free weights, they are still better than doing nothing. Thoughts???

My first thought is that a lunge is about the only movement that I can think of that would make you place the type of stress you are mentioning on that foot. Maybe cleans. I dont' see much reason for you not to continue using free weights, personally.

i would agree with that...maybe focus more on upper body while your foot heals...

Iceman1800

My suggestion would be:

1) Create an energy deficit around 20% under TDEE as a starting point.
2) Consume adequate protein and fat. I'd consume AT LEAST:
1g/lb LBM in protein.
.4g/lb bodyweight in fat
3) Once you've met or exceeded the above, stick the rest in carbs.
4) I'd suggest full body or upper/lower etc over bodypart splits so that you can favor frequency over volume especially if you're not an experienced lifter
5) Choose a program that has you squatting, deadlifting, rowing, chins/pullups, overhead presses, etc, over one that has you doing tricep kickbacks and sitting on an inflatable ball.

Let personal preference dictate your eating schedule. Whether you do 6 meals per day, 8 meals per day, 2 meals per day, IF, whatever -- hitting your daily intake of kcals/macros will trump frequency in terms of importance, by a very big margin. Satiety/Adherence/Gym performance should be the factors that determine your eating schedule, period.

Leisure reading:
http://forum.bodybuilding.com/showthread.php?t=121703981

post of the year.

yecatsml

Bump for later reading

Helloitsdan

My suggestion would be:

1) Create an energy deficit around 20% under TDEE as a starting point.
2) Consume adequate protein and fat. I'd consume AT LEAST:
1g/lb LBM in protein.
.4g/lb bodyweight in fat
3) Once you've met or exceeded the above, stick the rest in carbs.
4) I'd suggest full body or upper/lower etc over bodypart splits so that you can favor frequency over volume especially if you're not an experienced lifter
5) Choose a program that has you squatting, deadlifting, rowing, chins/pullups, overhead presses, etc, over one that has you doing tricep kickbacks and sitting on an inflatable ball.

Let personal preference dictate your eating schedule. Whether you do 6 meals per day, 8 meals per day, 2 meals per day, IF, whatever -- hitting your daily intake of kcals/macros will trump frequency in terms of importance, by a very big margin. Satiety/Adherence/Gym performance should be the factors that determine your eating schedule, period.

Leisure reading:
http://forum.bodybuilding.com/showthread.php?t=121703981

This

ndj1979

my work outs look like this .

Monday chest/arms (dumbbell chest press, incline press, hamer curls, weighted chin ups /regular chin ups, arm curls
tuedsay back/triceps - pull ups, wide grip/narrow grip pull ups, bent over rows, single arm rows, dumbbell extensions laying down/seated/standing etc...
wens - legs - barbell squats, split barbell squats, deadlifts, etc
thur - shoulers - seated dumbbell military press, barbell press, shrugs, overhead dumbell press, push press, etc
Fri - usually a sprint session folowed by some light weights maybe some plyo..

sat sunday off...

Thoughts/suggestions?

Huffdogg

Personally, I prefer to pair back and biceps, and chest with triceps, but that's because I do primarily compounds where it's almost impossible to say I'm only working one muscle group, so my back work is usually involving my arms to some extent, and so is my chest. TBH, I rarely isolate arms anymore, unless you consider chins an "arm exercise".

For my money, I'd also swap thursday and friday. Give your shoulders a little extra break both before and after. But my shoulders are wonky so YMMV.

Y u no deadlift?

ndj1979

hye huff - yes, I do deadlifts....I think I listed them ...but I may not have as I was just trying to list some general workouts that I have been doing...