Opinions on my workouts and goals

Deuce241
Deuce241 Posts: 7
in Health and Weight Loss
I recently started lifting heavy weights 2 times a week, and doing HIIT with light weights 2 days that I'm not lifting heavy.

Here's an example of my week: Monday-heavy, Tuesday-hiit, Wednesday-heavy, Thursday-hiit. Friday, Saturday, Sunday-rest.
Sometimes I take Wednesday off and workout Friday instead. I just want to know what you all think about this?

I have a belly right now, so I want to lose all this belly fat and convert it all into lean, yet noticeably bigger, muscle. Is this a proper way to do it, or am I on the right track?
I was hoping to have a flat stomach and some abs showing in 6 months?

Replies

  • cafeaulait7
    cafeaulait7 Posts: 2,459 Member
    Sounds good, I think, mostly. I don't know a lot about HIIT but someone said you need a rest day after it? If so, then the weights the next day would be too much. I'd check on that. It probably depends on what you do, I bet.

    I don't know if your abs will show by then, but you'd be doing what you should, so they will eventually. Some folks don't do weighted ab work, but I have to say that I notice a big difference. I go weighted like they are quads, basically (minimum 2x a week). I also use them the next day because they recover so nicely, but that would not be necessary for building. I just need them for the other stuff I do, lol.

    I don't do the typical compound lifting, so maybe you don't need weighted ab work. I always say it couldn't hurt, though, right? Just my opinion :) You'll figure it out as you go, too. The heavy lifting is the biggest thing, imho. It rocks!

    Edit: Oh, I forgot to mention diet at all. Someone will come along and cover it, I'm sure, but deficit or no deficit will matter to building! Depending on your goals, you might have to choose bulk or cut -- one at a time. And protein matters terribly, etc. The whole diet thing is pretty key if you are looking at serious bulking-type building.
  • Deuce241
    Deuce241 Posts: 7
    Well right now I'm trying to lose my body fat and become lean. Once I'm lean enough, I want to start bulking. My diet is actually great, I eat A LOT of chicken breast, lean beef, spinach, lettuce, etc. Even though I eat completely clean and protein rich foods, I still feel like I'm not getting enough protein. So do you think maybe I should add a low carb protein drink (if that even exists)?

    I'm pretty happy with the lifting so far, but the reason I was kinda hoping/expecting to have some abs showing in 6 months is cause I do my HIIT workouts at a jiujitsu gym and they have me doing some ridiculous ab work. Every Thursday, we do 100 leg raises, 150 flutter kicks, and 100 over unders. It KILLS my abs and I get to a point where I have to take breaks between every 5-6 raises/kicks.
    I understand there's no such thing as spot reduction, but I figured if I'm lifting heavy, and doing these intense ab exercises (they're part of my HIIT), then I'd have something showing, you know?

    Thanks for your reply, I know this is a lot to read. But your help is greatly appreciated.
  • Cherimoose
    Cherimoose Posts: 5,208 Member
    Here's an example of my week: Monday-heavy, Tuesday-hiit, Wednesday-heavy, Thursday-hiit. Friday, Saturday, Sunday-rest.
    Sometimes I take Wednesday off and workout Friday instead. I just want to know what you all think about this?

    That schedule can work. I can't comment on the details of your program, since the terms "weights" and "HIIT" mean different things to different people. But i will say that doing 250 ab reps is overkill and could lead to an over-training injury for some people. All it takes is 3-5 heavy sets of about 10 reps, done twice a week.
    Even though I eat completely clean and protein rich foods, I still feel like I'm not getting enough protein. So do you think maybe I should add a low carb protein drink (if that even exists)?

    How many grams of protein do you average per day, and what is your body weight? What is your average calorie deficit?
  • Deuce241
    Deuce241 Posts: 7
    I'm good on the weights and HIIT, I feel comfortable doing them already so I think I'm doing good there. The abs do get tiring so I'm just gonna do what I can and stop.


    I'm 5'9" and currently 160 lbs. But it's a bit of fat I'm carrying on me, and it's only on my stomach and chest. A couple years ago I weighed 145-150 and was almost no fat. That's where I'm aiming before I bulk.
    I get around 110-120 grams of protein a day, I think I should be hitting that 160, right?

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