muscular body under fat! HELP

perfectionxforever
perfectionxforever Posts: 35 Member
edited September 22 in Fitness and Exercise
hey everyone! i'm looking for some advice on a question i have.. i am 18, 5'4" and 165 lbs. however, due to the fact that i was an athlete my whole life i have a lot of muscle, just some of it is hiding under some fat right now, haha but i am a physically strong person. i definitely think that if i lost the fat i would have a really nice, toned body due to the muscle i have but i obviously cannot be totally sure.

sooo i was wondering if i should be doing cardio and weight training or just cardio, or what? in the past i would do cardio, weight training, then cardio again, in one workout, but after awhile i worried that i was just gonna be adding even more muscle to my body and be turning my fat into muscle, which would just make me bigger [and keep me bigger when i lost the fat]. i have guy friends who do this in order to gain weight for football [they fatten themselves up then work out to turn it into muscle] but i don't want to make myself huge.. i obviously want to be thin and toned. lol do you think it would be best to just lose the fat before i start weight lifting? ah help please, thank you!

Replies

  • NoAdditives
    NoAdditives Posts: 4,251 Member
    In order to help burn fat and tone muscles, rather than build them, you'll want to lift weights and do cardio. For your weights, do light weights with high reps so it's more cardio than what a body builder would be doing. And do some cardio after, 30 minutes of high intensity cardio will burn more fat than a longer cardio workout.
  • edorice
    edorice Posts: 4,519 Member
    in one workout, but after awhile i worried that i was just gonna be adding even more muscle to my body and be turning my fat into muscle, which would just make me bigger [and keep me bigger when i lost the fat]. i have guy friends who do this in order to gain weight for football [they fatten themselves up then work out to turn it into muscle] but i don't want to make myself huge.. i obviously want to be thin and toned. lol do you think it would be best to just lose the fat before i start weight lifting? ah help please, thank you!

    1: It is impossible to turn fat into muscle. They are two different things.
    2: As long as you eat in a calorie defecit you will not get bigger.
    3: Men who add on muscle through weight training for football or whatever are eating over 3,000 calories a day to bulk up.
    4: It is always best to do weight lifting and cardio exercises. Otherwise you will just be sagging at the end of the weight loss.
    5: Workout 5-6 days a week in order to change your physique. Workout 3 days a week if you want to look the same.
  • dayday86
    dayday86 Posts: 20
    It is possible to lose the fat and keep your muscles toned at the same time. Always do weight training not just cardio or else you will start losing some of the muscle you have. Also make sure your getting adequate protein in your diet. Hope that helps some.
  • Egger29
    Egger29 Posts: 14,741 Member
    For Starters...Fat doesn't and can't turn into muscle. They're two completely different types of tissue.

    What your guy friends are doing in terms of football is an excessive intake of extra calories while strength training in order to gain mass. That's the opposite of what you want to do (Unless you're conditoining for football).

    Weight lifting is a key part of fat loss since you want to maintain the muscle mass (lean mass) you do have while focusing on reducing your body fat.

    Maintain your current muscle mass with full body strength training 2-3 times a week, in conjountion with regular cardiovasular activity. As well, you want to maintain a diet that gives you enough calories to support the Basic metabolic rate of your lean mass needs.

    Since you're maintaining your lean mass, any caloric deficit you incur from your additoinal cardio and metabolic boost is what will bring you fat loss.
  • Uptopargolf
    Uptopargolf Posts: 263
    hey everyone! i'm looking for some advice on a question i have.. i am 18, 5'4" and 165 lbs. however, due to the fact that i was an athlete my whole life i have a lot of muscle, just some of it is hiding under some fat right now, haha but i am a physically strong person. i definitely think that if i lost the fat i would have a really nice, toned body due to the muscle i have but i obviously cannot be totally sure.

    sooo i was wondering if i should be doing cardio and weight training or just cardio, or what? in the past i would do cardio, weight training, then cardio again, in one workout, but after awhile i worried that i was just gonna be adding even more muscle to my body and be turning my fat into muscle, which would just make me bigger [and keep me bigger when i lost the fat]. i have guy friends who do this in order to gain weight for football [they fatten themselves up then work out to turn it into muscle] but i don't want to make myself huge.. i obviously want to be thin and toned. lol do you think it would be best to just lose the fat before i start weight lifting? ah help please, thank you!

    Well first, lets clear this up. FAT CANNOT TURN INTO ANYTHING. It defiantly cannot turn into muscle. With that out of the way.. If your main goal is fat loss while keeping the muscle you already have.. Than do cardio AND weight training. Also you will not put on muscle if you are eating a reduced calorie diet. Muscles need food to get really big, and you probably wouldn't get really big anyway because it if very difficult for a girl to get 'big' with muscle.

    With that said.. It is very important to continue to eat healthy, with cardio and weight training to lose body fat. Remember its not about the number on the scale. Also, you can only effectively lose a ABOUT a pound of fat a week, anything over that will probably be some muscle.
  • WildFlower7
    WildFlower7 Posts: 714 Member
    You can never go wrong with cardio and Strength training!!
  • perfectionxforever
    perfectionxforever Posts: 35 Member
    wow thanks for all the answers guys! now that i actually stop to think about it, that's very true that fat cannot turn into muscle. haha people always said it to me so i guess it just kind of worked it's way into my head without me really thinking about it.

    what is considered a low weight/high rep? should it hurt? when i did weights i would do fairly high weights (but then again, i don't know what can be considered 'high', i was a cheerleader so i was used to lifting a lot of weight) and i would usually do reps of at least 12. however as i reached the end of each rep, not only did i sweat like i was doing cardio, but the muscle really did begin to burn. does that sound right or does it sound like i'm lifting too much? thank you :)
  • perfectionxforever
    perfectionxforever Posts: 35 Member
    and reduced calorie diet.. i definitely have reduced since i've began using this website. i go by the amount of calories it tells me. but when i used to be an active athlete every day, it really was a lot of weight training [like i said i was a competitive cheerleader so i was always lifting people and doing floor gymnastics and what not] but i never really watched what i ate. i would go through phases, but for the most part i did not reduce my calories. i feel like that has caused me to bulk up.. i understand that it's hard for girls to do so but if you saw me you'd understand what i am talking about. i have way more muscle than most girls.

    so because i have that somewhat "bulky" muscle already, it scares me. i want to be toned but i do not want to necessarily keep all of my muscle that i have. i'm just not sure yet, i wish i could see my body without the fat then decide what i want to do about the muscle =/ hah
  • Uptopargolf
    Uptopargolf Posts: 263
    wow thanks for all the answers guys! now that i actually stop to think about it, that's very true that fat cannot turn into muscle. haha people always said it to me so i guess it just kind of worked it's way into my head without me really thinking about it.

    what is considered a low weight/high rep? should it hurt? when i did weights i would do fairly high weights (but then again, i don't know what can be considered 'high', i was a cheerleader so i was used to lifting a lot of weight) and i would usually do reps of at least 12. however as i reached the end of each rep, not only did i sweat like i was doing cardio, but the muscle really did begin to burn. does that sound right or does it sound like i'm lifting too much? thank you :)

    The rule of thumb I believe is that, the last 3 reps should be tough. If not, up the weight, or increase the reps.

    I believe 8-10 reps, with high weight.. Is for mass gains (muscle) while, higher 10 - 15 reps, with light weight is for maintain muscle. Most women will want more reps with a lighter weight. However you still want to feel a burn.

    Remember it is impossible to put on muscle if you eat a reduced calorie diet. Although some people will probably say other wise.
  • perfectionxforever
    perfectionxforever Posts: 35 Member
    also is there a such thing as "too much" protein? the diet plan on this website is good in that i never go over my calories, carbs, or fats, but i tend to find myself going over in protein..

    last question, sorry! haha thanks again for all your help guys =]
  • Uptopargolf
    Uptopargolf Posts: 263
    also is there a such thing as "too much" protein? the diet plan on this website is good in that i never go over my calories, carbs, or fats, but i tend to find myself going over in protein..

    last question, sorry! haha thanks again for all your help guys =]

    No problem. I already cover this here;

    http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/139205-common-protein-concerns-questions?hl=protein#posts-1895938
  • perfectionxforever
    perfectionxforever Posts: 35 Member
    awesome, thank you so much :D
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