Decreasing Muscle Bulk / Body size

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SteveRenewed
SteveRenewed Posts: 7 Member
in Health and Weight Loss
I am a beginner when it comes to fitness. My wife and I are getting started and I'm really studying in regards to my body type. I didn't start watching calories until I joined this amazing community a week and a half ago. Anyway, when I read articles online, most are about burning calories while increasing muscle mass.

My problem: I've been a big fella my whole life. I'm 5'11" @ 295. Not sure how much is body fat but I can tell you I have a good amount of muscle. I seem to gain weight every time I start lifting in an attempt to tone....I don't necessarily want to bulk up or get any bigger. I just want to be slim and trim. Runners physique.


Question: I want to go from a body type of Warren Sapp to Pharrell Williams...what would be my best approach in nutrition, strength and cardio?
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  • jemhh
    jemhh Posts: 14,261 Member
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    I think that your best bet would be to travel back in time and then spring forth from the loins of different parents. If you are seriously built like Warren Sapp, it is unlikely that you will be able to achieve a Pharrell Williams physique. We are built how we are built. Yes, you can lose fat and thin out a lot but at a certain point, your build is your build. I mean, I think that Warren Sapp obviously could lose fat but I don't think that he would ever end up looking similar to Pharrell Williams.

    Now that I've said that, find a lifting plan like Stronglifts 5x5 or Starting Strength, that focuses on reps in the strength range (e.g., 5 reps) as opposed to hypertrophy/muscle-building range (6-12.) Then eat at a deficit.
  • juggernaut1974
    juggernaut1974 Posts: 6,212 Member
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    Primarily by focusing on diet - not exercise.

    Agree with jemhh - that at some point genetics will take over, but to attempt what you're describing will best be obtained by eating less.
  • SteveRenewed
    SteveRenewed Posts: 7 Member
    edited March 2015
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    So a low calorie intake or high deficit along with cardio 3 times a week with light weight strength training maybe twice a week with the plan mentioned above?

    I meant the Warren Sapp thing as sort of a joke lol. Just want to see how I can be as small and fit as possible or if it's possible.
  • maxit
    maxit Posts: 880 Member
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    Don't go too low in terms of deficit, Steve, because you don't want to lose muscle that is necessary to live :) Also, a rapid weight loss seems to up the chances for a ton of loose skin. Otherwise, your plan of light strength training and cardio seems like just the ticket. At 195, you are gonna look a lot different and if you keep proper nutrients going along with exercising for health, you'll look fantastic.
  • AliceDark
    AliceDark Posts: 3,886 Member
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    Barring injury or other physical issue, there's no reason to do light weight strength training (unless you happen to enjoy it). Diet determines whether you add or lose mass, so if you've gotten bulkier before when you were lifting, it's because you were also eating too much.

    In fact, a large deficit + lots of cardio + not lifting enough to challenge your muscles = a great way to lose muscle. Do that for long enough, and you'll lose weight but a lot of it (relatively speaking) will be muscle mass. You'll end up smaller but flabby.

    A better plan would be to eat at a moderate deficit, do some cardio and also lift maybe 3x a week with weights that are challenging. You're effectively telling your body "I need you to keep my muscle tissue, because I'm using it." Find a good beginner full-body program, like Starting Strength or Stronglifts. You may see a little bit of a bump on the scale in the very beginning -- that's water retention and glycogen. You need to ride it out and not freak out for about 4 weeks. It'll go away. If your eating is on point, you won't get bulkier.

    Here's a good rule of thumb for how many pounds per week you can lose, depending on how much you have to lose:

    If you have less than 15 lbs to lose 0.5 lbs/week is ideal
    If you have 15 -25 lbs to lose 0.5 to 1.0 lbs/week is ideal
    If you have 25-40 lbs to lose 1 lbs/week is ideal
    If you have 40-75 lbs to lose 1.5 lbs/week is ideal
    If you have 75+ lbs to lose 2 lbs/week is ideal
  • jemhh
    jemhh Posts: 14,261 Member
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    SteveRenewed wrote: »
    So a low calorie intake or high deficit along with cardio 3 times a week with light weight strength training maybe twice a week with the plan mentioned above?

    I meant the Warren Sapp thing as sort of a joke lol. Just want to see how I can be as small and fit as possible or if it's possible.

    SL 5x5 and Starting Strength are what people generally refer to as "heavy lifting" programs. You are going to be lifting heavy weights for low-ish reps as opposed to lighter (but not super light) reps for more reps.

    For calories, I will echo the "don't go to low" advice. Ideally, you will eat at a deficit that allows you to maintain enough energy to keep up with your workouts and not feel hungry all of the time. A lot of people make the mistake of starting out with a huge deficit, thinking that the faster they can lose weight the better. That works for awhile but then they tend to get overwhelmed or exhausted/hungry/cranky, etc. That's when people start falling off the wagon entirely. For me, I've found that it is better to eat at a moderate deficit and then do a level of exercise that I can envision myself doing from now until years from now, rather than cutting down to a super low cal level and hitting the elliptical for 90 minutes a day. Sustainable changes are the key.

    Good luck :) It's great that you and your wife are doing this together. Support at home is a HUGE plus.
  • TCO76
    TCO76 Posts: 242 Member
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    Another good beginners routine is all-pros. Google it and it should take you on another forum that details it to a T.
  • Sued0nim
    Sued0nim Posts: 17,456 Member
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    I'd have said eat at a defecit and do cardio as it seems to be the opposite of all the advice for losing weight and maintaining muscle

    Might be wrong though
  • SteveRenewed
    SteveRenewed Posts: 7 Member
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    I really do appreciate all the advice! I've been thinking about it all morning, taking screenshots with my phone and all sorts of things. It seems like nutrition and calorie intake is a huge key factor and it's something I did not really pay enough attention to historically. My fitness pal has really helped in that area and I've seen results already (lost 5 lbs since I stared over a week ago). I'm definitly going to follow the advice in this theead. It seems I'm somewhat on the right track...just need to refine.

    I just wanna do this right and do it well. It's life changing for me. I could post a LOT of heart wrenching stories in that area...one of them being waiting in line for hours to have to get off a roller coaster for not fitting at Kings Island...in front of hundreds of ppl haha...whew clicked once but not twice.

    Just want to be healthy and in shape...have the energy to do and try more the things and not feel like a tank all the time.

    PS the wifey is awesome! And she's kicking butt!
  • Packerjohn
    Packerjohn Posts: 4,855 Member
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    Do you have a history of doing a lot of resistance work and/or heavy manual labor? If not, hate to say you're probably not that muscular.
  • juggernaut1974
    juggernaut1974 Posts: 6,212 Member
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    latest?cb=20150116004503

    OP states he's lifted before. And it takes a fair amount of muscle to move around 295 lbs.

    No...he's probably not Ah-nold underneath, but doubt he's a toothpick either.
  • Packerjohn
    Packerjohn Posts: 4,855 Member
    edited March 2015
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    ceoverturf wrote: »
    latest?cb=20150116004503

    OP states he's lifted before. And it takes a fair amount of muscle to move around 295 lbs.

    No...he's probably not Ah-nold underneath, but doubt he's a toothpick either.

    We need to know how much history he has lifting. He also says he's a beginner when it comes to fitness. 2 weeks in HS isn't the same as hitting it hard 3-4 times a week for 20 years.
  • jemhh
    jemhh Posts: 14,261 Member
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    Why do we need to know his lifting history? In what way would that change any of the suggestions given so far?
  • juggernaut1974
    juggernaut1974 Posts: 6,212 Member
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    jemhh wrote: »
    Why do we need to know his lifting history? In what way would that change any of the suggestions given so far?

    Was just typing out the same question.
  • Liftng4Lis
    Liftng4Lis Posts: 15,151 Member
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    Weight loss comes from a deficit. You retain muscle mass while losing, by lifting. With the exception of newbie gains, you are not going to bulk in a deficit.
  • Packerjohn
    Packerjohn Posts: 4,855 Member
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    He may take a different approach to his diet and exercise if he is really muscular or if mainly fat.
  • juggernaut1974
    juggernaut1974 Posts: 6,212 Member
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    Packerjohn wrote: »
    He may take a different approach to his diet and exercise if he is really muscular or if mainly fat.

    You mean he wouldn't eat less calories in some circumstances? I mean, that's pretty much been the overriding theme of the suggestions so far.
  • Packerjohn
    Packerjohn Posts: 4,855 Member
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    If the op is really muscular I would as others suggest reduce the calories and do a heavy lifting day once a week and 2-3 sessions of resistance work that would be more finisher type exercises like swings, battling ropes sled pushes burpees, etc to help burn more calories. If pretty low level of muscle would go with the 5x5
  • SteveRenewed
    SteveRenewed Posts: 7 Member
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    I'm a beginner in the since that I'm actually keeping track and doing things the right way. I've lifted off and on pretty much the majority of my life starting with my dads weights at home. I'm now 28. I'm no body builder though I'm constantly mistaken for a football player. I know I'd clear 300 on the chest press with no idea what my max is. I typically press 3 sets of 130 12 reps each as that's somewhat light for me. No telling with leg press...the circuit I run is on my profile if that helps...I'm just inexperienced in knowing where I am in that area. I
  • Packerjohn
    Packerjohn Posts: 4,855 Member
    edited March 2015
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    You may want to take a look at the books Strength Training for Fat Loss by NickTummionello or Cardio Strength Training by Robert dos Remedios.

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