So you want a nice stomach

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Replies

  • usmcmp
    usmcmp Posts: 21,219 Member
    dredremeg wrote: »
    Hi USMCMP,

    I would like to know what program you did when you first started lifting and what program are you now?

    I started with Lee Labrada's 12 week lean body trainer. It looked the most interesting to me and there were videos for all the exercises. I have done tons of programs in between including PHAT, 5x5, Up and Down Mass, and several personalized ones. I am currently doing a personalized version of HST.

    I highly suggest most people start with a program that actually teaches them about lifting and helps build the strength base. Stronglifts and New Rules of Lifting get suggested often for good reasons.
  • usmcmp
    usmcmp Posts: 21,219 Member
    libbymcg2 wrote: »
    Have problems with neck and shoulders caused by spondylitis which limits lifting pulling and other exercise. Any suggestions on how to achieve a flat stomach without using weights?

    There are body weight exercise programs out there that you can adapt to fit your needs. Resistance training in some form is important to developing a lean body/flat stomach.
  • rushfive
    rushfive Posts: 603 Member
    B, seems to be a lot of tummy fat questions today.
  • usmcmp
    usmcmp Posts: 21,219 Member
    rushfive wrote: »
    B, seems to be a lot of tummy fat questions today.

    Those posts seem to come in waves. It's one of the reasons I created this thread, to be sort of a beginners reference point to avoid having to post some of the same stuff over and over again.
  • rushfive
    rushfive Posts: 603 Member
    It is a great post usmcmp.
    I kept coming back to it so I could finish reading 60 pages...lol
    I know I need to lift more, injury excuse, but I liked the last few with using body weight to start and my phys. therapist gave me resistant bands.
  • romisa925
    romisa925 Posts: 2 Member
    How can I lose my stomach with exercise and how I eat
  • LolBroScience
    LolBroScience Posts: 4,537 Member
    romisa925 wrote: »
    How can I lose my stomach with exercise and how I eat

    it's a mystery
  • StephaniHepburn
    StephaniHepburn Posts: 3 Member
    Amazing info, you look great! Thanks for sharing your story and advice :) xxx
  • KhloeKakes
    KhloeKakes Posts: 19 Member
    thanks for advice OP
  • banananiii
    banananiii Posts: 6 Member
    Great post!!!!

    I just started doing stronglifts 5x5 based on the recommendation of the guy I'm dating (he's been doing it for a few months and we can see positive results). I follow the program religiously, meaning that I only do it every second day with rest days in between. I was wondering if I should squeeze in twenty minute runs on my off days? Will this hinder my progress?

    Also, I noticed that my tummy has been a bit bigger since I started the program... Not sure if this is normal since I'm new at this, or if it is just bloating from the food I eat?

    For reference, I'm 5'4 and around 130-133lbs. I'm relatively toned except for my stomach area
  • jt_3232
    jt_3232 Posts: 1 Member
    How long would it take to drop from 20% to 15% with a 1000 calorie deficit a day and exercise and weight training? (Nothing too crazy)

    I weigh 200lbs.
  • Giolis
    Giolis Posts: 1,204 Member
    edited August 2015
    jt_3232 wrote: »
    How long would it take to drop from 20% to 15% with a 1000 calorie deficit a day and exercise and weight training? (Nothing too crazy)

    I weigh 200lbs.

    Based on your info. And all things being perfect it should take you about 6 weeks to get to 15%.

    Assuming a 2 pound a week loss in 6 weeks you will have lost 12 pounds. At 198 lbs and 15% BF puts you at about 30 lbs of BF.

    Most likely you'll also lose muscle mass. You can minimize the amount lost by eating enough protein and lifting heavy. Realistically with losing both fat and muscle it could take you as much as 10 weeks.
  • fanncy0626
    fanncy0626 Posts: 7,152 Member
    I am thinking of changing my work out from strong lifts 5x5 to all pro for beginners. They do 7 exercises 3 days with a heavy, medium, and light day. 5 week cycle. Starting with 2 warm up sets 2 work sets 8 reps first week then 10 the 2 nd week up to 12 by the 5 th week. Increasing weight only after the 5 week cycle is done and only if you are successful at increasing reps for all exercises.

    My question is, can I just do the 7 exercises using the 5x5 format instead of the high reps? And get the same results? Anyone familiar with All Pro?
  • arditarose
    arditarose Posts: 15,573 Member
    fanncy0626 wrote: »
    I am thinking of changing my work out from strong lifts 5x5 to all pro for beginners. They do 7 exercises 3 days with a heavy, medium, and light day. 5 week cycle. Starting with 2 warm up sets 2 work sets 8 reps first week then 10 the 2 nd week up to 12 by the 5 th week. Increasing weight only after the 5 week cycle is done and only if you are successful at increasing reps for all exercises.

    My question is, can I just do the 7 exercises using the 5x5 format instead of the high reps? And get the same results? Anyone familiar with All Pro?

    I assume the rep range is for hypertrophy so no, you should run the program as is.
  • usmcmp
    usmcmp Posts: 21,219 Member
    fanncy0626 wrote: »
    I am thinking of changing my work out from strong lifts 5x5 to all pro for beginners. They do 7 exercises 3 days with a heavy, medium, and light day. 5 week cycle. Starting with 2 warm up sets 2 work sets 8 reps first week then 10 the 2 nd week up to 12 by the 5 th week. Increasing weight only after the 5 week cycle is done and only if you are successful at increasing reps for all exercises.

    My question is, can I just do the 7 exercises using the 5x5 format instead of the high reps? And get the same results? Anyone familiar with All Pro?

    The programs are built the way they are for a reason. All Pro is a hypertrophy program and Stronglifts is a strength program. You should not attempt to modify a program unless you are an advanced lifter. Even then it's better to find something that suits you and your needs.
  • fanncy0626
    fanncy0626 Posts: 7,152 Member
    usmcmp wrote: »
    The programs are built the way they are for a reason. All Pro is a hypertrophy program and Stronglifts is a strength program. You should not attempt to modify a program unless you are an advanced lifter. Even then it's better to find something that suits you and your needs.

    Thank you for the information!
  • retirehappy
    retirehappy Posts: 3,519 Member

    Effective for what?

    Ranges.jpg

    The above chart is generalized because it does not take total volume into consideration, but gives a general overview.

    OP recommends a calorie deficit and a program based on progressive overload, regardless if you're sticking with 5's or 8-12 range.

    Thanks for the chart. Excellent way to view the differences.
  • LolBroScience
    LolBroScience Posts: 4,537 Member
    fanncy0626 wrote: »
    I am thinking of changing my work out from strong lifts 5x5 to all pro for beginners. They do 7 exercises 3 days with a heavy, medium, and light day. 5 week cycle. Starting with 2 warm up sets 2 work sets 8 reps first week then 10 the 2 nd week up to 12 by the 5 th week. Increasing weight only after the 5 week cycle is done and only if you are successful at increasing reps for all exercises.

    My question is, can I just do the 7 exercises using the 5x5 format instead of the high reps? And get the same results? Anyone familiar with All Pro?

    7 exercises at 5x5 is going to be very taxing, and going to take a long time to complete. So no, you probably won't get the same results because your intensity will probably drop off half way through the workout.
  • fanncy0626
    fanncy0626 Posts: 7,152 Member
    fanncy0626 wrote: »
    I am thinking of changing my work out from strong lifts 5x5 to all pro for beginners. They do 7 exercises 3 days with a heavy, medium, and light day. 5 week cycle. Starting with 2 warm up sets 2 work sets 8 reps first week then 10 the 2 nd week up to 12 by the 5 th week. Increasing weight only after the 5 week cycle is done and only if you are successful at increasing reps for all exercises.

    My question is, can I just do the 7 exercises using the 5x5 format instead of the high reps? And get the same results? Anyone familiar with All Pro?

    7 exercises at 5x5 is going to be very taxing, and going to take a long time to complete. So no, you probably won't get the same results because your intensity will probably drop off half way through the workout.

    Thanks for the info!
  • TeresaMarie46
    TeresaMarie46 Posts: 226 Member
    usmcmp wrote: »
    You want to lose belly fat and have a nice flat toned mid section? We see that a lot on this site. Hell, that was my goal for my birthday last year. We all want to be able to take our shirt off at the pool or beach and look great, but how do we do it?

    1. Slight calorie deficit. Eating 800 calories and killing yourself in the gym is not going to get you there any faster. You need to fuel your body appropriately. I suggest the TDEE-20% method. www.1percentedge.com/ifcalc (If you have questions please feel free to ask them here). Make sure to weigh everything you eat! Guessing could put you well over your calories.

    2. Strength training. If you want that toned mid section look you have to put some muscle there. If you just want a nice flat stomach muscle will still help it look tight. You can begin with Strong Lifts, a hypertrophy routine or a strength program from bodybuilding.com (free!). One that includes compound lifts like deadlift, squat, bench press and pull ups will help. Work on increasing the amount of weight you use. When the weight gets heavier you engage your core more and it builds the muscle.

    3. Muscle insurance. There are a variety of studies done on the amount of protein the body needs. I like to think of higher protein as muscle insurance. My suggestion is about 1gram of protein per pound of lean mass. Make sure to get fat in your diet to help joints and metabolic processes. Make sure to get carbs in your diet to fuel workouts.

    4. Cardio. I like cardio once or twice a week for 30 minutes. It's good for the heart and lungs. It doesn't add much to the calorie burn for the week, but it helps even things out in case you haven't been completely accurate weighing food.

    5. Patience! It is not going to happen overnight. If you stick with it you could lose around 1% body fat a month. We aren't going to be perfect all the time. Enjoy birthdays and holidays. It is life and things will happen. Don't stress, learn to love the process.

    FINALLY: Losing fat is like trying to dry out a sponge. You can't dry a corner while the rest of it is still wet. You won't magically lose belly fat or thigh fat or any other fat. It will come off where it wants to. Keep working at it! It is possible!

    In considering a caloric deficit, how many calories is considered "too much" on a 1800 daily intake?

  • ladymuaythai
    ladymuaythai Posts: 1,298 Member
    Well said. Thanks
  • blankiefinder
    blankiefinder Posts: 3,599 Member
    usmcmp wrote: »
    You want to lose belly fat and have a nice flat toned mid section? We see that a lot on this site. Hell, that was my goal for my birthday last year. We all want to be able to take our shirt off at the pool or beach and look great, but how do we do it?

    1. Slight calorie deficit. Eating 800 calories and killing yourself in the gym is not going to get you there any faster. You need to fuel your body appropriately. I suggest the TDEE-20% method. www.1percentedge.com/ifcalc (If you have questions please feel free to ask them here). Make sure to weigh everything you eat! Guessing could put you well over your calories.

    2. Strength training. If you want that toned mid section look you have to put some muscle there. If you just want a nice flat stomach muscle will still help it look tight. You can begin with Strong Lifts, a hypertrophy routine or a strength program from bodybuilding.com (free!). One that includes compound lifts like deadlift, squat, bench press and pull ups will help. Work on increasing the amount of weight you use. When the weight gets heavier you engage your core more and it builds the muscle.

    3. Muscle insurance. There are a variety of studies done on the amount of protein the body needs. I like to think of higher protein as muscle insurance. My suggestion is about 1gram of protein per pound of lean mass. Make sure to get fat in your diet to help joints and metabolic processes. Make sure to get carbs in your diet to fuel workouts.

    4. Cardio. I like cardio once or twice a week for 30 minutes. It's good for the heart and lungs. It doesn't add much to the calorie burn for the week, but it helps even things out in case you haven't been completely accurate weighing food.

    5. Patience! It is not going to happen overnight. If you stick with it you could lose around 1% body fat a month. We aren't going to be perfect all the time. Enjoy birthdays and holidays. It is life and things will happen. Don't stress, learn to love the process.

    FINALLY: Losing fat is like trying to dry out a sponge. You can't dry a corner while the rest of it is still wet. You won't magically lose belly fat or thigh fat or any other fat. It will come off where it wants to. Keep working at it! It is possible!

    In considering a caloric deficit, how many calories is considered "too much" on a 1800 daily intake?

    @TeresaMarie46 Could you clarify your question? Is the 1800 daily intake you're referring to, your recommended weight loss calories? Your maintenance calories?
  • queenliz99
    queenliz99 Posts: 15,317 Member
    :)
  • nhy6mju7
    nhy6mju7 Posts: 1 Member
    So - please help with advice. Based on the TDEE calculation - it will take me more than 2 years to lose 10lbs (my goal). 2 years! And even then I won't be where I want to be, I will still need longer than that. I should say that this seems to be realistic for my previous weight loss which is very very slow. Any thoughts? how to moderately healthy and fit people lose the last 10? how do you not get discouraged or indulge in any treats for more than 2 years without seeing any progress (because the progress is so incremental.
  • fanncy0626
    fanncy0626 Posts: 7,152 Member
    nhy6mju7 wrote: »
    So - please help with advice. Based on the TDEE calculation - it will take me more than 2 years to lose 10lbs (my goal). 2 years! And even then I won't be where I want to be, I will still need longer than that. I should say that this seems to be realistic for my previous weight loss which is very very slow. Any thoughts? how to moderately healthy and fit people lose the last 10? how do you not get discouraged or indulge in any treats for more than 2 years without seeing any progress (because the progress is so incremental.

    Change up your exercise routine. The first thing I did on my exercise venture was cardio. Now I get the cardio and the strength training from heavy lifting. I have been doing strong lifts 5X5 every other day since March of this year. I am adding kettle bell swings today for the first time for 20 minutes a day on my rest days. I am starting at 10 pound weight single arm swing. There are several different swings but I will learn one at a time proficiently. Have fun! Mix it up a little bit. I do not suggest cutting calories if you are already at a low number 1400 or less, but you might want to weigh what do you eat to make sure that you are eating the right amount for the calories that you record.
  • usmcmp
    usmcmp Posts: 21,219 Member
    nhy6mju7 wrote: »
    So - please help with advice. Based on the TDEE calculation - it will take me more than 2 years to lose 10lbs (my goal). 2 years! And even then I won't be where I want to be, I will still need longer than that. I should say that this seems to be realistic for my previous weight loss which is very very slow. Any thoughts? how to moderately healthy and fit people lose the last 10? how do you not get discouraged or indulge in any treats for more than 2 years without seeing any progress (because the progress is so incremental.

    The original calculator is set to recomposition, not weight loss. You have to manually change that setting.

    This calculator should be less confusing for you: http://www.iifym.com/iifym-calculator
  • usmcmp
    usmcmp Posts: 21,219 Member
    fanncy0626 wrote: »
    nhy6mju7 wrote: »
    So - please help with advice. Based on the TDEE calculation - it will take me more than 2 years to lose 10lbs (my goal). 2 years! And even then I won't be where I want to be, I will still need longer than that. I should say that this seems to be realistic for my previous weight loss which is very very slow. Any thoughts? how to moderately healthy and fit people lose the last 10? how do you not get discouraged or indulge in any treats for more than 2 years without seeing any progress (because the progress is so incremental.

    Change up your exercise routine. The first thing I did on my exercise venture was cardio. Now I get the cardio and the strength training from heavy lifting. I have been doing strong lifts 5X5 every other day since March of this year. I am adding kettle bell swings today for the first time for 20 minutes a day on my rest days. I am starting at 10 pound weight single arm swing. There are several different swings but I will learn one at a time proficiently. Have fun! Mix it up a little bit. I do not suggest cutting calories if you are already at a low number 1400 or less, but you might want to weigh what do you eat to make sure that you are eating the right amount for the calories that you record.

    She's talking about the calculator in the first post. If people use it and don't change the settings it sets them up for recomposition, which takes years to accomplish. If she set it up correctly it would take her a couple of months to reach her goal.
  • fanncy0626
    fanncy0626 Posts: 7,152 Member
    usmcmp wrote: »
    fanncy0626 wrote: »
    nhy6mju7 wrote: »
    So - please help with advice. Based on the TDEE calculation - it will take me more than 2 years to lose 10lbs (my goal). 2 years! And even then I won't be where I want to be, I will still need longer than that. I should say that this seems to be realistic for my previous weight loss which is very very slow. Any thoughts? how to moderately healthy and fit people lose the last 10? how do you not get discouraged or indulge in any treats for more than 2 years without seeing any progress (because the progress is so incremental.

    Change up your exercise routine. The first thing I did on my exercise venture was cardio. Now I get the cardio and the strength training from heavy lifting. I have been doing strong lifts 5X5 every other day since March of this year. I am adding kettle bell swings today for the first time for 20 minutes a day on my rest days. I am starting at 10 pound weight single arm swing. There are several different swings but I will learn one at a time proficiently. Have fun! Mix it up a little bit. I do not suggest cutting calories if you are already at a low number 1400 or less, but you might want to weigh what do you eat to make sure that you are eating the right amount for the calories that you record.

    She's talking about the calculator in the first post. If people use it and don't change the settings it sets them up for recomposition, which takes years to accomplish. If she set it up correctly it would take her a couple of months to reach her goal.

    LOL
  • LoveIshie
    LoveIshie Posts: 94 Member
    Not sure why anyone would question what USMCMP posted. She's is right on point with her post. 75% of your weight loss will come from your diet and 25% will come from exercise. If you want to do more cardio, that's ok, but a lot of your weight loss is dependent on your caloric intake. Exercise just helps a little for expediency. Don't skip breakfast, lunch and dinner and don't eat late at night.
  • usmcmp
    usmcmp Posts: 21,219 Member
    edited October 2015
    LoveIshie wrote: »
    Not sure why anyone would question what USMCMP posted. She's is right on point with her post. 75% of your weight loss will come from your diet and 25% will come from exercise. If you want to do more cardio, that's ok, but a lot of your weight loss is dependent on your caloric intake. Exercise just helps a little for expediency. Don't skip breakfast, lunch and dinner and don't eat late at night.

    Skipping breakfast or lunch or dinner isn't going to make or break weight loss. If you are the type of person who misses a meal and then eats too much later it would be important to not skip meals. Others practice Intermittent Fasting and skipping a meal gives them better adherence. Your metabolism doesn't slow down until you've been fasting for 72+ hours, so that's not even a factor.

    Eating late at night is only a problem if it causes you to eat above your TDEE. You won't magically store all your late night calories as fat if you are in a calorie deficit. If you are the type of person who ends up binge eating if you eat later in the evening it would be beneficial to avoid late night eating.