when is the correct time to start building muscle ?

quigonnjae
quigonnjae Posts: 399
edited October 3 in Fitness and Exercise
Hello MFP community :
Now that im starting to shed some of the extra lbs.. my attention is now starting to turn to toning up what I have ... I dont necessarily want to bulk waaaaay up just trim down , firm up and maybe add a little definition . I DO still have more tummy than anyone would want... I started doing basic stuff (sit ups , crunches etc) and I was told " you may want to stop that till youve totally lost the gut or all those extra inches in your abs area will turn to muscle" Is this REALLY the case ? Would doing basic abdominal exercises just give me firmed up "beer gut"? doesnt the exercise burn calories as well ? THEN you have the whole "muscle weighs more than fat" arguement .. How does that factor ( or does it factor at all ) into someone ultimately wanting to loose weight ?

Replies

  • quigonnjae
    quigonnjae Posts: 399
    wow.. no imput here.. ??
  • Ayla20103005
    Ayla20103005 Posts: 104 Member
    You can work on building muscle straight away, the fat won't "turn into" muscle, you will build the muscle underneath, and you also need to do cardio to help strip away the fat. Hope that helps :) I have about 30 kg to lose still, but am doing weights and I am starting to see my shape come out as the fat is coming away :)
  • Jeff92se
    Jeff92se Posts: 3,369 Member
    You need to start doing eiher isometrics (that would really tone you ie... think p90x) or beginner weight lifting. If you haven't lifted much before, get with a trainer and start doing compound lifts that work as many muscle groups at a time.
  • quigonnjae
    quigonnjae Posts: 399
    Never done much in the way of lifting.. ill have to give that a shot
  • Jeff92se
    Jeff92se Posts: 3,369 Member
    If you lift weights, start slow. I mean the 1st day, all you'd have to do is 1 (LIGHT)set of each body part and then stop.

    Trust me, if you go overboard in the beginning, you'll be way too sore to do anything. You wouldn't try to run 10 miles the 1st day of jogging right? haha.

    I had a friend that worked out his chest so hard, he couldn't reach around to wipe his butt after taking a dump. hahahahaha.
  • jamesdm49
    jamesdm49 Posts: 2 Member
    I'm about to cross the 50 lbs lost threshold (70 lbs still to go), and have just signed up with a personal trainer. She warned me to expect a bit of a plateau at first, because the strength training will start to convert the fat to muscle, which is more dense than fat is. So, I will still be getting thinner, but might not lose the weight as fast as before (I have been averaging about 12 lbs a month). I want to get thin, but who wants to be thin and flabby? I think the idea that exercising now will just firm up one's beer gut is bogus. On the contrary, strengthening your core should speed up getting rid of the pot belly. Also, I am not cutting back on my aerobic stuff, because the main thing is to lose the fat, but I don't see a good reason to wait until one has reached one's goal to start toning up.
  • mrsjennifermaffei
    mrsjennifermaffei Posts: 469
    I am going to REALLY focus on building muscle when I'm about 15lbs from my goal. Right now my goal is losing weight and I'm just doin what I can to lose weight and gradually tone.
  • Jesung
    Jesung Posts: 236 Member
    Now. Go do some barbell compound lifts.
  • deninevi
    deninevi Posts: 934 Member
    You should start right now.
  • quigonnjae
    quigonnjae Posts: 399
    cool thanks guys... I thought that sounded kinda funny to me .. but I thought I had better get some other opinions.. Suggestions for good routines anyone ?
  • TAWoody
    TAWoody Posts: 261 Member
    Actually from everything I've read you'll lose just as much weight doing 3 days of light to moderate weight training than you would if you just did cardio for the same amount of time. Just make sure you're still eating healthy like normal and not only will you gain muscle but you'll lose fat at the same time. I just signed up at my gym this week after a year off and am using a workout from Men's Health magazine to help me along. To help reduce the soreness and build muscle better and faster it's suggested to use whey protein and creatine supplements. Shop Amazon and you'll save a ton over any brick store.
  • quigonnjae
    quigonnjae Posts: 399
    Will working my core help me get rid of my "man b()()bs" .. I hate jiggling when I walk LOL
  • deninevi
    deninevi Posts: 934 Member
    Check out the book " The New Rules of Lifting" for a great over all program. There is also " the New Rules of Lifting for Abs" -the program in that one is not just for abs. I think working your chest will help more with the man b()()bs. :)
  • TAWoody
    TAWoody Posts: 261 Member
    Everyone should work their core all the time no matter what they are doing. So yes. haha. Planks and side planks seem to be the one number core exercise right now and they're super easy and not hard so it's good for everyone. As for the man boobs, that might be different. Once you lose enough weight they should go away on their own for most guys.
This discussion has been closed.

Categories