Trying to get buff

bigguy11211

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First off, I'm reasonably happy with my appearance - but I thought I'd ask guys/girls opinions...I think I could probably look a lot better if I lost a little bit of weight. Not tons, you understand, just 10-15 lbs - am I being unrealistic?

Also, for the guys on here who are ripped - what sort of regime do you follow to get/keep that type of physique? Do you do a lot of weights or do you do something else?

Thanks for any response!
 

green26

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Well, first you should start running to lose some weight. Second, do pushups, situps and squats to build your endurance and tone up. Try that for a few weeks before you start dealing with weights. Its hard to give advice without a picture of you, but that is a good start.
 

lerotic

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Well, first you should start running to lose some weight. Second, do pushups, situps and squats to build your endurance and tone up. Try that for a few weeks before you start dealing with weights. Its hard to give advice without a picture of you, but that is a good start.

I'd agree with Green, running is a lot of bang for your buck high calorie burn v effort compared to lots of other exercise.

Dropping a stone can be pretty easy if done right. Due to a motorbike accident i can't do a lot of impact sports on my knees / ankles anymore so running is out for me but there is an excellent introduction to running podcast called "Couch-to-5k" in iTunes (LINK : ) which is a very slow build up, but keeps you interested and going. Personally i cycle everywhere now, that said most of my weight loss came from two things.

1) Cut out all fizzy drinks. Nothing ! I used to be on 5 or 6 a day, sue to them just being available at work.. Man i was gassed up, took a week but my bloatedness went down and that till this day was the biggest change.

2) Processed sugar... Stop with the chocolate bars and switch to fruits.. No more after lunch snacks either... Strawberries are now always on my desk.

I'm not 99kilo's for the first time since i was 20, thats a drop of 7 kilos... Now the weight is coming off i feel much better and now it's time to start body sculpting.
 

wellhung9

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Instead of running long distances, do 5 sets of 15 second all out sprints(as fast as you can). walk for two minutes after each set. If you look at olympic sprinters they are usually really jacked while the long distance runners are scary skinny.

Do heavy sets of bench press and squats once a week too.

Eat more lean meat, vegetables, high fiber foods, and replace a meal with a weigh protein shake.
 

D_Martin van Burden

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If you don't like running -- and I say this because in 110-degree heat, it's very easy to get heatstroke doing so -- try swimming! I'm not a swim buff either, but I do laps in the apartment pool. It's not full sized like an Olympic pool. It goes from 3 feet to 9 feet. Anyway, what I do are sets of five laps at a time. So, for the first four laps, I will do an overhanded stroke or breaststroke in one direction, then flip around and do a slower backstroke. On that last lap, I do a forward stroke going as fast as I can from one edge of the pool back to where I started. It's a great chest, arm, shoulder, and leg workout, and it really keeps up my heart rate which is critical to burn away fat.
 

sdbg

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Cycling is a good cardio exercise if running doesn't work for you, and it's a whole lot more fun. I love my bike! Cardio, strength training, and sensible eating work magic. It's a matter of discipline and committment more than anything. Good luck!
 

D_Tintagel_Demondong

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First off, I'm reasonably happy with my appearance - but I thought I'd ask guys/girls opinions...I think I could probably look a lot better if I lost a little bit of weight. Not tons, you understand, just 10-15 lbs - am I being unrealistic?

Also, for the guys on here who are ripped - what sort of regime do you follow to get/keep that type of physique? Do you do a lot of weights or do you do something else?

Thanks for any response!
It seems like you want to gain muscle as well as lose weight. This is good, because muscle itself burns fat--even while you watch TV.

If you aren't sure what to eat, then the key is variety. Don't starve yourself, or you'll end up yo-yoing--and feeling the guilt.

Do higher-rep (say, 10 to 15 reps) sets since these are better for people who want to gain some muscle mass while losing some fat. Isolations (machines) are fine, but you'll be in the gym longer.

As for cardio, do as much as you can. I like to keep it fun, so I play alot of sports. I find jogging boring, but I don't mind the stationary bike while I watch the news. Whatever cardio you choose, make sure that you do it for at least 20 minutes at least 3 times per week at your target heart rate.

Target Heart Rate Calculator

If you don't want to bother with figuring your THR out, just remember that you need constant intensity, but not so intense that you can't carry on a conversation.
 

Kayden96

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If that's you in those gallery pictures, you don't look like you need to lose weight. You could use some conditioning perhaps, but speaking as a hetro, you look fine to me.

Your goal will obviously determine the best course of action for you. If you want to bulk up and lose fat, get plenty of protein (~1-1.5g per pound of muscle) and avoid carbs. When eating carbs, make them whole grain and eat them early in the day. Get some protein in you at least every 4 hours. After 4 hours, your body starts breaking down muscles for nourishment, a protein shake/chicken breast/yogurt will stop that. Get protein in you as soon as you can in the morning. Wake up and have eggs and bacon or something.

As stated, having more muscle will let you burn more calories while resting. So if you want to get really trim, focus first on building muscle mass. You'll look more fat to start because you'll get bigger muscles under the fat, but over time, the muscle will eat away the fat.

Contrary to popular belief, doing tons of sit ups will not get rid of fat around your waist, it'll just make the muscles in your waist bigger under the fat. Fat comes off in a different fashion for everyone. You can not dictate how you lose fat with exercise, your body just takes it from where it wants, when it wants.

Another popular myth is that doing a lot of low weight reps is good for definition. Doing a lot of reps with lighter weigh does burn more calories while you're exercising, but you stop burning calories almost as soon as you stop. Doing higher weight for fewer reps builds more strength and mass and continues burning calories long after you're done lifting.

The same applies to cardio. Jogging a stead pace for an hour is a great workout... while you do it, but once you're stop moving, you stop burning calories. Alternating between walking and dead run spikes your heart rate and consumes more energy because the twitch muscle fibers used for fast motion are less energy efficient. You don't burn as many calories while you're doing it, but your metabolism as a whole increases for around an hour after your workout.

With both approaches, you come out about the same in the end, but the harsher workout can be done in 15-20 minutes, while you could spend an hour or more on a treadmill and a comfortable pace. However, it's not bad to do both either. Your body loves variety and you will develop better and faster if you keep things interesting.

You also want to do cardio after strength training. The strength training depletes your stored energy, so you want to follow it up with cardio so you can start burning fat right away. Alternatively, you have to run for half an hour before you even start hitting fat reserves without strength training.

Afterwards, it is very important to get some easily absorbed protein into your body within about half an hour of your work out so your muscles have plenty of fuel to rebuild.
 

bigguy11211

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Thanks to everyone who posted, I think you're all probably correct.

Re: weight - my problem is not so much exercise I don't think, as I usually get plenty of varied stuff (mostly swimming) but it is more likely my current diet which is not going to allow me to get where I want to be. I don't want to have to change everything, and I probably don't have to as mostly I eat well, but after what people have said I think my carb to protein ratio is too high, and I know I drink too much beer.

So what do people eat if you're avoiding carbs? It's easy to do at home as you choose what to put into your food, but what about when you're eating out? And how do you stay away from potatoes/rice/pasta/bread...they're some of my favourite things in the world!

I think I'll wait till I'm my ideal weight (prob around 200lbs as I'm 6'5) before I get into trying to get sculpted abs etc, but I'm grateful for all the advice re:muscle mass. I kind of thought that was the way to go, but good to hear other people saying the same thing. Not a huge fan of weights, but push/sit-ups leg lifts will do fine for the moment.

To the guy who said it was discipline and commitment more than anything, you couldn't be more right. What do I want - to be ripped, or a few more beers? Not always as easy as it should be...
 

eastbaydude

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My advice for what it's worth....

Don't focus on losing weight. Instead, spend your time and energy adding muscle mass. As you add muscle, you will slowly burn off the fat. Also, adding muscle will make you look and feel better. It's easier and you'll be more sucessful at adding ten pounds of muscle than taking off ten ponds of fat.
 

D_Tintagel_Demondong

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...I think my carb to protein ratio is too high, and I know I drink too much beer.

So what do people eat if you're avoiding carbs? It's easy to do at home as you choose what to put into your food, but what about when you're eating out? And how do you stay away from potatoes/rice/pasta/bread...they're some of my favourite things in the world!

Low-carb diets are not healthy. They tend to be low in fiber and high in fat and cholesterol. I'd avoid them. You seem to be eating fairly well, so I'd say just try to eat a bit less and do more cardio.

As for weight training, I forgot to mention supplements. There are two that you might want to try: creatine for endurance (that extra rep works wonders!); and glutamine for faster recovery times (allowing you to work the same muscle group every 72 hours).

Most "fat burners" are useless and are actually cardiovascular stimulators and not metabolic stimulators, which is what you'd need.
 

Kayden96

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Thanks to everyone who posted, I think you're all probably correct.

Re: weight - my problem is not so much exercise I don't think, as I usually get plenty of varied stuff (mostly swimming) but it is more likely my current diet which is not going to allow me to get where I want to be. I don't want to have to change everything, and I probably don't have to as mostly I eat well, but after what people have said I think my carb to protein ratio is too high, and I know I drink too much beer.

So what do people eat if you're avoiding carbs? It's easy to do at home as you choose what to put into your food, but what about when you're eating out? And how do you stay away from potatoes/rice/pasta/bread...they're some of my favourite things in the world!

I think I'll wait till I'm my ideal weight (prob around 200lbs as I'm 6'5) before I get into trying to get sculpted abs etc, but I'm grateful for all the advice re:muscle mass. I kind of thought that was the way to go, but good to hear other people saying the same thing. Not a huge fan of weights, but push/sit-ups leg lifts will do fine for the moment.

To the guy who said it was discipline and commitment more than anything, you couldn't be more right. What do I want - to be ripped, or a few more beers? Not always as easy as it should be...

You don't need to totally obliterate them, but don't rely on them. I love carbs too. I'll take my spaghetti with a huge pile of mashed potatoes, garlic bread, and a side of fries. :biggrin1:

You can still have carbs, just have them smartly. Heavily processed carbs are bad. White rice, white bread, etc, are horrible for your metabolism. They are simple carbs devoid of most of the nutritional value. Your body breaks them down really fast and your insulin levels spike up and you stop burning fat. Fruits are also simple carbs, but they're healthier because the fiber and other nutrients aren't processed to hell and back.

Complex carbs are better because they take a long time to break down and keep your insulin levels even and keep you burning fat. Whole grain bread, wild rice, and most vegetables are great. They're less refined, so they pack a lot more fiber.

If at some point, you want to seriously work on gaining size, you may want to look into a fiber supplement. It's hard to get all the protein you need and a sufficient amount of fiber to match without munching a ton of carbs to boot.

Either way, EVERYONE should avoid processed food. Corporate America is killing us with nutritionally devoid boxed meals because they're better for the bottom line.
 

Stu Pendous

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If at some point, you want to seriously work on gaining size, you may want to look into a fiber supplement. It's hard to get all the protein you need and a sufficient amount of fiber to match without munching a ton of carbs to boot.

Either way, EVERYONE should avoid processed food. Corporate America is killing us with nutritionally devoid boxed meals because they're better for the bottom line.

I'm pretty much working on the same thing bigguy. So here's what I do as an example. Started 6' 215lbs. Now I'm still 6' and 218lbs. Muscle adds weight! Anyway...a day of chest, a day for back, a day for arms (supersetted biceps and triceps because that's the only place I'm trying to gain size), a day for shoulders and a day for legs.

After every lifting session is a cardio session. Pick whatever change it up. I know you said you don't really like lifting but you won't really gain any muscle size without it. you can convert your fat to muscle sure, but you wont be big where you want to be big.

Also, diet is 90% of the battle. You need to eat 6 times a day with the stats that Kayden gave you already. Constant intake of protein is the key. As for the fiber...eat more vegetables!! You are all forgetting those! eat salads. I eat a leafy salad with carrots and cucumbers every two days and I have no problem with fiber.