21% body fat update but with questions..

Right ok, so was 196 pounds and 21.6%, im now 178 pounds and 17%.

I started out just doing a mile jog a day at high speed - 6.5 min mile and light weights, one exercise per group, ie bench press, bicep bar curl, close grip bench for tricep daily but recently i moved to running moderate speed for 2.5 - 3 miles a day and doing light weights.
Now i'm doing High intensity interval training consisting of sprint 150 metres, jog 150 for 1.5km and doing heavier weights such as 2 or 3 exercises per group, as well as doing supersets: chest + back, tricep and bicep and shoulder lats and legs. The next day i do HIIT and a 1 mile jog after but no weights.

What i wanna know is whats best? i wanna get down to about 170 pounds but get stronger and more muscular:

1. 1 mile fast jog and 1 exercise per group daily.

2. 2.5 mile moderate jog and 1 exercise group daily.

3. 1.5 Km HIIT and moderate to heavy weights (3 exercises per group) and then 1.5 HIIT and no weights the next day.

So whats best for what i wanna do ? i'd also like to know what each option does, ie burn fat but not put on muscle or vice versa?

I know theres a few dedicated people on here who can help me out so thanks for reading and i look forward to your advice! :biggrin:

Reply 1

john !!

I would concentrate of losing the fat first, then building muscle afterwards becuase otherwise the diet and cardio you need to lose fat will hinder muscle growth. I have lunch now but Ill try to help after, Im sure others will be able to help as well.

Reply 2

Bape

mik1w

No....building muscle is a very good way of losing fat. the more muscle you have the faster you metabolic rate. for every pound of muscle you gain, you probably burn an extra 30-50cals while doing nothing. Keep doing cardio, eat 5-6 small meals with good amounts of protein, complex carbs, do big compound exercises like deadlifts, squats, etc and get lots of rest/sleep

Reply 3

john !!

It isnt a very good way of losing fat at all.. the thing you're talking about is quite minor until your muscles get pretty big, you might not motice a change for the first year of lifting by which time the bulking will probably cause you to put more fat on as well.

The 30-50 calories you claim you will burn (where did you get this number from?) will be hugely offset by the extra thousand calories per day you may need to put muscle on in the first place..

In addition to this, the amount of cardio you're doing at the moment would upset your gains. It should be one or the other.

First, get rid of the fat by keeping a clean diet and cardio work, then once you have achieved that you should eat lots more calories and get a proper training scheme to bulk. Do a different muscle group each day, so while you're legs are repairing you are training say chest and shoulders, then another group and so on.

Reply 4

Bape

When you first start training with weights, your body is not used to it so you may notice results faster than after years of training. I agree with the comment about changing the muscle group you work each day to let them repair and grow, but really i think that incorporating weight training in your workout would be a good idea. If you think about it, you need a certain amount of calories(energy) to maintain your muscle. If you have more muscle, you will need to have more, but if you eat the same amount your going to be using more of the calories.

Reply 5

Yeah

i have read that on http://askmen.com that putting muscle on your body burns more fat off, i am quite muscular, i dont think i emphasized that, people comment on my arms and chest etc... ive been doing weights for a good 7 months and my bench has gone from 40 to 66kg so its working, i just wanted to know which of the three options is best for putting on muscle and burning fat in equal measure :smile:

Reply 6

rock_eleven

well yea u onyl mentioned chest and arms.... so wheres everything else? Like the other dude mentioned, do deadlifts and squats, and whatever other **** u like

Reply 7

iloveschool

im 16 and i bench 85kg max rep. although in saying that i do take protein supplements and eat loads. you should think about cardio one day like a jog or cycle and weights the next....and of course you will need to watch what you eat. high carb and high protein diet (fruit, milk, eggs meat etc)

Reply 8

rock_eleven

iloveschool

high carb

might not be the best if hes trying to get cut

Reply 9

john !!

exactly.. there are two choices. losing fat involves eating fewer calories than you use, and building muscle is fastest when you eat much more calories than you use. So if you wanna do both at the same time, what are you gonna do?

If hes just starting off then yeah you can lose fat and build some muscle from newbie gains but I think the best way to do this is one thing at a time.

Reply 10

Tal1481

Personally I'd try 2 lose the fat first and maintain any lean muscle u already have.

2 do this make sure ur diet is clean - i.e. low carbs - but have carbs, u definately need them - especially b4 u do a weights session. In order to maintain ur muscle mass I would eat 1g of protein per pound of ur bodyweight.

I would eat carbs b4 u do ur resistance training (weights) and as for ur cardio doing it at a high pace will only increase endurance, I myelf walk at a fast pace for 45 mins a day and I know many bodybuilders who do the same even the likes of ronnie coleman and jay cutler walk at fast speeds 2 lose weight - I would do ur cardio in the morning or str8 after weights. This worked for me I went from 18% BF to 13% and I'm still at 100kg in bodyweight and still benching above 180kg.

U should definately continue doing resistance training as it does promote fat loss - but more important than the weights is ur cardio and most imporantly is ur diet - it has 2 b clean. When I was dieting the only carbs I had
were my 2 metrx shakes - 1 in the morning and 1 str8 after my weights session and I'd have 4 or 5 brown bread thru out the day and possibly some brown pasta. I used 2 have 1 junk daya week where I ate and drank anything I wanted - for 2 or 3 days after I was strong in the gym.

Listen to those that have tried what they preach and u can usually tell from those that look good and train hard.

I have a sample diet and workout routine that I used for the 12 weeks I was dieting - let me know if u would like it.

T