I’ve been working out pretty hard with weights for the last four months (2-3 hours per day every other day) and seen definite gains in strength and size, but I also have some fat to lose (I am 177 cm/ 250LBS). I can definitely lose weight quickly if I want to, but how much can I cut my caloric intake without losing muscle? Is 1500/day safe? 1000/day?
Another thing, I now have some stretch marks on my biceps from the sudden increase in muscle size under the fat (!!) Somehow I don’t think this is normal.
I’m not using any drugs or supplements, just eating lots of beef and nuts for protein, and I take long rests between sets and I always stop and rest if I feel any bone or muscle pain.
[quote=“beautifulspam”]I’ve been working out pretty hard with weights for the last four months (2-3 hours per day every other day) and seen definite gains in strength and size, but I also have some fat to lose (I am 177 cm/ 250LBS). I can definitely lose weight quickly if I want to, but how much can I cut my caloric intake without losing muscle? Is 1500/day safe? 1000/day?
Another thing, I now have some stretch marks on my biceps from the sudden increase in muscle size under the fat (!!) Somehow I don’t think this is normal.
I’m not using any drugs or supplements, just eating lots of beef and nuts for protein, and I take long rests between sets and I always stop and rest if I feel any bone or muscle pain.
Ideas?[/quote]
Figure out the ideal weight you’d like to be (in pounds), multiply that by 17 if you’re quite active and by 15 if you’re less active and that will show you how many calories you should be taking in daily. Try not to take in too many fewer though I know it’s hard not to be impatient. Ultimately you’ll arrive at your ideal weight and be healthier and stronger for it.
What are your aims? Building muscle, losing weight? Both?
I would suggest shorter sessions. Maybe 45 minutes of weights followed by a 45 minute cardio session. It cuts back the body fat, and its good for toning and defining muscles. I guess this won’t work if you’re a serious body builder.
I do the above 4 -5 times a week. I divide my workouts into upper body days [45 minutes of weights followed by 45 minutes of cardio work on the treadmill]; and lower body days [45 minutes of leg training followed by a 45 minute swimming session].
I eat well and don’t really check my intake of calories. I just make sure I eat low-fat meat, vegetables, fruit, etc.
I spent 8 hours with a trainer on my last trip to HK and went through a fairly rigorous exam at the end of it. The reccomended calories for me were way below the calculation above. I was 103KG and my goal should be 98 (I am 6’4 so this is not as high as it sounds). The reccomended calorie intake was 2250, whilst the above calc would have been over 3234.
What I have found is that my shape has changed dramatically since using the personal trainer. I have slowed down my reps a lot which in turn means using lower weights but the lifting is more efficient.
I am currently training 3 times a week, doing chest/arms, back/shoulders and legs with some core/abs work at every session. Each session is between 1.5 and 2 hours depending on whether my training buddy is with me. No stretch marks as far as I can see though.
Have you tried cocoa butter? A lot of women rub that on their stomach when they are pregnant to reduce stretch marks. . . . just my 2C
stretch marks can show easily for some and not so easily for others, it really depends much on the skin and it’s makeup. You can help to reduce stretch marks by using a special cream that is designed for pregnant mothers to be used on their bellys. I’m sure you can find such cream easily if you visit a drug store.
[quote=“Edgar Allen”]I spent 8 hours with a trainer on my last trip to HK and went through a fairly rigorous exam at the end of it. The reccomended calories for me were way below the calculation above. I was 103KG and my goal should be 98 (I am 6’4 so this is not as high as it sounds). The reccomended calorie intake was 2250, whilst the above calc would have been over 3234.
What I have found is that my shape has changed dramatically since using the personal trainer. I have slowed down my reps a lot which in turn means using lower weights but the lifting is more efficient.
I am currently training 3 times a week, doing chest/arms, back/shoulders and legs with some core/abs work at every session. Each session is between 1.5 and 2 hours depending on whether my training buddy is with me. No stretch marks as far as I can see though.
Have you tried cocoa butter? A lot of women rub that on their stomach when they are pregnant to reduce stretch marks. . . . just my 2C[/quote]
Unless you’re completely inactive it’s not possible to maintain 98kg with only 2250 calories. I’ll say it again for emphasis - IMPOSSIBLE.
With steady weight training I’m been consistentenly between 77 and 80 kg for the last 4 years and I never consume under 2500 calories in a day (Yes, I keep track - how boring is that?).
It shows that I need about 2800 calories to maintain my weight and that you would need around 3300 calories to maintain at 98kg if you are moderately active.
The only thing slow reps results in is a slow workout. Seriously. That doesn’t mean you have to be slinging the weights around endangering yourself and others but there isn’t a benefit to it. Controlled is a better word. In fact, on the pushing aspect of many exercises speed should be the key as it builds power (not to be confused with strength). Furthermore, if your movements are too slow you also risk the problem of joint pain and inflammation.
3 days is a week is good. 4 is okay too. The guys who train 5 or 6 times a week are simply not allowing their bodies time to recuperate and the result is stagnation at best and regression at worst. 1.5 to 2 hours is too long to be working out though. After less than an hour of exercising your body goes ‘catabloic’ which means your body begins consuming protein and muscle instead of glucose and fat. Not a good thing.
The only thing slow reps results in is a slow workout. Seriously. That doesn’t mean you have to be slinging the weights around endangering yourself and others but there isn’t a benefit to it. Controlled is a better word. In fact, on the pushing aspect of many exercises speed should be the key as it builds power (not to be confused with strength). Furthermore, if your movements are too slow you also risk the problem of joint pain and inflammation.
3 days is a week is good. 4 is okay too. The guys who train 5 or 6 times a week are simply not allowing their bodies time to recuperate and the result is stagnation at best and regression at worst. 1.5 to 2 hours is too long to be working out though. After less than an hour of exercising your body goes ‘catabloic’ which means your body begins consuming protein and muscle instead of glucose and fat. Not a good thing.[/quote]
Very interesting as I had never looked that up before but certainly rings true in my case. For about two years plus I worked out 5-6 days a week and at least two hours a day in the hopes of putting on more muscle mass…I failed terribly. I became tired, did improve in terms of muscle tone, but couldn’t maintain mass. If I rested for more than two days I would become thin again. About four months ago I relaxed my style of working out to about three times a week and 1 hour sessions, I imediately started to build more mass and much greater strength. I am approx 180 cm tall and was stuck at 73 kg, benching 100kg max for about a year before relaxing my workouts. In the last four months I have gained two kilos, and although not quite as toned, down to a four pack instead of a six, I am much less tired and have increased my strength, now benching a maximum 110-120 kg. I truly believe that a small layer of fat really helps maintain performance, and although doesn’t look quite as nice, feels so much better. I could if I wanted even improve my strength, having mastered myself and the required rest for my body, but I have also found that working out above this threshold requires very strict attention to diet, rest and time in the gym. I know that everyone is very different in body type and speed of improvement and requirements, but for me being any bulkier means that I become fat too easily when having rested for a full week without excersise.
On another note, I have also realized that one day my age will tell and if I grow to be too bulky then I will be turning myself into jelly during my later years, and I’m not sure that I can deal with such degression, I’d rather just look OK at present and not too flabby in the years to come.
[quote]1. What are your aims? Building muscle, losing weight? Both?
2. I would suggest shorter sessions. Maybe 45 minutes of weights followed by a 45 minute cardio session. It cuts back the body fat, and its good for toning and defining muscles. I guess this won’t work if you’re a serious body builder. [/quote]
I am trying to build muscle and lose fat at the same time. Building muscle is easy- although I am quite bookish and inactive my body responds quickly to exercise when I take the trouble to get any. What I’m unsure of is how quickly I can realistically expect to lose weight while building muscle.
It will be hard for me to shorten my workouts, but I’ll try it for a month and see how it goes.
This is bad news. I was just starting to enjoy those long, slow workouts. What if I were to work out twice a day every other day for an hour each time, once at night and once in the morning?
I don’t have much time to give you a drawn out answer so here it goes: If you are a fast gainer which most Endomorphs/Mesomorphs are, then you’ll probably have a hard time with stretch marks. It’s not something you can avoid.
You could try to cut your calories safetly to under 2000 a day and get on the bike (30 mins morning 30 mins at night) more so than the weights (45 mins tops a day) but I don’t think that will solve the problem.
You can try to keep your skin moisturized after each shower to keep the skin flexible. That’s all I can recommend.
P.S All bodybuilders and fat people tend to have excessive stretch marks. It comes with rapid weight gain/loss.
[quote=“beautifulspam”]
This is bad news. I was just starting to enjoy those long, slow workouts. What if I were to work out twice a day every other day for an hour each time, once at night and once in the morning?[/quote]
As long as you are working out different areas of the body twice a day workouts are okay. Those workouts do add up though so you’d still be getting in six workouts a week which is probably too many (though not everyone is the same and depending on diet and age you may recuperate faster than some). Whatever you do I wouldn’t try to work in more than 4 sessions of weights a week.
Yup, it’s been true in mine. My experiences were similar in the past (I worked out too much and failed to see the gains I should have so pushed harder and saw even fewer gains). The difference was that I had heard that working out less and for a shorter time was better but I just assumed it was wrong or that my genetics were superior enough to overcome that. Hah! What finally proved to me that it works was that I got lazy. That’s right. Got lazy. Started working out three or four times a week instead of five. Left the gym after an hour instead of an hour and a half. What happened? My strength rocketed. Instead of doing incline dumbell presses of 85lbs x 10 suddenly I’m doing 100lbs x 12! (To give but one example).
Also, what you said about the layer of fat being beneficial to strength and energy, I completely agree. It would be nice to have the model’s physique but I’d rather simply look good and be functional.
