Muscle Gain, Fat Loss - Please advise

[FitThinHealthyHappy]

Hi everybody,

 

I want to build good, solid muscle while also shedding the excess fat.

I have started going to a gym, yet I am unsure of the intensity of my weight-training programme, along with how often I should be doing it. I have heard everything from three times a week with a day's rest in between, or everyday weight training only on alternating body parts. I am in favour iof the last option, as currently I don't feel all that sore after my weights/toning days.

 

As far as diet goes, I have tried eating between 1700-2500 calories, yet have gained a few kgs of pure fat around my legs and stomach, as my metabolism seems to be a tad slow at the moment due to low muscle mass at present. Apart from the weight training, does anyone know how I can boost it up, keep it revved?

 

I would really appreciate it if someone could please give me some advice on training (i.e. intensity, duration, frequency) as well as diet in terms of muscle building and metabolism-fueling. I am very serious about getting my body, health and fitness on track, so any help you guys could give me would be great, thanks.

 

 

Cheers!

[LibraNeo]

I started using the kettlebells. I use them 3 days a week. I use a high intensity workout.

 

I actually jump rope for a minute, and then do 1 set of 30 reps of various exercises.

 

Google kettlebells, or go to mikemahler.com, check his out, I use his.

 

I actually lost 10% bodyfat and 20 pounds in just under 4 months.

 

I think if my would have been better on eating, it would have been more.

 

I think that by this time next month when I am a complete vegan again, I will lose that much weight and more.

 

I still use free weights 1-2 days a week, mostly for squats, benches and deadlifts.

[Fallen_Horse]

Intensity = INTENSE

Duration = As long as you feel comfortable (ie not dead tired, but you feel like you have done something. If you have INTENSE workouts, the duration will take care of itself)

Frequency = 2-6 times a week, again depending on what fits your time/energy best

[Adena]

Are you doing any cardio?

[VeganEssentials]

Intensity = INTENSE

 

Exactly. This point can never be stressed enough - working out properly is HARD WORK, period. Unless you're just doing some power walking where you're maintaining a 65% max heart rate or something low-intensity, you shouldn't be able to focus on a conversation with someone, you shouldn't be able to speak while training, you shouldn't be able to think about anything other than the task at hand. If you're not giving it your all with what you KNOW is the best you can do, you're going to get lackluster results.

 

Always pay attention to the people who have physiques you admire if you're going to the gym. You'll almost always find that the people who have the most impressive physiques and the greatest strength don't lose focus, and are giving their training everything they've got. Not to say that you need to compare yourself to them, but follow their lead for being dedicated to going all-out for whatever you're training, not caring or thinking about anything around you. If more people learned this, they'd get better results, but too many people put in 75% of their best, and get 25% of the progress they'd have if they really, REALLY trained with true intensity and focus!

[HumanJHawkins]

I would really appreciate it if someone could please give me some advice on training (i.e. intensity, duration, frequency) as well as diet in terms of muscle building and metabolism-fueling. I am very serious about getting my body, health and fitness on track, so any help you guys could give me would be great, thanks.

 

My 2 (or more) cents on this:

 

1) Workout in multi-week phases. It doesn't matter whether you want a 4-week phase or a 9-week phase. You should be focusing on one goal consistently for several weeks. Then take a deload week. Then start a new phase. Personally, I work out for 8 weeks, with the 9th as deload.

 

For example:

Phase 1: 8 weeks of hypertrophy work. Focus on gaining size. Allow a little body fat increase (though don't let it go crazy). This might be a reverse pyramid where you do 4 sets of increasing weights for 12, 10, 8, and 6 reps.

 

Phase 2: 8 weeks of hardening those muscles you just built for size. Continue to allow a little fat to be added, though not letting it go too far. Maybe do multiple sets of very heavy weights for 4 reps each.

 

Phase 3: 8 weeks of cutting. Reduce calories to a few hundred under maintenance levels. Keep the protein high, and increase aerobic activity. Maybe do circuit training with very light weights and no rest between sets/reps. You should be able to maintain all the strength and size from the first 2 phases, while cutting fat to below where it was when you started.

 

Phase 4: Next goal...

 

2) Diet: Eat smaller portions more frequently. Keep protein levels high (including supplements). Soy is good, but you need to research the issues surrounding phyto-estrogens. Being male and not wanting breasts, I personally don't use soy supplements. And I eat other soy products in moderation. I'm not a nutritionist, so that's all I will say about food. Others here will have a lot more and better info about food.

[medman]

VeganEssentials' signature pretty much says it all: ""A 'hardgainer' is merely someone who hasn't bothered to try enough different training methods to learn what is actually right for their own damned body." - anonymous"

 

Everybody (and every body) is different. Your energy level, your genetics, your personal preferences and your schedule might mean that your ideal workout schedule is someone else's nightmare, and vice versa. There are many different types of programs described by people on this forum, and chances are, you could do well with any of them. Find something that fits into your lifestyle, and you'll be more likely to stick with it.

[strawberryriddick]

What's already been said is great. Intensity and knowing your own body are the key factors. I will also state that it cannot be stressed enough that intensity means everything. I lost fat and gained muscle by working out intensely. Hard cardio and hard lifting...and when I mean "hard," I mean if I didn't puke during my workout, I considered it a bad workout.

[jackbezos]

Hi everybody,

 

I want to build good, solid muscle while also shedding the excess fat.

 

I would really appreciate it if someone could please give me some advice on training (i.e. intensity, duration, frequency) as well as diet in terms of muscle building and metabolism-fueling. I am very serious about getting my body, health and fitness on track, so any help you guys could give me would be great, thanks.

 

Cheers!

 

Hi ! Apart from workouts, what really helped me to increase metabolism & decrease appetite. (Hope it works for you too)

1. Breathe slow, deep & long.

2. Gain the right mindset - Attitude & Motivation.

3. Eat often

Consume the proverbial 'three square meals a day'.

Snack(Healthy) regularly, throughout the day.

Drink lots of water.

Include vegetables.

Include healthy fats.

Broad spectrum of foods.

Know binge triggers.

Fixed Timing of your nutrients.

4. Get enough sleep!