Group: Experienced Exercise

Created: 2012/01/01, Members: 50, Messages: 19484

For intermediate and advanced individuals. Share and learn how to take your fitness to the next level!

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How do i Get it Ripped?

lukelim
lukelim
Posts: 3
Joined: 2002/12/17
Singapore
2003/01/03, 04:22 AM
Dear All,

I m a newcomer to this website. I have been training for close to 1 year and a half but the results has been slow so far. SOme intro. I m 23 years old body fat =23%. 151 pounds. I used to be really thin around 135 pounds. The workouts has pile on the mass for me so far. But for the past 6 mths i think i am kinda hitting a pleateau.I understand the body fat is really a issue here.Hw do i get better definition?from the way i look at it I totally lacking in definition. How much cardio is apporiate?I been running for two days a week for 15mins.should i cut down my carbs intake?reduce the mealS?do i skip dinners?would it cause muscle loss?I wana maintain the mass. IS that achievable? THanks guys for any tips and comments..
Carivan
Carivan
Posts: 8,542
Joined: 2002/01/20
Canada
2003/01/03, 02:47 PM
Listen to Ravenwolf up the protien, and don't eat anything canned or processed out of a box (sodium retains water). Cut the white products (sugar, bread, potatoes, pasta)there are much better foods that will let you lean out.

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The trouble with jogging is that, by the time you realize you are not in shape for it, it is too far to walk back! Franklin P. Jones

Ivan Montreal Canada
SRZrasoul
SRZrasoul
Posts: 153
Joined: 2002/07/03
Canada
2003/01/03, 07:00 PM
2 days a week for 15 mins of cardio is not enough my friend. I saw a doctor on tv giving some info on some show...he suggested when you do do cardio, if cardio on its own, you should do 40-45 mins.
you can see even greater results with definition when combining cardio with weight lifting. Something that has really worked for me on shedding fat is running 15 mins before AND after your weight training workout on a treadmill at 4 mph. give it a try.
make sure you dont drink anymore water than you sweat. because then you would be hydrating the dehydrated fat cells. so if you think u have sweat a glass of water in the gym, when ur done, you should not drink more than 1 glass of water for that day. hope thats making sense to you. good luck
drjuice28
drjuice28
Posts: 7
Joined: 2002/10/21
United States
2003/01/03, 07:47 PM
Hydrating fat cells? Sorry, it has nothing to do with their size. Make sure you're drinking a ton of water! It will actually help to burn off calories as your body heats it up internally (32 Cals/glass). If you sweat more than you drink, you're not going to function well. Your workouts (especially cardio) will suffer!

DRJUICE
bb1fit
bb1fit
Posts: 11,105
Joined: 2001/06/30
United States
2003/01/03, 08:46 PM
As drjuice says, drink your water. And for sure, do not skip dinner. All meals are needed, just in the right proportions. Make resistance training a priority, and cardio secondary. Cardio should be done in your case probably a minimum of 4-5 days per week. But concentrate on resistance training first. This is what will give you the definition you desire. Cardio itself will burn calories,but will give you no muscle definition. You will just be a smaller version of what you are now.

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The only place success comes before work is in the dictionary!
lukelim
lukelim
Posts: 3
Joined: 2002/12/17
Singapore
2003/01/05, 08:18 PM
HEy thank you guys for all ur tips and advice. I m starting on a new supplement now. Muscle Tech Hydroxycut .I guess u guys should not be alien to that. I been to several websites and hearing lots abt this product. Wonders if it works and anything to do to maxmise the use of this product? Can protein shake supplement be taken with this product? I was taking Designer Whey protein prior to this. Yeah i heard that cardio helps but i also heard from some Trainer in the gym that basically 15mins of cardio is it as more than that would tap into ur muscle and cause muscle lost.How true is this? If as bb1fit said , to take all meals wouldnt that up my carbs intake too? And if i couldnt burn these off wouldnt they turn to fats? If one trains at nite. Does he take his dinner prior or after workout? thank you all for the advice and comments.
mackfactor
mackfactor
Posts: 766
Joined: 2002/10/17
United States
2003/01/08, 03:38 PM
"make sure you dont drink anymore water than you sweat. because then you would be hydrating the dehydrated fat cells. so if you think u have sweat a glass of water in the gym, when ur done, you should not drink more than 1 glass of water for that day. hope thats making sense to you. good luck"
SRZrasoul, I'm disappointed in you!! Water is your best friend in any weight loss endeavor. Killing fat is not about dehydrating it. Fat is the bodies secondary energy source, carbs being primary. Carbs are converted directly to glucose. Once the body is low on glucose, it is forced to metabolize its fat stores in order to fuel itself - it's energy, not water. You can never (well, not never) have too much water. The very vast majority of people (myself included) don't take in as much as they could or should. I drink between .5 and .75 gallons a day and I could and should go higher.
lukelim, as far as your cal requirements, I generally hesitate to give figures, but this will give you a close starter point. Here's what I'd do in your body in order to cut fat:
Total daily kcals: ~1850 ( perhaps a tad low, many say not to dip below 2000, but I do occaisionally )
Protein : ~200g
Carbs : ~125g
Fat : ~60g

That's about what I'd do. You could bump the carbs to 150g and take a little out of the others if you'd like, too. Basically, this means eating a lot of meat and not a lot of grains. Stick to the types of food that the others mentioned and make sure your fats are of the unsaturated variety. Again, the numbers I gave aren't set in stone, but more of a guiding point.

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"Don't follow leaders and watch your parking meters!"
-- Bob Dylan
lukelim
lukelim
Posts: 3
Joined: 2002/12/17
Singapore
2003/01/09, 09:15 PM
Yo thanks a lot MAckfactor. Lotsa in sight. I agree to having water as replenishment. Once u take too little water I feel weak generally. Are morning workouts more effective then evenings workouts? its a bit hard for me to keep tabs abt the calories. I live in Singapore and due to work commiments and such it certainly is hard to get the food I want. But i guess u have to scriface one thing or other to get ur goals. I really admire those with great determination and to go to the extent of caluculating their daily carbs fats and proteins intake. u got my respect man...
Bnoble
Bnoble
Posts: 30
Joined: 2002/07/26
United States
2003/01/17, 04:54 PM
Lukelim,

I can totally relate to your dilema, I have been working out about as long as you. And although I have had some god gains. These last few months have been slow.

I have decided to cut, and see what I've got. I run a little heavier than you do, 165, but started at 150. I'd like to thing atleast 10lbs of it is muscle. We'll find out.

My plan is to basicly switch to high rep count low weight, and negatives on weight. I really like that suggestion about the run 15 min prior to and 15 min after work-out above. There are two reasons:#1 I rarely ever warm up enough before I lift. #2 I get bored on a treadmile quickly, I will use extended periods on a treadmill to drive myself insane.

If there is a glaring weakspot in my program, it is diet. To be frank, I enjoy eating whatever I want, and am not willing to make that sacrifice. I will take measures to eat more etc, and do make efforts to stay balanced. But the powders and Cr*ppy tasting expensive protein bars are out. I also don't care for the whole regiment thing.

I eat reasonably, but when I want a bowl of Cap'n'crunch....I'm gonna have a bowl of cap'n crunch...ya know what I mean....lol

Anyhow, Good luck to you all, and I will be posting on my progress in the next couple weeks to let you know if it worked or not.
Shaolin
Shaolin
Posts: 48
Joined: 2003/01/15
Canada
2003/01/17, 06:13 PM
i have a hard time with my diet as well. Im starting a new program coming this monday, and i decided im gunna work as hard as i can on my diet for the next 2 month to get the cut look. then bulk for a month (EDT arms specialization) and cut again for the summer. this should give me the look i want to achieve.

As for those powders and crappy tasting protein bars hehehe, u really dont need them. id recommend them if u have no other way of getting the nutrients u need, but other then that u should try to get everything from real food.

bnoble, if u get bored from running on the treadmill just do some HIIT for 20min about 3 times a week, preferably on ur non lifting days to avoid muscle loss. im sure u can find an article on HIIT on this site. HIIT will give u an afterburn and u will end up burning more calories.
Heres a link u can check out. http://www.rhinotrainingzone.com/article_3.htm
I only recommend that if u got enough time on ur hands to do it. im going to start it this summer and do it on a track thats like 2min away from my house.
Heres another article u can check out
http://www.musclemedia.com/training/hiit.asp
Hope it helps u out.

p.s. I dont believe in that more reps, less weight crap. that doesnt get u cut! just lift heavy!
Big-E
Big-E
Posts: 248
Joined: 2002/08/07
United States
2003/01/19, 01:37 PM
I just wanted to put in my vote as well. I just hit 6 months of working out (Muscle mass program), each week I either do more reps (no more than 12, no less than 6), or up the weight. I can tell I have built muscle but I am FAR FAR FAR from what I want. I am 5'10.5" and 198 lbs now.. I started at 186. I eat about 100g of protein a day.. I just don't see how I can stuff more in (without the calories).. the diet is really hard to keep up. I keep my calories at or under 2000.. but I think I am going to start going lower because I need to get back to 186 w/ the muscle gain that I should have.

Thinking about it.. cardio (none) and diet are the obstacles to my success. I figure without those things I will get there but I guess its going to take much longer. Its funny how I can lift so much more weight now, but my body doesn't really 'show' that much better. :)
kevinf08
kevinf08
Posts: 1
Joined: 2007/12/27
Ireland
2007/12/27, 04:52 PM
Message deleted by moderator due to unsuitable content for this board.
7707mutt
7707mutt
Posts: 7,686
Joined: 2002/06/18
United States
2007/12/27, 08:16 PM
What is the meaning of this post? Please make some attempt to think before posting

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FOR MY WIFE:
Her little ring was a little thing
but it was all that i could afford
now shes mine all mine
till the day i die
and i never wanted nothing more


7707mutt@freetrainers.com
returnofplex
returnofplex
Posts: 801
Joined: 2007/10/26
United States
2007/12/28, 05:34 PM


============
Quoting from bnoble:

Lukelim,

I can totally relate to your dilema, I have been working out about as long as you. And although I have had some god gains. These last few months have been slow.

I have decided to cut, and see what I've got. I run a little heavier than you do, 165, but started at 150. I'd like to thing atleast 10lbs of it is muscle. We'll find out.

My plan is to basicly switch to high rep count low weight, and negatives on weight. I really like that suggestion about the run 15 min prior to and 15 min after work-out above. There are two reasons:#1 I rarely ever warm up enough before I lift. #2 I get bored on a treadmile quickly, I will use extended periods on a treadmill to drive myself insane.

If there is a glaring weakspot in my program, it is diet. To be frank, I enjoy eating whatever I want, and am not willing to make that sacrifice. I will take measures to eat more etc, and do make efforts to stay balanced. But the powders and Cr*ppy tasting expensive protein bars are out. I also don't care for the whole regiment thing.

I eat reasonably, but when I want a bowl of Cap'n'crunch....I'm gonna have a bowl of cap'n crunch...ya know what I mean....lol

Anyhow, Good luck to you all, and I will be posting on my progress in the next couple weeks to let you know if it worked or not.

=============

Your diet is the most important factor of all in fitness. I'm all for moderating and enjoying the things you like, but if you want to drop weight, it's as simple as calories in vs calories out. BTW, whey protein powder is a great way to get the added protein you need for muscle gain, without taking in a bunch of extra calories, or busting a gut trying to eat pound after pound of chicken breast.
Oh, and I like your idea of splitting your cardio to before and after working out, it's a great way to keep some energy for the actual workout, and not be pooped.
SFGiantsMVP
SFGiantsMVP
Posts: 1,533
Joined: 2005/12/04
United States
2007/12/28, 09:06 PM
Dude use your head and don't quote and reply to a post made about 5 YEARS AGO!

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Knock-Um Down & Keep-Um Down!
ccspicy
ccspicy
Posts: 51
Joined: 2007/12/21
United States
2008/01/02, 03:14 PM
I recently started taking Hydroxycut and it really made me feel super sweaty and almost jittery when I was working out. I did notice that it gave me a lot more energy for my workout, typically I am done at about 35 minutes, but when I take that before hand I can easily do about an hour and 10 minutes. I haven't seen a weight loss really yet, but I figure it will help me to stay consistent with my workouts.


============
Quoting from lukelim:

HEy thank you guys for all ur tips and advice. I m starting on a new supplement now. Muscle Tech Hydroxycut .I guess u guys should not be alien to that. I been to several websites and hearing lots abt this product. Wonders if it works and anything to do to maxmise the use of this product? Can protein shake supplement be taken with this product? I was taking Designer Whey protein prior to this. Yeah i heard that cardio helps but i also heard from some Trainer in the gym that basically 15mins of cardio is it as more than that would tap into ur muscle and cause muscle lost.How true is this? If as bb1fit said , to take all meals wouldnt that up my carbs intake too? And if i couldnt burn these off wouldnt they turn to fats? If one trains at nite. Does he take his dinner prior or after workout? thank you all for the advice and comments.

=============