Help! Advice needed!

L

leem182

0
Hi guys,

I'm looking to develop my torso in general (Abs, chest, biceps, triceps). Can you give me any tips on what I need to do? (Aside from the obvious tan and wax!) I weigh aorund 186lbs and I'm 6" 3'.

I've been jogging around 2 miles 4 times a week for the past 2 weeks - and will continue this gradually "upping" the distance. I've been eating mainly weetabix for breakfast, a pasta mix (various) for lunch and then steak (fried with very little oil) or chicken (baked) with rice or baked potato for dinner. I also haven't been snacking, this is a big one for me as I love chocolate!

As you can see from the pictures my chest is quite flat and belly is "bloated" - why is this? When I tense my abs they are very hard so I obviously have the muscle there but I can't seem to get rid of that bloated / stick out belly! I do around 70 crunches and 40 sit ups before my jog.

Typical Day:

Breakfast 7:30am - Weetabix with Semi-skimmed milk (170cal)

Lunch 12:00 - 350g pasta (274 cal)

Home from work around 4:30pm

Jog 1 - 2 miles 4:45pm - 5:15pm

Dinner: Baked chicken breast / fried steak with baked potato / rice (approx.500 cals)

Bed around 11pm.

I've attached pics of my current state. Any advice on excercise and diet would be much appreciated! Thanks, Michael
 

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ooh.

Im going to just say the word "fried", shouldn't be in there anywhere.
Unless your talking about the fat on you being "fried" away.
 
leem182 said:
Hi guys,

I'm looking to develop my torso in general (Abs, chest, biceps, triceps). Can you give me any tips on what I need to do? (Aside from the obvious tan and wax!) I weigh aorund 186lbs and I'm 6" 3'.

I've been jogging around 2 miles 4 times a week for the past 2 weeks - and will continue this gradually "upping" the distance. I've been eating mainly weetabix for breakfast, a pasta mix (various) for lunch and then steak (fried with very little oil) or chicken (baked) with rice or baked potato for dinner. I also haven't been snacking, this is a big one for me as I love chocolate!

As you can see from the pictures my chest is quite flat and belly is "bloated" - why is this? When I tense my abs they are very hard so I obviously have the muscle there but I can't seem to get rid of that bloated / stick out belly! I do around 70 crunches and 40 sit ups before my jog.

Typical Day:

Breakfast 7:30am - Weetabix with Semi-skimmed milk (170cal)

Lunch 12:00 - 350g pasta (274 cal)

Home from work around 4:30pm

Jog 1 - 2 miles 4:45pm - 5:15pm

Dinner: Baked chicken breast / fried steak with baked potato / rice (approx.500 cals)

Bed around 11pm.

I've attached pics of my current state. Any advice on excercise and diet would be much appreciated! Thanks, Michael
Click to expand...

My advice would be to continue doing cardio 4-5 times a week. Running is great or you can mix it up and 30-45 minutes is plenty. Are you also lifting weights??

And yeah- like Wilhelm said- "fried" foods shouldn't be in your diet. Focus on 5-6 small meals a day consisting of a protein, good carb and unsat fat) snacks should include nuts, fruits and vegtables. Switch to brown rice.

There is no use in doing so many situps and crunches because you still have a layer of fat covering those muscles so slow down- they're not going to show yet.

You said it's only been two weeks? You may need to give it a month before you'll see results. Are you drinking alcohol or eating sugar that you are not telling us about? lol
 
My observations:

1. 2 weeks is too short to notice any changes. 2 months is more like it.

2. Cardio won't build up your chest and arms. Weight lifting will. See the weight lifting stickies. Pullups, bench press, squats, pushups, are a good start.

3. You can't see your abs because there is too much fat. Although you are relatively light for your height, you still have too much fat. Incorporate core training but don't expect your abs to jump out unless / until you remove the fat over your entire body, which tends to congregate in the midsection of men.

My recommendations:

Continue the cardio. It will burn fat and make you healther.
Incorporate a weight training program using compound movements, including core (ab) exercises.
Watch what you eat.
Be patient.
 
Thanks

Thanks for the advice.

I've been eating very little junk food / chocolate since I started the diet I'm on and I don't drink any alcohol - never have. I don't expect to see results straight away, just thought I'd get advice to make sure I'm doing it right. Got a couple more questions though:

1. Should I completely cut out butter / olive oil?
2. How much fat should I be looking to eat each day? I'm trying to keep my calorie intake down to about 1600, my BMR is 2,070.
 
leem182 said:
Thanks for the advice.

I've been eating very little junk food / chocolate since I started the diet I'm on and I don't drink any alcohol - never have. I don't expect to see results straight away, just thought I'd get advice to make sure I'm doing it right. Got a couple more questions though:

1. Should I completely cut out butter / olive oil?
2. How much fat should I be looking to eat each day? I'm trying to keep my calorie intake down to about 1600, my BMR is 2,070.
Click to expand...

No you don't want to cut them out completely. One gram of fat yields 9 calories compared to protein and carbs which yield 4. Your diet should include 10-30% of calories from fat (for fat loss or even for overall health). Try to stay clear or very "reduced amounts" of SATURATED fats or HYDROGENATED. Try to stick with unsaturated, monounsaturated or polyunsaturated (they are the good fats).
 
leem182 said:
Ok, thanks. I've been having around 5-6g of Sat fats daily, is this ok?
Click to expand...

Yes, you're fine. Your body needs SOME saturated fats. Just keep it in small amounts.
 
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