Trying to get in shape for the summer. Realistic goals?

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geoff877

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I'm 23, weigh 170 right now around 5'9 ish. My bmi says i have 20.4 % body fat. I have full access to the gym at school and was looking to get in prime shape for this summer. I have pretty much been doing only upper body workouts for the longest time so I decided to try and go for an all around workout plan. I've never worked out legs before and just started doing regular cardio.
What types of workouts should I be doing if I want to lose as much body fat as possible, but keep as much muscle or even gain some. Is it possible to get ripped by May? Exactly how good would I have to eat.
 
You can definitely get along ways by May. As you get closer to the summer you are going to have to start eating better. It will be the hardest to lose the last couple of %'s or body fat and that will require the most focus on your diet. I would focus your workouts on gaining muscle mass first as that will also help you get leaner as you get closer to summer.

As far as your workouts, it's good that you are working on your entire body not just upper. There are tons of benefits to working total body. You actually increase your upper body size faster by incorporating lower body exercises, more calories are burned during exercise, etc...

Doing some cardio will definitely help with the fat loss. Just don't overdo it. 30 minutes a couple times a week will burn fat but not break down the muscle that you are trying to build lifting.
 
its like this brother, check out my pictures. I have no body fat, i am cut up good, 48 years old. I know what i am doing. You want to be ripped? Forget worrying about losing muscle. You want to get ripped, you have to eat completely right for 4 weeks, just fruit, vegs, beans, nuts, i little fish ...NOTHING PROCESSED, NO BREAD NO RICE NO SUGAR... continue your workouts. In one month you will have absolutely no body fat...at that point then you can eat **** once in a while and you can then focus on muscle mass. My goal is to have my legs just as ripped as my upper body by summer. I do legs, if nothing more than a few sets, every day.
 
drewclose said:
its like this brother, check out my pictures. I have no body fat, i am cut up good, 48 years old. I know what i am doing. You want to be ripped? Forget worrying about losing muscle. You want to get ripped, you have to eat completely right for 4 weeks, just fruit, vegs, beans, nuts, i little fish ...NOTHING PROCESSED, NO BREAD NO RICE NO SUGAR... continue your workouts. In one month you will have absolutely no body fat...at that point then you can eat **** once in a while and you can then focus on muscle mass. My goal is to have my legs just as ripped as my upper body by summer. I do legs, if nothing more than a few sets, every day.
Click to expand...

You do realize that if you have absolutely no body fat, that you are more than likley in a coffin, correct? The body can not function without a certain level of fat. You are 48, you should be smarter than this, and until you are smarter you shouldn't be trying to educate others, especially newbies.
 
I would do interval training and cardio. While doing the interval training, try to use as much muscles as possible, something like squads with weights. I found jumping over the rope very useful. Do this 2-3 times a week and another 2-3 days I would do cardio or pilates... This really worked for me. I kept and grew my muscles but lost fat.
 
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geoff877,

I'm a big fan of the Slow Carb Diet created by Tim Ferris. It provides plenty of protein for muscle growth, while also allowing you to eat plenty of food to stay satisfied and avoid cravings. It has been very effective for me too - I had a net drop of 14 lbs in the first 28 days on the diet. It is also extremely simple to follow. Did I mention I'm a fan? ;)

Good luck in achieving your goals! Stick with it and I'm sure you will!
Jeremy
 
Thanks guys! I favorited your website scott? I believe. Started doing some of the leg excercises from there. So far I made it to the gym mon-fri this week and going to get on the dieting as soon as can afford some good groceries. I'm motivated seeing the success some of you guys have had.
Thanks again
 
The best way to lose fat quickly is to just being more active and eat right.

Exercise is all fine and dandy but if you don't eat properly/smart then you won't lose weight in a reasonable manner. Exercise simply lets you gain muscle mass/strengthen your body. In the grand scheme of things, exercise doesn't actually help you lose fat unless you exercise A LOT, and that will likely lead to overtraining/losing muscle mass.

So, the first thing you want to do in order to get in shape in four months would be to set up a proper diet plan.

Do not starve yourself. Maintain about 200 calorie deficit in your eating and be sure to eat plenty of protein instead of carbs. However, do not ignore carbs. They're good at providing energy, and frankly ignoring carbs is annoying because carb-products are tasty and meat without some form of carb is annoying imo.

Be sure to avoid excessive amount of fruits. Fruits are great, but if you actually look at nutritional contents then you will notice that fruits are packed with calories/sugar. A couple of fruits in addition to your normal meals and they'll add up quickly. Be careful.

In terms of exercise, you can do whatever you want as long as you work out all parts of your body and do a proper amount of cardio. Simply weight training won't be enough.

Do not do isolation exercises. They're not that useful. Do compound exercises that exercise multiple muscles. You can use weights if you want to look real big. Otherwise body-weight exercises such as push-ups, pull-ups, planks are the best, cause they get you into great shape while maintaining normal body-shape. Weighted squats are the best if you want leg-exercises.

HiiT mixed with short/fast steady state(2-3 miles as fast you can) would be best for cardio I think. They're fun and short enough to keep you occupied while strengthening your heart and body.

But, ultimately, the most important thing is to eat properly.

Oh, and be sure to take rest periods.
 
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