Becoming lean.. big question.

T

tipper15

0
Alright.. I am 6'3 and 162 lbs.. I have lost 30 pounds since september. However, I still see a bit of fat on my body that I wish to get rid of so my abs can really stand out.. I have sort of a four pack at the moment. However, I am afraid to lose anymore weight really.. since I really think I am to light for my height. I have been running (21 miles a week approx), lifting at the gym, and eating a healthy diet for around 3 months (most of the significant weight loss took place then). My question is, if I keep on doing what I'm doing, will I eventually become that lean muscular person or will I just look more skinny then I already am. Do i have to bulk a bit first? I am going to college in a few months and really am dedicated to acheive my goal of getting abs and looking more athletic.

My desired body would be like brad pitt in flight club.


To give you an idea of what I do

Today I
-Ran 3.5 miles at a 7:15 per mile pace
-Ate oatmeal at 7, black beans and a grilled chicken taco at 11 30, honey bunches of oats mixed with a whole wheat cereal at 3 (with skim milk), and whole wheat pasta with grilled chicken, peas, a salad and veggies at 7. I also drink 4 cups of skim milk a day (including the milk i use with cereral) and snack on lowfat granola and almonds throughout the day.
-Worked abs and legs at gym (squats, leg press, crunches, some other leg machines).
 
Hi Tipper,

30 pounds is awesome mate congrats on reaching this goal. The only thing I want to mention though is alot of people of the forums from what I have read are hung up on the actual weight number and not how they look or feel. As you have mentioned you do nto want to lose any more weight because you will become too skinny, but don't see putting on weight as a bad thing. What you really need to concentrate on is your BF%. The only way to get really defined abs and any muscle really is to have a very low BF% combined with decent dized muscles in the first place as no BF with no muscle = a skeleton.

You can do this by following some of the bulking ideas like you have read on the forums and alot of weight lifters love this to get really big but with a bulk you will be eating much more than now and risk adding some fat aswell so you will have to keep this in mind. Your other option is to do a bit less cardio / fat burinig exercises so you dont keep losing weight and increase your weight lifting sets. Do more excercises at heavier weights and really build those muscles up so you have something to show with your new lower BF%.

What is your current weights workout looking like because it seems you do alot of cardio which is great for your first goal of reducing fat but won't help you look like Brad Pitt. Keep in mind aswell that the process of building muscle in itself will cause fat to be burnt in the body which will help you move towards both goals at once.

So in summary, whether you intentionally 'bulk' by eating heaps more AND doing many many more strength excercises or you just increase your weights routine for now whilst maintaining you eating, both are valid options. The answer is to build muscle and lower BF% not to lose weight and become skeletor please don't fall into this generic trap.

And again congrats on your effort.
 
Probably the best way to look like Brad Pitt is to date/dump Jennifer Aniston and then nail Angelina Jolie and start adopting children amilessly from around the world....that and walk in the footsteps of George Clooney. I joke. :D

That's a lot of height and not a whole lotta weight. They say running puts a demand on the body that causes it to lean-out. Perhaps mix it up and dial in some swimming....woman love a swimmers body, it works more muscles, burns fat, leans you out and can make your chest/back looks pretty tight. I dunno, seems the more you run, the more you develop a runners body? Your diet sounds pretty good and you certainly are doing all the right things.

Awww College days. Just promise me you won't get hooked-up into a relationship with the first gal you meet. It's all about playing the field; that way you'll better know & appreciate the gal you'll end-up marrying!
 
It looks like you have a sound diet and exercise regiment.

You may see better results with a bulk and cut, though you're at a good spot right now, so I don't think that it is necessary.

Take a look here if you haven't already, and note Tony's comments on diet and lower abdominals, as well as overtraining the abs.

And in the end, remember that not everyone is genetically disigned to have "Brad Pitt" abs. This may or may not be the case for you, and by no means am I telling you to give up on your goal, but it is good to know and understand, so that if you are not able to attain the definition that you are really seeking (no matter how much you tweak your program or how hard you work out), you can at least be happy with what you've achieved.
 
Thanks for all the replys

I understand that not everyone can get the "brad pitt" abs, and I really am happy with the goals I made. I feel better overall, look a ton better, and have really improved in my sport and overall with my running (in september I could barely do a 8 min mile and no way could I keep that pace for over 1).

I do have a pool that I have access to and will def. try to start swimming along with my other cardio.

I took a electronic bf test today (probably not that accurate but its better than nothing) and scored a 15%, down from a 22% in september. I was pretty pleased with the 15% and hope to mabye get it down to aprox 12% by early june (and keep my weight steady).

Thanks again for the help
 
What's the split in your exercise regimen between cardio and resistance training? Are you eating

- at maintenance level
- below maintenance
- above maintenance
 
I do cardio 7 days a week (mabye take 1 rest day every 2-3 weeks).. for at least 30 minutes. This includes running, rowing machine, eliptical, HIIT. On top of this, I play tennis 3-5 days a week for a hour.

I go to the gym 6 days a week and work upperbody every other day and lower body every other day, doing abs 4-5 times a week also.

I don't really measure how many calories I eat a day, but I try to eat all healthy foods (no fried foods, sweets, cheese, etc) and usually eat 4-5 meals a day. I would say I usually have a calorie deficency though.

Today my meal was

Oatmeal with a 16 oz hot choc (my weakness) at 7
turkey with tabasco on whole wheat at 11 30
grilled chicken cutlet on whole wheat at 4
whole wheat pasta with chicken, peas, and veggies at 7
fruit and salad at 9

3 cups of skim milk throughout day
 
whoa thats alot of cardio maybe your actually not eating enough so your not getting the results you want in your abs my mantenance intake is around 3400cals and i do cardio 7 days a week but have tennis on top of that
 
if you're 6'3 and 162 lbs and you're cutting I think you'll end up looking to skinny.
I'd say bulk for a few months get some more muscle on you, then cut off the fat.
 
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