Can i tone this?

B

bukendaa

New member
Hey

Its austin here i need some help do i have the skiny+fat look if so then how do i get rid of it? cardio? i have been doing some weight training lately does anyone know if my body can be toned? I know i have a very strange curve in my spine its genitic and years of a big gut straining on it didnt help.But is there anyway i can make my body look better or am i just born funny?
 
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Cardio exclusively is what leads to skinny fat in the first place. Focus on weight training, 2-3 times a week, lift heavier with lower reps instead of lighter with higher reps. You can keep doing cardio if you want, though it doesn't really look like you need to lose that much more weight. Check out the stickied post in the exercise forum.
 
i have been doing some reserch on weight training and to do 3 times per week and i been eating tuna,almonds,beef patys sardines and just all the healthy whole foods to help put on some muscle.But do you know how many months is takes to start to see good results?
 
I have been doing some research and i see you do a bit of weight training to tone up when did you start to see good results? do i cut out the carbs and amp up the protein and healthy fats.
 
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Beginners can put on around two pounds of muscle a month. That's assuming a few things though, such as

1. Your technique and routine are sound, ie you train your whole body and not just isolated parts, and you do it in a way that's not going to injure yourself. You also need to have a progressively heavier load. (the stickied posts in the exercise forum can help you here)
2. Your nutrition is in check. If what you're trying to do is actually gain muscle, then you need eat more, a few hundred calories above maintenance is usually good (note that this is the exact opposite of dieting where you eat below maintenance). Also, make sure you are getting 1g of protein per pound of lean body mass. (the stickied posts in the nutrition and exercise forum can help you with this one too)

Since you are new to weight training, you'll be able to see results very fast, you should notice a difference after a month and significant changes after a few months. By the way there's no need to cut carbs out, 40%protein then 30% carbs/fat is what people usually recommend, but as long as you're getting the 1g of protein per pound of lean body mass you should be ok, you also have some wiggle room since you need more calories now.
 
Okay Sweet man i have been eating a few almonds and taking whey protein suplement and i have noticed my arms have grown a tinsey winsey bit. One other thing last thing i have to ask will weights help burn fat like on my pecs there is still some residuel fat like left overs and a tiny bit of loose skin will weight training help loose fat and tight this up because since your eating more cals then you burn wouldent that turn to fat? And with the abbs how am i going to cut my body fat % by eating more will they just work themselves out i still dont get the whole scene of it. I sort of have a plan going

Monday. hour of weights bench,sqauts,flys

tuesday. Abbs and thighs

Wendsday. hour of weights,bench,squats,flys

thursday. abbs thighs

friday. hour of weights bench,sqauts,flys

sat. Just a break.

and on the sunday have a cardio day

Will this plan work since i am giving a days rest for each muscle group?
 
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I'm not sure what abs & thighs are... are you doing the yeses & nos? :D

Should work although squats should be working the thighs, so that may be a little much. Listen to your body.

Also, if you're not eating enough calories you may not gain. You may have to deliberately eat so much you gain weight - one plan I've heard of involves a gallon of milk a day! :eek: Not suggesting it, just noting that if you see no weight gain you might need to eat more.

I won't lie - you could end up gaining some fat with this. What bodybuilders often do is have a bulk cycle followed by a cut cycle. So you'd do weight training, gain muscle and some fat, and then when you'd gained 'enough' muscle, you go on a diet to get rid of more of the fat, while still lifting weights so you can make sure you keep the muscle. You can normally only have to do about a third as much work to keep muscle as you do to build it though.
 
Well since i am 14 and a growing teenage boy would i have to eat even more cal than what you do to gain muscle?

And with gaining a bit of fat does that mean like obese? or fat looking? or just a bit of fat here and there.
 
At 14 you definitely should not be looking to cut calories. Adding in more exercise and some weight lifting and making sure to eat HEALTHILY should be plenty to do to get fit and in shape.

At 14 unless you are truly obese, you shouldn't be dieting or cutting calories.
 
yeah, if you're 14, just eat well, lift weights and you'll mostly just grow out of the small extra bit of fat you have. at 14, if you're active, you can eat like a horse and not gain. key word is active.

but basically, as far as skinny fat.. you're at a decent weight then i'd assume, so eat more, loft weights and put on mass first, then worry about cutting fat. I've heard about people being successful going generally 6 months on building, then 6 months on fat loss to 'clean up' any extra fat they may have gained.
 
Short answer - unless you're eating an insane amount - like 5 times maintenance - you won't become obese or even overweight. You may just put on a bit of fat here and there. Since you're 14, you may not even do that and you may just grow.

Something else to consider - you have a once in a life time opportunity now. Muscle that's laid down in puberty tends to be difficult to lose later in life. So if you put on muscle now while you're still young, for the rest of your life you'll have an easier time of keeping muscle even if you're dieting. There are a lot of people today who wish they'd put on muscle at your age. And worst case you might have to settle for not having as well defined a 6 pack as you want for a couple months.

To know if you're eating 'enough' you basically watch trends. Keep track of how much you're eating, and if you don't gain any weight you want to eat more. I'm not sure how much to shoot for though. If you're gaining 5 lbs a week you're probably eating way too much. If you're only gaining .5 lbs a week you're probably not eating enough.

But again - don't miss this opportunity to get yourself set for life! :D Enjoy eating and knowing it's going to help you out later on!
 
Thanks guys great advice really apreciated.At my age though how many cals should i be taking in daily asuming i do reguler exersize? I am 5 foot 9 and im 155 lbs.

And how much time should i spend lefting weights like whats a good time to be in the gym 1 hour or 2?

Ps do protein bars work i saw some in the supermarket today and it said 23 grams of protein.I dont really know how i am going to keep track of grams of protein so at my weight i have to eat 155 grams of protein a day were could i find that kind of nourisment?
 
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Well, I'm not an expert here, but you might want to start with around 2500 to 3000 calories and see how much you gain. If you don't gain, up calories by another 500.

I believe an 8oz chicken breast is around 25g of protein... The best way to figure it out is to look at packages and see what they say. Protein bars aren't bad, although they're not necessary. You can also get protein powder to make shakes. Greek yogurt is also high in protein. Cottage cheese is another good source.

On the lifting, my non-expert opinion would be 3 days a week, 1-2 hours for strength training. However, for better advice I'm going to recommend you go to Lyle Mcdonald's forums (There should be a link from ). It may take a day or two before they approve your request to register but they have a really good understanding of exactly what you should be doing.

Edit: Direct link to forums:
 
Thanks gang im all set to go i have all the info i need just one thing.How many cals do i need daily to bulk up im going to start on 2600 is this enough or should go up?
 
for teens, I actually don't know. I'm sure there's charts out there. Generally for that kind of thing, I just call my doc and one of the nurses will generally have that info pretty handy, at least mine seem to.

Or try what you think it should be and listen to your body. If you' regaining, then good, if you're gaining but really starting to pork up, cut back a little. of you're losing, well, eat more.
 
2600 sounds like a pretty reasonable starting rate. Just monitor your weight/how your muscles look regularly. If you don't put on weight, increase calories. Every body is different, but if you know you're eating 2600 calories and it's not enough the solution is simple - eat more! :)
 
One hour a day is enough

Start off lifting Mon, Wed, and Friday. Think major muscle groups. Also, as a young man you are going to be thinking "beach" muscles like biceps. The key muscle groups are legs, back and chest. The secondary ones are shoulders - traps, delts and the rotator cuff support muscles, arms - biceps and triceps and abs.

Do 3-4 sets of 8-10 reps to get the muscle growth (hypertrophy) you're seeking. Try "pyrmiding" increasing the weight with each set to find a comfortable range and make your last set your heaviest. Try and find a weight where you can barely do the last couple of reps in your last set WHILE keeping near perfect form.

Try Mon - 3 back exercises, 3 tricep exercise and abs,
Wed - 3 leg exercises (include squats and deadlifts) and 3 shoulder exercises
Fri - 3 chest exercises (include bench press) 3 bicep exercises and abs

Tues, Thurs and Sat do intense cardio plus plyometrics and Sunday rest.

Eat well with no junk, drink lots of water and get some sleep. 8-10 hours a day is good. Also, throw your game console in the trash ;)
 
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