My story thus far - aiming to achieve a great body.

[Tennisfan]

Dear all,

This is my first post on Fitness forum! It's great to be here and share our stories and support one another.

Let me tell you about myself. I am a 19 year old medical student who one year ago weighed 209 pounds (95kg). I've always been gifted academically, but not so much physically. I then said to myself, "As a future doctor, I want to be the epitome of great shape so I can help others make similar changes and experience great health for themselves." I proceeded to join the gym, join cardio classes and all those sorts of things and I now find myself at 165 pounds, or 75kg. My height is around 5'11" (180cm), and my BMI is now approximately 23. Not bad in coming down from 28 and being grossly overweight.

About my cardio sessions. My cardio sessions with a local trainer at the local sports club has made a helluva big difference to my life. She is 50 years old but you wouldn't know if from how fit and fast she is. It is amazing but she does the workouts with us, and she motivates us to achieve our personal bests. I will go into a bit of detail about my workout routine because I know how frustrating it would be to give me advice if I didn't give you the nitty gritty details about what I actually do.

Mondays consist of mainly leg exercises - squats, lunges, but also some weights. I use 6kg weights and do reps of around 24, holding the weight and then pulsing for 10. We do bicep curls, triceps, and all those things. In between sets we run across the length of the room for 3 sets, then get down for either 10 push ups or walking dips to back where we started. And we do three sets of these.

Tuesdays is boxing - generally, just very intense cardio. Often it'll be sets of 3 of "Box for 4, then down for a pushup - and repeat this 10 times". Fridays are a lot harder, except we usually use the boxing bags downstairs. In between sets she makes us run interweaving through the boxing bags. For example, she nearly killed all of us yesterday when she made us do these sets (after she had made us do 30 minutes of boxing already lol), continuously without pausing:

a) Push up at every boxing bag (there are 10), then run to the next for another push up, then when you finish, punch with the instructor who is holding the punching mits. x 3 (since we always do 3 sets of everything).
b) Dip at each boxing bag, then uppercut for 10 with the mits. x3
c) 2 deep squats at each boxing bag, then hook for 10. x 3
d) Squat then hop at each boxing bag, then punch up high for 10. x 3
e) Lunge at each boxing bag, then punch up high for 10. x 3
f) Squat burpies i.e. squat down low, place your hands in front of you then burst into push up position, then hop back so you are standing up. Repeat at every bag, then go towards the mits. x3
g) Push up at every boxing bag again, then finish off with some power punching with the instructor. x 3

Additionally she made us do 3 minute sets of normal punching, hooks, and up highs for a total of 9 minutes. Then made us do ten push ups, ten tricep dips and made us hold the dips for 20 seconds.

Wednesdays compete with Fridays for being the hardest workout. I forgot to tell you but at the beginning of each session we usually do a warm up. Running up and down the room, being ready for push ups and shuffle (which involves placing your hands on the floor and lifting your knee up to your chest in quick succession). Usually we run up the room, drop down for 10 push ups, run back for 10 dips or shuffle. Then run back up for 9 push ups, run back for shuffle. All the way down to 1 of each. This really gets our heart rate going and prepares us for the session.

An example of a Wednesday class... would be lunging across the room with a 10kg weight withut stopping, for 3 sets (so, six laps of the room for 60 lunges in total), then quickly following the instructor down the stairs for 4 laps up and down, then coming back up and repeating this three times. Wednesdays are also when she kills us with her ab routine. We do it always with the 10 kg weight: we'll do 50 sit ups, 50 leg raises (lifting our lower spine up into the air?), 50 reps of lowering our legs parallel to the floor then coming back up, and then 50 reps of placing the 10kg weight on our shins and in a controlled fashion, going up and down. Then she'll ask us to sprint across the room for 4 (so 8 laps), then come back to repeat the ab routine (3 sets).

After a quick 1 minute break of water and toweling off, she'll usually bring out the bench. Using the same leg she'll ask us to plant our whole foot up, followed by our following foot, then go back down. 10 on each leg. Followed by 10 incline push ups against the bench. 10 dips using the bench. And 10 decline (these kill me lol) push ups with our feet on the bench. Multiply this by three to give three sets. Drink and water.

Then towards the end of the lesson she'll bring out the resistance bands. She prefers these to free weights because you're less likely to injure yourself on them. Anyway, we do bicep curls for 30, hold for 10 then pulse for ten. Then tricep extensions for 30, hold for ten then pulse for ten. And after that we do lats or oblique twisting. After this we'll usually end up on the floor to work our adductors by doing side leg raises.

All our sessions have a cool down session for 5-10 minutes where we just stretch.

This has all resulted in me not only losing fat but also gaining a lot of muscle. In addition to these four workouts, I do a lot of running (3 times a week, 10km each time), and I go to the gym at least three-four times a week. A typical session for me at the gym would be:

Go for a 5-10 minute run on the treadmill. Then go over to the weights. I use 15kg hand weights. I do 3 sets of 10 bicep curls on each arm, followed by 3 sets of 10 shoulder press. Do upright rows - 3 sets of ten to work out my delts and posterior arm. After, 3 sets of 7 on the lateral pulldown machine (50kg), 3 sets of 5 on the bench press (90kg), and then 3 sets of 5 on the assisted chin up machine. This all usually takes me around an hour to do.

I feel great. I really do. This year I was able to run the City2Surf. Had I not been more focused and committed to my physical fitness I would not have been able to run the whole 14km and get a respectable time. I feel a lot more confident in myself, I have more energy... and I also don't feel so guilty for eating unhealthily from time to time (well, we all do right?). I admit sometimes I don't have the best diet but coming to this forum has really helped me reassess my goals and to have more discipline when it comes to eating!

(By the way, I don't take any protein supplements or weight loss drugs - should I?)

Now to my question. My aim is to have a really good body. I have a pretty good one for someone who only started intensely training late last year, but I still have some fat around my core (still a bit of love handles showing). I am beginning to see my abs, but losing some fat around my core wouldn't hurt. I am 75kg, or 165 pounds as I've said before. How can I lose this bit of fat and get a really toned midsection without necessarily losing weight? I think I'm OK with my weight - it's good enough now, but I would dearly love to lose some of this fat e.g. on the lateral sides of my pecs there's still some that prevent me from getting a really defined chest.

Additionally, I am noticing some stretch marks that have probably come with my weight loss and muscle gain. Can you offer any advice as to how to prevent them? Currently I use Palmer's Cocoa Butter, and it's helped blend these scars that will essentially never go away. I'm not too hung up on them because I feel like these scars are a part of me, a part of who I am. But if I could decrease their appearance that would be lovely.

Can someone offer some advice? I would dearly love anyone who could share similar stories. Your help is much appreciated, either about my training routine, nutrition or anything else.

Regards,
Tennisfan from Sydney, Australia

 

[Goldfish]

Basically, there's two ways to decrease bodyfat. One is to lose weight in the form of fat. The other is body recomposition, ie decreasing bodyfat and increasing muscle mass as the same time. It sounds like you're aiming for a recomp.

Typically, the general idea behind recomp diets (at least as far as I've seen) is cyclical nutrition. Basically, on your strength training days you consume above maintenance level calories, and on your non-strength days (cardio and off-days) you consume below maintenance level calories. This could have you eating 1,000kcal difference each day. Say your maintenance level is 2,500kcal, you might eat 2,000 on your off-days and 3,000 on your training days. You'd still consume plenty of protein every day (about 2-3g/kg bodyweight).

Now, there's a few downsides to this method. First and formost is the fact that I've never tried it, so I can't talk about it from experience. All I've got to work with here is pieces of information sifted through and sorted together based on what sounds logical and what doesn't. Secondly, if you do this, it doesn't mean you get the best of both worlds, gaining muscle and losing fat. IF it works you will get both outcomes, but I would expect that they'd each come at half the rate they'd come at if you just focused on one or the other. Thirdly, from what I've read, if you want to try this approach then your current program may not a good one to work with. Because there's a lot of resistance exercises in your group cardio, and your group cardio looks to be at a pretty high intensity, it may cause problems regarding recovery (note, I'm not saying it will, only that it's a potential risk). If your muscles can't recover then they can't grow, which would render a recomp to be a highly convoluted waste of time for you.

Frankly, I don't want to say what you should or shouldn't do. At this point in time, it sounds like what you've been doing is getting you the results you want. You know what they say, if it ain't broken, why fix it? I'm not sure if the benefits of significantly changing what you're doing would outweigh the repurcussions (Although, one general change I would make to your program, when you go into the gym for resistance training, do some leg work instead of bicep curls. On a related note, congratulations on the 90kg bench press).

I don't think you need to start taking suppliments, and I definitely don't think you're in any need of weight loss pills. I've got no advice regarding stretch marks, as it's not a problem I've ever had to deal with.

Anyway, Tennisfan, we're glad to have you onboard, and hope you'll stick around.

Ryan from Brisbane, Australia.

 

[Tennisfan]

Thanks so much for your reply, Ryan! It was really helpful.

I've just moved up to 100kg benchpress... not that it's important, but hey another milestone for me.

I totally understand what you're saying about the potential recovery that I ought to be getting due to my intensive cardio training sessions. I have them Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday and Friday. It's not something that I want to give up, at all. This is because I love my classes (they're quite small) and they always push me. The trainer is an angel and she always stresses the value of running and endurance - if we're being chased by a group of guys, having the ability to run would be more beneficial than staying back trying to fend them off (no matter how big your muscles are).

You're a fitness specialist/personal trainer - what tips do you have in terms of my fitness regimen? Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, Friday - I have cardio classes. Usually during these days I also go to the gym to do either cardio or weights. I'm new to weight training really. This is what I'm thinking: stick with the cardio classes, but alternate weights and cardio at the gym (since I'd work out twice a day). Do you think this is a good idea? Will it give my muscles a chance to recover PROVIDED I get adequate nutrition and sleep?

However I think this idea might be the best for me... do classes Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday and Friday - set these as my "cardio" days and have Thursday and Saturday (and possibly Sunday) as my weights days? I would still do two workouts a day (e.g. on a Monday, go for my run in the morning then go for cardio at night), but I would streamline my workouts so that it's cardio/resistance and weights on different days?

Ryan, you're a personal trainer. How do you think I could get a V-shape and abs? My upper abs are definitely starting to show but I want to make my whole core region a lot more tight and trim. Are there any exercises I can do specifically or do I have to be patient, stick at my cardio and lose fat?

Sorry. I'm new to the fitness world so any help you could give me I would really appreciate.

Cheers,
Tennisfan

 

[Tennisfan]

So perhaps my new workout routine should be...

Monday: Morning run + night-time cardio.
Tuesday: Night-time cardio.
Wednesday: Morning run + night-time cardio (resistance class).
Thursday: Weights only.
Friday: Morning run + night time cardio (boxing).
Saturday: Weights only.
Sunday: Rest day/weights (only if body gives me the OK to do so).

Ryan, I don't know if this is just me but if I skip a gym session, or don't go to cardio class (which is rare anyway) I feel like I'm being lazy and feel like I'm taking a step backwards. Perhaps this is why I've been trying to do a lot of workouts, even if I'm a little tired. Thanks for drilling into my mind the importance of recovery and rest in this all.